Non-commercial artists make the best music because it’s all about the art of telling stories. It’s all about the music and not the charts and sales. Vancouver Sleep Clinic is a project by 17 year old Tim Bettinson from Australia. The name itself conjures up imagery of long cold winters, of isolation and remoteness and the sometimes self-imposed reclusiveness in all of us as the days get shorter and we move into the bitter months ahead. Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s debut EP consists of soaring falsetto vocals built upon progressive synthetic instrumentation to create an ambient vessel of emotional connection. Bearing messages of sorrow, humility and hope above all else – songs are written from the heart alone.
1. Your voice/sound is so atmospheric, it sort of creates a scenario, like chilling at a balcony with a glass of wine reminiscing the good times you had with a lost lover. Is this your style of music?
I suppose it could be something like that! Haha. I think the idea behind this project is for it to be completely open to each person’s individual interpretations. I’m not trying to define a specific sound or push a certain scenario, I just want to make music that I love and that I hope all people can connect with and relate to in their own situations.
2. Your melancholic vocals remind me of Bon Iver with a bit of London Grammar, yet you’re still different at the same time, who are your musical inspirations?
I definitely take my musical inspirations from a wide variety of sources. I actually didn’t really draw my voice from anyone in particular – I’ve always felt most natural singing in falsetto so it’s just a sound that evolved over time. Musically I’ve been brought up listening to a lot of traditional folk, but more recently I’ve been loving the creativity of artists such as FKA Twigs, The Weeknd, The XX & Oliver Tank etc
3. When did you start making music?
I’ve been fiddling around with instruments since I got my first drum kit at 6, but I’ve really only been taking my writing seriously for a year now!
4. What inspired the name VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC?
I want my music to be able to help with relaxation & calming, so in essence that’s the sleep clinic part. And Vancouver is a beautiful place that I feel matches the atmosphere I want to create through the music.
5. You’re only 17 but your sound is matured, did you consciously choose this genre or it was influenced by the kind of music that you listen to?
To be honest, I didn’t really have any vision for this when I released this project’s first song ‘Vapour’ online almost a year ago. It was just something different that I’d been messing with in my bedroom for a few months, and I was just loving and enjoying making it. I suppose when that track started to garner some interest I realised that I was onto a sound that people seemed to get into, and that made me more excited to keep putting out new tracks.
6. Vapour is one of my favourite song, what’s the story behind it?
I wrote Vapour over a month in my bedroom with the assistance of some cheap microphones, battered keyboards & a faulty computer. I then took it to my friend Shaun, who’s a producer, and together we refined & finished it. The song itself is about how short the life we have here is, and how important it is to give everything we are to what we believe and what we love.
7. Take us through your writing process…
For the EP I would generally start the songs with a guitar or piano part, and then jam out some lyrics on top of that. When the song in its raw essence was there, Shaun & I would set about on producing around it.
8. What’s your theme when writing songs? Is there a specific one that stands out for you?
Not in particularly! I just always make sure that my songs are personal and mean something to me. If they don’t mean anything to me then how can I properly connect with anyone else?
9. When can we expect a full studio album from you?
I’ve been secretly writing for a record for half a year now and am excited like you wouldn’t believe for it. Tracking is happening over the next couple of months so hopefully release will be quite soon!
10. Are you doing any live performances at the moment?
We’ve just come off a couple of Australian tours, the last of which was our first headline tour – which was totally surreal. The rest of the year, rather excitingly, involves us sharing this project with some more of the world! We’ll be putting up some dates soon.
11. Who would you like to work with?
Dream collaboration would be with Jonsi. I have the world to learn from that guy.
12. Where do you see yourself in the 5 years?
Not sure yet! As long as I’m loving what I’m creating and making a difference to anyone, I honestly don’t really mind
Listen to their music here http://bit.ly/LrC2tR
