Ultrasound, An interview with Hotel Pools and A.L.I.S.O.N.
Interviews by Eric Riedel
This album is probably one of the most hotly anticipated Chillsynth albums to come out for a long while. With the combination of two Chillsynth greats Hotel Pools and A.L.I.S.O.N, how can it not be? An entire albums worth of collaboration. But can they maintain excellence and our attention for an entire album? The answer is a resounding YES. I was one of the few lucky souls to be able to listen to the album before it’s release and I’ve had a lot of time to digest it. I’ve listened to it on headphones, in the car, on my home stereo, through my phone and so on. You can appreciate the album in any situation and find something to appreciate about it. As I listened I kept finding little details to enjoy. This is also an album I’ve come back to many times, I’d get a synth line or melody stuck in my head was compelled to listen to it again. This was at times a problem as I’d have other music I needed to listen to. The mix is clean, it just sounds good. No flat production here. For casual Chillsynth folk this is gonna be great and for die hard as well. My feeling is that this album will become a high water mark for the community and reference point for other artists. Both of their personalities are present but it is its own unique creation. Hotel Pools pushing his production skills here. If your expecting the wavy aspects of HP you’re not gonna find it. A.L.I.S.O.Ns melodies stand out. What can I say, I’m a fan. This is an album I really enjoy. It’s interesting, it’s beautiful and it’s well produced you simply can’t go wrong. The album is being released through Stratford Ct. of course. It will see a vinyl release and also your streaming platform of choice.
I had to chance to sit down with both of them separately and talk about the album and other topics. These were conducted well before the album release and will reference things that will have already come to pass by the time you’re reading this. First in line is Hotel Pools then A.L.I.S.O.N
The Interview with Hotel Pools
TPA- Thanks for joining me today. Lots of exciting things you've been working on and teasing. But before we get to those id like to ask how you've been? I know you have had a lot of things going on.
HP -Well kind sir.
HP- I’m well how art thou
TPA- Been good man, busy with traveling to Washington St as you know. About to be out there for 2. Doing lots of new things with TPA. had a chance to sit down with your boy ALISON and we had a great chat about the new album the you two are working on.
TPA- He has nothing but amazing things to say about you and this album.
TPA- And I'm dying to hear your perspective on it.
TPA- How did the idea come along?
TPA- When did you know that it was gonna be a whole album?
HP- Sooo we’ve been talking about doing an E.P. or something more than a one off single for a while. He was going on a trip and sent me about 15 demos before he left. Most of them were starters or ideas that were sort of like sketches. After I moved and took a few months off late last year, I started writing and would pull up one of his demos each morning and start working. Once I was a few in a knew it was going to be an album because it flowed so naturally
TPA- I've always been impressed with your ability to collaborate with a diverse group of people and be able to have you and the other person still shine. But doing a whole album is something else. What about ALISONS music and working with him make it so fruitful creatively?
HP- There’s something about the way that he writes melodically and sonically that really connects with me. His chord choices and sound design just hits that right spot for me so it’s always just flowed in a special way when we write stuff together. I also like that we have similarities in our music but also do things differently so it meshes well but also conflicts in a good way.
TPA- Is there a particular vibe that struck you with this album? How did you approach what you were going to add?
HP- So most of the demos were just starts, like a short few loops of an idea. So I had to arrange all of them and give them a structure. But first I’d go through and add my drums and processing just because I feel confident about my drums and wanted them to all shine. I don’t really plan when I’m writing but I just keep adding parts and adding to the arrangement until it feels right. Once we had all the songs in a structure and I had worked on them all. We made a google docs form and then we could remotely put what we wanted to add or mix notes, etc.
HP- We did all the final touches and then I did the mix and master.
TPA- I was gonna ask if you had notes back and forth. It's a lot to keep track of.
HP- I wanted to bring out a different ambience in these songs than the HP stuff which is a bit more wavy.
HP- So I approached the production process a bit differently which I try to do with each new record I guess. Used the Microcosm a bunch on the record, which is a guitar pedal I got right before I moved. It helped me get more trippy with my synths.
TPA- Are there any standout songs and moments for you on this record? And if so why?
HP- I feel really strongly about the whole album but there are definitely some moments that stand out.
TPA- (Side note) the low end on this album is awesome.
HP- Ha thx dude.
TPA- i’ve listened to the album, really dig this. The production is so clean and crisp. You get all the different details sonically. You hear it and feel it at the same time.
HP- Yeah we were aiming for a clean mix, right high end but still hits hard on the low end.
HP- Tight.
TPA- The last track Lunar really stands out in that regard.
HP- That’s our collab from a year or so ago that I remastered for this vinyl release.
