Behind the Journey: OLVR.S
- Priior
- Oct 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Some of you may have already heard of OLVR.S (aka Ollie), but for anyone who hasn't yet, then here's your opportunity to discover a talented, up-and-coming, Bristol (UK) based producer who's ability to stay authentic to himself amongst this crowded world of electronic music, is both inspiring and admirable.
In the past he's released on record labels such as Sommersville, a well known Amsterdam based label, but more recently he's been pursuing his own visions with a stream of solid self-releases.
From groovy melodies to atmospheric soundscapes, Ollie is one to watch! So keep reading to find out more and have a listen to his latest tracks.
Socials: @olvrsmusic
Thank you for joining us Ollie, can you tell us where are you in the world right now and what projects are you currently working on?
I’ve very recently moved from Bath to Bristol, UK. I just graduated from University in Bath and I figured there would be more music opportunities in Bristol. I haven’t been able to work on as much music as I would have liked due to the move, but I have recently finished a collaboration with a friend of mine that we’re hoping to release soon. I also just released a new song called ‘Bloom’ a few months ago.
What inspires you to keep creating and making music?
Making music has always been something that has been a very exciting and enjoyable process for me. I love experimenting with different sounds and genres, often creating songs for the fun of it that I know will never be released. Since it’s not a full-time job for me, I also have the luxury of being able to take a step back from producing if I don’t feel inspired. This has helped prevent me from burning out too often. I also really like the community in the producer scene, I’ve met some very talented and supportive people who inspire me to keep creating
Listen to Ollie's latest self-release called 'Bloom':
" I look at other big artists who all have a very distinct sound and style, and I find myself feeling like I don't have that same unique selling point"
Do you come across any challenges when making and releasing music?
My biggest challenge, which I still struggle with sometimes now, is finding my identity and purpose in the scene. I look at other big artists who all have a very distinct sound and style, and I find myself feeling like I don't have that same unique selling point that will help me stand out, especially with the scene constantly growing.
How do you tackle this?
The way I’ve been trying to tackle this issue in recent months is to stop focusing as much on what other people are doing, and just create songs that I would enjoy as a listener, rather than a producer. At the end of the day, I want my music to resonate with people without me worrying about how “generic” or “badly mixed” the songs might sound.
Listen to Ollie's song 'Fractures' from his Almost Home EP:
"At the end of the day, I want my music to resonate with people without me worrying about how 'generic' or 'badly mixed' the songs might sound"
How do you balance pursuing music alongside other responsibilities and interests?
I try my best to not lock myself in my room all day making music because I do think it’s very important to have other things going on in my life, like my job and friends/family.
It helps that the majority of my friends are also musicians, so it’s nice to bounce ideas off of each other, even when we all have very different music tastes. This year I’m going to try to put my all into making this music project work out, so I guess we’ll see how well I manage to balance everything in the coming months haha.
Is there anyone who inspires you or has helped you out on your journey so far?
The main person who inspired me to make music in the very beginning was Pierce Fulton. Pierce was one of my favourite artists growing up, and he’s still definitely one of my all-time favourite musicians.
During the COVID lockdown, he started offering these regular online production classes, which I attended every week. From this, I got the opportunity to remix his song ‘Priviet’, which is still one of my biggest achievements. I don’t think I would be where I am now if it wasn’t for Pierce mentoring and supporting me during lockdown.
I often look back at some of the class recordings if I’m ever lacking inspiration. I’m also inspired a lot by artists like Ben Böhmer, Jon Hopkins, Lane 8, and labels such as This Never Happened, Anjunadeep and Colorize.
Check out Ollie's remix of Pierce Fulton's track - 'Priviet':
Thank you Ollie!
To finish off - check out Ollie's Sunset Sessions Vol.9 mix, it's full of Melodic House classics such as Jerro 'How Does It Feel', and CRi 'Dark In This Room':
Three takeaway tips:
Stay true to yourself and the music you want to make: it's so easy to compare to others, especially more established artists. But I keep hearing the saying: "don't compare your stage 2 to their stage 10". You might be just finding your sound but comparing your work to somebody who found their sound 10 years ago haha, and has spent the last 10 years carving out their niche!
Everybody has something that is uniquely theirs: again, talking about comparison, it may look like some artists have a very distinct style (both musically and visually) and it can make you feel like they just have something special that you haven't got. But the truth is we all have something unique - which is our taste in music, the way we see the world, and our own personal experiences in life. The difference when comparing to well established artists is that they've usually just discovered a way to convey their style (personality, message, whatever you want to call it) to an audience, which takes me on to my next tip...
If you want to connect to an audience, figure out how to get your message across: Take a look at Le Youth, also known as the 'People's DJ'. He get's in the crowd at his own gigs; he called one of his albums 'About Us'; he takes pictures of himself with his fans and puts them on his merch tees; his music makes you want to sing along; and he even looks very approachable like you could walk past him in the street or at a bar in LA. He found a way to get his personality across to his audience which is all geared around community. And you can do this too, just start with watching some YouTube videos or reading some blogs about basic brand marketing and storytelling, this should help spark some ideas!
If you'd like to listen to more music like Ollie's, click on the image below and check out my 'Melodic Morning' playlist on Spotify:
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