An Interview with Chris Jarvis of Ancient Language

Chris Jarvis is one of the most talented musical composers in Detroit. He creates music that crosses genres and attracts all sorts of different types of people. I would be doing a disservice to his talent if I tried to classify what he does. None of the songs he releases ever sound the same, but they all have the same transcendent feel that makes me relax, smile, and sometimes even dance. His latest release, "Totem", makes me feel hopeful. I can't really describe why, but it instantly invokes that emotion inside of me. Chris' music can invoke a lot of emotions without using a single lyric. Although, his soon to be released track "In the Early Morning" will feature a guest vocal appearance by by Lily Nyooni, formerly of Marx Marston. I had a chance to preview that track and I can guarantee you that you will dig it once you get a chance to hear it. 

Chris will be performing on Friday, April 17th with Boudoir Noir, Tart, and Secret Sircus at The Lager House. Check out our latest interview, give the new track a listen, and head out to the show!

HID- What was the inspiration behind your newest single "Totem"?
Chris- "I wrote it last summer. I was in this place where I was emerging from a fog that I had been lost in for a long time. Like suddenly everything became clear to me and after being sidetracked for a while I was finally back on the right path. That and also it's about falling in love."

HID- Where do you write and record your tunes?
Chris- "I write and record all my music in my bedroom."

HID- How do you feel when your playing a new track in front of a crowd for the first time?
Chris- "Usually a little nervous but also excited to hear it on a loud system and see how it works with a live crowd, what kind of energy it creates."

HID- How are you hoping that they will react?
Chris- "Usually I'm hoping they will dance. If a crowd is dancing and losing themselves and having a good time then I'm having a good time and not thinking so much. When everyone is just standing there watching me I tend to start thinking and questioning myself too much."

HID- We also had a chance to preview your unreleased single "In the Early Morning", it is not like your previous releases. There is a hard dance part in the middle, what inspired that?
Chris- "I guess because my last album was pretty chill and down tempo, I wanted to do something different. It wasn't something I really thought about though. I'd play it for friends and they'd be like "This is unlike anything you've made before!" But it didn't really feel that way to me. It felt natural. I made most of these new songs with live performance in mind. I really just wanted to make music that people could dance to but also feel something. I think that's the best of both worlds."

HID- Who is the artist featured on that track, a female vocalist I believe?
Chris- "Yes, the very talented Lily Nyooni sings on that song. You may have seen her before in her previous band Marx Marston. We've been collaborating with her on the new album and she's joining us for our live shows."

HID- Why did you decide to release your single on New Fortune Records?
Chris- "I've known Kevin for a while, he's put out records for friends of mine like James Linck and Passalacqua. We've been talking for a while about doing an Ancient Language record and he hit me up asking if I'd want to do a 7" for this New Fortune Records Fest he's doing in May. I had just finished those two songs so the timing was perfect."

~S