Alke is a pop duo based in Los Angeles made up of producer, Jameson Flood and vocalist/songwriter, Audrey Karrasch.
Kyle Warner: Your music is intoxicating. Lush production with such beautiful vocals. Can you talk a little bit about the development of your sound?
Alke: Firstly, thank you very much. That is a very high compliment. When we first started writing music together in 2015 we really had no idea what it would lead to. AK, was at the end of a chapter where she was pursuing a solo career and I was fresh off the cusp of producing for a band called Night Beds and some other various projects. The first song we wrote was “Indigo” and that was the second day we met. Even with the song just being bare bones I think it was a moment we mutually felt a burst of inspiration. The coolest part about that is it was so comfortable. We really didn’t have anything to prove to anyone and we were just writing to write. I think that’s how a lot of sounds come to be. Looking back now we were totally unaware that writing “Indigo” was symbolic for the end of a dark chapter for us as individuals but the beginning of Alke. Something new, fresh but all too familiar at the same time. As artists, we both have such different backgrounds and inspirations. We approach every song with the intent of combining our perspectives and bringing out the best in each other. Our songs are so nostalgic to us even when they’re in the beginning stages, they represent our hardships, our fears, hopes. We want our music to be an invitation to our world, a world where you’re already at home.
KW: You have produced some awesome music videos. It’s clear that cinematography is something that’s important to you. Does your music always lead to video ideas or does a potential music video idea ever spark your songwriting?
Alke: I think visuals are actually an important guideline for us while we’re writing. We always find ourselves sitting on the balcony or listening to demos in the car while we discuss possible video ideas. We really want to match the feel of those ideas with music the same way any movie director would want to create a full atmosphere. Coming up with a sort of short film in our heads is easy for us and we usually fall so in love with those ideas that we want to make sure that the soundtrack is spot on.
KW: You guys are riding some awesome momentum, what’s next for Alke?
Alke: We have spent the last two years almost aimlessly, just writing and playing shows when we can. We really want to go into the new year with a tour booked. Playing live has opened a whole new world for us creatively and we’re excited to explore that and take our vision on the road. We’re really lucky to have such amazing friends play in our band, it makes every day we have a show feel like we’re on the field trip been waiting all semester for.
