INTERVIEW: millhope drops new single “Searching”

Hailing from Germany, millhope is a musical conjurer, a producer and composer who weaves intricate instrumental soundscapes that serve as portals to states of daydreams, curiosity and hope. His music is a fabric stitched from catchy synth melodies, ethereal guitar lines, pulsating drums and deep bass, all crafted to lead listeners on a sonic journey through enveloping landscapes.

His latest offering, the single “Searching,” offers the perfect taste of millhope’s prowess as a sonic storyteller. This instrumental cut immerses the listener in a world of vibrant tones, punchy rhythms and luminous melodies. It’s a musical voyage that paints vivid landscapes with every note.

“Searching” opens with a gentle ascent, as an atmospheric swell of intricate synth flourishes ebbs and flows. Muted guitar tones whisper softly in the background, adding to the sense of anticipation. The song’s opening moments are akin to standing at the edge of a sonic precipice, ready to plunge into an unknown yet inviting expanse.

Then, with a burst of energy, the song kicks off. A snapping beat takes the reins, propelling the track into motion. Underneath the surface, the bass lines pulse, providing an unshakable foundation for the journey while the delay-drenched guitar plucks weave a delicate web of sonic texture, invoking imagery of sunlight filtering through the leaves of a dense forest. Layers of fluttering synth leads dance above, like the play of light and shadow on the forest floor.

As “Searching” progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that millhope is a skilled sonic architect. He crafts his musical structures with the precision of an artisan, each element carefully chosen to evoke specific emotions and sensations.

His compositions are living, breathing entities that seek to capture the essence of the world around us via subtle yet ever-present field recording elements. These elements, including nature-related sound collages and samples of everyday objects and instruments, infuse his music with a sense of authenticity and immediacy.

We caught up with millhope to find out more about his musical journey so far, his new single “Searching” and what he’s got lined up for the future. Check out our interview with millhope below.

Hey millhope, how’s things?

Thank you very much I’m very well! After more than 4 years of searching for the “millhope sound” that you can hear now, sort of a release routine has already developed with the third single “Searching” and it’s just fun to be in exchange with listeners from all over the world via the social media channels. In the process, influences on my music are often reflected to me from bands I’ve never heard before. When I then check out the bands, I usually find them really cool and know exactly where the association comes from. I find that totally exciting and enriching.

What’s your earliest memory of making music?

Music was and is a kind of refuge for me that I can always go into. I listened to a lot of music with headphones as a child, e.g. Genesis’s album “Abacab”. Listening on headphones decoupled me from the outside world even more and at the same time gave me the feeling of being part of the music and perceiving it spatially. I then tried to recreate this spatial feeling as a guitarist and often played with two amps in parallel: One amp on the left, one amp on the right.

Which artists do you draw most inspiration from today?

I listen to all kinds of music, but the current tendency is that it is more and more instrumental music that I like, or at least music that leaves room for my own thoughts through the kind of performance. This helps me to lose myself in the music instead of consuming it. This week, for example, I listened to “Dilation” by Grand Brothers, “Man Made Object” by GoGo Penguin and “Epoch” by Tycho. If you want this is a full list of picks: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4d7d7faWpALcxNT5U8O0kr?si=9da3f6fbab0848df&nd=1

How else do you find inspiration for your music?

I have observed with myself that with many everyday things a kind of backing track runs in my head. This can be a groove, a melody or a sound. I don’t know when and why this backing track sometimes gets louder and sometimes gets quieter or sometimes isn’t there at all. But I feel that 80% of my pieces are created exactly like this: I usually record these backing tracks on my smartphone, evaluate them later and then work them out.

What do you love about the Cologne music scene?

I perceive Cologne’s music scene as diverse and “in tact”. There is a good and active pop, jazz and classical music scene, but there is also the legacy of at least two genres in the air, in which the Cologne scene is not entirely uninvolved: I’m thinking on the one hand of the Krautrock genre with bands like “Can” or “Floh De Cologne” from the 60s/70s, and on the other hand of the Minimal Techno that emerged in the 90s and the “Sound of Cologne” around Wolfgang Voigt (among others) and the Kompakt label. And that’s actually a good mix.

What would you say is the perfect setting for listeners to enjoy your sound?

I would also like to know that very much. Pieces like “Searching” or “Illusion” can be listened to as often as you like without wearing them out, so feel free to try them out in different situations and let me know ;).

How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?

When I started working on the first tracks for millhope in 2018, the sound was less produced and more of a band sound. You could have played the tracks more or less 1:1 live. I played in bands as a guitarist for years, and also did a lot of classical music as a kid. But I didn’t want to approach the music as an instrumentalist anymore, it was just too pre-loaded. In order to get a more manipulated sound, I had to fade out a lot of what I had learned and simply try out other ways.

Has your production process changed over that time too?

No, not really. I play guitar, bass and synthesiser myself or program them, have a large archive of field recordings that I incorporate practically everywhere and have worked on the tracks of “Truth & Dare” with drummer Alex Höffken, who contributes drums and programming.

How did you find making your new single “Searching”?

There is this plugin “Jasno” from Felt Instruments. It’s basically a sample-based replica of the Hohner Guitaret with some very handy sound manipulation options. I discovered the Guitaret through the plugin and bought one on Ebay. The exciting thing about it is the way the tones are in context to each other. Unlike a keyboard instrument or guitar, the intervals between notes are not chromatic. Instinctive and learned things can therefore no longer be applied with regard to the tone sequences, which I find very inspiring. This is how the opening melody of “Searching” came about, and then one thing led to another. The Guitaret has – whether as an instrument or as a plugin – taken a firm place in many pieces, thanks for finding it to Felt Instruments.

What message did you want to get across with this release?

The works of the upcoming album “Truth & Dare” were created in a time when I became a father, we as a society have lived through a worldwide pandemic, international tensions between countries and political systems are causing insecurity, suffering and death, our planet as a whole is in a questionable state and technological change is changing the reality of life of almost all people at an unprecedented speed. This does not have to end badly for humanity, but “Truth” and “Dare” are likely to play an important role in the future. To answer the question: For me, music and art in general doesn’t have to be about a message, rather it is perhaps representative of its time. But I am an optimistic person and it would be great if a sense of hope is strengthened in the listener.

What’s been your favourite live performance so far?

Sigur Rós

Who would be 3 artists to headline your dream festival? And where would it be?

Mogwai + Sigur Rós + Four Tet in a small venue with a maximum of 5,000 visitors.

Do you have any advice for a new artist wanting to follow your footsteps?

I have never been someone who was really a fan of something or someone. But of course I like a lot of music very much, but I usually look at it detached from the people behind it.

I also think that it doesn’t make much sense to imitate biographies of other musicians. Especially in the beginning it is perhaps most important to really think about what music is important to you and at the same time makes a flow state possible during the creation process. Not every music that touches you personally you can necessarily create well. This flow state is important for me, because I sometimes work for weeks on a track and there I just have to know that the time investment leads to a result in the end (not necessarily a finished track). I always think in small projects anyway, which I then also give a working title to work towards a concrete goal and implement a formulated vision. Otherwise it’s not concrete enough for me and I quickly go around in circles.

Finally, what do you have lined up for the rest of 2023?

This year there are two more singles: “Prototype” with a small collaboration with singer Jenny Thiele and “Reflection”, also an instrumental. At the same time I’m finishing the last tracks of the upcoming album “Truth & Dare” and still looking for artists and bands for possible collaborations. I already have a few ideas, let’s see.

Listen to Searching below