From studio magic to touring live: Catching up with Elastic Skies (AT)

Ahead of their show with our Bulgarian venue in Sofia, the Austrian duo Elastic Skies took the time for an interview with the team from Mixtape 5 to discuss opening up to new audiences, playing live, and their dream of touring with other Liveurope bands.

Can you please present your music, how do you define your genre and what inspires you to make music?

Two weeks ago we said in an Interview with skug magazine “never call it Electropop”, but actually you can even call it like this. Maybe dark wave would even fit better, but there are also facets of post-punk, noisey electronica and synth pop. We are inspired by good, let’s call it niche pop music and artist we love, from Kraftwerk, to Kate Bush, from The Cure, to La Femme or She Past Away.

What do you prefer – the energy of live performances or the magic of studio recording and composing music?

As we have been a studio only project for the first three years and just started playing live shows this year, we would maybe say we definitely love the magic of the studio. But it also gives us a lot to share our music live with our audience and get into a trancy mood in hazy clubs together.

You will be playing at Mixtape 5 this month through the Liveurope supported concerts. What opportunities have Liveurope given you in your career so far with your band and do you think that programs like Liveurope are the future of the industry?

It’s the first time that we play a Liveurope supported show, but we definitely like the concept and it’s really a pity, that we have just one Liveurope venue in Austria. Support programs for venues, bookers and artists like this will definitely play a huge role in the future and we hope that it gets expanded.

Do you feel that, through Liveurope, European audiences are becoming more open to new and alternative music? What is your opinion on Liveurope in general? 

Definitely. It’s super important that audiences get access to bands they wouldn’t usually find on their own. Platforms like Liveurope help create these moments of discovery – especially in scenes that live off word of mouth and the right kind of context. We think Liveurope is a great way to connect not just artists and venues, but also audiences with new sounds from across the continent.

Have you met other Liveurope bands you’d like to collaborate with? Maybe do a gig/tour or feature together?

We haven't had the chance yet. This is our first Liveurope show, but we would love to connect with like-minded bands and maybe do some cross-country gigs. Touring together or doing features would be something we’re definitely open for. We’re always interested in finding a shared aesthetic or vibe with others.

If you had to describe Liveurope in three words, what would they be?

Support, Network, Europe.

How do you imagine the future of the European music scene in five years — more unity or more diversity?

Hopefully both!!! More unity in terms of infrastructure and support across borders, but more diversity when it comes to voices, genres and artistic approaches. Europe has so many unique subcultures and music scenes – it would be great to see them thrive and interact even more.

This interview was conducted and written by Mixtape 5.