The influential California musician – known as a leading force in chillwave, ambient and downtempo electronic music – on creating traditions for fans, approaching the album-making process with like-minded collaborators and pushing boundaries with every new release.
Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything SoundCloud offers to elevate their sound, get heard and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.
Over the last decade, Tycho has become one of the biggest names in chillwave. Scott Hansen started Tycho in 2002 in Sacramento as a bedroom IDM and ambient project, but by 2010, he had moved to San Francisco and grown into a full band, incorporating guitars, organic sounds, and influences from shoegaze, post-rock and dream pop. As Tycho, Scott has netted two Grammy nominations for fan-favorite albums like ‘Epoch’ and ‘Weather,’ but he’s continued to expand upon his sound and do something different with each new release.
On his latest record ‘Infinite Health,’ Tycho teamed up with his longtime touring guitarist Zac Brown and Chris Taylor, from the indie band Grizzly Bear, to create a record with looser grooves, bigger drums, and breaks and electronics that harken back to his early styles of production. We caught up with Scott at home in the Bay Area to talk about his studio set-up and the making of ‘Infinite Health.’ Plus, we get into how he approaches his now-legendary yearly set at Burning Man, and how he looks at his back catalog for information and inspiration.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE FEATURING TYCHO
LISTEN TO ‘INFINITE HEALTH’ BY TYCHO
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE
- Tycho calls in from his home in the Bay Area, fresh after returning to touring after a five-year hiatus from performing live. He opens up about how he felt this recent return to the stage was less anxiety ridden than some of his past experiences, explaining what has changed today compared to the beginning of his career when it comes to his approach to playing live.
- We dig into his 2024 album, ‘Infinite Health,’ and how the tracks were a bit more dance floor orientated than others in his extensive catalog. Tycho shares more about his intention behind the album and what inspired him to experiment creatively while making this project, from bringing in different collaborators to embracing slight imperfections with his drums (for one example).
- Tycho explains how ‘Infinite Health’ marks a return to how he approached the production and songwriting process in the beginning of his career. For this project, Tycho notes how he returned to using more digital plugins and virtual synths, as opposed to working primarily with analog hardware like he has focused on in the past.
- We learn more about Tycho’s creative process, and how his approach has evolved and changed over the years. He breaks down how he tracks his own personal growth as a musician, and how that impacts the songwriting process, as well as underscores the importance of bringing in trustworthy collaborators to help challenge you and build on your ideas.
- Tycho talks about collaborating with his longtime touring guitarist, Zac Brown, and Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear, detailing how he incorporated their ideas and expertise into his creative workflow and how they helped push the project in the direction he was aiming for. He also details his musical background being deeply rooted in electronic music, and the importance of inviting feedback from people who can share a different or outside perspective.
- Expanding the conversation further, Tycho shares his best advice for fellow producers and musicians who are looking to both establish their own voice and work with different collaborators as part of that process. He discusses his experiences inviting a producer into his project and workflow, shining a light on the importance of finding the right collaborative partner to further your vision, not change it entirely.
- Tycho breaks down what the starting point is like for him when it comes to writing an album specifically, talking about how he approaches writing demos and collecting ideas before moving deeper along in the process. He also explains the role that Chris Taylor played in shaping the album, offering a glimpse into the making of the track “Phantom” specifically, as one example into their workflow and how they got to the final version of each piece of music.
- Tycho explains what he’s learned putting together his sixth album compared to his first, and how the awareness of knowing what his own habits and limitations are helped him realize what he needed to push his sound even further.
- We get into Tycho’s backstory as an artist and how he got started in the first place. He shares more about his foundation in music and walks us through how each album he’s released represents a different chapter of him learning new things about his artistry and exploring different ways to express himself.
- Tycho shares more about connecting with producer and multi-instrumentalist Kaelin Ellis, and what he learned from working with him in their studio sessions, especially as it pertains to drums. He also talks about recording vocals from frequent Tycho collaborator Rory O’Conner, and how their sessions together helped create building blocks in the beginning of the writing process.
- Known for his annual sunrise sets at Burning Man, Tycho shares more about how he approaches what has become a sought-after tradition for festival attendees, and what he thinks about when preparing each year.
- He also shares more about how he collects tracks over the course of the year to create a cinematic narrative that matches the energy of the festival. We hear more about what goes into creating memorable moments for fans and what the technical challenges are for performing for a crowd in that setting.
- Tycho explains how his community on SoundCloud has grown over the years, with fans seeking out his live set from Burning Man each year on the platform. We also learn more about how Tycho uses SoundCloud to discover new sounds and build an archive for fans to continually return to.
- Speaking from his personal experiences, Tycho opens up about what it took for him to make creating music and touring his full-time profession, offering insight for fellow artists looking to navigate a similar path. He explains the importance of leveraging tools like social media to capture an audience, as well as explains how today’s music landscape has changed so much since he first got his start.
- Despite those wider changes across the industry yielding different challenges to overcome, Tycho emphasizes how perseverance and passion are integral to embarking on a creative path, and how if you stick to it, you will find people who resonate with your art and story.
LINKS AND EXTRAS
Follow Tycho’s journey on SoundCloud.
Press play on Tycho’s 2024 album, ‘Infinite Health.’
Tap in with the labels Ninja Tune and Mom + Pop on SoundCloud.
Check out Tycho’s latest EP, ‘Where You Are,’ which features a collaboration with Cautious Clay.
Go back to the beginning with some of Tycho’s earliest releases, such as 2007’s “The Daydream” and “The Disconnect.”
Explore some of the artists who have done official remixes for Tycho, including LP Giobbi, nimino, Com Truise, Nightmoves, Satin Jackets and Harvey Sutherland, to name a few.
Listen to the Buzzing Electronic playlist on SoundCloud.
Never miss an episode and follow the official Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.
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CREDITS: Host: Vivian Host, Executive Producer: Mike Spinella, Producer: KC Orcutt, Audio Engineer: David “DibS” Shackney, Coordinator: Trevor McGee
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