Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Featured Artist of The Month: Milosh

Michael Milosh or simply ‘Milosh’ is a Torontonian singer and songwriter with an amazing sensual, airy, dreamlike, jazz-inflected voice. His music is to me a comfortable mix of electronic downtempo and soul so loungy and soothing, it reminds me of Bossa Nova.

His debut album “You Make Me Feel” (2004 - One of iTunes top 10 best electronic albums) and his second album “Meme” (2006) were full of beautiful organic-sounding bass drums, low rising trumpets and abstract clicks and blips. Listening to Milosh’s music is almost like moving underwater surrounded by synthetic tones and his feather-like voice… a voice that doesn’t make you sleep but transports you to another world. Whether the song’s topic is about a happy relationship or a break-up, his lyrics are always therapeutic, romantic and optimistic.

Milosh will be soon releasing his third album mixed in Chicago with Telefon Tel Aviv’s Joshua Eustis. He’s telling us more about it on a short interview I had with him.


The Pompomist: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself; where you were born and any other biographical details you feel like talking about?

Milosh: I was born and raised in Toronto Canada my background is Ukrainian, I was a mischievous child...hmmm what to say what to say. I do love traveling a lot and every record I have done (3) has been in a different place. You make me feel was written and recorded in Holland, I lived there for a year. Meme in Toronto and my latest record I recorded in Thailand on an island called Koh Samui. I set up a studio there, wrote the record and then came back to North America to fine tune it.

TP: Some artists I've talked to have known that music was what they wanted to do from fairly early on in their life. When did you first start to consider creating music as a means of creative expression?

Milosh: Well I knew when I was really young I wanted to be a musician, I didn't know all that went into that but I knew that's what I wanted to be. I started playing cello at 3 and I have been learning things ever since. I did also want to be an artist and that took up most of my creative energy when I was younger but then it slowly shifted to almost totally encompass music.

TP: Describe your sound to us:

Milosh: My sound huh… hmmm it's electronic in that I produce the tracks electronically but the songs are very sentimental almost folky in some weird way. The tracks have intricate beats and all the synth patches I make myself so the sounds are, dare I say unique. My music has been for the most part pretty melancholic with some sort of happiness infused in there. Oh yeah and I think I sing like a woman in some way.


TP: I've always loved really well played electronic downtempo music, which is one of the reasons why I love your music. When did you find electronic music, and what made you say "yeah, that's for me"?

Milosh: The first record that blew me away was garbage by Autechre found also on tri repetea. Autechre really inspired me, I had to know how they made the sounds that they made.


TP: I know that you just finished your 3rd record with the cooperation of famous artist and music producer Joshua Eustis from Telefon Tel Aviv...? Any favorite songs?

Milosh: Yeah I have some favs on the record, "Awful Game" and "Remember the good things. Josh played guitar on "Remember" and another good friend of mine Paul Pfisterer played guitar on "Awful"



TP: How was it working with Josh Eustis?

Milosh: Well, first of all Josh is a great guy, we get along pretty well. I kinda think we are almost the same dude, we kinda dress the same, like the same stuff have the same jokes… He mixed this record and mastered it, it was actually really refreshing to kinda sit back a bit and have Josh approach the tracks in his way. I love what he did. It took more then a week to do the record with him, working 12 hours a day and it was one of the better experiences I have had in a long time. The dude is good peoples…


TP: What makes your new album different?

Milosh: Hmmm well it's a progression stylistically and in it's content so I guess it's not so much different but a continuation. However the differences that do pepper the record would be in the guitar work on the songs, the way I sang and in some of the synth sounds. Pauls playing for instance was very… hmmm kinda like a throw back to some Neil Young style of messy but good wabi sabi. My voice, I use it a lot more in this record. I sing in my full voice in a lot of the songs, not something I did a lot of on Meme or You Make Me Feel. The synth work is much more tailored, designed, I think.


TP: What musical groups do you think influenced Milosh's sound?

Milosh: Well music in general is my muse, even when I don't like it. My list of favs would be , Autechre, Aphex Twin, Lots of classical ie Mozart Pergolisi. Imogen heap definitely, she always makes stuff that makes me feel jealous that it wasn't me who wrote it, Bjork, Telefon Tel Aviv, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Brian Eno, hmm this list could go on…


TP: What can we expect from Milosh for 2008?

Milosh: 2008 I will playing live in various parts of the world. I am doing a song for Ghostly, I am working on a 4 song ep with Paul, and I am going to do another 4 song ep in there at some point. Then I will find a new place to start working on another record, it might be Berlin but who knows.



TP: Is there anything you would like to tell the fans of Milosh?

Milosh: Talk to me… and thank you.


TP: Thank you, Michael!

Here’s the music video for ‘The City’ (from the album 'Meme'):






Visit his MySpace page and click here to buy his CDs through Amazon.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really like this music. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

My fav song is Couldn't Sleep. It has a loungy feel to it.
By the way, Milosh looks good!

Anonymous said...

I got his music while surfing for electronic music on itunes. Love his music.
The video? Not that much.

Anonymous said...

I really digg his music. I bought a couple of his songs through itunes. Nice interview.

Anonymous said...

BTW, are you in NYC Jamie?