Q&A - $1000 Wallet

This week we caught up with $1000 Wallet about his upcoming projects and latest single ‘Art School Fire’ which is out now and you can listen/watch below.

'Sonically it captures the sorrow, sadness and anger felt witnessing the second disaster befalling the school in 2018. A taunting siren and pounding percussion lead the listener into an inferno of sweeping synths and haunting vocal samples' - $1000 Wallet

So ‘I like art’ – Type Girls is your debut project, how long have you been working in music and how would you describe your early stages?

My early foray into music began with posting mixes online and gathering some small following within a young producer community on Soundcloud.

Once I moved to Glasgow from Kirkcaldy in late 2016 I began working with some local artists as well as DJing at club nights and events around the city. I had production credits on releases from local artists including a credit on Scottish Album of The Year winner.

 You mentioned you’re from Kirkcaldy, what was it like making music there?

Making music in Kirkcaldy for me was limited to internet collaborations and making music mainly in my bedroom. I had 1 or 2 friends that were into similar sounds and styles, so we would mess around with ideas now and then or I’d send ideas to people I’d met via Soundcloud. The music scene is Kirkcaldy is mainly bands and rock music, so it was quite limiting in terms of growing yourself as an electronic artist there.

 Which song from the EP has had the best reception so far?

My favourite track has changed a couple of times, right now I’d say ‘Vaporeon’ as I love the sounds used and the lullaby-esque melody but I think the one that hits the hardest is ‘Art School Fire’ especially with the accompanying visuals, it really ties all the sounds and atmosphere together.

The track title could be quite emotionally charged for people in that world, how did this song come about?

I was never a student at GSA, I’d only played there at events and attended club nights/events there, but I always remember studying Charles Rennie Macintosh at school and his work always stood out to me.

So, when I first began this track initially, I didn’t have a name and I began working on it the same week the second fire occurred and I remember I was sitting at home picturing what it would be like to witness the fire happening.

I began to combine some darker sonics and pounding drums together and it just gave me chills, so I leaned into that and tried to evoke some darker tones to express the ache of what was lost with the building.

And lastly what can we expect from $1000 Wallet in 2023?

More music , more collaborations, production for other artists and just evolution, I want to evolve and build as an artist and I believe this project is a good initial insight into my sound as an artist. Hoping to get some events booked for 2023 , especially for the summer and have appearances all around Glasgow

Listen to $1000 Wallet - Art School Fire here:

Stream here : https://bit.ly/Spotify_1000dollarwallet

Connect - lintr.ee/1000dollarwallet

From his upcoming EP "I Like Art" - Type Girls | Out December 1st

Written & Produced by $1000 Wallet

Mixed & Master - Rapture

4D Animation - Tiernan Crilly

Creative Direction & 3D - Mobolaji Agoro

Additional 3D - Tiernan Crilly

Editing - Finn Rabbit Dove

Graphic Design - Bel Docherty

Campaign Assistant - Karin Bezchlebova

www.forij.uk

Resonate Artist Of The Week : Berta Kennedy

We are back with our first Artist Of The Week post our Resonate 2022 conference programme. And what better way to celebrate that featuring one of our Resonate Live performers. The current Sound Of Young Scotland champion, Berta Kennedy released ‘Travel At Peak Time’ earlier this month and it is another emphatic triumph in the art of songwriting.

Written on a Megabus 900 service from Edinburgh to Glasgow, ‘Travel At Peak Time’ has an all incredible authenticity running throughout as it details the story of a young adult reflecting during a moment of peace on a delayed, peak-house bus journey. She says;

I was all over the place and felt hopeless, chasing unrealistic personal goals/standards even a well-rested person would struggle with. A loss of creative opportunity truly is the cost of financial stability, what a familiar story to a Scottish, 20-something-year-old with big dreams and a working class background. Sometimes a dreaded, lengthy commute is the only chance to sit and do nothing for a bit. If that’s the kind of downtime you’re appreciating, it’s time to make a couple changes.

Berta Kennedy who resides in Edinburgh and scooped the Sound Of Young Award at 2022’s SAY Award ceremony exudes a cool earthiness in her vocals which is soothing and is supported by equally appeasing instrumentation. Her blend of old school R&B and modern bedroom-pop is identifiable and unique in what is an incredibly busy music market.

Berta recently join the Enough Records roster - the initiative of Dundee’s Charlotte Brimner [Be Charlotte] who’s recent record label is already turning heads with an impressive roster including Berta Kennedy, Cara McBride and Be Charlotte herself.

We are incredibly excited to see and hear what is next for Berta Kennedy following on from what has been [what looks to be] a career defining year for the young pop artist. Keep up to date with all the latest developments by following Berta on Facebook & Instagram.

Photo Credit - Mark Gilles

Berta Kennedy at Resonate Live 2022, Platform, Glasgow