Interview: Hoffman

By Kyle Marno on January 30, 2015

Having recently premiered ‘Choose Your Moment’ and ‘Suburban Playground’ from Hoffman’s Serenity LP, we jumped at the chance for a download of the same ‘Choose Your Moment’. Completely exclusive and fresh off the album there’s currently no where else to get your hands on Hoffman’s masterpiece. With Kitty Stewart on the top line, it’s a dream of a tune. We even threw in an interview for good measure!

Soundspace

So who is Hoffman?

Hoffman

My name is Ian Ford, I come from the sleepy town of Salisbury and I’ve been writing and DJing various styles of music for the last 20 or so years. As a kid I got my interest in electronic music from my Commodore 64 computer and later started writing music using my Amiga using ProTracker. Having spent many years DJ’ing through various insurgencies of dance music I eventually settled on Breaks. I’m still running the free Breaks music label Unstable Label with SaVannaH. Since then I’ve changed my focus opting for a more chilled out vibe but drawing on all the various styles of music I’ve encountered so far.

Soundspace

Your ‘Serenity LP’ is coming via Slime Recordings, can you explain the concept and inspiration behind the album and how it came about?

Hoffman

The idea was to make something you could put on at an after party, the wind down of the night out. Trying to draw on more ethereal and lush atmospheres, pulling in more musicality while still holding a base in the dance music I grew up with. The real turning point came with the title track Serenity which was more of an experiment at first but made realise I had an overall feel I could expand upon over a whole album. Real credit has to go to Andy at Slime who suggested I undertake the project after hearing this track, otherwise it might never have happened.

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Soundspace

First Light is our favourite from the LP, are there any tracks on the album you hold closer than the others?

Hoffman

I think Serenity is still a personal fave of mine, but the real deal clincher for me is “Think About the Time”. I had sketched out a few bars when I played it to Daytripper and I could see from his first listen it had ignited something in him. When he played me the rough cut of the first verse I was blown away by his lyrics and delivery. He really got on board with the vibe of the track and delivered something really meaningful and thought-provoking. The end result is a great combination of emotion and lyrics.

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Soundspace

What’s the coolest thing in your house?

Hoffman

It has to be my home made arcade cabinet. Built it from scratch with my Dad using some plans we found on the net and a lot of wood. It includes two player controls, a classic CRT screen and even a coin slot, no free play! It’s got all the classics on there from Double Dragon to R-Type.

Soundspace

Tell us something we shouldn’t know about you?

Hoffman

I’m heavily involved with the computer art subculture called the demoscene. The basis of which is for creative people to get together to produce software programs that generate real-time visuals and music. The platforms range from modern day PC’s right through to the computers from 80’s. There isn’t enough space here to really do the culture justice so I suggest you Google it to find out more. Most recently I wrote the music for a real-time demo by the group called Still called Intrinsic Gravity.

Also, with my friend Akira, I produced a piece of DJ software for Amiga computer called PT-1210. It turns an Amiga into a fully working DJ player with pitch, cue and loop controls. Hook two (or three) of them together into a mixer and you’ve got yourself a really unique DJ’ing experience.

Soundspace

Three tracks you can’t get enough of?

Hoffman

Martyn – Broken
It’s pretty old now but I still love it to this day. It’s proof that simplicity is key to a good tune.

Monika – Prologue
The day landed in my inbox I stuck it on repeat. Simply put, it’s stunning.

Nemea – Glow
A gorgeous melody held up with dynamic drenched percussion, can’t wait for more stuff from this artist.

Soundspace

Someone you feel will make an impact in 2015?

Hoffman

Keep an eye out for the Spanish duo BSN Posse. Their back catalogue is lush but they have an album due out this year which I reckon is going to smash it.

Soundspace

Can you reveal any plans you have for the future?

Hoffman

I’ve not really planned ahead too much as I prefer things to kind of grow organically, but there are a number interesting projects in the pipeline at Slime this year with fresh vocal collaborations.