Carl Adams reigns from Atlanta as a Singer, Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and Producer. The multi-faceted artist began his musical journey at the young age of 11 years old. He always felt drawn to orchestras' sounds, which led him to sing in choirs for two years. Realizing that he could play songs by ear, he began playing Hip-Hop songs on the violin, later delving into metal songs and familiarizing himself with the ins and outs of a bass guitar at 15 years old.
With sounds stemming from Classical, Hip-Hop, Ambient Orchestral, and Electronic, he is eager to share his vast creations with the public. Pushing himself to master his craft by at least 1% every day, Carl Adams is continuously proving himself to be an artist to watch out for.
Washing us in the opulent sway of electric chords emitting thunderous strums, we are fully immersed in the anticipation that Carl Adams latest instrumental single, "Detriment," holds. Acting as a fascinating progression of internal buildup, we drift into the mesmerizing musical components that Carl Adams meshes together with delicate synths laying in the background of this mid-tempo composition.
The delicate inclusion of the subtle yet compulsory elements that strike our ears throughout this piece has us understanding the attention to detail that Carl Adams carries in his everyday work. "Detriment" brings forth the ambiance of a heavy metal record that works itself up to a massive breakdown; however, that break down doesn't happen in this piece; which we actually find enthralling. The manner in which we energize ourselves in order to transport our minds to the big bang we are hoping for allows us to focus on the sonic journey we are onboard.
Carl Adams has us seizing his deep quintessence that he is able to portray without lyrics. That is a musical feat that takes utter talent. Proving to us that all types of messages can be sent with an auditory touch, Carl Adams has us captivated in one fell swoop of "Detriment."
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Carl Adams, and congratulations on the release of, “Detriment.” With such a powerful delivery, what went into the creative process of this record?
I actually wrote this years ago, but I remember vividly. I picked up tapping as a guitar technique and one day stumbled into the line that starts the song and repeats throughout. Then I realized I could probably add onto it with some different layers and build up to a grand climax. The climax having strings and drums is something I do in most songs, it just adds a new element to keep it interesting, and in my head, that serves as the payoff. In this song the strings and drums serve as the contrast to keep it interesting and really drive that mood home. Writing it was a good time!
How does this process vary when you take on a song that is purely instrumental versus conveying a message with lyrics?
I love this question. Often, when you have a lyricist/singer, whatever they have to say ends up driving the song. When you make songs that are instrumental, the rules are largely the same. However, instead of having vocals, you have to engage the listener solely with melody, and that presents its own set of challenges. There's a lot less you can get away with if you don't have vocals, so you absolutely have to make the song interesting. That challenge is what makes it the most rewarding and for me, it's always much more fun.
What does this song mean to you and what are you hoping your listeners take away from it?
This song was written at a time in my life where I was somewhat unsure of myself as a musician, it was hard for me to make a song without the use of the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus formula I was used to. I really had to step outside of the box and figure out how to drive a song without my usual go-to method. But even without all that, I was just sad. All the time. But I was also hopeful. I poured both of those emotions into the song and I think the listeners will pick up on that duality.
You live by a deep message of progressing in your craft by at least 1% every day. We love that inspiration! How have you grown as an artist from your first creation until now?
I think the biggest area of growth is versatility and intent. As far as intent, I used to write songs that didn't really progress anywhere. They'd have a verse, a chorus, a bridge, and a solo, then they'd repeat in some order. Not all that interesting to actively listen to. But now there are synth layers, orchestral sections, and tempo variations. These different instruments and patterns are all built around whatever the "center" of the piece is. As to the versatility, I went from exclusively being capable of writing metal to writing hip-hop, electronic, orchestral, and ambient songs. The best part is that they all still sound like me. Being able to superimpose my songwriting style on all those genres is something I'm very proud of.
What can we expect to see throughout 2021 from you?
I have some collaborations lined up with some artists that should see the light of day in the fall or the winter. As far as solo releases, I'll actually be taking this year off but I'll be back in 2022 with a very, very nice surprise. Fun times ahead!
