Unouomedude, pronounced "you-know-you-owe-me-dude," is an up-and-coming solo artist hailing from Jacksonville, Florida. Since 2007, Uno has written and produced over 20 songs from the comfort of his own home.
In 2010, Uno made his musical debut with the release of Marsh, a five-track, free-to-download EP set to the theme of his past dreams and memories. Marsh's unique mix of guitars, bass and synthesizers creates a soothing and almost mysterious sound that can be almost related to Blackbird Blackbird and Washed Out.
Earlier this year, Pitchfork featured Unouomedude's song "Frequency" on their "forkcast" section, further exposing the young artist to a greater audience.
I recently caught up with Uno via email. Prompt and well-spoken, the 20-year-old Florida native gives EARMILK an opportunity to further understand Unouomedude's past as well as his future.
EARMILK: Could you give us a little background on how you came to create "Unouomedude"?
Uno: I went to a MC Lars show on Valentine's Day, 2007. I saw how he was doing everything himself, so I decided I could too and I started Unouomedude.
EARMILK: Does your name have a particular meaning or was it created at the spur of the moment?
Uno: Well, one day my cousin came up with "Unoiouboi," pronounced "you-know-I-owe-you-boy". He never used it, and I needed a name for my online accounts, and I just came up with "Unouomedude," pronounced "you-know you-owe-me-dude." It stuck.
EARMILK: Following that fateful show in 2007, how did you start the process of creating your own music?
Uno: I worked mostly from home. I had recorded some stuff for fun before, but I wanted to take this project seriously. I saved up some money and I got some basic recording gear, the same stuff I use today. I started recording simple acoustic songs with that stuff and I just learned as I went along. I'm still learning.
EARMILK: A lot of people has classified your music as a form of "chillwave." How do you feel about that?
Uno: I feel like either some genre names get over used, or misunderstood, so I'm never really sure about specific classifications like that. I tend to just call my music pop. I make a lot of different types of music, whether people hear it or not. It almost always falls under pop though.
EARMILK: While you were working at home, how many songs did initially produce? Are any, if not all of them, revised versions found on Marsh that was released last year?
Uno: I probably made about, 20 to 30 full songs in the years before I recorded Marsh. I never had an official release for any of those songs though. Marsh was my first. Only the song "Teens" was a revised version of a demo I recorded earlier.
EARMILK: Living in Jacksonville, do you believe that the location has influenced your music?
Uno: My dreams and memories have influenced my music, and some of those came from living in Jacksonville, so in a way yes.
EARMILK: Do you ever plan on releasing any of the pre-Marsh songs?
Uno: I released them on Myspace as I was recording them starting in 2007. There are a lot of people who remember me from then, but some people think I just started with Marsh. I did put out a collection of a few of those songs, and I might put out more in the future.
EARMILK: What was the writing process like when you were working on Marsh?
Uno: Most of the songs on Marsh were ideas I came up with on my loop pedal. I just re-recorded them and finished them up on my computer.
EARMILK: Following the EP's release, how has it changed your exposure?
Uno: There are definitely a lot more people listening to my music now since Marsh and making a living from music is closer to becoming a reality.
EARMILK: Why did you decide to make the EP available to download for free rather than charge?
Uno: I just didn't think it was worth people buying. I'm kind of uncomfortable with selling my music right now because it's not all I want it to be. I still have a long way to go.
EARMILK: From the EP, what would you consider your favorite track?
Uno: I don't really have a favorite. "Island Summer" was the most fun to make though.
EARMILK: Are you sticking with Old Flame as your label?
Uno: Old Flame is great. We're both constantly growing, so we'll see what happens.
EARMILK: I notice that you have a certain "summertime vibe" to a lot of your pictures. Do you create your own images and album covers?
Uno: Yeah I create my own images. That has always been something important for me to have control over.
EARMILK: I understand that Pitchfork recently featured your song "Frequency." How has that feature affected your music since?
Uno: It hasn't really affected my actual music at all. There are more people paying attention to what I'm doing now though.
EARMILK: Are you planning on releasing any new material or going on tour in the future?
Uno: I'm working on new material now. I just have to make sure I'm making stuff I love before I release it. Hopefully I'll be touring later this year or early next year.
EARMILK: Care to give us some details on the new releases?
Uno: They're still in the works, so I don't really have any details to give quite yet. I'm working on a couple of things though.
EARMILK: You've been releasing a lot of cover songs for TV theme songs. What's the motivation?
Uno: I just wanted to record one so I did, then I recorded more. I learned them by ear and record them in less than an hour; it's good practice for me.
EARMILK: Are in the works of collaborating with any artists in the future?
Uno: Yes, I'm going to be collaborating with a few different artists, but those are all under wraps for now.
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