Hey guys! Glad to have you here to talk with you about your latest four-track EP titled ‘Pure Intent’
- Jimmy – G’day mate!
- Kyle – Absolute pleasure. This EP is a monumental point for us and I am stoked to share about it!
Can you please tell us more details about ‘Pure Intent’? How did it come to life and when?
- Jimmy – Kyle and I had been talking about working towards creating something more serious, a body of work with meaning that embodies our struggles in life, our faith, our hope for more, and feeling worn while sometimes smiling through the stress.
- Kyle – I agree. From the start, the Dystracted project has taken pride in having fun and producing satirical, over-dramatically “creative”, and sometimes outright nonsensical works. However, after I moved back to the USA at the end of 2022 and we both found ourselves going through some incredibly difficult times on entirely separate continents, the desire to express a deeper part of ourselves and a purity amongst dark circumstances grew into the premise of the EP.
- Kyle/Jimmy – Fun fact: Two of the songs were derived from two older tracks, which were transformed into entirely new productions, when sitting down for a ‘final mixing’ session.
What sets ‘Pure Intent’ apart from your previous EPs, and why should listeners tune in?
- Jimmy – Pure Intent is interwoven with meaning, intention, and a cryptic homage to some of the internal struggles we both relate to.
- Kyle – And a portrayal of hope and purity that can come through the struggles.
A massive inspiration of Pure Intent was the origin and creation of the vocals that became the defining components of most of the tracks. Since 2017, I have spent a significant amount of time overseas for an organization that exists for the prevention, rescue, and restoration of child trafficking victims. My wife and I spend a portion of each year living overseas and being a part of the mission.
With my intention to keep the children’s stories safe, and being deeply cautious to never use the kids and the work we do there as some publicity stunt, I have always kept these two parts of my life separate (music and the kids). Over the last year as Jimmy and I both found ourselves going through our own respective struggles, however, the hope these children gave me through their resilience and ability to find faith and laughter amongst experiences that mine could never compare to, and which I could never comprehend, was the inspiration and driving force that allowed this EP to come to life.
- Oh God – Firstly, the reverberated children’s shouts that reoccur throughout the song, recorded on my iPhone, are snippets of a group prayer joyfully shouted before a breakfast meal. Their passionate, unified voices engrain an unexplainable essence into the song that I hope people can feel even without fully knowing the context. Secondly, AVARY, who happens to also be my wife, is a phenomenal artist and singer who, through her connection and experience with these children, was able to write, sing, and help produce the lyrics and emotions that pave the way into the second half of the track. (She also helped in the production of a lot of the EP.)
- Bucklenut – This song is a given. Having access to the stems from Tygris and Wessanders (especially the ambient processed vocals) made this remix flow out with ease.
- Ello Ello – If you didn’t guess it already, the children’s voices in this track are also some of the same beloved children. I heard them singing this nursery rhyme during a playground game and I knew I had to make a fun track with it. The Waeyd ego had quite an enjoyable time writing metaphorical lyrics inspired by the experience of their laughs and smiles during that moment.
- Worn – The uninterpretable vocals in this one were from an old, unfinished song that, although not able to understand, are about the same sort of lessons that inspired the rest of the tracks on the EP. After processing the vocals to how they are now, I just loved that sweet groove they give over the deep bass.
How would you describe your sound?
- Kyle – The Dystracted sound is one that can be described as ever-evolving. When I met Jimmy in 2017, I knew next-to-nothing about music theory and production, and absolutely nothing about how to design and compose electronic music. With Jimmy’s endless discography of electronic music that exists in his head, and my recently found talent of writing songs influenced by a life of 90’s hip hop, ska-punk, and screamo, our sound really has developed in a very unique way.
- Kyle – Two factors have seemed to carry over through all the changes though:
- Clean, deep bass; I love bass design that allows you to almost hear the distinct frequencies throughout its spectrum. Clarity amongst the heaviness has always intrigued us.
