Photography and interview by Christopher Brown
“I’ve always been quite a curious person; I believe that’s what dictates the exploration of sound within my music. I always want to know what would happen if I tried something another way.” UK-based producer Harvey Carter alias Tutara Peak told 15questions in an interview. And you can hear this creative curiosity in all his work. His music is incredibly multifaceted, mystical and builds up to set this feeling of intensity. In our interview he talks about his collaborations, what he has found for consistent, quality work and his visions.
What has inspired your sound in this season’s productions following the Radiance EP?
It’s mostly been the different people I’ve been around these past few months. I’ve got to hang with some friends I haven’t seen in years and write some music with them which is always freshly inspiring. The places I’ve travelled to recently have been a big part too, I got the chance to travel to Paris and LA which are both completely different cultures but managed to record a few sounds to work into some new music. I think being in different environments with different people keeps my ears always inspired with new conversations and new sounds in these environments.
What is your approach when crafting a new production, and how do you get inspired and execute your vision?
It depends on a few things for me. As mentioned earlier, being in a different environment puts me in a different headspace and often breeds material that is different than my usual which I really like. My usual approach starts with an improvisation on any of my instruments or music gear. I like to incorporate interactivity in making music as much as I can as I find this much more engaging than sitting at a computer, if I could eliminate the computer all together I would! I usually jam out and record everything, from there I go back through and try to find any potential gold that could start a song (if it hasn’t already been found whilst recording). From that point on when a strong idea is being developed I often have a vivid image or scene in my mind, it can be as simple as a landscape or something to that degree (this is usually where my song titles come from too). That’s where the concept or theme of the song comes to life and when it comes to releasing the song I always keep this in mind. Noting anything down is very important to me to keep track of my thoughts throughout the creation of any music I do.
“I think being in different environments with different people keeps my ears always inspired with new conversations and new sounds in these environments.”
What do you look for in artistic collaborators for your productions?
First and foremost I have to love what the other collaborators are doing with their own projects, otherwise it makes it very difficult for me to gravitate towards what we have made. I’ve also learnt that the personality of the other collaborator is an important factor for me too. In the past I’ve tried to work with as many people as possible to get as much music done but what I’ve found for consistent, quality work is to stick with the people that I gel with the most personality-wise. The work we produce often turns out better if I get on with the other collaborator. Strong communication is super important too.
“…if I could eliminate the computer all together I would!”
Tell us about your experience working with collaborators for your new releases this year.
The people I’ve released with thus far have been amazing. Earlier this year I released a track with an old friend, Owsey, called ‘The Sudden Glimmer’. It was a very fast-paced experience writing with him which I love, he’s very open minded to trying lots of directions but when it comes to crunch time he can really hone in on the best idea. I’ve recently just released a song with my good friend Aether called ‘Yukijo’. Me and Aether have a long history of writing together over the years so when we approached ‘Yukijo’ we wanted to create a song that represents our new direction as collaborators while also honouring our previous works and friendship, a super sentimental track for sure.
I have another collaboration coming out soon with the amazing Milan Ring which I’m incredibly excited to show. I really admire her work ethic and professionalism which has made the track a joy to work on. I started a very rough demo heavily utilising the Organelle M that had the bare bones of the track sketched out, however the structure was all over the place. I sent this to Milan and she sent back the demo structured in a way that suited her vocals. Alongside this, she added layers and layers of lush vocal harmonies and backing vocals which really took the track into the sonic space it sits in now. Her vocal takes transformed the rough demo track I sent her from sounding average at best to the completely soulful song that it currently is. I believe that we work in similar ways of achieving an emotional goal by layering lots of subtle layers to create a lush collage of sound.
“I’ve also learnt that the personality of the other collaborator is an important factor for me too.”
What are you working on to shape your live performances in the time ahead?
I’m really into the idea of incorporating interactivity into the creation and performance of my music. I’ve wanted to create a live show that is enhanced with how I interact with my music. I have had the chance to collaborate with my twin brother for the first time, not on a release but on a performance of my song ‘Colour & Pattern’. We’ve been wanting to collaborate for years but it’s been difficult to understand how it can work as we both work in completely different trades. For that performance we created what we call the Lightboxes, these are 4 vibrant, frosted resin cubes with breathing LEDs that change colour upon touch. This also triggers certain sounds and commands within the performance. This is the first iteration of my interactive live show that I hope to expand on and blur the lines between set design and music performance, much more to come!
“I have always wanted to see how my music can exist in spaces outside of the music industry and creatively I find art and sculpting the most fulfilling.”
How do you see the Tutara Peak project evolving as we near towards 2023 and beyond?
I’ve been working on an album’s worth of new music that I’ve split into 2 EP’s and singles spanning over the next 2 years. This is how I hope to showcase the sounds I’ve been working with and how my approach to writing music has changed drastically, diving into lots of unknown territory creatively. Alongside all the new music I am looking to branch out into new creative areas for the project by collaborating with other creatives, one of these being art and sculpture. I have always wanted to see how my music can exist in spaces outside of the music industry and creatively I find art and sculpting the most fulfilling. I’ll be showcasing some of this work next year alongside my brother, it’s still new territory for me but exciting nonetheless.
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