HP- It’s a bonus for the vinyl.
TPA- As you were saying I can hear your percussion and mastering but it really has a different vibe. The two of you really work well together. Compliment each other's styles. I think people who enjoy either of your work are going to be in for a treat.
HP- Yeah I think it tried to lean into his style a bit.
HP- Wanted to bring back that clean 90s electro mix.
HP- Oh you asked about my fav moments.
TPA- You've been leaning into the 90s elements more. Certainly since palmscapes
HP- The last minute of Escape is a goosebump moment for me.
HP- Also love spiral.
HP- Murmurs makes me feel weird if Pink Floyd did chill electro music vibe.
HP- Lifted is really clean.
TPA- The way Escape ebbs and flows and then builds almost this ecstasy of a feeling I can see why you feel that way.
TPA- How do you want people to experience the album? Headphones vs speakers? Or is it meant to be enjoyed however you like?
TPA- Spiral makes me ask the question.
HP- If I’ve done my job it’ll sound good wherever but as long as they play it I’m happy.
TPA- We're the songs already named or did the two of you collaborate on that as well?
HP- We named them all together.
HP- Most demos or ideas are just like.
HP- Demo1
HP- Idea2
HP- They weren’t really songs just starts or ideas that were starting points.
TPA- That cover artwork is really great. How did that come about?
HP- Andrew did a great job. We wanted something that represented the title, like a giant wave form.
HP- Ultrasound in space type thing.
HP- My initial crazy idea was a pregnant alien in space with the earth inside her belly.
HP- That was too far I guess.
TPA- Haha, wow. That's amazing again. Gotta give him major props. I really love the cover artwork.
HP- Ultrasound is a name I came up with.
HP- Wanted to use it for a while.
HP- Yeah he did a great job.
HP- And all the singles correspond as well.
TPA- I see that. I love all the corresponding artwork.
TPA- Are you going to do a live stream closer to the album release like you did with Palmscapes?
HP- I’d love to.
HP- I wish I could get Arthur on with me even as a shadow or something.
HP- A hooded shadow.
TPA- I'd love to see that too. I respect his decision. I get the impression he's just really shy and would rather have the music speak for him.
TPA- That's the great thing about this project is that you're able to interact in a way that he's not comfortable with.
HP- Yeah he’s awesome.
HP- I think him and Oddling are my two favorites to work with.
HP- Though I find each collab to be different and fulfilling in its own way.
TPA- Besides the Microcosm, were there any sounds or instruments you used more on this project?
HP- Also the Zen delay was a big part of the sound here. The Korg Monopoly. Moog Matriarch and Roland JX3P as well.
TPA- Can we expect any music videos for the record? Seems like another step to take.
HP- I hope to have something for at least a track or two.
TPA- That's awesome. I'm excited to see what you come up with.
TPA- Switching gears a bit.
TPA- You've released a bunch of vinyl this year. A repress of Nightshade and Baked.
HP- More coming.
TPA- Constant for sure right?
HP- Yes Constant with a new press.
HP- Two variants.
HP- I’m pretty sure we have most albums on order except what we’ve just released.
HP- Also I have a new HP album finished.
HP- It’s a themed record and will be out in a special way early next year.
TPA- The response to your vinyl releases are incredible. I can only think of maybe a few other artists that can consistently sell out presses. What do you think the draw is to your releases?
HP- I hope that first it’s the music and the connection people have with it. But also I think it’s the imagery that goes with the music that helps connect people. I try to just make things I like so having people want what I do is cool to see. There’s no painstaking thought that goes into really anything I do, it’s just stuff I think is cool and then me and Andrew make it happen
HP- Andrew also brings some great ideas to the table of course.
HP- It’s a collaborative effort once the music is ready.
TPA- He's an incredible graphic designer. I don't think he gets enough credit for his artistry and ability.
TPA- Although I'm sure it's less known.
HP- Yeah he deserves more credit for sure.
HP- Take Baked for example.
HP- I was like hey I want a giant sun smoking a palm tree joint over a field.
HP- And also I want him eating a croissant.
HP- Look what he did.
TPA- That's amazing, holyshit I didn't realize that's what you gave him.
TPA- It's so perfect.
HP- I mean it was a little more to it but yeah it was kind of like that.
HP- The idea for Baked was chillwave on a farm.
TPA- Farmwave.
HP- Hah yeah.
HP- A day on the farm in a chillwave world.
HP- It be the same shit.
TPA- That's a great tagline for the album.
HP- We wanted the imagery to touch the genre a little.
HP- To be not the same shit.
HP- Push the genre.
HP- Like not space or neon palms.
