How the one-man band Hullo got started by tinkering with a synthesizer
Have a First Listen to I'll Do Me by Hullo
When Nick Bendzsa creates mellow, dreamy synth-pop music under his stage name, Hullo, he thinks of himself as a seven-piece band.
"It's a lot about texture and layering sounds," said Bendzsa.
"Although I love acoustic instruments, there's a lot more that you can do with synthesizers."
Hullo's album, I'll Do Me, is a collection of songs that Bendzsa has worked on in his bedroom over the past several years.
He creates the music by building loops of sound on synthesizers, then working with them on his computer to create lush, full-band-sounding tracks.
The lyrical content is introspective, fitting for music that Bendzsa created by himself in a small space.
"It's a lot about coming to terms with distance and self-understanding," said Bendzsa.
"I'll Do Me is taking my own way, ironically," he added. "I don't always have the best ideas."
Solo, but not alone
Even though Hullo is primarily a solo project, Bendzsa is not averse to collaboration.
When Hullo plays live, Bendzsa assembles a five-piece band.
Much of the electronic music scene is online, so Hullo has reached out to like-minded music bloggers and fans as far away as Mexico and Portugal.
"It's about putting yourself out there as much as possible," said Bendzsa.
Working solo, sounding like a band: Nick Bendzsa tells Heather Barrett how he builds the Hullo sound:
Hullo plays the Parkway Sessions
Nick Bendzsa brought the stage version of Hullo to our studios in St. John's recently for a taping in the Parkway Sessions series.
Here's Hullo with one of Nick's songs, Play Doh.
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