We crash the afters with our new house heroes, OTHERLiiNE, to talk all things raving, how the duo become one and what’s next for the multi-hyphenate creatives…

If you’re not in the know about OTHERLiiNE yet then you would have definitely heard their impact on the UK electronic soundscape as George Fitzgerald and Lil Silva have cemented their legacy as pioneers of our time.

 

If you want to know why OTHERLiiNE was created, and how two great minds (and ears) came together, then look no further. The OTHERLiiNE project was born out of a reaction to the excessive and maximalist music industry that demands and expects release after release. Tired of working within a system that wreaks havoc on the creative industry, George Fitzgerald and Lil Silva took matters into their own hands and have decided to pave the way for themselves, and many others in the future.

 

Whether it’s the music industry, fashion industry or any industry for that matter, we all succumbing to the algorithm we have inherently created ourselves. Social media has somehow become the overlord’s of our reality and good music apparently can’t be released without a full campaign behind it anymore. Enter OTHERLiiNE – your new anti-heroes that will be the soundtrack to your pres, parties and afters. With the tides slowly beginning to turn with listeners seeking authenticity and humanity within artists, OTHERLiiNE are our frontrunners for accessible and feel-good music you can forget your troubles to – even if just for a night.

 

Whilst OTHERLiiNE is becoming an entity within itself, in our ears it sounds like the future of the rave renaissance happening in the UK right now as subcultures are seeking out safe and independent spaces where the focus is solely on the music and the energy that it provides.

 

OTHERLiiNE’s self-titled EP released earlier this year proves that the universe George Fitzgerald and Lil Silva are creating is equal parts their own creativity with the rest being something entirely made of magic. Sometimes all you need to do is listen to their music as our words can only do so much to describe it. You’ll know exactly what we are talking about when you listen.

 

We caught up with the creative polymaths to have a talk about the birth of OTHERLiiNE, what happened before and more importantly, what is to come next. Cross into the OTHERLiiNE below!

If you could summarise it, what would be the story of how you guys became a duo?

G: Silva asked me to do a remix of his track ‘ Lines’. I’d always been a fan of him as a producer but when I went through the stems and discovered his vocals hidden away in the mix, I really wanted us to get in the studio.   

 

LS: From then we went into the studio to write some original music and ended up with ‘Roll Back’ which was on George’s last album. During that process, we had a ton of ideas and from those, we kept creating and I guess OTHERLiiNE was born.

How would you describe your sound?

G: I suppose it’s a mish-mash of the various shades of UK music that we grew up with. We quickly discovered in the studio that we had all kinds of common influences – UK funky, instrumental grime, IDM, house and garage, whatever – and those come out in the tracks in different ways.

What are some of your first memories of music?

LS & G: Listening to records in my parents’ living room as a very small kid. I was obsessed with their vinyl collection and the turntable. That’s where my love of music comes from.

What’s the best part of being an artist? The worst?

G: Freedom is the best part (if you embrace it). The self-doubt is the worst – that’s a small price to pay though.

What is something that not many people would know about you?

G: Before music, I worked as a translator in Germany. 

 

L: WOAH, I didn’t know that ha… I used to sing in church.

What energy do you want to give off when you perform live?

G: I find this hard. I’m not the most extroverted person on stage. Most of the time I’m in pretty deep concentration.  

 

LS: I try to move, important that you have the bounce when you’re performing!

What are you most looking forward to in 2020?

LS & G: I want the people I love to get through this year intact. It’s been a very tough start to the year, we just hope everyone is staying safe and taking care of each other so we can all move forward in a positive way.

What does being in love feel like for you?

G & LS: Overwhelming, stressful, wonderful… Yeah, what George said ha.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

G: That it wasn’t a joke to think you could be a musician for a living. I needed somebody else to tell me that before I could believe it myself.

Do you have a favourite track you are working on at the minute?

G: Not really. I’m writing another solo record, so I simultaneously love and hate every demo that I’ve got. It can be a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally. 

 

LS: There’s a bunch, I’ve recently written a lot of stuff with Mansur Brown for my debut record which I’m super excited for people to hear and I have some new music with Serpenwithfeet coming that is super special to me too.

If you could say one thing to your younger selves what would it be?

G: There are such great pressures on young people now, which didn’t exist when I was a kid. Try and enjoy yourself. Life changes quickly and gets more complicated when you’re older. 

 

LS: “What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out” – Carry on crafting YOUR sound and the rest will follow. Enjoy it, you wake up every day and do something you love.

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Introducing OTHERLiiNE, the debut project from the combined minds of George FitzGerald and Lil Silva. Get ready for this duo to be your new house heroes with their prolific new track 'Hates Me'.