HP- Not that I don’t love that ha.
TPA- It's a great album. I love the three variants. The work it takes to put a package like that together is a lot
TPA- Yes I love how you subvert ideas.
TPA- It really makes it unique. And as I said I really like that album.
TPA- You also did some mastering lately for another artist?
TPA- How did that come about?
HP- I just started getting more serious into mastering my own music and learning more about how to make the songs sound the way I wanted.
HP- I figured I could pass those services along to others in my word for a reasonable price.
HP- Mastering can be really expensive.
HP- Also helps me learn as I master other peoples music.
HP- I enjoy it.
TPA- Something that consistently comes up when I talk to other artists is the appreciation of the quality of your mastering. Like not gonna lie it comes up a lot.
TPA- It's really cool that you're venturing into that part of the world. How do you approach mastering others' work?
HP- That’s cool to hear.
HP- I think I used to go into it like it was one of my songs but I’ve learned to get an idea of what the artist is looking for and then so my best to get close to that while making adjustments that I feel sound best.
HP- Sometimes we go back and forth a few times and other times it’s one and done.
TPA- What was it like working with Makeup and Vanity Set?
HP- Really cool. He was easy to work with and his record sounds great.
HP- Hope to work with him more.
TPA- I'm sure it will happen. He's just one of those guys.
HP- Oh yeah we’re already chatting about it
TPA- I'd love to hear a collab with y'all. It would be very interesting and a testament to both your musical abilities.
HP- Definitely will happen.
TPA- Let's talk about the new album. You don't have to go into details. But can you talk about the inspiration or what we can expect from it?
HP- It’s a story and it focuses on a character. I was really inspired by Japanese culture, imagery and soundscapes so that runs throughout the album and the design.
HP- We’ll also be doing things a little different for the vinyl releases and it should be quite amazing.
TPA- It seems like you're thinking bigger, maybe more expansive with music and how it's presented. Have you always thought this way or has something changed for you?
HP- I think I’ve always wanted to think bigger with my music but it’s hard to do when you’re alone in a room making music and no one is listening. With HP I’ve been able to see the vision actually come to fruition so it’s easier to let myself go creatively and think bigger.
TPA- Literally a billboard size ambition.
TPA- So in that sense it's super exciting for you right now. As you're able to realize these ideas in the way you imagined and people respond to them very positively.
TPA- Anything else we should talk about?
HP- Not really. Just that I’m excited to play Electronicon3 in August and meet a bunch of listeners in person. I’ll have some special merch as well at the show. Also, it’s been a pleasure working with ALISON on this record. Not a bad thing to say about the guy. He’s creative, talented and I see big things in his musical future. We hope everyone enjoys Ultrasound.
TPA- Thank you Ben for your time. Always a pleasure 🙏
The Interview with A.L.I.S.O.N
TPA- Thank you for chatting with me today. You have some exciting things happening musically speaking. But I wanted to start out with a more broad question. What have you been up to this year?
ALISON- This year I've been traveling. I started the year in Peru then went back to my home country of France and now I'm back in Peru for a while. I haven't found much time to produce music this year but I took my gear with me on the plane this time and finally started working on new solo projects for the first time in what felt like an eternity. I still managed to take advantage of some great opportunities this year to stay creative. I've worked with my friend Hotel Pools on a dope collaborative project. We started slowly unveiling some of the tracks we've made and we still have a lot to show. I was also given the opportunity to make a remix for Slow Magic and the 10 year anniversary of his debut album.
TPA- That sounds amazing. What drew you to Peru?
ALISON- My girlfriend is peruvian, we met just before covid. I'm happy to finally be able to travel as much as I want and I'm also lucky to be making music for a living so I can pretty much work from anywhere.
TPA- It is such a gift to be able to pursue your passions. Enjoy life and be with the people you love. You're living the dream.
TPA- Let's talk about your upcoming album with Hotel Pools. Can you tell me how your relationship began with Hotel Pools and how this album came to be?
ALISON- Thanks! I've been following Hotel Pools since he started releasing Chill synth music and he messaged me for the first time on SoundCloud in August 2018. We made our first track together "Drift" for his debut album. We stayed in touch after that and in 2020 we got together again for another collab "Lunar". This one was really a blast to make and I think this is where we realized that we have a great synergy. "Lunar" was well received, both by listeners and streaming platforms so that felt very rewarding and we knew that we had something good there. In late 2021 we thought that we had to do this again so I sent Hotel Pools all the demos and projects I could find on my computer just before leaving for my trip to Peru. I think he found a lot of inspiration in there and we realized that we could really do something big instead of a single or E.P. Once Hotel Pools made progress on what I sent him, it was evident that the synergy was there and we would easily be able to make a great album together.
