INTERVIEW: Daniel Tompkins

After spending years building a sturdy reputation and becoming a household name in the realm of progressive metal, Daniel Tompkins is set to return with a whole new outlook. A multitude of diverse projects have forged weaving paths, which now seem to be interconnecting in a delta of serendipity. Best known for fronting critically acclaimed heavy-hitters TESSERACT, Daniel thrives on dedicating every inch of his time and talent to drill further into his creative reservoir, and his latest project to see the light of day is the first solo album of his career, Castles. As an innate vocalist, the stage is set for Daniel to unravel a whole new side to his unbounded talent, and lift a heavy weight from his chest. Whilst we featured Daniel Tompkins in our digital issue last month, now we present our full and rather extensive chat with the man himself.

Firstly, fantastic work with Castles, it’s fantastic, a lovely album. I’ve listened to it probably quite a bit more than I needed to this week!

Dan: Cool! I’m really pleased that you like it. I don’t really know what to do with that information at the minute because I’m in mixed minds. I was procrastinating on it for for about four years believe it or not, it’s really old!

How are you feeling ahead of the release? Are you feeling confident and happy with where you are?

Daniel: I am, my only reservation is that it’s so old and that’s brought a few issues; one being the main body of the album length and maybe the full cohesiveness of the record because what I had to do was lengthen it as part of my conditions of signing with Kscope. It was originally just going to be seven tracks. I had it all written, mastered and recorded, all the artwork for the CD. This was at a time when I was transitioning back into TESSERACT and priorities changed, I actually procrastinated on the whole sound and visual for the project and I wasn’t sure whether I even had enough reputation to pull off a solo thing, whether it was the right time and I had lots of mixed feeling and it just got sidelined a bit.

I then started to release records through Kscope, I developed a relationship with those guys and then I suddenly remembered that I was sitting on this album – [laughs] I did forget about it for a while – and rather than do it by myself, I think I was a little bit daunted because I’ve done the DIY thing for so long and I started to release some really high profile records through labels and saw how they operated on the business end of it. My reputation was getting bigger, TESSERACT was getting bigger and I just felt like if I was going to do it any justice I needed to have some support from a label so I approached Kscope and they jumped at it. On the back of that, I signed a three album record deal and it also came with the financial funding that I would need if I wanted to give it a whole rehaul.

So I revisited the tracks and fleshed them up, worked with different producers to embellish upon different tracks and obviously did the six remixes with a few of my friends that I work with in different projects. So yeah, now I feel really good about it, a few years ago like I say I was unsure, but it’s been a really good process because I’m pretty keen on project managing and I really love being creative and having full control over what’s going on.

The thing was with WHITE MOTH BLACK BUTTERFLY, if you’ve heard of that project, that was meant to be my solo thing years ago but with that I started to include other people and obviously the more people you include you dilute your own creativity and ownership of the whole thing, on that occasion for a good reason. I feel like that needed to happen for that particular project, but I still had a hankering for doing my own thing, so this [Castles] is like – the whole visual aspect of the promotional photography, the video briefs and stories and narratives, the themes to the music, the album artwork, everything I’ve directed. I’ve basically been the executive producer of my own album if you like.

The only difference with this is that I haven’t written the music, that was written by a US producer called Eddie Head, who’s actually a friend of mine from a band I released an album with in 2012 called HADJI’S KITCHEN, a metal band from America and they got success back in the late 90’s by landing the soundtrack to Dragonball Z; they wrote the track to that, the main music.

I got involved with them, released an album then suddenly realised years on that Eddie is actually an amazing producer himself, so he wrote the main seven songs to that album, and we worked on it together in terms of sonics and palettes and just piecing it all together, so it was stylised to my taste if you like. And again that might have been another reservation because I feel like as a grassroots artist who’s always been involved in writing my own music and my own vocals, I feel there’s an expectation with underground artists that they should write their own music.

