Inspired #95 - Attawalpa
London-based alt-rock troubadour Attawalpa stunned with his debut EP 'Spells', so we caught up with him to chat the method behind the music and what fuels his creative fire.
Who are your top three musical inspirations?
Feel, Mellody and rhythm. I gotta tell a story and be honest. If it’s not connecting I’m not fussed.
But if we talking artists I’d say Neil Young and his album Decade. It really turned me onto songwriting and how artistry is about feeling not really chops or tricks.
Prince and his record Sign of the Times. The sounds on this record are timeless and constantly surprising. I feel like he’s someone who just got what making music in a studio was about he used it as an instrument as much as a filter to get his voice/ideas out.
Wu-Tang clan 36 chambers were the first thing I heard that gave me that punk rock spirit. You know the ‘fuck it I can do this!’ It’s an insane landscape of character and brilliance. It really made me admire and adore hip hop. Wu WU Wu!
Current music I love The Coneheads, Big thief, The breeders (I know they aren’t current but I love Kim and their last album is sooo good/ everything guitar music in 2020 should be about) and Tyler the creator. There's so much good music around tho its everywhere. I try and discover new music every day. It’s my favourite language/ energy and form of expression.
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
All the films I’ve seen of Pedro Almodovar. He’s like a woke less coked up European Tarantino who is more interested in sex than ultra-violence. Mainly live flesh. I love Almodovar’s dialogue he really writes strong juicy characters. I loved pulp fiction as a kid. Last great film I saw was Good Time by the Safdie brothers. Its such a stressful trip but beautiful and eventually calm. Under the skin is amazing as well. I love it when film transports us. It’s all about teleportation.
Last great thing I saw on Netflix was Unorthodox. Seeing as all we can do is isolate nowadays I tend to watch crap to go to sleep but this was truly exceptional and a great story.
What city do you find the most inspiring?
Hmm, I realise for all these questions I am not giving a straight answer so continuing on that flow I guess i would say London because I have lived here the longest but I am comfortable here and comfort isn’t ideal for inspiration. I love Cusco as its got so much culture I feel connected as my mother is Peruvian. Every street corner has mystery and magic. I grew up for a while in Lima. A part of me wishes I was in Lima now as I would love to self isolate there and the Peruvians have really adhered to the rules to protect the less fortunate and vulnerable so beautifully. As a whole Peruvians are incredibly inspiring, so sweet, kind and I feel connected to them. But yeah London is rad but also a bit sad. The system is broken and people who are actually Heros are taken for granted. It’s all a bit too high intensity/ distorted at times to stay inspired.
Who is the most inspiring person to you?
I have always been good at making conversation with anyone and I feel the more we know about each other the closer we get to ourselves. We are all one at the end of the day. Everyone has a story to tell. I find inspiration in strangers. If I had to choose one person to get inspiration from for the rest of my blink of an eye hit this vessel tho I would say Bruno Wizard. He is a good friend I met back in the day. He’s been in bands since the 1970’s the most known would be The Homosexuals. I love his outlook on life. He’s extremely optimistic and real. Sees the big picture. A genuine philosopher of our time.
What were your inspirations when writing the track?
With Go to the Moon, my main inspiration was the desire of escapism minus the pursuit of oblivion. I feel I had done the latter too much. I wrote the bulk of it in my first studio in tower bridge. Gosh, I love Tower Bridge. It’s so historical and empty. I called the studio moon studios as it was a white basement under a 1770’s crypt in a park. You felt isolated there and in space. I was going through a bit of a hard time and I just wanted to feel light and free of my crutches. I wrote the song with that trapped feeling in mind hoping I could bottle that eventual blissful release in a three-minute song.