"You'll make so much bad music, and that's great": Tourist's advice for aspiring producers
Last week, British electronic artist Will Phillips - better known as Tourist - released Memory Morning, his first album since 2022's Inside Out, taking his dreamlike brand of sample-heavy electronica to new creative heights inspired by shoegaze and psychedelic music.
We ventured out to the producer's London-based studio space to find out more about how the album was made and film Tourist breaking down one of the album's tracks. We'll be sharing those videos very soon, but before we do, we're offering up some advice he left us with for aspiring producers and musicians.
"Don't worry about it, it's always going to be fine," Tourist replied when asked to offer a single piece of advice for artists in the early stages of their creative journey. "If you make a crap piece of music, you've still made a piece of music. You will make so much shit music, and that's absolutely great, because that's what lets you get to the good stuff.
You're never gonna get to the good stuff unless you stop being hard on yourself and allow yourself the opportunity to make things that you might not like
"You're never gonna get to the good stuff unless you stop being hard on yourself and allow yourself the opportunity to make things that you might not like," he said. "You've got to get rid of the demons; you've got to get them out. My friend, who's a photographer always said that to me, he was like: just get them out, get the ideas out, and then look back with different ears or different eyes in a few months. Then the really good ones will stand out to you."
Great advice, if you ask us, and something that many budding artists will be able to relate to. "Enjoy the creative process," Tourist continued. "Don't worry about making bad things. Don't worry about anyone else. Own what you do - you are the most important person in your creative journey. Don't try and be someone else.
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Tourist went on to suggest that following musical trends too closely can be creatively stifling. "Don't be too influenced by micro-trends," he told us. "You may end up maybe being successful in the short term, but truly transcending all of that micro stuff will let you make truly interesting work that will be able to stand at any generation, at any point, and will be something that's much deeper.
"Never be ashamed of making something that doesn't fit in at that moment. One of my most popular albums, called Wild, and a lot of people didn't really discover that until after the pandemic. It sat there, not really doing much, and then all of a sudden, it became really personal to people. So just follow your heart - I know that's corny, but do. Be your weird self."
Keep an eye out for the full interview and track breakdown on the MusicRadar Tech YouTube channel.
Tourist's Memory Morning is out now on Monday Records.
Listen to EST below or revisit our 2022 interview with Tourist.
