A Chat with CSK (06.06.2020)
CSK is the solo project of David Brown with Matt Carter on drums. The project is all instrumental guitar music with a focus on feel and tonality. The collaboration draws on a range of influences and has released their first EP Two. We sat down with David Brown (DB) to talk about Two, their future work and much more!
OSR: What made you realise that music was your path?
DB: I’m not sure I’ve ever seen music as my path; it’s more something I’ve just delved into by accident. I make music to fill the gaps in my music collection and create something that I would be excited to hear for the first time.
OSR: Who are you inspired by?
DB: I’ve always been inspired by people who are authentic at their craft without being a master at their instrument. Music made from the soul is much more inspiring to me than music rooted in theory.
OSR: How would you describe the music that you typically create?
DB: I’m all about sounds. I work with a friend who plays the drums, and we’ll often spend (too much) time tweaking a ride cymbal to ring out just perfectly, or tuning a snare to sound warm and punchy. There’s also a ton of layers in the tracks, from things like clicks, claps and teaspoons clacking against mugs to obscure vocal samples found on a 4 am YouTube binge. I also adore guitars drenched in reverb and tremolo. Not so much that you’re drowning; just enough that it’s comfortably floating along in the track.
OSR: What makes your music unique?
DB: I honestly don’t think that’s for me to answer. My music, like any other musician’s music, is a combination of experiences, skills and lucky accidents that have happened to me over the years. In that sense it’s unique, but I’d like listeners to form their own opinions about why my music is unique to them.
OSR: Has there been one particular moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?
DB: My main musical project is with my band Slowski, and we recently played a sold out show in London which made all the hard work feel worth it.
OSR: What’s an average day like for you?
DB: For me, it’s about getting up early in the morning and making the most of the day. Start the day with a good coffee and stay busy and active. If I find myself watching dull television, then I know I should be writing and recording music.
OSR: What is your favourite song on Two?
DB: That’s a really difficult question for me because I’ve had them all for years as rough demos before deciding to actually record them properly. I have a really big soft spot for ‘Silver’ even though it’s probably the least immediate track on the EP.
OSR: What do you enjoy most about being a musician? What do you hate most?
DB: I enjoy the writing and playing, but also just the beauty of guitars and studio equipment. I mean what’s not to love. There’s so much more to music than the recording, it has a backstory and a journey, and I love being part of that. I hate the idea of actually showing people what I’ve created even though I really want to. It always feels very vulnerable and delicate, but usually worth it.
OSR: If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
DB: The music industry generally feels like they play it so safe a lot of the time. I want to hear more cutting edge albums make the charts and for more people to hear some of the great music out there. It was also great to see this year’s Glastonbury line up being more than 50% female artists. It’s a shame that in 2020 that is still newsworthy and not the norm.
OSR: Do you have a message for your fans?
DB: I’m not sure I really have any, but if I do I hope my songs are still coming up on your shuffle in a few years.
OSR: What’s next for you?
DB: My next EP is basically recorded and ready to go. However, I’m waiting for the right moment to release it as I’ve also got a new single with Slowski coming out very soon. Besides that, I’m always writing new songs and developing material for the next release. Once this lockdown stuff has been eased I’ll be meeting up with my writing partner and flesh out some of these ideas.
Thanks to David Brown for chatting with us! You can find more about CSK on their Instagram and SoundCloud.
