Dylan Cartlidge
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Dylan Cartlidge first came onto the scene with his debut release in 2017; with the release of his debut singles, Love Spoons / Strawberry Blond Snips. Hailing from a small town in the North-East of England he was spotted by a management team and signed by Glassnote Music in 2018.
As his career has blossomed, Dylan has worked with the likes of Jamie T and has received praise from Annie Mac, Jack Saunders and NME – who described Dylan’s sound as “Fucking brilliant”. In 2019 Dylan released his debut EP, Monsters Under The Bed, and subsequently toured the world; performing at Glastonbury, SXSW and Radio One’s Big Weekend. His sound has been compared to Beck and Andre 3000, because of his ability to deconstruct and mix musical genres.
We had to opportunity to send some questions Dylan's way, here is what he had to say...
How has your Lockdown been?
Yo! Obviously, lockdown has been tough for everybody. For me personally, because of the hustle and bustle of the outside world being removed, and the usual distractions going away, I have been able to take a massive look in the mirror. It really made me look at myself in a way I never had before and really put things into context around what it is that I want and how to become the best version of myself.
I realised I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and that was holding me back creatively. Once I started to allow myself to breathe and grow, I’d never felt so creative and wrote an album.
If you could work with any artist dead or alive, who would choose and why?
Man, I think it would have to be Stevie Wonder or Charles Bradley. I just have so much love and admiration for those two, absolutely worldies in my book.
You asked on your Twitter, "who's your favourite bassist?" So, who's your favourite bassist and why?
I did, I did, I did! It was super interesting to see everybody’s responses. For me personally, I think it has to be Les Claypool, and not just because he’s super technical and the rest of it, purely because his playing is SO full of character, quirks and idiosyncrasies
If you could be a character in any cartoon which one would you want to be in?
I’m a massive Anime fan, so basically, any character in any of my favourite animes would do, from Ed in Full Metal, to L in Death Note to Flipping Gon in Hunter x Hunter, I’m just a sucker for a heroes tale.
What inspires you?
Life: the good, the bad & the ugly and what it teaches me about myself in the context of the world we live in today
What moment in your career are you most proud of?
The fact that I’m even in this position in the first place. I’m a black person who came from poverty, abuse and was raised in the care system. If I can do this, anybody can.
I don’t see any representation of other kids like me coming through and that's why I'm here, I’m just enjoying the ride.
What's your songwriting process?
I'm usually getting into the studio and stewing and overthinking things that are happening in my life, or day at that point in time and spew an unconscious blob that gets moulded into a narrative and song from the raw bits that come out
Who does the best ramen?
For me so far in the UK, it's Tonkotsu, just love it there and whenever I'm in London I just have to go! But I’m 97% certain anything I ever try in Japan will wipe the floor with anything I’ve tried so far!
How does one grow such a magnificent barnet?
Shreddies, Ramen and a good dashing of Horror movies for good measure! Anybody can do it, regardless of heritage, it's scientifically proven! <3
What can we expect from you in 2021?
I’m going to be realising my life’s work in creating a body of work that represents my story and who I am with an album later on in the year.
