Heith's way of not escaping

Early-age internet folklore is an archaeological excavation site, and no one digs through it like Heith. His music is a concise resumé of the nostalgic, poorly rendered digiworld – think of psyops, cyber-spirituality and niches tucked away deeply in the www viscera. Heith’s indie-folk-y, Mediterranean-psychedelic sound exhumes its thrill from a sundown era and sets it forth in a compelling, updated version. Escape Lounge, his upcoming album, serves as a sequel to his lived experience on the internet into a reflective stepback, putting into balance the fast escapism the cyber space provides and our urgency to fight it and be present.

We delved into the ubiquitous fascination and drew strings between the artist’s childhood, growing up into his identity, existing in the age of simulation – and what it all signifies in Escape Lounge.

Hi Heith! Can you tell me about your upbringing on the internet? What were you most fascinated by when it was just emerging?

I was 11 in 2003 when I think I started using the internet—it was the Myspace era. Back then, the internet was still a space to share, connect with people, and create communities. All the piracy movement, torrent culture, Soulseek, The Pirate Bay, etc., were all emerging at the time, and LAN internet was very slow.  

It definitely felt like something new, even if it existed for more than a decade back then, and somehow limitless. Myspace was full of punks, goths, and emos; in general, the music community was huge there. I have to admit that many years later, I met some people in real life whom I had been in touch with on Myspace, and finally putting a face to them after nearly 10 years was very strange.

Yeah, the novelty is not there anymore. What used to be your favourite internet niche or conspiracy theory? 

I think the “reality shifting” one was really interesting to me when it first came out. It’s essentially a new version of “astral projection,” but without any esoteric teachings.  

There’s no need to read ancient books or follow meditation tutorials—just go on Reddit and learn how to shift from a large group of 12yo kids sharing their experiences.  

The “awoken by a lamp” story about dreams and parallel lives is super funny too! Apparently, it happens to a lot of people.  

That said, this isn’t a concept album about the internet—it’s my take on certain aspects of contemporary folklore and a very personal diary. But that’s obviously where folklore exists nowadays. 

It’s fascinating to see how spiritual practices always find a way to be absorbed into the media of the time, for better or worse. So if the media before was the network, now the media is a neural media, the characters in play are very different and the rules completely changed.

The medium is the message haha. I’m curious, how did these initially inform your music taste and practice?

As a teenager living in a small town, the internet definitely had a big impact on me. That’s where I could discover music and explore culture in general. It was also how I connected with what I loved and, especially, with like-minded people.  I remember going to the skate park, looking at all the band patches and t-shirts the older skaters were wearing, then going home and searching for those bands online. I must have been 12 or 13 back then.

Can you talk more about the process of Escape Lounge? 

Escape Lounge was my way to stop escaping. I spent a couple of years working on it, while I was touring with my previous album ‘X, wheel’, and during that time, traveling through many airports, stations and empty hotel rooms, I realised that it was not a way to escape at all, but it was my way to be present. To remind myself that there’s always a way to escape, and sometimes it is just too easy. 

Musically it comes from a process that combined songwriting and experimentation. I wanted it to be as open as possible to other people’s intervention and so it was. Like a diary that turns to a new page at every new encounter. I gave myself the freedom to explore and involve collaborators and work collectively towards an unknown result, and it was really exciting to see its nature slowly unfolding page by page. I am very grateful to all the friends and collaborators who contributed to it.

Sweet! What are your intentions with this album?

I guess my intention with this album was to create an open process—both personal and beyond just myself. Now that it’s about to be released, I’m more curious to see its intentions rather than my own.