I kind of want to challenge that idea and I hope this album has demonstrated that, because I feel like the quality of the song writing, the vocal production – everything – is a little bit of a step up for me, for a few different reasons. One, I feel like it’s some of the best vocal production I’ve ever had on a record. I mean, I love the TESSERACT stuff, but the thing with that is that I’m more a fifth instrument in TESSERACT than a lead. I’m not put on a pedestal, it’s very much a balanced effort and Acle (Kahney) is an amazing producer but he is very much a music man and I don’t quite feel I’ve ever actually nailed my sound and approach until now. I feel like now is a good turning point for me.

Would you say we’re seeing a lot more of your identity in this, rather than it being a collaborative effort with other musicians – it’s surprising, it’s easy to forget how many other projects you’ve been involved with in the past like ZETA and so on…

Dan: Well there’s a reason for why I took this approach. I mean at the point where I started to write this album I think I’d released ten or eleven albums in the span of six and a half years so I felt quite creatively drained, so I was looking for different avenues of re-inspiring myself and part of that process was to work with a producer on the music and the vocals, so Eddie worked with me very closely on the creation of the whole product and that brought with it a different perspective, a different way of writing, a different way of creating melodies; a different taste of poetry. Yeah so, like I say I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, it was definitely a way for me to re-inspire myself I think, that’s the main reason.

Given the kind of critical appraisal you’ve had in the past with pretty much everything you’ve done, do you feel any extra pressure moving forwards towards this release that it might not be the same or are you confident?

Dan: Well I’ve already seen some reviews, I’ve seen the reaction of the majority of people – I think there is a degree of TESSERACT’s core fanbase that really is interested in what I’m doing. I don’t feel like it appeals to everybody, I feel like the majority of TESSERACT followers want to hear heavy music so they’re not necessarily interested in my ambient trip-hop / pop tendencies. You know this is very much a way of satisfying my own desires, which is the great thing about it as well. I have free reign to do what the hell I like so I’m creating for myself and my own enjoyment which is a beautiful place to be in. No-one is calling the shots other than me.

I think to be honest though, we’re moving towards a musical landscape where the likes of synthwave bands are becoming very prominent as well now.

Dan: Yeah, I think it’s picking up. It’s still quite niche I’ll be honest, I mean, MUSE obviously put out a synthwavey, more commercial album, was it a few years ago now? But I think that they’re the first mainstream act that have tapped into this. I mean obviously you’ve got successful acts like PERTURBATOR and GUNSHIP that are doing their own thing, but it is still quite niche. But it is growing yeah, you’re right.

It’s an exciting time to be making that kind of music, definitely, it’s coming to the forefront more and more. What are the reasons behind the thematics and subject matter on the album because I know there are kind of deep and emotional subjects that you’re covering.

Dan: There always is, it has to be. If I don’t have the emotional content it just won’t translate, people won’t feel it, so you kind of have to expose yourself and be quite vulnerable in the writing process, quite open with who you’re working with. When myself and EDDIE were chatting through themes, one thing that I mentioned to him was that was that I had never written an album based upon relationships because I felt that it was a bit cliché. At that particular time I had a real dislike for what was going on it the mainstream popular music world, I just felt it was all becoming regurgitated, repetitive, uninspired sound. So I was quite tainted with that.

It stemmed from a conversation with myself and the producer about relationships. The thing was that he was going through a very turbulent relationship himself, so I was listening to a lot of his experiences and trying to relate to them. I’m in quite a long term relationship. Me and my wife, we’ve been married for ten years but we’ve actually been together for twenty years, we met when we were sixteen, and back then, I think anybody that was looking for a relationship had to find it through authentic communication whereas today obviously it’s very different. We live in a very digital world and we meet people at the click of a button and the swipe of a finger. So for me it was really interesting to listen to the way that he was working in the world and meeting people, and all the ups and downs.

And now this is where the conversation really starts to get interesting, because I’m from – dare I even say it – I’m not a different generation at all, but I am slightly older than a lot of my friends and people that listen to my music. The general big age gap that listen to my music is round about early to mid twenties maximum, and I’m past the middle mark of the thirties now so I’m pushing forty believe it or not, which is quite sad [laughing] but yeah. I firmly believe that relationships are thrown away far too quickly.

