Q&A: Das Kope

Das Kope’s music is a fittingly apocalyptic, lo-fi psychedelic portrait of isolation. Reminiscent of Tame Impala & Ariel Pink with a "Beach Boys trapped in a Black Mirror episode" vibe, he's also played guitar on Lil Peep's album and with Elle King, made videos for Bishop Briggs, and toured with STRFKR. Guided by passion, experimentation, and curiosity; the soundscapes and visuals created by Das Kope are that similar to an acid trip on the beach: hazy, languid, yet striking and poignant. He is an artist through and through, creating all his musical, and visual components by himself, designing his merch and album artwork to reflect his unique experience.

His recent album, Where I Live, focuses its content on what you would think, as a recent immigrant to Los Angeles via Brazil, Das Kope states, “Most songs, if not all of them, in my album ‘Where I Live’ is in one way or another about that (Los Angeles). I wrote these songs to myself, with those dark and fragile times in mind.  Writing and releasing my music has been therapeutic to me. I have learned a lot about myself.” This sentiment is apparent in the lo-fidelity of the recordings. The punchy drums juxtaposed to the lush guitar rhythms, set the California picture, giving room for Kope’s vocals to populate the imagery within the scene. 

How would you describe your sound and how does it fit into the sonic landscape of today?

Lo-fi psychedelic pop, I guess. The sonic landscape today is more diverse than ever. Sonically speaking there are all these secret places you can go visit. I’m one of them. Come visit LOL.

Your music is very breezy guitar, and retro synth-heavy. Reminiscent of psychedelic rock acts to come from the West Coast in the 60s such as Beach Boys, yet you also have a very modern sound as well, akin to the likes of Tame Impala. What do you think of these comparisons? 

Pet Sounds is a masterpiece. The coast of California is a big inspiration for my music. The Byrds and The Mamas and The Papas were probably inspired the coast as well, I like their music too. But my biggest influence from the 60’s is the Beatles. I also like to mess around with some bossa nova elements when I’m writing. In contrast to that, post punk is an influence as well, with its raw unfiltered creativity and sonics. When I listen to my track ‘Ready For The Summer’, I can hear all these influences. I relate to Kevin Parker, like him, I like to write and produce my music myself. I think Tame Impala is amazing!

How did you get your start in music? 

I always loved to create, I always loved to discover new things. Guitar and records taught me a lot. I’m not a trained musician.  I’ve been guided by my passion, experimentation and curiosity. 

Your Instagram says “musician/producer/visual artist” why not just artist? Do you see it important to distinguish your creative expressions?

Good point. I should change that. I’ve been thinking of it actually. I guess when I wrote that, I wanted people to also pay attention to my visuals, cause I put a lot of time into them as well. No, I don’t think it’s important to distinguish creative expressions. once you experience art, the ‘rest’ doesn’t really matter. It’s just a noisy world out there, and sometimes ‘labels’ can help people find a feeling they’re looking for. But they can also be misleading. 

Coming from Brazil, what was it like transitioning to life in Los Angeles? Has it influenced your sound?

That transition has influenced every aspect of my life. And definitely my music. California is beautiful, but Hollywood is a dark place. The pursuit of art can be very hard, especially when you’re on your own, with a very limited budget. Most songs, if not all of them, in my album ‘Where I Live’ are in one way or another about that. I wrote these songs to myself, with those dark and fragile times in mind.  Writing and releasing my music has been therapeutic to me. I have learned a lot about myself.

I see on your Instagram your merch such as t-shirts has a very specific design aesthetic that goes well with your music, do you do everything in house with a designer or externally? How do you think about design visually and sonically when creating your art?

I make all my artwork, music videos, and designs myself. I like to take photos of California, especially around the coast. I then create my visuals with these elements. Every rock or mountain you see in my artwork, are from photos I’ve taken in California. The mountain on the cover of Kids in the Sky is from this place not too far from Rincon Beach. I also took that photo of the moon, the one on the cover of L.A.X. It’s harder to write about it sonically though, it’s a bit more abstract.

What’s next for you? I see you put out an album this year, how do you feel about the public reception?

I wish I could say I was going on tour to promote my album. But due to the current situation that’s not possible. But I think the reception has been good. I get lots of messages from people saying they’re digging the album. In the meantime, I’ll be writing more new music.

Lastly, who are you currently listening to? 

I’ve been putting together a playlist of Brazilian psychedelic songs from the ’60s and ’70s. So that’s what I’ve been listening to this week. I may post that somewhere eventually.