Speed Round: Getting to Know Melodic Electronic Producer GURPAAL

Brisbane/Meanjin electronic music producer GURPAAL runs the recording facility Little Street Studio, located in the thick of Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. That’s where he first met musician Ben Gumbleton, better known as Boo Seeka, and the pair made plans to collaborate. The outcome of this collaboration is ‘Colourblind’, GURPAAL’s latest single, which features lead vocals from Boo Seeka.

“I remember Gurps swinging around in his chair once I had sung the first melody with his hands in the air, a big smile, and not saying anything,” Boo Seeka said in a statement. ‘Colourblind’ will appear on GURPAAL’s upcoming second EP, due for release in 2023. Music Feeds caught up with the rising producer to learn more about the track and his plans for the future.

GURPAAL feat. Boo Seeka – ‘Colourblind’

Music Feeds: ‘Colourblind’ has been described as both “melancholic” and “euphoric.” What sort of mood do you want to leave listeners feeling with a track like this?

GURPAAL: It’s definitely an emotionally charged song that, for me, encapsulates strong feelings of desire, angst and longing. In saying that, however, I hope it leaves listeners feeling a sense of freedom and release that might come with fully surrendering to these same emotions, even if the journey to get there was a bit of a rollercoaster.

MF: Where did the inspiration for ‘Colourblind’ come from? What was the first step in getting it together?

GURPAAL: The track started out with an instrumental I had written a while back, one that I almost didn’t even send to Ben before our session because it was a little older than some other sketches I had prepared.

As soon as we got in the studio together, it felt like we were both on the same page in terms of where the song should sit emotionally and vibe-wise.

It was within the first five minutes that Ben came up with the lyric “Because before this time, my world seemed colourblind.” It perfectly fit the mood and emotion we set out to create and we both knew that we had to make this the theme of the song and write around this idea. From there, the track was pretty much finished within the day.

MF: How did the collaboration with Boo Seeka come about?

GURPAAL: I met Ben for the first time when he visited my studio for a session with another artist. We were kind of in touch at the time, loosely discussing getting in the studio together, and we locked in a session together for the following week.

I’m so glad we did. We see eye-to-eye in the studio and are very much on the same page musically. He is a joy to work with and an incredibly talented songwriter.

MF: ‘Colourblind’ has a long build before the beat kicks in. Do you have a vision for how the track will go down in a club setting?

GURPAAL: I definitely see a big lighting moment when the “Oh, all I want is you” lyric comes in. That moment in the track feels really special and powerful to me.

Ben and I just released a live version of ‘Colourblind’ that was recorded in my studio. I programmed a fully synched lighting installation as the backdrop to our performance, which helped to capture the energy it might have when played live in a venue. We had a lot of fun recording it.

GURPAAL feat. Boo Seeka – ‘Colourblind’ (Live from the studio)

MF Has winning the triple j Unearthed Listen Out competition changed things for you?

GURPAAL: Playing Listen Out was such an amazing experience. I’ve always written music with those kinds of big festival settings and moments in mind, but to actually be there and hear my own music for the first time in that setting – and on a sound system that large – left me feeling so inspired. It sparked a lot of inspiration and motivation to take back with me into the studio.

MF: What are your hopes for the release of your EP in 2023?

GURPAAL: I’m really just looking forward to putting out more of my own music and hopefully it finds its way to more and more people. I think this second EP shows a slightly different side of myself to the first EP. It feels a little darker and tougher than the first and I think I’ve pushed myself harder in the studio on the production side of things. Very excited to share.