Loz Goddard is set to release a long player on Oath.
Manchester native Loz Goddard has been crafting high quality releases since 2015, garnering early support from the likes of Mr. Scruff, Mike Huckaby, Move D and Session Victim. The ever-eclectic producer has since partnered up with esteemed labels such as Seb Wildblood’s Church imprint and deep-house institution – Quintessentially, Loz has since reinvented his sound with an experimental edge and a penchant for live instrumentation.
His latest work has been manifested in the form of the ‘Balloon Tree Road’, an LP set for release on Oath – purveyors of visionary electronic decadence, heavily conceptual and forward-facing in their creative output. We caught up to hear about his latest work, next to premiering one of the album tracks.
Hey Loz, thanks for joining us to answer a few questions. Can you tell us about you, who you are, how long you’ve been making music and for those that don’t know, what music we can find in your discography?
So a bit about myself.. I am a producer / DJ born in Manchester who has been making music in some form since I was about 16 years old. I made the move from bands into a solo project when I was around 19 but didn’t start taking it seriously until I was around 21 years old.
I still live in Manchester today and have spent the majority of my time here making Deep House / House music. First, it was straight up generic kinda deep house, then I moved into sample-based, disco-influenced house music. Since about 2018/2019 I have been concentrating a lot more on using less samples and more live instrumentation, as well as breaking the mould of mostly making house.
You can find all of the above styles in my discography pretty much! However most recently, my ‘Balloon Tree Road’ LP displays a lot more variation than past releases. That’s something I will continue to capture in future releases now.
We’ve listened to the new album ‘Balloon Tree Road’ due out this month on Oath, it’s a soothing and downtempo release to ease us all into the new year. What’s the backstory behind its production / ethos?
The album has taken me roughly 2 years from start to finish, with one rogue track having been sat on for 3 years (ish). I had made a few tracks in 2020 that I saw as ‘album material’ and kept them back for when the time felt right. As soon as the lockdowns hit, I found myself delving back into the world of IDM, Ambient, Breaks, and Drum & Bass. Naturally because of this, my studio sessions got a bit more experimental and quite quickly I had a couple of ambient bits made along with a more ‘breaky’ track. It was at that point I realised that I had a good number of varied tracks for an album.
Where have you drawn inspiration from to create this LP?
Massive inspiration has come from my home-listening with artists like Autechre, Boards of Canada, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin. All these artists have been my staple when I discovered electronic music, so it’s been nice to re-familiarise myself with their work. Aside from that, I’ve managed to draw inspiration from fishing weirdly enough. The album name was decided while on a drive to a 24hr fishing session, as did a few of the track names!
How would you encourage someone to listen to this to get the full potential from each track?
I would say the first time you listen to it, just stick the whole thing on from start to finish and let it play through. A train journey, a car journey, a long walk, a flight… any of these would be an ideal place for a first listen. I made the album with a view to home-listening more so than club-play, so it should work nicely to put on at home.
Tell us about the gear you have used throughout, anything you can’t live without in the studio? If so, why?
I’d have to say my Juno 106. That little nugget has been used so much over the years, so that’s one thing I’d hate to be without. As well as that, my Roland TD 30k Drumkit is kinda a ‘joint 1st place’ as playing live drums on a track is without doubt the most fun part of a studio session these days.
Saying that though, I have recently made a few tracks with just my computer keyboard and mouse, so technically I could live without my hardware. It’s just way more fun to jam ideas live rather than draw in notes in Ableton ain’t it!
To also be released on vinyl, we want to know what does your vinyl home collection look like? Is there one record you are still trying to locate for it? If so, which one and why?
My home collection has about 4 main sections… I’ve got a load of disco/sample-based house from the days I was heavily under the influence of that scene. Then there’s the stuff I play now which is a lot more Electro, Techno, Acid House & spaced-out Breaks. Second to last there’s my IDM/Electronic EP’s and albums, and then finally a bunch of older disco bits and edits.
Truth – The End (Funky Groove Records) would be one I would love to own. Insane Discogs prices though, so can’t see it happening unless they run a repress one day.
Top record digging stores to visit in the UK?
I’ve been a bit half-arsed over the last couple of years with going to record shops you know… That needs to change! Spots I always make a point of visiting though when I’m in the area are Idle Hands in Bristol, Phonica & Love Vinyl in London & Underground Solu’shn up in Edinburgh. For Manchester, it’s gotta be Piccadilly Records, Kingbee and Eastern Bloc.
Your monthly radio show ‘Downtown Groove Sessions’ on Reform in Manchester combines some really nice genres from both yourself and guest artists. Do you have a dream guest you’ve yet to book?
I like to keep it as a kind of ‘anything goes’ type show, so yeah it’s full of different styles both from myself and the guests. There’s been a few harder-hitting shows lately and that’s purely down to my tastes right now going the same way. That said, I think Mr. Scruff would be a bit of a dream guest. He’s one of the most genre-spanning DJ’s I’ve ever seen, and he’s from Manchester so that seems like the perfect fit.
Finally, any gigs we can expect to come and see you play? If so, where?
I’m in London at Grow in Hackney Wick for a night called Echo, that’s on 25th Feb. The day after I’m back in Manchester for a session with some friends at The Goods In, that’ll be more of a chilled affair though. As well as that I’ll be back at Moovin Festival this year and the line-up is looking serious so that’s a little tip! That’s the bank holiday weekend in August. There’s a few other TBC bits overseas and local but more on that in the coming weeks/months!