Art d’Ecco celebrated his debut album “Day Fevers” this month with the release of his new music video for “I’ll Never Give You Up” – a 80s New Wave throwback. Today, ETV spoke with d’Ecco about why he left the big city for isolation, his plans for an upcoming follow-up album, and he offers advice to young artists who are struggling in their songwriting process. (Previously, ETV featured d’Ecco’s album release of “Day Fevers” so check it out if you haven’t.)
To understand d’Ecco is to understand his venture. Growing up, he moved around a lot but spent a good portion of it in Victoria and Vancouver BC. At a young age he started getting into classical music going down the route of taking piano lessons and the like. At age 10, he remembers watching Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York City and being completely blown away by the performance.
“It wasn’t until my later teens when I met Jason Corbett (Day Fevers producer) where I fanned the flames into new musical frontiers,” d’Ecco said. “My tastes have continued to grow over time, I’m constantly searching for that new high; but a few of the ‘old faithfuls’ are still cherished- they trickle into my writing quite noticeably, at times.”
He now resides on a Gulf Island in the Pacific Northwest after deciding he needed a change from city.
“I was fast approaching my 30s and awoke from auto-pilot one day to discover that I needed a change,” d’Ecco said. “In seclusion, I realized my prior limitations were malleable- unlike living in the city, I could go sometimes three weeks without communicating or seeing anyone. I also realized that personal discovery has an arc. I started at the bottom of the learning curve; emotionally I was like a Drake song. Now I’m here.”
After battling his personal turmoil head on, themes from his rediscovery have made their way onto d’Ecco’s latest album “Day Fevers” that include desperation, dislocation, separation, condemnation, revelation in temptation, and isolation; leaving little doubt to how his experience was during that time.
With the release of “Day Fevers,” d’Ecco also premiered the second single “I’ll Never Give You Up” with a music video produced by Theo Kim at TGK Films and directed by Kim, Jeremy Szostak, Adam Beal, and Colin Kozachuk. The video stars Keilani Rose, Blaike Holding, and d’Ecco in the retro-trippy dance number that is both haunting and electrifying. Check out the video here:
The track is a departure from d’Ecco’s glam rock inspired single “She So Hot” covered on ETV. With an ability to adapt his writings across multiple genres, the experience from track to track on “Day Fevers” is always a fresh one.
Having isolated himself for the sake of rediscovery, d’Ecco knows a thing or two about what it takes to inject new life into music. He offered advice to those musicians who may have felt tired of their own songwriting techniques and need new inspiration.
“For me it was a matter of taking a step outside the frame and gaining perspective,” d’Ecco said. “Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by expectations. We look too far into the future and fail to embrace the moment. The process. Creation, expression. The joy of putting all on the table and sharing it with the world. All my musical heroes seem to prescribe to the same musical ideology, which is to say: ‘Make it for yourself first, and always do it for you.’ It’s been my mantra for this entire project. It’s my mental tramp stamp.”
Plans are already in the works for an upcoming d’Ecco album, which is no surprise as he always finds himself writing new material. He said the next record will be much different sonically and thematically, describing it as a nighttime record. We look forward to its release and will keep you up to date on all the latest news.
The debut album of d’Ecco is only a taste of what’s to come. In the meantime, be sure to check out “Day Fevers” and watch him perform live if he’s performing in your city. To stay up to date with all things d’Ecco, follow him on Bandcamp, YouTube, Apple Music, iTunes, and Spotify.
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