I do believe that sometimes relationships are doomed to fail and people need to recognise when that’s happening and move on for the better. However from experience I’ve worked through some quite turbulent times in my relationship and I’m living the successful side of a fruitful relationship, whereas other people aren’t. And I feel like people today are quite – and this is no disrespect to anybody at all – but I feel like from my observation that relationships are far too easily thrown away, people treat them as easily as trying to upgrade and change and try and find a better thing without working through the hard times and the challenges that come with it. Because that in turn helps you to grow.

Agreed. I’ve noticed as well flicking through a couple of promo videos and obviously the music videos as well that some of the imagery is also quite dark. Is that a reflection on the lyrical matter, or is it an excuse to express yourself?

Dan: It is and it isn’t, I think mood is always key and I think I touch on more turbulence than peace in terms of the concepts regarding relationships, so I think it was just a natural thing to keep it slightly darker and moody.

Obviously TESSERACT and SKYHARBOR have been big parts of your life up to this point, can you talk about these bands and how they’ve brought you to where you are now, and what influences they might have on who you are as a musician these days?

Dan: I think subconsciously there will be some influence but I really tried to make a conscious effort to stay individual and definitely try and separate each project into its own entity which is why – I’m not even sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing – I’ve got many different attributes to the way that I sing and use my voice. You listen to some artists who have one mode and I think people identify with that mode, whereas I do lots of different things and I think that people don’t quite get that – I’m quite varied as a singer. But yeah, working with SKYHARBOR was amazing. It was a very different tone in some senses, but the music I’ve been involved with has always been, the way I describe it is ‘an underpinning sense of hope’ over a darker mood. I think that’s just what I do, there’s always going to be that kind of feel to my music.

Have you consciously made any efforts to make Castles unique or would you say that ultimately it’s a culmination of the best of what you’ve done in the past or learned in the past?

Dan: I think it’s a stepping stone, I think this is a great album. I could say that it’s four years old and I’ve already started writing a second and a third, so it was never going to be the best album in the world to start with, and like I say as a solo artist I just don’t know what to think or where to go with it so that’s why I treated it like an open book really. Even in terms of say the visuals – I involved a stylist for the first time and an amazing photographer and I just said, “I am just an open book here just go nuts, stylise me, let’s go crazy and try and create some imagery that’s going to be a talking point.” I think that also, I found that quite challenging as well, because I’m quite an insecure kind of person – even though it may not sound like it or look like it – I do have a lot of social anxiety and I’ve had it for years and years but the problem is (or maybe it’s not a problem) I’ve always put myself into uncomfortable positions deliberately to challenge myself.

So what I did this time, I created some really out there imagery – it’s a little bit Zoolander I’ll admit – but it got people talking and that’s what I want, to get some striking imagery and to draw some interest, because you’ve got to understand that a lot of my core fanbase are metalheads that do not want to see me wearing a neck feather brace. But that in itself is a challenge, there were comments some people were making that were really derogatory, there were some people that were saying it’s just incredible.

I mean I personally feel that people expose themselves really uncomfortably on social media, and I think it sparks so many conversations with people on arguing this way or that way, or they have a different viewpoint on sexuality, or gender, or whatever because it was touching upon being quite drag in what I was doing, the way I was looking but I mean that’s just the fun of it. That’s expression, you can do what the hell you like and some of my main inspirations are quite flamboyant people like DAVID BOWIE and BJORK, I draw inspiration from and love their confidence, and I think as a songwriter and a musician, you’re entitled to have that confidence.

Definitely, and I think that naturally spills out into the musical side of things as well and I couldn’t help but wonder; some of the alternative versions that close the album seem like a good opportunity to be even more experimental, I don’t know if that was by design… you mentioned before that you had to write a few more tracks, but it seems to have given you a good chance to express even further away from the norm.

