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| (c) Carys Lavin |
1. Who is Hilang Child and where did the name come from? (a short introduction)
Hilang Child is Ed Riman, a half-Welsh, half-Indonesian Londoner. There's no real deep meaning behind the name, other than a pseudonym to hide behind... 'Hilang' means 'lost' or 'missing' in Indonesian.
2. How long have you been making music as Hilang Child? What have the highlights been so far?
The first thing I did as Hilang Child was a free EP called First Writings in 2012, which got re-released on Third Rock a year later. Those were the first songs I ever wrote. I'd been doing music a little bit longer than that though, mainly as a drummer for various projects. There's been a few highlights, it's hard to whittle down but I'd say the launch show for my self-titled EP last year was a proud moment. I hadn't done many headline shows and it felt pretty special packing out my own show and seeing so many familiar faces in the audience. I also remember finding it pretty exciting the first time I heard my stuff on the radio and saw people blogging about me, it seemed crazy.
3. How is work on the debut album going? If there is an interesting story behind how you and any producers & session plays met and started playing together, please do share!
Album's nearly done, touch wood! It's currently being mixed by Kwes, really exciting to have him involved as he has such an interesting way of working and I'm a big fan of his stuff, both as a producer and artist. The album is a mix of some home recordings, studio recordings and bits & pieces recorded elsewhere too. It's a bit of a change in direction from past EPs, it's a lot more self-produced than previous stuff. I enjoy working with others but I just felt like nothing I've previously released really ended up sounding how I had first envisioned and I feel quite disconnected from it because of that. So it was just so refreshing to have full control and the freedom to do things my way; doing it in your own space in your own time really fuels creativity, I got a lot more experimental with production and composition elements. I had fun recording stuff like kalimbas & harmoniums, beer bottles, stretching, reversing and manipulating my voice - even managed to slip in some Balinese kecak chanting. I'm really glad I went back to basics and did it my way.
4. We loved having you play on our stage at The Alternative Escape back in May, what have you been up to since then? We saw that you played at Leefest recently - how was that?!
Thanks for having me on your stage, I enjoyed it! Since then I've pretty much just been finishing the album whilst doing occasional little bits of session stuff. Leefest was a bit tough, I was playing on a tiny little stage in the woods with a small sound system and as the main stage was so loud I got drowned out a bit. It was a nice little festival though with an amazing story behind it, really good to see how it's grown to what it is today.
5. Who is your audience and how do you connect with your fans? Any crazy, fun, exciting stories are very welcome.
I guess for the modern artist it's quite nice to be able to connect with fans so easily. Still blows my mind when I get messages from people on the other side of the world who have felt something listening to my music.
6. We can’t wait for your show supporting JYLDA in September. It’s her debut London show - any sightseeing tips?
South London is better than North London. Stay away from Oxford Street, the most polluted hellhole on earth.
7. What does your dream gig look like? Any bands that you’d love to play alongside?
Go on youtube and search Sigur Ros Olsen Olsen Heima. That'd be my dream gig. Not sure about specific other bands, but I've always had this weird dream of at some point collaborating with some other artist to cover the whole of the Smile album by The Beach Boys/Brian Wilson. Hehe.
8. What does the rest of the year (and even looking towards 2017) hold for you?
To be honest, I have no idea! All I've been thinking about is getting this album finished and ready to release, so hopefully soon it'll be ready and I'll have a plan. Fingers crossed the wait won't be too long.
Hilang Child supports JYLDA on her debut London show at Servant Jazz Quarters on 6th September alongside Sera Eke and Brudini, tickets here.
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