An Interview with Horatio Luna, Local Melbourne Musician.
Felix: So for those reading who don't know anything about you, tell us a bit about yourself.
Horatio: My names Henry and I go under the alias Horatio Luna, originally the idea behind the name was I was really shy performing. So having an alias like Horatio Luna made it really easy for me to make whatever kind of music I wanted to make. I was a Session Musician* for a long time, and as I got older it started to feel like work, all the music that I was doing. It started to lose its real value, which is for the community. I think being an artist, you really are a social worker - you’re there for your community and that’s part of the role for artists. For me I’m deep in my music and that’s what I'm doing.
Felix: When did you get into music? Has it been something you have always done?
Horatio: I was really lucky I started playing when I was 14. I then started playing professionally when my music teacher asked me to join his band my mother agreed and allowed me to perform every weekend. So all through high school I was performing professionally on the weekend and I thought that was pretty cool, going to bars and clubs every weekend while I was young. But yeah that’s just sort of where it all started.
“WHENEVER YOU MAKE A MISTAKE THE CLOSER YOU ARE TOO THE TRUTH.”
Felix: How would you describe your style?
Horatio: Jazz and HipHop will always come through in my style, and house as well. I started with jazz and house as an idea for Horatio Luna. I then take those two genres and I'm thinking about all the different ways that they can correlate or not correlate. Then I just let it go to wherever it needs to go - usually, I take the idea and I just push it as far as I possibly can. Then if it’s still cool to dance too, then its a part of Horatio Luna. It’s all about improvising and trying new ideas, pushing boundaries but also still keeping it down to earth, for the people and the community to dance too. I’m a dance producer before jazz for sure.
Felix: When do you feel most inspired?
Horatio: Ahh, this is very different for every artist or musician but I feel really fucking inspired in the morning. I don't usually eat breakfast I just wake up, pick my instrument up and start playing. Then when I'm bored I’ll go for a run and then get back into it. The mornings are a really special time because I‘ll get up early and no ones in your space at that time. I’m inspired by other artists and when I'm hanging out with other artists like you guys. Even if it isn't jazz or beats or whatever it’s just that community connection is really important to me. Taking care of each other and making sure we’re all expressing ourselves like we need to, and talking about BIG ISSUES that are going on in the world.
Felix: Are you scared of failure?
Horatio: When I make a mistake it actually means I'm not going to go in that direction anymore, I'm gonna go this way. So making a mistake really means scientifically, you’re going towards the right thing in your life. So that made everything okay for me to do, whatever I want to do and whatever I want to make. It’s tricky being an artist but the rewards are nice.
Felix: I know you’ve got a new record coming out, what role does collaboration play in your music?
Horatio: The mission statement for Horatio Luna a lot of the time is that everyone is beautiful and unique in their own way, and I really like to explore that. That’s why I always work with different people on different records and really push things in a genre sense, in a lot of different ways.
Felix: So for everyone who doesn’t know tell us a little bit about this new record and clip.
Horatio: The new records called 'BOOM BOOM', it’s with the jazz diaries based in New York and London. That’s a label run by a great jazzy house producer ‘JITWAM’ and it’s the second Horatio Luna record, and it’s just straight-up jazz and house. It’s my interpretation of jazz and house and it’s my most direct and dance floor orientated record. It’s a record where I feel some of the bass playing things that I have been working on for a while are starting to come out.
Felix: So I know we decked you out for your track 'Fuck The System' can you give us an insight into the track and video clip?
Horatio: The single off 'BOOM BOOM' 'Fuck The System' was kitted out by Ichpig, and the whole idea behind the track was just a really honest interoperation of who we are and what we were doing. We were partying a lot and thinking about the government and the world at the time and wanted to make a track that reflected that. We were walking past Ichpig one day and my mate Willy said let’s go in, and from there you guys just took me on board and embraced me even though you didn't really know anything that we were doing - that affiliation was really special. We were really grateful to get decked out for that clip because we have no money…
Felix: What sort of parallels do you see between yourself and Ichpig?
Horatio: The parallels are what I do and what Ichpig do really are the same thing we just are in different streams, it’s in the cross-pollination of streams that things get really interesting for me. VJs, Djs, Producers, Visual Artists, Fashion, all these things are really important for the community and really engaging to me. Also how Ichpig deals with the business side whilst also being a creative brand and finding a way to marry those too, in order to have a vibrant and creative lifestyle. Street culture in a way is massive for me, you may not have heaps of money but all you need is a beer and your mates and you’re just completely happy.
Felix: Lastly, any advice for young artists out there?
Horatio: Don’t worry about what anyone says, or thinks. Listen to everyone and take everything on. But just do your thing, it’s totally cool and for many years no one will really get it and that’s okay but at some point, it will clock over and that’s really cool and so possible. Like I became a Session Musician and I was unsatisfied so I decided to become a professional musician and it’s so fun. It may not be easy but the rewards are massive and for me, there was just no way I was going to do the 9 to 5. The last thing I’ll say is it’s important to know that you can do it because there are a lot of people who feel very trapped in western society and act out, so know you can do it.
Know someone that should be interviewed? Drop me a message on Instagram @fez.error
-Fez
*A professional musician employed by other musicians or singers, either to play live or to make recordings