Here’s the deal on Tülpa: He spent a good chunk of his 18 years on this planet behind a piano in Pittsburgh learning Beethoven, Bach, Erik Satie ("Gymnopedie," look it up). Now he’s in LA producing minimalist chill-out electronica.
Tülpa, born Ivan Zhyzhkevych, reinforces a theory that I have: Musicians with legit instrumental chops make the greatest minimalism. Miles Davis, Brian Eno, John Cale with the Velvet Underground; the best ones achieve addition through subtraction.
He met BLANKTS on Twitter; she’s the voice on "Gnats," a brilliant single about lonesome big cities. Together they sound like puddles on Sunset Boulevard. If you hear romantic chemistry, that’s because they have become an item IRL. Adorbs!
We chatted with the producer about his new city and new romantic interest. Read about it all below.
Hometown: Although I was born in Ukraine I consider Pittsburgh, PN my hometown. I spent most of my childhood growing up there and it's a very special place to me.
Homebase: I now live in South Central California, and it's a part of Los Angeles.
Describe your music to people who'v never heard it before.
It's melodically centered and incorporates alternative-indie tones with contemporary piano progressions. It's a lot of feel good stuff. I try my best to put a lot of a little bit of everything in my music so each finished piece is like that feeling at the end of the day when you go to sleep and your face is finally on a cold pillow, really fulfilling.
And your album is called Storytales because ... ?
The album is Storytales because it is a collection of love stories...some good, some bad. The world inspired it, all the people, all the movies, all the relationships.
You're pretty young; what was your first EDM experience like? Was it life-changing?
I went to Bassnectar at Stage AE in Pittsburgh. I was 15 at the time. At a certain point I was in the front of the crowd and took a moment to look behind me, the bass in a drop made my entire body tingle and everybody was going wild. I couldn't stop smiling all night.
How did you fall in love with music in general, not necessarily EDM?
The discovery of my love for music actually came a few years after I had been taking piano lessons. At the time, reciting classical pieces wasn't amusing to me, but after a certain point I (surprisingly even to myself) wanted to start writing my own things. The first time I got Cubase on my families out-dated computer and recorded my first eight bar of notes, I never felt so creative and happy with myself. I replayed that loop about a hundred times, and knew the feeling I got from it was one I'd be chasing for a long while.
Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
The first song I ever wrote was "Ambec," and the title was a made-up word I had conjured. Initially I never wrote lyrics to my songs, but the feeling behind it was inspired by the serenity of being in forests.
What's your songwriting process?
My songwriting process starts with me finding a purpose for a song. I need to know what to say in the end, even if nobody ever finds out — because that's my start to the beginning. As soon as I have a purpose, I start making the music behind the lyrics, and when that's done I start to draft the "stories." I like to progress the music alongside the writing process within each song; it makes it feel whole in the end.
How did you meet BLANKTS?
BLANKTS and I first met on Twitter, and I reached out to collaborate because I instantly fell in love with it.
Who else would you love to collaborate with?
I'd love to work with Mac Miller, Weezer, Peter Bjorn and John, but anyone who can come up with a good genuine story is always fun to write stories with.
Whose songs do you love to remix?
I prefer to stick to making original material, but if a nice song comes along and someone wants me to re-work it I'm always down.
Who are your musical heroes?
Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Queen. They were all I listened to as a kid, their music made me feel like life was a cartoon.
How did you end up in LA after living in Pittsburg?
I ended up living in LA because it's been my dream ever since I was young, and at a certain point after being kicked out from home it seemed like the only plausible option for me.
Does living in LA influence your songwriting style?
Living here's a dream so I'm making dreamy things. All my current stories branch out to topics I would've never come up with had it not been for California's environment.
What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done for you?
Name their two cats after BLANKTS and I. That was a pretty adorable moment.
If you were a hashtag, what would you be?
#orangetulipboywithapinkcozysweater
What’s on your 2016 bucket list before the year ends?
I'd like to change living places in California and get to some really special sessions with some of my favorite artists.
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