Interview: Otto Hashmi
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Ellie Connor-Phillips interviews Otto Hashmi. Photographs by Johnny Stanley.
After releasing the track BJÖRK earlier this year, Otto Hashmi is back with a new self-titled EP. We had a chat about the release and managing being a musician during the lockdown in the second of our series of “isolation interviews.”
Otto Hashmi is a musician from North West London. His work is always an intricate and effective fusion of genres that utilises his skills with multiple instruments, and is well known in the London scene for his live shows and individual sound.
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1. The new release is out today - tell us a little about it!
This is me stripping everything down and creating a mission statement. This is about speaking directly to an audience without any pretense. Every track on this EP sounds like me at my desk, how I like to refer to my little onstage rig, performing it in the moment. Nothing more and nothing less. That’s why I forwent giving it an elaborate name beyond my own - there’s no grand concept behind any of the music here. This is my audition tape, please give me a callback soon.
2. What’s it like releasing music during the lockdown? Have you had to change the way you work, or promote? Has the creative process been different?
I don’t want to make light of the situation at all, because this is bringing a lot of hardship to many people. But in terms of music this couldn’t have come at a better time to put out a release. An entire audience trapped inside, spending more time than usual on social media is perfect for that really. That I can’t complain about. Obviously that’s hardly the most important thing in the current situation.
Creative process – I’ve actually made barely any music since lockdown. I was ill with suspected covid19 quite early on and since then have been devoting my nocturnal waking hours to promoting this release. Once this is out I have a couple of ideas I hope to get started on immediately.
3. One of the weirdest things for musicians at the minute is the fact they can’t do live shows - except online. I know you always put a lot of energy into your live shows - what live set up was planned for this release?
In some ways this whole release is (ironically) defined by the live setup. I’d been putting stuff out and playing shows with the onstage thing really as an after thought. I saw a bunch of really cool musicians play when I was out in the US with Suzi Wu last year and it really made me think particularly about how to go it alone. This one artist called Cheeky had a whole spread of equipment onstage, it suddenly hit me that I needed to draw the audience’s attention to all the different instruments I’m playing and exactly what I’m doing to make my sounds. Nothing is just about the music, this needs to be a show and give an audience something to latch onto.
I really think that’s done the trick, the last gig I played before lockdown was at Camden Assembly and the interest that’s be rolling in has been getting bigger and bigger. I just put something out with Fred Perry a few days ago. As an artist you really worry about keeping that momentum but I’m trying to balance insane preparation with a taking each day as it comes attitude.
Back to live shows though – my rig is killer to transport, in some respects very glad for not having to lug it around at the moment. When I’ve worked with bigger artists there’s normally a team helping with load-in, load-out, set-up etc. I guess it fits my whole image that everything has just been me so far, be it management or just lugging gear to and from shows.
4. How are you navigating the lockdown in terms of playing live - are you thinking of doing live-streams? Has the lockdown impacted your work in other ways and how are you adapting?
Honestly, I’m not that convinced by the whole live stream gig thing. I really don’t think that’s the way people want to use technology and we’re forcing an irl social construct on a different realm. I’m definitely going to eat my words and do a couple of them, but I think this is an interesting situation for technological accelerationism to take hold – people want their bite-sized entertainment for ever shortening attention spans, whether in lockdown or not. Somehow we have to find a way to deliver. Definitely going to be doing more general online stuff though. I think this gives an opportunity to make more crafted content and really hone into the social media aspect of things.
5. What can we expect from you for the rest of the lockdown! Or alternatively, what future plans do you have for your work once this is all over?
I have a bunch of ideas but so far no clue what the best route to go after this is. I’m unsure as an artist starting out whether eclectic projects are the most savvy choice, but it’s certainly a path I would enjoy taking. Maybe it’s a good move to be punk af and break expectation.
I would love to put out more music with the other amazing musicians I have worked with over the last few years. I also want to put out some recorder music with a 21st century spin. Probably would like to make some weird weird music too but I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot this early in my career! Whatever comes in the rest of 2020, I do know I’m going to keep giving it my best and show more people just what I’m about.
‘Otto Hashmi,’ the self-titled EP, is out today and available on all streaming platforms. Have a listen on Spotify, You can stay up to date with Otto’s work via instagram.