Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Tanooki's Exclusive Interview with Simon Curtis


 If you don’t already know the name Simon Curtis, you need to. Some of his younger fans may know him from his role on Nickelodeon’s Spectacular!, and a spot on a little known Disney show called Hannah Montana. But since earlier this year, the 24-year-old has focused his multi-talented efforts on his first album, titled 8Bit Heart. Released in March, the 13-track electronic collection contains tunes that range in topic from Simon’s Atari-playing days, to an Android love affair, effortlessly flowing from bass-driven pop, to sweet love songs. With the occasional voice-over track laid over chiptunes to serve as narration for the audio adventure, 8Bit Heart ultimately is a cohesively crafted piece of musical perfection. And did I mention the entire album is free off Simon’s official website? If there is any new singer/songwriter/performer to keep your eye on right now, it’s Simon Curtis.

I had a chance to interview the self proclaimed “Boy Robot” to talk about all things gaming, tech and of course, his upcoming album:

Jason Leavey: So Mr. Curtis. What’s it like being the original “Boy Robot?”
Simon Curtis: Haha, I must admit it’s a lot of responsibility. Lots of games to play, lots of gadgets to oogle over, electronic music to make, etc. It can be a lot to handle! :P


JL: What inspired the album’s [8Bit Heart] apparent technology influence?
SC: The entire project was inspired by my love for 8-Bit video games, science fiction, and 80’s fantasy movies (The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, etc.) We used old Commodore 64 sounds to create modern electronic pop tracks. Once I had the idea for the concept I was totally enamored.

JL: So I take it you would classify yourself as a techy?

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