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Love No Matter What is ASA 808 and DAEDE's first collaborative release since they were teenagers. Taken from ASA 808's upcoming solo album Boy, the song crush feels like a warm burst of unconditional queer love, inspired by the two musicians' long history of making music throughout their youth.
We have had the pleasure of interviewing him and this has been the result.
Can you tell us a little about your early musical experiences?
DAEDE: I learned to play instruments at an early age and was singing in choirs and playing in bands throughout my teenage life and beyond. Learning more about improvisation over the course of my youth, I realized there is no right or wrong in music, which felt really liberating to me. I also got more into producing electronic music as I felt this music happens so much in the moment and is free of ego.
ASA 808: As a kid I was a big Michael Jackson fan. I learned keyboard and classical piano, but found it a bit boring at first. As a teenager I became obsessed with funk, disco, jazz, ambient, brazilian music, psychedelic and indie rock and eventually classical and electronic music. Then I became much more interested in all kinds of music theory, composition and improvisation.
How do you hope that your music influences or impacts your listeners?
DAEDE: I hope it touches them.
ASA 808: I hope that it caresses and soothes, but also engages them. Music can speak to people in ways that words can’t. I’d love to leave people with a calm, wholesome and generous energy, a feeling of openness, peacefulness, compassion and a sense of clarity and belonging.
Tell us about the inspiration behind your latest single....
ASA 808: My inspiration was to write a track about loving kindness, a tribute to the generosity and openness of heart that simply wishes well. I was listening to Sofia Kourtesis and many enormously inspiring lectures of ThÃch Nhất Hạnh at that time.
During our collaboration it evolved into a hymn of unconditional love, about the diversity of love, its transformative power and the feeling of being high on it.
Do you feel that your sound has evolved over the years?
DAEDE: Mine definitely has, as I was producing more pop and indie tunes and now putting out the electronic tracks, I was working on, whenever I found the time. I’m only starting to define my sound as an electronic producer and can’t wait to share more of my vision.
ASA 808: Oh yeah. When I released George FitzGerald’s MakeMusic and up until 2018, my sound was so much heavier and techno-oriented. After that, I feel like I came back to my roots in ambient music, but also tried to make something new with elements of garage, house and electronica.
Do you feel consistency is important in creating music? Or is it ok to experiment with different styles and sounds?
DAEDE: To me it’s essential to experiment with different sounds and styles and part of my process of producing. I think the consistency comes naturally by taste, skills and even the instruments you own.
How do you see the next few years or your career panning out, in an ideal world?
DAEDE: I would love for as many people as possible to listen to my music and hope to have more collaborations like this enriching one with ASA 808 coming up.
What's the most important piece of advice anyone's given to you so far?
DAEDE: You can do it. And trust yourself, because you know best.
ASA 808: Generally, I would say: be patient. Only regarding music, it was probably when a friend said to me: It doesn’t matter what you do, you just need to do it. It sounded pretty vapid at first, but it was still important for me.
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