- Natural melodics – Although we certainly have songs without it, we have always been drawn to having that sense of “real” be a portion of the song. “Real” pertains to segments of the song that can be replicated by humans. Instruments, vocals, groovy percussion, etc. (this includes, but is not restricted to, recordings of household utensils, ping pong balls, and Jimmy and I attempting to make his dog grunt over a bottle of cheap wine.) Whether or not we have the time, or ability, to create them ourselves or use samples, it is certainly an aspect we love to incorporate.
Who is Dystracted and why music, how you guys meet and at what age did you get into music and how?
- Jimmy – I met Kyle busking in Queensland, Australia and was so impressed with his talent. He hadn’t spent his whole life building these skills, they were new, and they were so unique. I showed him some electronic music like Staunch, Spoonbill, Opiuo, Whitebear, and even more eclectic artists like Amon Tobin and Circuit Bent. I used to call it “food to feed his creativity”. Shortly after he started producing, he quickly exceeded my production capability. We made a contract in Red Crayon to work together with my years of DJ experience and business management skills, letting him focus his musical talent to ultimately launch him into a personal music career. I’ve never lost faith that he will be wildly successful on his own.
- Kyle – Dystracted is two dudes who ran away from America to Australia, met through some friends, connected through a fascination of torturing ourselves with hot sauce and raw chillis, married Australians, and happened to both fall in love with the same music, with specific talents that complimented each other tremendously. I didn’t get into music until 10 years ago when I was 21 and met Jimmy when I was 23. He had far more experience with music at the time, and his love for the music he DJ’d and listened to had a life changing impact on me and my dreams.
Do you remember the name of the first song that made you love electronic music?
- Jimmy – Opiuo – Slurp and Giggle (Album Mix)
- Kyle
- Mr. Bill – Slate was when I KNEW I wanted to make this kind of music.
- Zebbler Encanti Experience – Outside The Box,2:10 onward was when I became obsessed with sound design.
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration throughout your music journey?
- Jimmy – I have really appreciated the likes of Soulacybin, Mindex, Opiuo, Spoonbill, Grouch, and 5AM.
- Kyle – Honestly, 2 people. My wife and Jimmy.
What’s the one activity you love doing in your free time when not making music?
- Jimmy – I love my two dogs and a good role-playing video game. I think I am too old for soccer now, but that was a thing for many years.
- Kyle – I like to get punched in the face inside of an octagon, and I enjoy getting progressively worse at skateboarding over years of trying. Also, I have gotten into visual design and lighting as well. I am only just beginning but I love it.
Can you tell us more about your dream and future collaboration and what do you hope to achieve in the next 3 years in your professional career?
- Jimmy – I want to see Kyle’s solo project Waeyd touring and playing live in his own personal expression, and I want to explore more creative ways to present the duo together, in more countries around the world. We are touring Australia with Josh Teed and Choppy Oppy from The Gradient Perspective in August, which is going to be incredibly fun and full of neat little venue surprises.
- Kyle
- For Dystracted, I want us to be on a consistent touring schedule. Jimmy continues to grow the Australian circuit, and I especially want to break into and tour within the America scene.
- For personal, I have my other project, Waeyd, which is both a business I teach music and produce for others through, and an outlet to express my creativity without the constraints of a specific genre. My main goal is to do music full-time.
This is all for now. Thank you for your time answering our questions. Where can our community find out more about your music and your future releases?
- Jimmy – Check out Grand Alliance Music (USA), The Gradient Perspective (USA) and Diffraction Collective (AUS) for more of our work coming soon!
- Kyle – Thank you so much for taking the time to hear our hearts on the EP and our lives in general.
- Follow Dystracted on the socials for updates, new releases and where you can catch us live.
- Keep an eye on the Waeyd project (IG: @waeydsounds), which includes producing for various artists, including AVARY (IG: @soundsofavary) currently in the works.
Stream Link – https://hypeddit.com/dystracted
Follow Dystracted on Socials – https://linktr.ee/Dystracted
Follow Grand Aliance Music on Socials
www.grandalliancemusic.com
https://hypeddit.com/dystracted
https://grandalliancemusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/@GrandAllianceMusic
https://linktr.ee/grandjams
