The Gotham Guillotine

Interview with Express Fantasy

by The Editors of The Gotham Guillotine

What’s the origin story for “Glass Shard Echo Chamber”?

So this song was created in response to a very specific day actually, when I was being wheeled through the streets of Tokyo into an ambulance, eyes closed. I remember only seeing the sunlight shining through my eyelids. I could feel eyes staring at me and hear them as if their gazes were making sounds. It happened right outside Tokyo Station, and as I was carried off in the ambulance, I felt ultimate disparity, and then peace. I could hear the siren blaring, and a lot of “kudasai!” And “arigatou gozaimasu!” But it was like my world didn’t exist anymore. Just the colors that my brain was perceiving from the stained glass windows of Tokyo Station and any light coming in was all I could feel.

What was the composition process like? Did you run into any snags along the way?

I wrote this song nearly two years ago, within the week I got back from that trip, and it came together quite quickly. I’ve only retouched it a few times since then (and recently adjusted the ending) as I really wanted to convey how I felt in that moment in time, and revisiting that memory let me complete it recently, so I’d say it came together quite fluidly.

How would you say it fits in with and/or is different from your previous work on your EP?

Although it fits in the sense that Express Fantasy is meant to convey many emotions, from their most raw to more calculated, I do see this as a stand alone piece, a solo ambient track both literally and something that stands alone within the Express Fantasy universe. I see it as an interlude between the EP and what is next to come.

Who are some of your major influences?

It would be against me to not mention Madeon, as it was decisively moments after listening to his new album Victory that I opened FL Studio, “finished” the song, and submitted it for release. The true dedication and vulnerability I felt listening to that album ignited me to move, and seeing both Madeon and Porter Robinson’s shift in direction within the last few years had a subconscious effect I’d say where I knew if I don’t release this song now I will never move ahead musically.

What genre of electronic music would you say Express Fantasy is?

Express Fantasy is supposed to be dance music, yet it’s hard to say. The first song on the EP is a piano piece, and the last song a slow building, ambient track. I think it will carve out its place as time moves on, but for now it’s open for interpretation.

What’s next for Express Fantasy?

Let’s just say with the release of “Glass Shard Echo Chamber,” other pieces might find their way out into the world. Which is a beautiful domino effect, and I’m sure other artists experience this as well, it’s almost like you HAVE to do this one, specific thing and once it’s out, you can either rest, or move ahead. Maybe both, but yeah what comes next will have been a long time coming.