Interview with live-electronic trip-hop duo Since JulEYE
Since JulEYE
Since JulEYE is revving up towards their debut album, The Dawn of Since, a full-length project that promises to showcase its artists’ singularly aligned musical intuition. Let’s check out their story and music here.
1. Could you talk about your debut album, The Dawn of Since?
This album has been a long time in the making. Todd and I (Lev) started making music together in 2019, and that’s when the first iterations of all these songs were conceived. At first our studio sessions were few and far between. We worked on these songs here and there, along with some others, but it wasn’t until 2022 when we decided to kick the project into high gear and finish this album. Being that these songs were started in the first chapter of the project (the dawn) and finished recently, really gives this album a a unique vibe where it’s mostly the bread and butter of Since JulEYE sound but there are hints of styles and techniques that we have been experimenting with just in the last year or so.
2. What drew you to producing and playing music as a professional?
I, (Lev) started my journey into the music industry as a tour manager. Working with such acts as Manic Focus, Exmag, and The Russ Liquid Test. I’ve also done some other jobs in the industry but being a successful TM was my goal. After several years, and despite being good at my job, I just wasn’t where I wanted to be with it and knew it was time for a change. That’s when Since JulEYE was born. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Todd on the other hand has been playing music since he was a small child and professionally for most of his life, playing with bands like RAQ, Kung Fu, and Electric Beethoven among others.
3. What does a normal workday look like for you?
It kinda varies. The perfect formula for us seems to be getting in the studio late afternoon/early evening and working till around 2/3am. If we’re in the zone, which we usually are, we can go from nothing to a well developed, playable song in one session. Sometimes we both have other commitments so we can’t always be in the studio together. In those instances, one of us will start a song then the other will mess with it before we get to work on it together. This seems to work for us just fine as well.
4. Could you talk about your work as a tattoo artist and your cat?
Lol. Yes I can. I’ve been tattooing on and off for about 17 years. I’ve been a visual artist my whole life and the human skin is my favorite canvas. Tattooing and making music is very similar to me. When doing a tattoo, you have this idea but the goal is for it to come out even better than you imagined it, thus making the client as happy as possible. The goal with music is the same but the “client” has the potential of being millions of listeners which is pretty amazing.
As far as cats go, I actually have two. Czar, which is the Russian word for emperor, is a 20lb Maine Coon whose lineage is from St. Petersburg Russia where I was actually born. He’s absolutely majestic and intimidating but he’s actually the sweetest and friendliest cat ever. Xavier is a rescue cat I got from the pet store down the street. He’s very athletic, super vocal, incredibly intelligent and extremely loyal. I’m completely obsessed with both of them.
5. Who are our biggest influences, and who has inspired you in the industry?
My love for golden era hip hop and Todd’s jam band chops are pretty much the backbone of the project. As far as current music we both love Pretty Lights, Michal Menert, Lettuce, Manic Focus, Emancipator and many others. We’re good friends with most of the people who make our favorite music which is awesome. We also love drum ‘n bass, which we have been diving into lately. We’ve both been in the scene for a long time and sometimes the grind and work ethic of our friends is more of an inspiration than the music itself. We’ve gotten to the point where sometimes it feels like we’re each other’s biggest influence which makes for our amazing studio chemistry and the core of what makes this project so special.
6. What was your most memorable performance last year?
Our most memorable performance of 2022 has got to be our Meow Wolf Denver show with our good friends Cherub. It was a brunch time show, which is something we’ve never done, and being Cherub fans, the crowd was quite different from our regular crowd and most of them had probably never heard of us. It was a sold out show and everyone was ready to go from the first song. Throughout the set it was very evident that we had won them over which felt amazing. We curated a set that started out with our signature trip-hop style and smoothly went into higher tempos. Finishing off with a couple tracks from our upcoming house music side project which set the time for Cherub nicely. More on that later this year.
7. Can you share what’s next for you in 2023?
2023 is on track to be really big for us. We’re starting off the year with releasing the second single off of The Dawn of Since, titled “Fly Away” with ProbCause and Colby Buckler on Tuesday, January 17. Then the album drops on Friday, February 24. As far as shows go, we have Gem & Jam festival Friday, February 3 – Sunday, February 5 and Virgin Island Jam Fest Friday, March 3 – Sunday, March 5, which will be our first time playing outside the continental US as Since JulEYE. After that we go right into a headline Denver show with the live band. We have a stellar lineup and Microdose VR on visuals for this one so it’s not going to be one to miss. After that we have a ton of music which is currently almost done and will be released this year. Our goal is to put out as much music as possible and establish ourselves as a “can’t miss their set” type of act.
All images via the artist