A Cuppa and a Catch-up: OOKS
- Joe Bird
- Feb 20, 2021
- 6 min read
Multi-instrumentalist Jackson Clark marks the beginning of a new solo endeavour under ‘OOKS’, with dazzling debut track ‘Carver2’, released yesterday afternoon. A combination of visuals and music, 'Carver2' is a saccharine blend of melodies over silky smooth percussion, solely composed and produced by OOKS, as a surreally nostalgic snippet of his life in the UK. Having been honing his craft over the stagnant months of 2020, the track is the first of a number of projects completely composed and produced by himself. This jazzy little number is the outcome of long learning process, laying the groundwork for a mature sound he’s continuing to explore with two further projects coming in March and April.
Where else could I start. Why do you make music? I think it’s about the pursuit of something. It’s challenging but to be a part of a rise and fall and respond to it all in one grips me. I’ve played music for the majority of my life - but most of that time I wasn’t that conscious of the construction or development of process. Making music was always a standard pastime and fun but it's become a major part of life. So some days I do it for the chase and others just because that’s what’s natural to me now. Carver2 is smooth, sultry and astute. It’s clear you’ve matured greatly as a music has become a natural part of life. How would you say this project marks a growth in your sound? Thank you! This track holds significance personally as it marks a first for me across a few facets of my input and role within a project, especially that of pushing through to some kind of finish. I think anytime stepping away from what you know results in something you feel happy or proud about or whatever. You can see it as a moment of growth. This release has highlighted some of my blind spots & naiveties, and the workload of an independent artist but they feel like vital lessons and I know there are countless more to come.
Definitely! It’s important to have that drive to keep pushing yourself in whatever ways you can. The musical influences from Jazz and Hip-Hop are very prevalent in this track. Are there any artists in particular you can credit your inspiration to? I was listening to a lot of Kiefer, DJ Harrison & Joe Armon-Jones at the time of composing & recording (early Spring last year). They’re some of my favourite pianists and are all players that can take their personalities across a wide spread of keyboard instruments. Their improvisation, their playing and their production styles definitely had a say on Carver2.
Is there anything other than music that you can say had an influence on the making of Carver2? The idea for the track came out of wanting to have the freedom a novelist has when writing a set of short stories. I read the collection, Jesus’ Son by Daniel Johnson a few times last year and I tried to access the detachment he has in twisting between perspectives, characters, locations under the umbrella of a title, without the close grip of a start-end structure. I didn’t apply the concept as a strict constraint, but it prompted the sound choices & is probably why there is no real lead voice in the track. By opening the door to so many possible narratives, I knew the music would need to be paired with work from another medium in order for the project to feel broad enough - this became the 7 digital collages. The characters and symbols are as much a part of the story as each harmonic element.
I rate that! Got to keep it fresh. This is a project clearly just as much about the visuals as it is the music. Do you get much of your inspiration visually? Not particularly. Most times new ideas or creative sparks are prompted by what I’m listening to. But like I said, this stage of my development really feels like the time to push at my borders - so for the last few years I’ve been taking photographs & learning a few digital art programs. But the visual art that’s paired with the track is definitely a response to the music, rather than being reflections of pictures that were in my head in the song’s first few days of life.
When you’re creating music are you thinking about the past or the future?
Both, in stages. Though a lot of the time, when I feel comfortable and confident in the act of composition, I have a head free from thoughts of “what and if?”.
The majority of my writing experience, up until a few years ago, had been in hands-on sessions - making decisions based on trust between the parties involved, so I have tended to lean on the past & what is shared. But when making OOKS tracks, I’ve found the beginnings of ideas and the key periods of development or momentum hold more thoughts of the future as what is forming/what could be formed is hard to ignore when you’re the sole contributor.
I don’t have a solid answer to that question in all honesty - I’m at a point of making and learning where the details of process aren’t entirely clear, even when the end product feels right and calculated.
Interesting. That was a tough one for sure! What’s it been like trying to create over the lockdown’s we’ve been experiencing? Strange, man! I’ve been fortunate enough to be with my family for the duration of the pandemic - so I’ve been able to be steady with routine of sitting at the keys most days because of their positivity and support. But there are days where it feels right and others when even the idea of creating something feels off. Through everything, I have still been blessed to spend a lot of hours working on music collaboratively with people I love, and that camaraderie has felt really special - even if it’s been via email. You’re in two bands (Doghouse Outhouse, Jealous Tina), and now you’re beginning a solo endeavour as OOKS. As a man who likes to keep creating, what’s next for Jackson now? There’s at least a handful of OOKS songs coming this year - and hopefully some co-productions as well. Again, I’m lucky to be part of a community that’s supportive and filled with people that want to work together to make things that feel bigger than the sum of their parts. Since even pre-DGHOH days, a lot of people have given me a lot of rope and I’m always dead keen, haha - that seems to have resulted in this growing list of projects I’m involved in.
As far as the rest of this year is concerned, more Jealous Tina and Blk Ozwald are both in the works - the quantity depends on the state of play for the 2nd half of the year, of course (I haven’t seen anyone from JT since our last day of tracking in March!).
Also, keep an eye on WYTAI & Lake Nowhere - artists from the south east putting out projects this year.
What’s your dream gig? Probably in a garden or on someone’s dinner plate or maybe inside a toolbox. If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be? Bread & houmous!
When it comes to wine, red or white?
Red for sure.
Three favourite films? Dolemite Is My Name, Dallas Buyers Club & I just watched Do The Right Thing which is brilliant. A nice mix. Are you reading anything at the minute? Weirdly enough, I just finished Wildlife by Richard Ford - which is a book that travels back and holds some significance for me and you! I am a hopeless reader however and am determined to put more hours in. No way! I will never forget that infamous bookcase of Mr. Tegg’s from our school days.
We better finish on a subject we’re all passionate about. The teabag is steady brewing, are you putting the milk in or waiting to take the bag out first?
Bag out! I’ve lived with Welsh boys & folks from out West for too long to still make a bad cuppa. Those cats will make you hang your head in shame if milk ever touches a teabag.
'Carver2' is available to stream on Spotify now. Make sure you press that follow button when you're there and stay up to date with all things OOKS.
A conversation and a catch-up with multi-instrumentalist 'OOKS' on his latest project, creating over 2020 and how to brew the perfect cuppa.
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