Audley x Denisova released Go Outside today!
What, in your own words, is Go Outside? (Take this however you feel. Concretely or abstract. No wrong answers.)
Denisova: Go Outside is the love child of Audley and myself. It's a three track deep dive into the self and its reflection in nature. It's also a helluva lotta fun sounds and words.
Audley: Go Outside is a collaborative sonic piece of art birthed by Audley and Denisova. This record is an unapologetically present three track journey that finds its roots in nature, honesty, and rebirth. Go Outside blends Denisova’s earthy production, knocking percussion and demanding synths with Audley’s aggressive, sensual and self aware vocal performance. I hope the listener enjoys it because we are in love with this project.
What was the process like for this project?
Denisova: I made three beats, hoping Johnny would like at least one of them. One in particular. A couple of weeks after sending the music, Johnny told me he had already written material for all three. So suddenly we were looking at a full project. The process started out very spontaneously, but it proceeded in a meticulous and detailed way. When I received the vocals I made certain changes to the production, both in the form of arrangement, and musicality to better fit the narrative in hopes that it would compliment Audley's vocals (which never really needed more as they were so strong and well performed). I ended up removing a lot of details to accentuate the vocals, as well as adding details to sprinkle some spice over the production.
Audley: This process was a dream. Denisova sent over a the three pack and I wrote to all of them immediately. After a month or two tops I recorded all of the vocal takes with Chris Dickerson (D1) and sent them to Deni The best part about this collaboration is trust. Denisova encouraged me to speak my truth - and then I encouraged Deni to rework the production to have the vocals and instrumentation seamlessly communicate with each other. I’ve never done this 100% remotely before as he lives in Norway - but we made it work and I’m excited for our friends, family and fans to listen to not only this record but the ones to come after. This is just the beginning.
How was it working with (Audey/Denisova)?
Denisova: Honestly, working with Audley is a dream. As a producer there's truly nothing to complain about. He's organized, sticks to deadlines, always prepared, and he understands the producer role more than enough to give me the material, and space and time, to do my part. Not to mention that he's a skillful lyricist and performer. I felt a genuine mutual respect for each other's roles, which is actually quite rare especially considering that we've done all the work from opposite sides of our beautiful planet.
Audley: A whole lot of what was said above. Deni is passionate, talented and has a genuine desire to create. We both came into this space with a grand appreciation of each other’s work so things just rolled and momentum was very easy to obtain. Everything just kept moving forward it’s hard to explain we were both in sync from the jump.
FOR DENI: Talk to me about the production. What are we listening to here and what inspiration were you pulling from?
Denisova: Like I mentioned I picked out three beats I really thought Audley would sound great on. I wanted to give him a challenge, something I haven't heard him rap or sing on previously. When the concept of the project was established I wanted to created an experience that reflects humanity and nature. The fact of the matter is that technology is fusing with nature more and more. So as far as sound selection I wanted to reflect that. I mixed a lot of organic sounds with a lot of futuristic sounding synthesizers. I really like the juxtaposition of blending organic percussion and drum sounds, with heavy, in-your-face synths. In this project you will hear natural drum kits, a wide array of percussion, synthesizers, both analog and digital, strings, piano, glockenspiel and other atmospheric sounds.
FOR AUDLEY: Talk to me about the lyrics. What are we listening to here and what inspiration were you pulling from?
Audley: Presence. Death and rebirth. Self reflection. Self awareness. The evolution of the love song. Joy. Finding safety from the tree line by the river. Strength. We’re all connected you know the drill.
What do you hope the listener receives from this project?
Denisova: I hope the listener first and foremost will get inspired to go outside. Preferably with these songs in their headphones. I hope it will help people look inward for strength. And I hope they will inspire producers and beatmakers to just do whatever the hell they want with their productions. To do what feels good and not be afraid to be different.
Audley: I hope the listener receives this love. I hope they feel this energy and become inspired. I hope they can genuinely taste my gratitude. I just want the listener to enjoy and groove out to these tunes.