ALISON- Things went really smoothly and we pretty much had it all done in a couple of months. I'm very thankful for all the mixing and mastering work that Hotel Pools put in for this album. I'm also thankful that he got us a deal with a great team at Tone Tree music to distribute this album. It was also great to work with Stratford ct. for the future physical release of the album. Andrew (Stratford Ct.) provided so many great artworks for us.
ALISON- I wouldn't have had all these great opportunities without Hotel Pools
TPA- Ben is such a great guy and I find his approach to music fascinating. He seems to be able to just flow with another person and understand them. Be able to speak to them musically. His collaborations never seem to be too heavy his style, he lets the other person shine. Also his production skills are insane. I have a lot of respect for him in those regards.
TPA- So it was a creative relationship that just made sense. Is that unique in your opinion?
TPA- I've spoken to Ben about this album. I know he's very excited about it as well and clearly making sure it has the best release possible. Is there a possibility of you working with Andrew at Stratford Ct. In the future? Or do you see yourself back at Eye Witness Records?
ALISON- I absolutely agree about Ben and I do think it's pretty unique. I rarely feel as comfortable collaborating with others as I do with Ben. I would like to work with Stratford Ct. in the future if I can come up with a worthy project. We got in touch a few times, Andrew made the artwork for my album Space Station and I also provided a track for his Secret Selection compilations. That was all years ago so I'd definitely be interested in working together again, especially since things have greatly slowed down at Eye Witness Records. I always considered myself an independent artist so I don't really want to be bound to one label or the other but we will see. I could also be releasing my next project totally unannounced one day without any labels involved. I like being low-key so that's also a possibility.
TPA- Can we talk about your background? How did A.L.I.S.O.N. start? What got you into electronic music?
ALISON- I always had something for electronics in general and for electronic music. I remember listening to Daft Punk's Discovery when I was really young. After highschool I was a student in electrical engineering and being very introverted I would spend most of my time wearing headphones and listening to music. I had to spend a lot of time on public transport to go to class so that gave me a lot of free time to listen to music. I found a chart somewhere that listed all the subgenres of electronic music with 5 important albums for each one and I thought I would challenge myself and listen to every single album on that chart. I remember falling in love with genres like IDM and had this thought while listening to Aphex Twin that I should try to make my own music too and express myself. At this point I was producing very slowly and learning how to use the tools but I wasn't very invested. What changed that was a series of event that lead to the start of A.L.I.S.O.N. (1/2)
ALISON- First there was Synthwave, which I discovered through the Hotline Miami games and artists like Perturbator, Carpenter Brut and others. Then I fell in love with hardware synthesizers and realized how much more fun it was to make music this way for me. And finally there was discovering the music of Home and the Electronic gems channel on YouTube. At this point it was 2016, I had been producing for a year and now I knew what kind of music I wanted to make so I got to work more seriously than ever before and produced my first official tracks. At that time I had named myself "Alison" after a song by Slowdive but I changed it to A.L.I.S.O.N some months later. In 2017, I sent the second track I had made to Electronic Gems and shortly after it was uploaded on the channel. That's pretty much how it started. After that I continued to make similar music while trying to find my own style and getting better as a producer.
ALISON- Around 2019, after a bunch of releases and after the new chillsynth community got together on discord, music became my full time job. (2/2)
TPA- That's an incredible journey. And very similar to people i've talked to through the years. It's interesting because those pivotal influences of yours have affected artists of all ages to point towards what I would call "synth" music, people have taken those things and stretched and molded it to almost every conceivable form. To me it makes this little corner of electronic music so exciting as opposed to EDM etc.
TPA- You mentioned being an introvert. But releasing music is fundamentally about interacting with others. Do you find making music and putting out there to be your way to connect with others?
TPA- When you make music where does it come from?
TPA- A side note Aphex Twin forever.
ALISON- Some people connect really deeply with the music. The way I see it, it's more about creating a piece which is like a snapshot of what I was feeling at a time and then putting it out there without any expectations. I learned from experience that if I release something that I like, there will probably be people out there who like it too. It's a great feeling. I think I've always treated music like a soundtrack for my daydreams. I love when music makes me feel things or makes my imagination go wild, so that's where it comes from for me. I really spend too much time in my own head so music is an enjoyable way to get things out.
TPA- Music helps you express your thoughts and feelings? Like a journal?
TPA- That's a good balance to have the need to want to put music out there but letting it be what it is. To be without expectations.
TPA- I think that's hard for a lot of artists especially ones that are just getting started and social media doesn't make it easier.
