Loom’s new record, the morosely titled European Heartache EP, reflects the sparse and haunting instrumental grime music he makes. It’s a record full of uneasy synth sounds, disintegrating layers and sharp tones that make up the core of his unique sound, which possesses a fragmented identity all of it’s own.
The heartache that Loom, aka Daniel Timms, refers to is over questions of identity and placement in the world around us. He points towards a fragmented and disjointed world in his music, one which you could argue is unfolding as we speak. “Where are the moderate voices?” he asks, “the prominent voices on the left and right are gone so far each way, there’s no hope for any resolve.”
“We’re witnessing a time when refugees and displacement is spiraling out of control, when people are trying to make sense of their position and function in life, and importantly, when ideas surrounding individual identity seem to be more crucial than ever. There’s real web of stuff to get through — things are really confusing,” he adds.
Loom describes his music as “Cold War grime,” a reference to his home town. “Where I am, in Ipswich, there’s a lot of old Cold War-era defense systems dotted around. If we were to ever get attacked, people would head in from the East side of the country, meaning that the East of England would be the first place to be nuked…” he muses. “I dunno, it’s always fascinated me.”
Although Loom’s music is immediate and stark on an aesthetic level, the construction of the European Heartbreak EP was born from a web of fluctuating emotions and feelings. “When I sat down to write the EP I had no preconceptions in my head,” he explains. “It’s only when I started to write it that I began to think about these things. The music, aesthetically, is cold and precise. But musically there’s a lot of emotion lurking. Something cold and sparse is still an emotion. It’s just what I want to hear, whatever feelings are there at the time. I never try to force things.”
The making of his new record came at a time when not only the world’s different identities were starting to shift but also the identities of those closest to the artist himself. During the writing and recording process, Daniel’s brother underwent gender reassignment surgery and, in turn, became his sister. A state of flux in which the act of coming to terms lent a large inspiration to personal feelings of changing identity.
“We always knew my brother wasn’t happy, and I’ve always stood by what he wants to do,” he opens up. “It’s been tough to process at times but I’ve come to terms with it now. From a purely selfish point of view, I felt I was losing a brother — but I’ve gained a much, much happier sister. This was on my mind a lot. It wasn’t something I set out to do, but these events shape your music as they unfold around you.”
Grime itself has always been a challenging sound that deals with class and socio-economic reality, but does the genre, currently basking in it’s 2.0 phase, have a responsibility to look further than it does and address current issues? “Not a responsibility, no way, and nor should they feel inclined to do so,” Loom sternly pointed out. “It’s a personal decision for each artist to deal with. I think grime music has always challenged perceptions of class, and that’s inherent in the music. I think recently the scene has branched out into many different fractions; it’s blossomed and now there’re loads of smaller scenes under this one genre. I would like to explore these different strands in my music.”
Credits
Text Joe Gamp
Photography Vicky Grout