Seppa Speaks About The Colorful Worlds Of His New Album 'See It Through,' His Inspirations, And Much More [HIHF INTERVIEW]

Seppa has locked in on a truly unique sound for his career, releasing music on legendary labels like Slug Wife on top of countless mind blowing self releases. He’s done a superb job of never confining himself to one genre, crafting up many iconic tracks, including “Like That,” “Cuff Link,” and many, many more. One of the best parts, though, about the Seppa project, is that while creating so many diverse tunes, they all have that Seppa element and sound. As a result, he’s carved a lane truly unique to himself, and become a one-of-a-kind creator.

This tastemaker has always thought outside the box, and that in turn is what made his music so special and a treat to listen to. Now, Seppa is back with a brand-new album titled See It Through, a transformational journey through emotions, and sounds. It feels almost cathartic listening, and allowing oneself to sit back and feel whatever feelings may arise as listeners make the voyage special from beginning to end.

See It Through is one of those albums you want to listen to from the first track to the very last, for each piece of the project is perfectly placed with careful thought. As one makes their way through, it’s important to take note of the emotions that may arise and know it’s okay to feel. Music is so much more than just notes and melodies, it can be therapeutic and a deeper peak inside ourselves. This is exactly how it feels when listening through this impeccable album.

Listeners can expect to find a wide range of genres throughout See It Through, from Halftime to Leftfield, to Hip-hop and so much more. Seppa sheds his soul and gives fans layers of beautiful vibrations to get lost, heal, and hopefully even find new parts of themselves. There are tracks like “Yessir” that will have listeners floating and headbobbing, getting lost in worlds of green and warmth, and then, there are others like “Cru,” that start off mellow and do a complete 180, and turn into a banger you can’t help but get down to.

Seppa truly explored a wide range of genres throughout See It Through, including “Spinnin’,” “Antipode,” and the final track “Sole,” but you’ll just have to listen for yourself and find out. There are new, colorful worlds to explore throughout this beautifully diverse project, so make sure to enjoy the beautiful, duality of sounds, and their journey as you listen along.

On top of the musical aspect of the album, the artwork for See It Through is breathtaking and really depicts everything the album has to offer. The eye in the center and the vibrancy of all the colors surrounding it, ties things together and gives subtle hints at what to expect within. He worked with an artist by the name of Eléna from Flower of Life Digital, and she really helped capture the vision behind the release.

We were lucky enough to chat with him about the album, from its influences, what it’s like tapping into different emotions when creating, what to expect in the coming year and more. Read on and see what Seppa had to say!

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me today. Super excited to cover another release and interview you! Let’s dive in!

You’ve had some changes you’ve been going through over these last few years, how has that influenced your sound, and how did it influence See It Through?

Phew yeah it’s been a cool few years for sure. The big one was becoming a father to a beautiful little girl, and marrying my wonderful partner, Ila, after over a decade of sharing our lives together. Becoming a parent makes you reconfigure how you approach pretty much everything. I used to see it as essential that I could go on deep dives in the studio that could last for days, weeks, months, but that’s just not possible when you have a small person to care for. But I think, on balance, it encourages a much healthier way of being.

That obsessive part of the mind that every artist has can create wonderful things, but also be hugely self-destructive. You can end up putting your own needs on hold, and ignoring the very human and social parts of living for the benefit of the work. But if you do that for too long, you damage yourself to a point where you can’t do the work anyway, so balance is essential. When you’re caring for a child, you have to be human and connected, present with them. I’ve found that grounding to be massively conducive to my creativity. My music making time may be less, but it’s far more focused. Sure I have to work differently, but where previous albums have been a sort of haphazard “obsess until it’s done, work yourself into the ground” type experience, this one was meticulously planned out from over a year out. Certain months were dedicated to certain stages of the writing and production process, all mapped out in a spreadsheet, so I could stay on track to get it all done. I think the album is all the better for it.

Beyond the practicalities, having this new sense of purpose has also dissolved a lot of my insecurities, and I feel much more confident in what I’m trying to say and my ability to do it well. I also wanted to portray something more open and less tense than my previous music, reflecting how I feel these days. I would say, despite it having heavy or brooding moments, this is a much more optimistic experience than much of my previous work.

The album feels like an exploration of duality, changing up the genres and sounds throughout. What pushed you to create such a uniquely diverse album?

I like a lot of different music, and I always want my music to reflect that in some way. I’m also acutely aware that whilst working in a single genre can work for shorter releases, it really doesn’t on a full length album. The intention from the beginning was to create a journey for people to experience, and it quickly gets boring if the landscape is always the same. I feel the same goes for the emotional content too. It’s just like a trip, going through different spaces and emotions, showing new things but also hopefully showing some things about yourself in the process.

Who are some of your inspirations musically? Do you look to any other creators outside the world of music for inspiration?

