DAVID GOTSOUND: CLIMBING THE MOUNTAINS
On the eve of new EP Greatness Isn’t Given, we find out David GotSound’s thoughts and feelings on his career so far and the changing industry in which he operates
With a lyrical collage of ambitions, flaws and even sporting similes, David GotSound’s (@davidgotsound) music has been a ‘cene #keepitkent playlist regular for since we discovered his seven-track EP The Mountains back in 2020.
Hailing from Bexley, David picked up the GotSound moniker when he added beat-making and production to his musical skill-set.
Anyone who has already listened to David will know that his music can shapeshift into multiple hip-hop and rap genres, from the drill-like Get It How I Can to the Golden Era-styled track December or even the trappy Hit The Spot. It makes him a fascinating artist to listen to every time he releases.
ON FINDING MUSIC...
I was eight when I went to the US for the first time. We just had music on the whole trip and it was the first time I felt so close to hip-hop.
In secondary school is where I found out about grime music. But I also became a really big Kanye West fan.
So it was in two parts. The UK grime scene… it was the first time I’d seen UK artists having a British rap/MCing identity. Plus you still had a lot of great music coming out of the States at the time with Kanye, Nas, Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco.
I was building up my own identity of what kind of music I liked. And at 13 or 14 I tried to rap and make my own music, this was all pretty bad stuff, messing around with computer microphones and software like Audacity. Pretty basic. It was my musical awakening.
ON THE NEXT STEP...
At 16 I met Yrk Rd – Ben and Elliott – engineers and producers that I’ve worked with a lot over the last 10 years. They had kind of a studio set-up that was more advanced than anything I had worked with before. My taste, my music has developed and the things I can achieve with my music, sonically at least, has pushed along.
ON BECOMING MULTI-GENRE…
In the past three years I have rebranded, really. Before, my music sounded very grimey, but I think it has probably slowed down a bit in tempo and I’ve adopted more of a classic hip-hop and rap style. But it’s still very British and takes influence from the grime I grew up on.
I still love garage and genres like jungle and house music. I’ve always wanted to be a versatile artist and never wanted to pigeonhole myself into one style. Hip-hop is such a broad genre. There are so many different subgenres and subcategories and offshoots and local scenes. I want to embrace and pay homage to all of it. If I like a piece of music, then I like it. And I trust the people who listen to me understand what I’m trying to do.
ON MAKING NEW MUSIC...
I’ve finished my latest project, Greatness Isn’t Given. It will probably be out in January, but I haven’t finalised the release date just yet. The music has been finished since May. In the age of streaming, it’s really good to build up a string of releases. So I don’t wanna have a gap in releases anymore.
I have found it’s easier to roll out a project by continually releasing new music in the lead-up, rather than saying ‘I’ve done seven tracks – here you go!’ and putting them all on at the same time. But also, I just don’t want to rush it.
I’m a lot more confident and a lot less vulnerable than I was on The Mountains. That was quite cathartic and I expressed a lot of difficult things and bared my soul on that project.
ON STREAMING...
When I was younger, I didn’t like the idea of streaming, because they don’t pay enough and everything. Now I’m a lot more in favour of it. I can understand how some people struggle with it and how it can make things difficult for artists.
Personally, at the moment I feel like more people know of my music now than ever before. You may not be able to find my older music, but I’ve been making it for 10 years. I’ve put stuff out and I know how the landscape has changed.
Back then, convincing someone to spend 75p on my music felt like an unassailable mountain. At least now, I can get someone to check it out through basically no cost to themselves. If they like it, they will follow me on Spotify and Instagram.
But also, you can cultivate a fan base that is anticipating your next work, that really cherishes whatever work you put out.
ON GOING FROM 1,000 to 10,000 PLAYS...
It’s a conundrum I think about a lot. And part of that is consistency. I did notice that when I didn’t release that much in 2021, it has taken some time to build up momentum with the next single on my streaming platforms and social media.
I haven’t collaborated with many people. So I’d like to work with some other artists. If we combine, then that’s cross-platforming. I was watching this record label exec talk about how many smart methods there are now about how to promote records, like digital marketing, playlists or using Facebook, but nothing really beats community. And I think he was right.
It’s good to surround yourself with other artists. It really helps people on the outside connect the dots and merge fan bases.
ON GOING FULL-TIME?
I don’t rely on music income at all. I work. I think it’s interesting. Sometimes I want to be a full-time artist, but I’m just really grateful that what I do allows me a good life.
The size of artist I’d need to be to have the same life feels very far away. I’m quite satisfied at the moment to have a good balance between work and my music. I want to make music to a higher level and I want more from my music. I want to play certain stages or be played on certain stations and achieve certain things. But I’m not in any rush. I want more, but I have a lot to be grateful for.
