Snowkitten is a solo project, and I have been making synthesizer music since 2005. Most of my songs have been instrumental - mainly due to the lack of a microphone and the fact that if I tried singing, the website would be closed down within hours for the sake of world peace.
I have, however, tried my hand (paw?) at a few remixes using vocal tracks - courtesy of James D. Stark, Shannon Hurley and Bradsucks - and I've written at least one song which included a guitar track, provided kindly by The Modern Art Quartet. Mostly though, the music is based around synthesizer sounds and drum loops. Some of the results tend to be fairly commercial, with others sounding more experimental in places, but I never start a new song deciding beforehand exactly how it is going to sound. They just turn out how they do, sometimes changing as they go along. Songs that started out seeming fairly strange have ended up far more 'synthpop' than I expected, while others have started out sounding commercial and ended up totally the opposite.
The biggest influence and inspiration behind why I write songs was Talk Talk - both their early synthesizer work and their later, more experimental albums. There have been many other bands who I could claim as influences, but it was Talk Talk who really got the ball rolling. So you can blame them.
Other influences that immediately spring to mind would certainly include Depeche Mode, but also many other synth bands including Iris, Blue October UK, and most recently VNV Nation. They have all played a large part in giving me ideas and inspiration. I have also been a long-time fan of the synthesizer sounds of the 70s and 80s in particular, and those have also been a big influence.
Earlier attempts at songs were pretty dismal and in some cases (fortunately for all concerned) no longer exist in any form whatsoever. They were all part of the learning process however, so they were never a waste of time, and they've all been fun to work on.
That has been the key to writing the songs. I have no intention of making a fortune from the music, nor am I interested in chasing a record deal. The project is mainly just as a hobby and also it is something I enjoy doing a great deal, after having spent so many years hoping for a chance to make a few songs and hopefully find an audience, no matter how small.
As long as there are even just a few people out there who enjoy the songs, that is all I really wanted from the project, and it is all the incentive I need to keep bombarding the world with my assorted doodlings.