Oh gosh well I’ll just list off some people that come to mind – There’s a Geode album called Sundown that came out last year which was definitely influential. DMVU, Bukez Finezt and Ternion Sound are always killing on the bass music side of things. UFO! and Earl Grey repping Jungle vibes in two completely different and interesting ways. I’ve been binging loads of Sam Gendel recently, a really cool take on the jazz formula, borrowing heavily from so many other genres. Then loads of Hardcore (the electronic kind), Nightcore and other ravey stuff – Deathmachine, Kilbourne, exjaynine, We Rob Rave, Audio Gutter, The Teknoist, Gullyteen. Also, the guitar side of things – drumcorps, Car Bomb, Converge, Meshuggah. That’s not an exhaustive list but some key names for sure!

There are many different emotions listeners can expect to hear in each track, is it ever difficult tapping into certain emotions? Or is it almost like a therapeutic release?

For me, it’s definitely catharsis rather than suffering a certain emotion. I really believe music is a safe space for us to explore more difficult or intense emotions. Through music, we can process those feelings in a way that doesn’t negatively impact other people. Quite the opposite, in fact, you can actually share that with others in such a joyful way. While creating, you’re capturing something of your emotional state at that time and setting it in amber for others to enjoy and interpret in their own way later. You can’t really predict how people will interpret it, but I think people can feel the authenticity in a piece of art.

The album artwork for this project is beautiful, who did you work with for it, and how does the artwork depict the album’s message?

I’m so glad you like it, I’m really happy with how it came out! It was made by Eléna from Flower of Life Digital. She’s a supremely talented and creative person. I knew I wanted to really dive into the psychedelic side of things with the artwork for this, and she did such a wonderful job of bringing it to life. I think it does a great job of conveying the expansiveness and variety of the album. The eye motif was very central, representing clarity of vision and a view towards the future. The organic yet unreal feeling of a lot of it also really reflects the combination of highly digital sounds with very human feeling rhythms that I was aiming for with the composition and production.

The cover and the title work together to convey multiple meanings. ‘See It Through‘ is an expression of willpower, to see something through to the end even if you don’t necessarily want to in the moment, because you trust it will be worth it. I definitely had a few years of feeling a bit lost, personally and musically, perhaps a bit disillusioned with the music world after dealing with some difficult people. But there is a world of amazing people and experiences at our fingertips, and it would be self-defeating to allow a few outliers to be the cause of limiting ourselves. ‘See It Through’ also describes a transitional moment. What happens once you’ve seen it through? You’re in it, you’ve arrived at the other side of whatever you’re traversing, and you get to enjoy the fruits of your commitment and focus.

What do you want listeners to know about the new album?

It’s a journey. Start at the beginning and see where it takes you!

You’re hitting some tour stops here soon, what can fans expect from those states?

I’m really excited to be heading back over to play some shows again. It’s been over 1.5 years since I was last out, and I’ve got a whole bundle of new music to play, not just the album. It’s going to be really fun to dive through new material whilst weaving in a few of the classics, plus some tracks I’ve been really enjoying from others. As is often the way, I expect different shows and crowds will bring different energies, so I’m excited to interact with that and make some really special moments.

What is some advice you would give aspiring producers and artists?

Firstly, it requires a lot of work to make something really interesting and meaningful, so don’t be hard on yourself if it takes you a few years to find your feet. Secondly, don’t get stuck just making and listening to one thing. Even if you want to make one genre, Dubstep for example, pull influences from as many different genres of music as you can, even beyond electronic music. The wider your taste, the more tools you have in your toolkit compositionally and the more likely you are to find those really unique and interesting results!

What’s one thing or a hobby that your fans might not know about you? What do you like to do in your spare time when you aren’t producing or performing?

Hah, well I guess these days it’s mostly playing with my daughter, Cali, and her little best friend, Evie, who lives with us. Time allowing, I love to play video games. I’m still trying to complete Baldur’s Gate 3 on proper dad time (read maybe 1 hour a week). At this rate, I think I’ll need another year! Reading sci-fi books and running are also definitely up there as favorite pastimes.

What else is on tap for Seppa in 2024? What can fans expect from the next step of your project?

I’ve got some wicked collaborations in the works which I’m very excited about – keep an eye out for some tracks with Musashi Xero, who will be joining me for a few stops on this next tour. I’m also already thinking about the next EP, and there’ll be more tracks coming out on Wonk#ay Records for sure. This past year or two has been about getting my musical mojo back, and now it’s here I’m just gonna run with it!

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We are so grateful Seppa took the time to chat with us and be so thoughtful with his answers. It really gave us a more intimate look into the album and who he is as an artist. Hoping to catch a Seppa set? He’s got a handful of tour dates in the coming months, so keep up to date with his socials and don’t miss out on what’s to come!