death valley sleepers.interview #37

Tobias Winberg is Death Valley Sleepers. And Death Valley Sleepers is one of the most exciting acts making music in Denmark nowadays. He's been releasing music (some as free download) for a few years now and on the verge of releasing a new album, we had the chance to ask him a few questions.
photo by Emil Ronn
The new album - which has no release date yet - also seems to be a new step (or direction, as Tobias says on the interview) in terms of sound for DVS: enough change to give a fresh feeling to it but still reminiscent of the rockish/shoegazy layered indiepop that got us all hooked into his songs, his mellow, whispery voice, guitar hooks and 60's influences.
The new versions of the debut album, can be found on his myspace (so far we can listen to three premix versions)... the sound is cleaner and brighter and there's a (great) addition of keyboards to some songs.


All we can do by now is wait until the album is released. Meanwhile, read my chat with Tobias: we talked about origins, free music, the new phase of his career and how a tv commercial got him more fans... between the questions, you can see two live performances at Drone Bar, in Copenhagen.


01.When ‘Death Valley Sleepers’ started? And where the inspiration for the name came from?
Don't remember the exact year but it started out as a solo-project... The name as inspired by the Death Valley desert (where Jim Morrison etc. were 'hanging out'). Sleepers stands for the 'dreamy' condition in the music...

02. If your music were a planet or landscape or if it had to be materialised on something, what would it look like?
A colorful valley with purple skies...

03. Name a few influences (music, film, comic book, historic figures… anything).
Obviously all the good music, films, books and art from the sixties. But all interesting music, people etc are inspiring in it's own way...

04. Personally, I think your music is a hybrid of 60’s pop with its simple and catchy lyrics with an 80’s diy feeling of  shoegaze and noisepop.  Now that you are in the process of releasing a new album, could you talk about this first songs and how they were made?  
I think you're right about that but me and the band took a 'new' direction in the studio - so the album's gonna be more 'tight' in a modern way not that noisy or shoegaze'ish. Guess you can call it happy and colorful psychedelic-pop now...

05. You’re recording(or just finished) your debut album. I remember some time ago I read on your facebook that you were listening to the pre mix of it. How’s the process? what can we expect… is there something different from your previous songs? Give us more informations about it like release dates; if it’s going to be released independently or under a label; any old song revisited; track list maybe…
My manager and I are negotiation with a label at the moment so I don't know anything about the release date yet, but I'm really excited about it all. The track list is most of the songs I have posted on my myspace for the last years -  but I selected 10 songs and then we gave them a new sound/feeling in the studio as a band...

06. I first heard of Death valley sleepers through some free tracks available for download on last.fm.  Share your thoughts on music distribution nowadays.
Well, I used to share my demos for free download because the production don't cost me anything but unfortunately things are looking different now - the album and the whole production was really expensive and I have to share a lot of the income between different  partners. So I can't do that anymore - I also have to make a living right...

07. The song 'left me high' is featured on a tv commercial for Chevrolet.  how did the contact happened? with the exposure, do you think your music gain more listeners/popularity?
Because I'm signed with a publishing agency and they were doing the sync. Oh yes the tv commercial was indeed a big help for my music - lots of new fans etc.

08. Do you get to live of your music?
Hopefully!! I'm trying my best but sometimes it's hard, it's a tough business...

09. Any song(s) you’d like to cover?
A lot actually...

10. Name the perfect place and time to hear your music.
That really depends which song or which mood you're in?

11. Recommend something you've been listening lately.
Don't get me started...

12. Anything else you feel like saying? 
Come join the Valley...

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