Interview by Carol Wright | Photo Courtesy of Project Hilts
We got to chat with Project Hilts about their music creation process, being inspired by London’s music scene, and their song “Dark Side.”
Take us back to the beginning. How did Project Hilts come to be?
It all happened in Leeds, our first home. We all moved there to study music and quickly became involved in the vibrant and DIY jazz scene. I (Hilts) had begun my career in London as a member of Novelist’s grime crew The Square, so when I heard the jazz in Leeds I was deeply inspired by its punk-like, raw and improvised qualities – things I loved about grime. At that time I was living with Aidan Newland (Saxophone), he knew the best jazz players and organised our first rehearsal. I think most of the guys didn’t think it was going to be anything serious, especially Glen (Keys) who arrived late and slightly drunk, but once we played there was magic and the rest is history!
London has a vibrant music scene. Does the city or other London based musicians ever serve as inspiration for your music?
Absolutely, it would be hard to list all the ways in which London inspires us. Most of us grew up here and wouldn’t have the same music taste if it wasn’t for the diversity and array of different sounds in London. Since returning from Leeds we attend weekly jams such as Orii Jam, Sesh Brehs and NTs Loft to get inspiration from the best players in the city. But there’s so much about London that’s inspiring – food, theatre, politics – it’s so culturally rich and continues to inspire and surprise us every day.
As a collective what is your music creation process? Are there times when one person writes a song and brings it to the group to get their input or do you always create the songs as a group?
A bit of both, we like to be open to different ways of creating. Sometimes we play for fun and stumble on an idea or groove that we all love and build from there. Other times individuals bring ideas in demo form to the group, like Liv with ‘Dark Side’. We then build the track from there, each adding our own flavour. Within the project we have such varied.
What inspired the lyrics to “Dark Side?”
“Dark Side” is all about that forbidden fruit kind of romance. When Liv brought the idea to the group I think we all found it relevant to us due to previous relationships where you find yourself in a situation that you can’t resist even though you know it’s toxic. I guess these situations are what inspired the lyrics.
“Still Here” and “Dark Side” have a very different feel. Why did you want those songs to start and close out the EP?
As a project we are inspired by a huge range of genres and influences, we are eight musicians all with different roots and we want you to hear that in our music. We don’t like boundaries and wanted to provoke an energetic and empowered feeling at the start of the record before taking the listener all over the place emotionally, with all the tracks having different feels. I guess we just like switching it up and keeping the listener on their toes!
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
Enjoy the process. The industry is a mad place but if you can fall in love with the music and the process of making it then you will be okay. The success of the music and what other people think should always come second – remember why you started!