Issue 106 / Dec 2019/Jan 2020

SPOTLIGHT
ALEX TELEKO
“Songwriting can
be so selfish at
times, especially
when you’re
dealing with your
own emotions”
Leaping from synth wave to
the digital age, ALEX TELEKO
drinks in addictive 80s melody
and convulses to the maddening
beats and bleeps of the
contemporary era.
A by-product, birthed in the ceaseless surge of an intense
digital labyrinth, 22-year-old ALEX TELEKO coolly steps onto the
scene breathing words radiating a reluctant truth we flinch from.
But it’s not entirely confrontational. His artistry also possesses a
narcissistically relatable demur that we can’t help but concede to.
Based in Liverpool, this modern innovator takes his selfdesigned
concepts and manipulates them in a way that reveals
his lust for digital emotion: “I’ve written music in many styles for
a long time, but recently I’ve been trying to draw human emotion
out of a computer instead.”
A self-proclaimed crooner who produces “midi ballads in
synthesis”, Teleko is not one to sugar-coat the reality we share. A
realist who strives towards challenging the general perception of
contemporary music, while also keeping his feet on the ground,
he tells us that his creative intellect hasn’t always resided in
music. “I much preferred the idea of becoming a train driver
or a firefighter. However, some aspirations are unobtainable,
so creating music seemed like a stable fallback plan.” Big
aspirations steered his path, noting a wish to support the fondlyremembered
Europop of Steps, because, “Why not?”
As far as inspiration goes, he is his own muse. That is not to
say further musical influence is obsolete. “My head has always
been very scatterbrain, so I would absorb anything that had a
strong melody or hook,” he explains. “That could be anything from
police sirens echoing outside to chart-topping singles on the radio,
so I don’t think I could pinpoint one piece of music, purely because
everything with a musical nature acts as a form of inspiration.”
Spurred on by an inwardly pleasing writing style, he goes on
to explain how “songwriting can be so selfish at times, especially
when you’re dealing with your own emotions and experiences,
which I regularly interject into what I create”. It’s this strong sense
of narcissism that some believe makes Teleko so delightfully
appropriate for listeners nowadays: he accommodates them
with a real human voice they can associate with, all the while still
serving hard-hitting, bassy synths.
That being said, Teleko admits to enjoying the more
mischievous side of production: “I like to use my writing as a form
of people watching, too, stalking the odd habits and tendencies of
others, it provides some sense of entertainment.” Not just a theme
in his writing, this also makes an appearance in performance: “I very
much enjoy playing Call Me Digital. I like how, despite its upbeat
exterior, there is a tormented and sick meaning at the centre of the
song. It’s a good juxtaposition to me, to have something abrasive
and visceral mixed with what is a seemingly pleasant surroundings.
It probably says a lot about me subliminally.”
Having performed mainly in Liverpool – with the exception
of the odd anomaly – Moon Duo at the Invisible Wind Factory
and Future Yard Festival have been notable highlights. Ultimately
his favourite would be the former, despite the fact that it was
“bordering on temperatures parallel with the Arctic Circle, but
it’s an amazing space”. It’ll take more than temperature to halt
Teleko’s infatuation with live performance, however, as he has a
number of shows lined up to round off 2019, beginning with the
Merseyrail Sound Station showcase at Liverpool Central on 30th
November.
Which other artists does Teleko think others should be made
aware of? “Die Orangen are one of the great acts coming out on
Malka Tuti, an experimental label based across Europe with its
roots in Tel Aviv. Khidja and Tapan are others on their roster that
are worth checking out.”
It’s safe to say that, with taste this eclectic, there are inspiring
things to come from this young emerging artist. !
Words: Anouska Liat
Photography: Luke Parry
@alexteleko
Alex Teleko support Natalie McCool on 14th December at Arts
Club, and appears at the Eggy Records NYE show at Sound.
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