TPA- Do you have any advice in letting go, to those that struggle with that?
ALISON- I wouldn't really say that it's a journal because it all happens unconsciously for me. I'm generally not aware of what kind of feelings and inspirations I'm putting in a track. It's only much later, after reflecting on it, that I can understand what I was going through when I was producing. I don't know if it really helps me or not but it definitely keeps me busy and creative. As for advice, I would say what's the worst that could happen? Probably getting no plays on a release but we all went through that, we all started from nothing. I would encourage anyone who is interested in music production to have some fun, experiment, put yourself out there, be perseverant,... Eventually something will happen.
TPA- I absolutely agree. I think not giving up is half the struggle. It's easy to get discouraged but for me I remind myself that this is my passion (whatever project I'm working on) and that doing the thing is what is rewarding.
TPA- Your response is similar to something Com Truise said about Galactic Melt. He said he had an idea in his mind when making it. But when he looked back now. he could see all the underlying life things that he was going through at the time and its deeper personal expression.
TPA- Other than Hotel Pools is there a peer artist that you really respect or admire?
ALISON- Yeah to be honest they all kick ass and inspire me in different ways, it would be too hard to just choose one. I have the most respect for the artists who innovate, push themselves and push the genre forward, and also the ones who are trying different things. That takes courage.
TPA- Id like to loop around to the process of making music a bit for you. How does the start of a song begin? Is it a sound, melody or drum beat? How do you know a song is done?
ALISON- I usually start a song by making sounds with a synth and improvising some melodies or chords until something sounds interesting enough to record. Then I add more layers. I usually go for a bass as my second layer so I would try to find the perfect baseline to layer with my first sound. Then I would add some drums and maybe a melody or two. At this point I should have about 30 seconds of music that I can loop and listen to. If I'm satisfied with it and think there's potential, then I can turn that into a full song, which is usually the hardest part. I would usually use my initial loop as the first part of the song. The second part could be a variation of the first one with a bit more intensity, and in between would be some moments of rest (intro, breakdown, outro). That's my basic workflow but things usually aren't as easy in practice. Most of the time, the finished song is very different from the initial loop and most loops just end up taking space on my computer and are never turned…
ALISON- ...into complete songs
ALISON- I know when a song is done if I enjoy listening to it a lot and if I don't notice anything that I want to modify. I'm not a perfectionist though, I try to not waste too much time nailing the perfect mix or the perfect master. I prefer to let go and move on. Often after a song is released, I notice things that I want to change and feel bad about it but I know I just hate to hold on to a song for too long trying to make it perfect. There's only a few songs I've made that I can listen to today and be completely satisfied with. In the future I would like to feel like that about almost all the songs I make. That's one of my goals as a producer.
TPA- Thank you, that's super insightful. I'm always intrigued by these insights. This is an intriguing question that goes all the way back to medieval painters and other kinds of artists.
TPA- Do you ever look back at your songs and go "how the hell did I do that?
TPA- Do you hold onto those loops for sentimental reasons? Or is there a thought that you will mine those ideas for later use?
ALISON- 100%. I look back at some of the songs I made years ago and I have no idea how it happened. If i tried to recreate my old songs today, it would sound totally different. I often revisit all my old unfinished projects to find some inspiration. It has become a preferred way of working lately. I make a lot of new ideas and come back later to select the best ones. I used to be able to focus on one project from start to finish but not anymore. It's always a 2 step process now, sometimes even more. I think there's something really inspiring about rediscovering a dope unfinished project and breathing some new life into it. I think I will try to chase that feeling a lot. So much so that this is how I make albums now.
ALISON-I think a lot of people work that way without really thinking about it.
TPA- It's probably an even better way to get into the groove of working on a song if there's already something started. Especially because it's already your own music.
TPA- Have you purposely put something down because you weren't getting somewhere with it and picked it up later and finished it? Kinda like painters take a step back from their work and look at it from a distance.
ALISON- Yeah, all the time. Some ideas get a massive rework. Sometimes I would just keep a single element, delete everything else and go with a different vibe. You can always save a project I think but sometimes I just don't have the motivation and never touch it again. As artists we are really dependent on things we can't understand. You can be stuck in a writer's block for months and feel like everything you do is terrible. Looking back at old unfinished work is a good way to combat that.\
TPA- Is there anything else we should cover? Things you want to promote?
ALISON- Besides my upcoming album with Hotel Pools, I don't really have anything to promote, I just want to say thanks to anyone reading and to you for the interview :)
TPA- Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.
If you enjoyed the interview with this artist and would like to learn more about them. You can find their music on all streaming platforms and through their socials. But we highly recommend you supporting them through their Bandcamp page
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