Somewhere amidst Denver’s wonderfully warped corner of electronic music, inspiration is something of a communal affair. Somewhere between the familiar and the wonderfully bizarre, new ideas begin to take shape. Newcomer Hintof Sound pulls from every corner of psychedelic bass music, collecting bits and pieces of inspiration. A “Hintof” this, a little of that, a dash of distortion, and a healthy pinch of imagination. It's a curious menagerie of sounds, artists, experiences, and ideas filtered through one person's imagination.
Ahead of his October 17th debut at Denver's beloved Black Box, alongside Peen, Glutey, and Foxton, we spoke with Hintof Sound to explore the people, peculiar sounds, and experiences shaping this budding project. Austin speaks to us about finding authenticity in an increasingly saturated musical landscape, the importance of creating alongside your community, and the peculiar joy of building something without necessarily knowing what it's going to become.
Alyssa: “You came from the management side of music before stepping into the role of artist. What was the moment you realized you wanted to make music yourself?”
Austin: “Music was always a passion of mine and honestly came before working in the industry, but I believe it all started for me when I saw Sixis play at Tipper and Friends at Suwannee in 2016. At the time, I was going to school for environmental science and biology in Florida. While I was, and still am, passionate about science, and especially the environment, I could not shake this drive and interest in learning just how Ben created his sound. I was moved and inspired and left that festival feeling empowered to take the plunge. I downloaded the free basic version of Ableton and started tinkering on my laptop as soon as I could. My best friend was incredibly talented when it came to understanding and playing music himself. He was attending school but ultimately wanted a change as well. That's when he proposed the idea of switching things up. We packed up our lives and moved to Colorado together to study music. This is when I learned I had an interest not only in audio engineering but also in artist management. Something about really helping artists be artists created a drive in me: building community, supporting each other, and creating as a whole.
While in school, I interned at a recording studio in CO, Silo Sound, with Grammy Award-winning engineer Todd Divel and tracking engineer Tira Neil. It was a lot of room prep, setting up microphones, fetching coffee, and listening to the same guitar a thousand times while providing notes/feedback on the sound. We ended up recording a few different albums of various genres. It was a ton of fun and a fantastic glimpse into the world of recording. After my time at Silo Sound, I was fortunate to meet someone I consider a mentor, friend, and all-around amazing human, Angela Jensen. Angela was managing artists and assisting with production at Feyline at the time. I was brought on to assist her directly with her roster, which included a variety of artists, notably Rendr Fka Templo, Bass Physics, and The Copper Children. Angela taught me a wide variety of skills: day-to-day management, booking, etiquette, attentiveness, and ultimately making sure the artists feel heard and free to do what helps them express themselves.
I eventually gained the courage to pursue my own roster. It started with someone who, to this day, is one of my closest friends, Dende. Handfuls of releases, bookings, and shows across different states with him led me to feel confident enough to start onboarding more artists. One night, Dende was opening for Sixis, Mumukshu, and Shwex at The Black Box. It was surreal. Afterwards I was able to speak with Sixis about the opportunity to assist in managing his project. I was able to assist with releasing what is today one of my favorite electronic albums of all time, Empty Eye Dawn. Unfortunately, as Covid hit, most participants in the live music industry had to find other ways to make ends meet. We had tried some live streams, but ultimately it was still difficult. I also ended up needing to find other work and had to eventually sunset the management endeavor. Now I am fully focused on my own project, taking what I have learned from working with others and applying it to the Hintof Sound project.”
Alyssa: “Seppa recently remixed one of your tracks, and having an storied artist like that reinterpret something you created has to be surreal. What's that like?”
Austin: “Seppa is an incredible artist, teacher and person all the way through. Having him anywhere close to this project is an honor to me. When I first heard his take on Krosser and I’s tune I nearly lost it! Being able to collaborate within art is always exciting and I look forward to more interesting collaborations in the future.”
Alyssa: “Pierre’s Bicycle” and “Orbital Orchid” feel like they come from two different corners of the same strange universe. What were those tracks born from? An idea, a sound, a mood, an accident?
Austin: “That's because they kind of do! I began writing both of these a couple of days after Tipper's final Red Rocks show. "Orbital Orchid" is actually inspired by the closing of one chapter and the opening of a new one, and it directly relates to an orchid that my wife and I have had for multiple blooms. It just bloomed again recently!
"Pierre's Bicycle" was definitely the product of feeling cooped up last winter. I had some energy to get out with that one! I like to imagine that a lot of the sounds that come together in both tunes are inspired by their own world, and each single I aim to release should show just a bit more of it each time.”
Years spent behind the scenes, learning the peculiar mechanics of an industry built on creativity and connection, have gradually given way to something a little more personal. It’s a curiosity that has now found its way from the studio to the stage, with Hintof Sound making his debut performance at Denver's beloved Black Box. Joined by 5MEOMATRITAN and Qrm3d, who brought Hintof's sonic world to life through visuals, the evening offered a fitting introduction to the project in its live form. A little weird, a little whimsical, and full of the kind of creative camaraderie that makes Denver's underground scene so special. For an artist whose sound is built from little pieces of inspiration collected along the way, it seems only appropriate that this next chapter begins surrounded by the very community that helped shape it. And if this is just the beginning, there's plenty more delightful strangeness to look forward to.
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