Oliver Chang: On Creativity
Marianna
Do you have a routine or ritual for entering into a creative headspace?
Oli
It depends on what kind of music I'm writing and where I am in the world. I like very early morning piano warm-ups and then about three 90 minute sessions to finish a modern classical piece. For electronic music, I like to collaborate with other producers like Reinis Asman or Zac Colwell over the internet by sending stems back and forth until tracks are complete. For songwriting, I actually like to write when I'm jogging immersed in nature.
Marianna
Do you have any habits you've built for yourself to foster creativity?
Oli
I really like cooking and cooking shows. I try to apply purist cooking techniques for writing and production. For example:
High-quality produce (instruments. mics)
Celebrating pure flavors (leaving great sounds fairly raw without overproducing/processing)
Executing strong simple dishes (a single simple idea that's really strong is better than an elaborate smorgasbord)
Marianna
Where do you think ideas come from?
Oli
Always from doing. The hardest part is finishing ideas though - it's a muscle that needs to be built over time.
Marianna
What does creativity mean to you?
Oli
It's very centering but as I mature I want it to have some kind of political charge because humans are making such a mess of this planet.
Marianna
When do your best ideas hit you?
Oli
I need to give myself 3- 6 hours of sitting down to write every day. They didn't always come but these days it's unusual if I don't leave the studio with something either usable or informative for my process.
Marianna
Do you use a process to come up with ideas?
Oli
Yes, I have a variety of processes for different objectives. I mix and match them which makes it fun.
Marianna
What are the unexpected turns your life took to lead you to become who you are today?
Oli
I think becoming a father at a very young age forced me to figure out how to monetize my art out of necessity.
Marianna
What sources of inspiration do you use to foster creativity in your work?
Oli
I'd like to go to more galleries. Clean living helps a lot when it's possible.
Marianna
What are some creative accomplishments you are proud of so far?
Oli
I guess playing live at Red Rocks in Colorado.
The 70 million plays my 3 bands High Highs, Animal Feelings, and Fancy Feelings have had on Spotify.
The ability to work from anywhere in the world is probably the biggest one.
Marianna
Do you experiment in your work?
Oli
Yes, I rely on mistakes to find cool things.
Marianna
How would you describe your creative process?
Oli
I guess to simplify this answer it's just a matter of creating time and space to work on something and making sure it's finished. The biggest enemy is to leave something unfinished. It doesn't need to be amazing it just needs to be ok. If I do this often enough I get lucky with some gems.
Marianna
What do you think is something that the most creative people in the world have in common?
Oli
Self-doubt.
Marianna
How do you make sense of chaos in your life?
Oli
An unfortunate thing is some of my best music comes when I'm avoiding or escaping some kind of emotional pain. Sometimes I worry if sometimes I might manufacture emotional distress.
Marianna
Why do you think people get stuck on problems?
Oli
Self-doubt is part of the playing field if you're an artist. If you accept that and move through it that's when things actually get done.
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About Oliver Chang (of High Highs, Animal Feelings, and Fancy Feelings):
Oliver Chang's personal projects have been featured in the films Pitch Perfect, Sleeping with Other People, For a Good Time Call, Newness and numerous TV shows including Gypsy, Catfish, Grey's Anatomy, Nurse Jackie and Teen Wolf. High Highs and Animal Feelings have toured internationally with artists such as Vampire Weekend, Empire of The Sun, Sky Ferreira and Tycho.
Recently Oliver Chang has launched a new modern classical project under his own name. This consists of a range of minimalist piano works in the world of Nils Frahm, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, and Olafur Arnauds.
ANIMAL FEELINGS is New York-based artist Oliver Chang’s recent musical experiment. Highly collaborative in spirit, the music evokes a mad-capped, improvisational dance party with a setlist that ranges from the melodic-driven electronic music of Jon Hopkins to the seductive house and pulsation of Four Tet. This is music you want to move to emotionally resonant interludes and aggressive bass drops are paired with exotic tribal percussion and vocal hooks that will invariably induce dance floor euphoria.
As a gifted lyricist and producer attuned to the zeitgeist, Chang’s ANIMAL FEELINGS deftly switches gears from anthems of love and nature to dirty club pop gems. Drawing inspiration from his second home in Bali, Chang speaks of a life where anything is possible.
FANCY FEELINGS is a disco-pop adventure with long time collaborator Zachary Colwell of FANCY COLORS. Featuring artists such as Client Liaison, Zeeba, Lenka, Sayah, Anya Marina, Ria Bouttier, Partis Wells and Mammals this project looks back at how the musicians and producers of the 1970s used real instruments to create dance music.