Dan: It was definitely an experiment, I mean if you listen to the album, including the remixes, they are quite different and there isn’t any solid theme running throughout it sonically. People like conceptual music, thematic music, I wanted to treat this like a mixed bag of different styles to see what people liked. They’re all good songs and I wanted to include producers that I’d worked with in the past to showcase their skills as well like Paul Ortiz from CHIMP SPANNER and ZETA and Randy Slaugh from WHITE MOTH, Acle from TESSERACT, and I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for those guys as well, because even though it’s a solo project, I have a lot of people to thank for helping me to get to where I am, so what other way than to kind of put them on the album!

How would you describe the record to a listener? What would be your apt description?

Dan: How would I describe it? It’s an album with approachable songs that are well produced, and have certain elements like crushing cymbals, pulsating synth and strong vocal lines.

The choice of instrumentation is quite diverse. Where did that come from? What inspired the use of instruments that are shown?

Dan: I think the feel of the album is quite turbulent, and we definitely knew we wanted it to be electronic and then when we agreed on the theme and the concept of the album, there’s a lot of romanticism; a lot of happiness, a lot of pain. Like I say, turbulence is the right word and I think that in terms of the beating heart, we wanted to represent that through pulsating synth so that there was always a heartbeat.

What are your hopes from the record? What would success look like to you?

Dan: That’s a good question because obviously it’s different to everybody, but success to me would be… I’ve already achieved it! Just by seeing the response on the first few singles, that’s enough for me. I mean if I can come away from this and it’s successful enough to continue the solo aspect of what I’m doing, this solo direction then I’ll be very happy.

Good. I think you’ve already answered this in part by talking about having already started the writing process for albums two and three but what comes next? What are your post release plans? Do you intend to tour the album or is it more of a studio project?

Dan: It’s a studio project that has the potential to go live. It isn’t the right time for that to happen, maybe on the second or third album there may be some shows. But I mean again it’s a stepping stone, there’s going to be no touring on this record, it’s all about the visuals which is why I kind of went to town on the videos. I mean as a fledgling solo artist I feel like I’ve made quite a good first impression with the two videos I’ve put out, especially with the second one, it was a first for me, and this is why the whole thing i so exciting.

I feel like I’ve been quite drained over the last five years particularly with the touring schedule with TESSERACT , it kind of does sap the life out of you, so as a means to re-inspire myself and get excited about music again this has definitely hit the mark. I’m doing firsts again, like I went to America for five days to film a music video, I’ve never done that before, it’s always been single day shoots in the UK – you go to a location and boom it’s done. This was a well thought out, well organised venture and it cost a lot of money [laughs]. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of Kscope.

That leads me on to one of my last questions. What words would you have to express the backing of Kscope? You’ve already mentioned them a couple of times but what other support have they given you through the process?

Dan: Well the thing is, a lot of people don’t know but I’ve had brushings with major labels before and I’ve worked with quite a few different independent labels, but Kscope hit the mark for me. The people that work there are super enthusiastic, and they all communicate very very well. They only work with artists that they love and that they can see potential in. And I mean, if you’re going to work with people, you’ve got to be like-minded and share the same goals, and I definitely feel that way about that label.

…and willing to allow you that creative freedom as well, I’d imagine, that you’ve strived for.

Dan: Yeah, they’re open to so much stuff, like I basically put an idea down on the table and pretty much every time they’re like “That sounds awesome, do it.” I mean they do have very interesting ways of marketing, Kscope like to put out quality products, physical products have got to be interesting and well produced. That sounds like a pretty basic thing but actually there’s a lot of thought that goes into it.

Oh 100% yeah.

Dan: Like I say they do a great job and they’re super enthusiastic.

Is there anything else in particular you’d like to add?

Dan: I think it would be worth mentioning Dmitry Stepanov, who’s one of the remixers. He’s a producer from Russia that I’m working with quite closely and I’m looking forward to perhaps writing another record with him in the future. And also Eddie, so I mean this is always going to be a collaborative project, but I think with the next album I would like to be thematically stronger from start to finish. And a much bigger album, as well.

So would you treat this as more of a learning curve towards whatever the future might hold?

Dan: Absolutely.

Castles is out now via Kscope.

Like Daniel Tompkins on Facebook.