Embassy

Embassy

-Who are you?

 I’m Edward Lyons, a postgrad law/business student, football fanatic, eclectic music listener and the producer behind Embassy.

-Let's talk about the "Embassy" project?

Embassy was started out of my frustration with an inability to compose original material on my strongest instruments of guitar/bass. I decided to try something new and got into synths and sampling. There’s also a degree of control over your vision you gain as a producer. You are the band; the drummer, the guitarist, the bass player, the keys. Shaping the sound of each of these elements is a real step up from playing only one.

-Are you working for a future releases?

Yes, I’m working towards the release of a mixtape featuring a number of guests due out in April/May and following that, a debut EP.

-Why do you make music and what does it mean for you?

The first reason was to have some tracks I could put on my own iPod. After a few friends listened and said how much they enjoyed them I was motivated to work on them more. Making music is a sort of infinite challenge. You can always improve. Write better lyrics. Construct a better beat. Build a better bassline. But at the same time it was never about that. Musical quality is so subjective and impossible to define. The aim for me then is to be able to create a collection of sounds that others can find meaning in, hopefully in the way I have been influenced and touched by the music I listen to.

-Where and when did you start learn to play?

 I started learning guitar when I was 7. Clarinet when I was 8. Bass when I was 10. Poorly self-taught on everything else.

Embassy Music

-What's your favourite artist and song?

Music means too much to have a favourite artist or song. It all depends on the situation; how you feel, who you’re with, what your girlfriend said to you yesterday, how many dollars in your pocket, how many uni assignments you have due or how many weeks of holidays ahead.

My favourite artists are those that push boundaries but still connect with a huge audience. That to me is purpose of art and music. Influencing the Embassy sound most are Burial, Oddisee, J Dilla, Bonobo, DJ Shadow and The Streets.

-What genres did influence your music?

Jazz, soul and hip-hop are the fundamental basis of almost everything I write. The media I express these ideas with ranges from the traditional acoustic instruments through to more electronic and sampled sounds

-How would you describe your sound?

 Embassy is a project that attempts to blend influences of instrumental hip hip, downtempo electronica with jazz harmony and improvisation. It aims to be equal parts ambient and moving. Most importantly the purpose is to (hopefully) make you feel.

@Embassy

-How much the live element matters in your Music?

For me, how you perform live defines who you are as a musician. Without a captivating live show you are a composer or a DJ not a musician. Engaging the audience is a critical part of your role. Having people walking away from your gig with a buzz is something I consider a priority. I choose to perform my tracks with 3 other musicians playing the sounds on real instruments rather than set off an endless array of loops or perform with a backing track.

-Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowadays?

 As above, the artists most relevant (and deserving of the most recognition) are those that can traverse new ground yet still connect with their listeners.

-How and where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

 Ideally, having as much fun as I am now.