One Eskimo – Interview

One Eskimo – Interview

Kristian Leontiou is the man behind One Eskimo, a band that maps its musical landscapes in animated form and accompanies their gigs with an overhead projector displaying Japanese-inspired cartoon stories. Working with the people behind Gorillaz and Faithless, they take on the form of various animals and, of course, One Eskimo. But before this move into creative freedom, Leontiou was a chart-conquering solo artist on a major label. We caught up with him to find out how it all came about and why on earth a giraffe is playing percussion…

Greg Rose: Right, so you're an Eskimo, and the rest of the band is made up of a giraffe, a monkey and a penguin. Explain?

Kristian Leontiou: It stated off just as a logo and developed into a character. It felt like we needed to be a band, it was nice to show our different personalities. Some of the animals match the band members well, especially visually – it's nice to have a giraffe in the Arctic!

GR: So what can people expect onstage from this animal band?

KL: It's a loose setup we have. We have lots of little triggers, but everything is live and everyone is multitasking. We're going to carry on adding to that sonically and visually.

GR: So where does the animation come into it all?

KL: The Snowman was the idea, the inspiration – it feels like the 2009 version of The Snowman. It's got this dreamy feel to it, it really worked. We worked with the Gorillaz creators, though we'd already developed some characters ourselves by then and got a British Animation Awad for one on a shoestring budget. That got the attention of the investors.

GR: How does the visual side affect the music though?

KL: The Snowman feel definitely comes into the music. It's very live, but has electro, filmic sounds – it's all purposely geared to one vision.

GR: You were on a major label and marketed to a pop audience as a male Dido. How is it now having more freedom?

KL: This is weird for me. You know what, I'm such a stubborn person and I know what I want. It was so hard the first time, it's nice to have people on board that care this time. Everyone involved in One Eskimo is here because they get it, not for a paycheck.

GR: Looking back, are you glad you gave being a major label solo star a go?

KL: I'm glad I did it as an experience, but while I was doing it I hated it. It was a horrible time, but it's all worked out now. I can step back from it all and know how it works. It's been an uphill struggle but its made it all come together.

GR: You work with Rollo Armstrong from Faithless on the album – how did that come about?

KL: He's a friend of mine, he's a magical person, working with him was an amazing experience. We have a track with him on the last Faithless album too. He's an influence not just for the sound, for everything, my outlook on things.

GR: Are you all for collaboration between musicians then?

KL: This is London, it can be a very supportive place, people get involved, it just has that sort of atmosphere.

GR: What has had an influence on One Eskimo then?KL: I really like the Whitest Boy Alive at the moment, and Four Tet. I listen to Bonobo, The Fugees back when. It's a mixture, where my head is. I really love animation, not even the gory ones, the beautiful ones. Japanese animations, they've got real magic, it's a big influence.

GR: What do you think about music videos being taken of YouTube?

KL: What? No way! I hadn't heard about that, that's terrible. The whole idea is to support artists, with downloads as well, I think if people want to hear your music, let them hear it, I don't care how. We had 50,000 hits on YouTube, without that things would be harder.

GR: You're quite innovative in the use of an animated story to accompany your music. Do you embrace technology in other ways?

KL: Of course, but I don't really blog. I find it difficult. I don't thing there should be a gap between artists and fans, but I struggle to open up on a daily basis. I say what I want to say on songs.

GR: So what do you want to say in your songs?

KL: I spend time not making it too obvious. It's taken me a lot of time, lyrically, to get it together. It's personal, but it's there for people to interpret how they want to.

GR: You seem pretty content with it all at the moment, like this is exactly what you want to be doing – is that accurate?

KL: Life is full of ups and downs all the time. I feel like there is a lot right at the moment. I feel like I've been allowed to do what I want, like a kid. It's brilliant, sometimes I feel like a kid, sometimes like I'm 45. But I guess everyone gets like that. All I know is I am proud of what we are doing.