Two and a Half Questions with Clem Leek

What is the central theme behind the album, and where does the name Holly Lane come from?
You may notice that the tracks names from Holly Lane are all places in Enid Blyton books. Enid Blyton was an english children's writer and I remember reading her stories when I was younger. The names of the places seemed to match the instrumental themes I was using in the album. As the album developed, so did the soundscapes, and the places in the book seemed to fit in perfectly with the tracks.

What are some of the field recordings on the album, and how did you go about capturing them?
I live in a very rural location. This is great for inspiration and field recordings. I found a lot of sounds in the woods, bird noises, wind, trees etc.. I also used a windscreen wiper recording I had made, radio recordings and also recording around the house, taps dripping and other sounds. When putting them in the track I try not to make them the to far forward in the mix, I try to make them an accompaniment to the instrumental work.

What instruments do you play on the album?
I use a number of instruments on the album. Piano, Violin, Guitar, Voice, Bass Guitar and various other small instruments (Organ, Childrens Piano etc...). I have had reviews saying that they think that i have used electronics & string pads and I have had many people ask me how I get my "synth to sound like that". The truth is that the whole album uses acoustic instruments, anything you may think is electronic will be an acoustic instrument, and I have processed the recordings to sound like that. To be honest, when people ask me I don't know whether to take it as a musical compliment or not.

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Read the entire interview on Headphone Commute

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See also Headphone Commute's review of Holly Lane

Also, check out Clem Leek's Sound Postcard!

clemleek.bandcamp.com | myspace.com/clemleekofficial