Los Angeles-based electronic indie dance trio ASHRR recently released their single, “Sway.” This fluid, creamy, and sensual blend of electronic soul and space disco evokes the haze of summer and the thrill of late-night escapades.
Made up of Ethan Allen, Josh Charles, and Steven Davis, ASHRR broke through with their self-titled debut EP. In 2019, they released their debut long player, Oscillator, followed by a series of singles, EPs, and remixes, including “What’s Been Turning You On” with remixes by System Olympia. ASHRR’s new album, Sunshine Low, is slated to drop this fall.
XS Noize caught up with ASHRR to talk about the inspiration for “Sway,” the origin of the band’s name, and their passion for the creative process.
How would you describe your music?
ODM …. Organic Dance Music. It’s a collage of indie dance, post-punk, and soul music.
Can you share the inspiration behind “Sway” and the creative process involved in
bringing it to life?
‘Sway’ started with a bass line that I wrote and played on the keyboard over a simple disco drum loop. Ethan and I found out how difficult it was to play that bass line, and we wanted to find someone who had the ability and, most importantly – the feel. We saw Ebo Taylor (one of our heroes) and his band at Lodge Room and were blown away. After the show, we hung out with Emmanuel Ackon, who played bass, and we asked him if he could play the bass line and send it to us. He ended up recording it in Ghana and sending us the parts, making it a global collaboration. We always want our music to have a bit of an edge, and the clanky post-punk guitars really complement the bass and drums. We wrote the hook and knew we had something.
With “Sway”, what was your main focus? What did you want to try and achieve with this track?
We wanted it to be slinky, groovy, and have an edge—we never want to lose our Edge! Haha.
What’s the story behind the name ASHRR?
It’s our singer Steven’s real first name. We wanted to spell it differently, but it proved difficult to find us when we first started because no one could spell it. Thankfully, people are now becoming aware of us, and it’s way easier to find us when you search! What’s awesome is that all the DJs at KCRW who play our music always spell out the name, as well as BBC6 and more.
You have a new album, Sunshine Low, coming this fall. What can you share about the album?
The album is over two years in the making and is called Sunshine Low. We wanted to make music that brings people together on the dance floor and is heavily focused on the songwriting itself. We were fearlessly experimental in our love of soul, funk, hip-hop, and world music and merged all of these influences to make these songs. We signed last year with the awesome 2020 Vision label, and the album is coming out on September 20.
How did you get started in music? What’s the back story there?
I was a concert-trained pianist from an early age, but I was obsessed with Motown, Van Halen, Police, U2 and everything I heard on the radio growing up. I fell in love with New Orleans music at 12 and began to play professionally in clubs around 15. Through some celestial set of circumstances, I ended up being mentored by Dr John, moved to NYC, and got signed to a bunch of record labels over the next years, but I never released anything until much later, which ended up being my own blend of funk, soul, rock, etc. I have had the great fortune of working and writing with some of the best who ever did this, and I’m always grateful.
What can you share about your writing process?
For Sunshine Low, Ethan and I would take demos we had or just make up something on the spot and work the music and production side until we had something we felt was special. Melodies would come pretty easily, and we’d put them down without lyrics. This process goes on, and when we feel we’ve got something, we’ll have Steven come, and we’ll all write the lyrics together. Recently, we did our first-ever sessions where we all were in the same room and tracked live in a completely improvisational way. It was so much fun, and I can’t wait to see what those sessions reveal.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Maybe touring or who you’ve played with, something that’s really stood out.
Obviously, for me, having been mentored by Dr. John in my career is a highlight. He taught me so much about music and this business. I’ve toured a lot in the past and love being up on stage, but I also love being in the room when the music is being fabricated out of the ether. One minute, there’s nothing, and the next, magic is born. For example, I wrote two songs in one day with John Oates at my apartment here in LA a few years ago. We’ve written and recorded several songs together, and that’s another highlight! Touring with an opening for the Neville Brothers, Joss Stone, and Buckwheat Zydeco has also got to be up there.
Which do you enjoy the most: writing, recording, practising, or playing live?
I’ve toured a lot in the past and love being up on stage, but I also love being in the room when the music is being fabricated out of the ether. The songwriting recording process in the early stages is incredible. Now, being with ASHRR is the best! I love these guys so much as humans, and the chemistry we have making music is so special. I’m so lucky!
Knowing what you know now, if you could go back and start your music career all over, what would you do differently?
Never take anyone or anything for granted, and never sign a deal without a lawyer. I’d also have spent way more time learning how to mix and engineer much earlier than I did later on.
Based on your own experiences and lessons learned, what guiding principles or words of wisdom would you share with aspiring artists looking to carve out their path in music? What’s next for you?
Be open, be you, work your ass off and never go into this thinking you’re going to make money. Do it because you have to, and it drives you every minute of every day. Study, practice, and learn the history of music.
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