Seabass and UZU on the Pure Local Extra show

Dave has been on the show before and is more experienced within music, he is also part of a band called Crisis Talks. He is currently doing a side project by the name of UZU. This was the first time Sebastian visited the show.

Both artists make very unique music. UZU makes “cinematic atmospheric dark fusion of industrial, alternative rock and sound sculptures”. Seabass makes house, d&b, techno, hip hop, and many more. According to Dave, making something more experimental or different gives you more room to play around.

To start the show, we listened to ‘Funk House’ by Seabass. The song is from his demo album, this album being his first release and just a way to get his stuff out there. According to Seabass, he named it Funk House simply after the vibes it gave off, a common theme with the songs he releases.

As of recently, Dave has released an EP called ICHI under the UZU name. He has been mostly focusing on his side project, the project being very different from Crisis Talks. UZU is quite dark but also very cinematic, something to create an atmosphere at an event.

One question asked was “What took you in this direction?” For Seabass, he went through a big 80s music phase when he was younger. The synths and electronic elements of 80s music are used a lot in his music. For UZU, he comes from the mindset of industrial rock, it’s what changed him into a musician.

The next song we listened to was ‘Breath’ by UZU, this track being our record of the week. According to UZU, the song is the start of the journey his EP takes us through, it’s the realisation. It takes on themes about how you sometimes need to let go and a testament to people’s bravery. The track was written a long time ago and has gone through many different versions.

One point made by both artists stuck out to us all in the studio, that being the topic of AI is music. According to UZU, real musicians will always be better than AI creations. You can create all you want with AI but it will never be the same as a real person and the connections. Seabass had a similar take in that an AI artist or song has no real meaning, it lacks human emotion and connection. 

The next topic for discussion was unusual instruments. UZU brought up how he has recently bought an Aztec Death Whistle. The whistle is small and looks like a skull but makes a loud shrieking sound when blown. He has plans to use it, which I think would make a very interesting track. Seabass, working mostly with synthesisers, has tried all sorts to make weird sounds. Mostly mixing different buttons and sounds.

The next song we listened to was ‘Euro’ by Seabass. The song has quite a sweet backstory, being made originally for his Mum. She loved the accordion elements, so the track makes use mostly of accordion. The title comes from how it gives off European vibes, it sounds like something you’d hear in Italy.

The next UZU track we listened to was ‘Under A Blackened Sun’. This track is also part of the EP and its concept. Something interesting about the track is that it uses a medieval vocal structure.

Finally, what’s coming up? UZU’s album launch party is tonight at Arcadia Coffee House in Newport. There is a lot of Crisis Talks stuff in the works as well as many other plans.

Seabass is planning a Gig for January, having only done personal events, nothing to the public, so far. He’s also looking to collaborate with other artists in the future. For updates, you can find on his Instagram (seabassmusicreal).

You can listen to the full show here