Creative Conversations 025: Exploring 'Spiders Have Feelings' With Ballast

We caught up with Aussie producer and vocalist Ballast to chat over his recently released single ‘Spiders Have Feelings’. With an experimental flair, Ballast’s sonic dabbles in the world of dark, doozy and glitchy. Jump in with Ballast as he breaks down his single, history with music, and the future of the project.

Futuremag Music: Hey Ballast, how are you?

Ballast: Hey Futuremag Music team! I am doing very well thank you. I am very grateful to be here chatting with you, thank you for having me on.

Futuremag Music: Congratulations on the release of 'Spiders Have Feelings'! Before we jump into the release let's delve into your background and relationship with music. Could you please provide some insight?

Ballast: I started playing instruments from quite a young age. In primary school I wanted to be a drummer but all the available spots in the school band were taken to I had to settle for second best and learn the trombone. I don’t think I really learnt much during that time to be honest but it wasn’t until I moved schools and then began learning the drums finally. I continued to get lessons for about three or four years until I was probably in year eight where I decided that lessons were getting boring and decided to quit because I didn’t find much enjoyment out of not being in a band. A few years later at the age of around fourteen, I vividly remember going up to one of my best mate’s house and he showed me how to make a basic synth on FL studio, and I think for me, that was definitely a very distinctive moment where I felt an instant attraction to music production. Being so young, I didn’t have a whole lot of money to be spending on all this software, especially because it was only a hobby at this time, so I convinced my mate to illegally download FL studio for me. I would spend hours and hours just learning the ins and outs of music production on my cheap computer. It really began to distract me from my schooling and I really started to take this music thing seriously. I was aiming to get into engineering at university after graduation by this point, and I was successful at doing so, but I only lasted a month before I decided that my passions sat with music, so I quit my degree and moved to London. Also, for the record, I have paid for all my Ableton and all my plugins since!

Futuremag Music: 'Spiders Have Feelings' has a deep emotional resonance. Could you outline the production and writing process?

Ballast: I actually had this instrumental sitting around for a long time. I made it in my bedroom not too long after I had moved to London and absolutely fell in love with it, but had no clue where to use it. It wasn’t until I moved back home to Australia after COVID hit here I asked my sister if she’d be interested in featuring on it. After many bedroom sessions, it began to turn into something I was becoming very proud of. The song is based around those situations in life where you may be starting a new job, moving to a new school, etc, and you meet people that give you the cold shoulder without giving you a chance to express your character. The name of the song is completely irrelevant to the meaning, ‘Spiders Have Feelings’ was just a metaphor I made up to translate the fact that spiders never really have any malicious intentions, yet they are still neglected and often killed for no reason, which I then linked back to those feelings of rejection in life I was referring to.

Futuremag Music: What does the future look like for Ballast?

Ballast: With COVID still doing it’s rounds, everything is still uncertain for myself and the other seven and a half billion people on this planet, but it’s important to try and be optimistic! Hopefully I’ll be able to return to the UK soon, but for now I’ll continue to make the most of the down time here at home and keep grinding. It’s times like these where I am grateful to be Australian, we have life pretty good right now. Music wise, I have been playing around with so many different styles lately, many of which are fairly hip hop influenced and some feature vocals of my own, so I am very excited to share these with the world!

Futuremag Music: To wrap it up if Ballast was a cocktail, what would be in it to best describe yourself and your music?

Ballast: Oooo, I’d probably have to go with a mojito, but rather than using white rum, I’d use spiced rum. It is both sour and packs a punch with the spiced rum and lime, but it is also revitalising with the mint and soda. That would perfectly correspond with my music because I feel like it is definitely experimental and odd at times, but it is also new and refreshing to the ear. Garnish it with a pretty lavender flower so it fits the ‘Ballast’ theme of course!