Australia’s What So Not (Emoh/Chris Emerson) released his long-awaited debut album Not All The Beautiful Things in March 2018 via Counter Records to much anticipation. The album features frequent collaborator Skrillex, an appearance by a couple of vocalists from some prominent bands of the past including, Steve Luthaker of 70s/80s hitmakers Toto, and Silverchair’s Daniel Johns. Of his pairing with What So Not, Steve Luthaker of Toto shared, “We got together and it was like two worlds collided. We were curious how they (What So Not’s team) make music and they were completely baffled by the way we did it old school; and we found it a very positive experience. It went better than we could’ve hoped. Everyone just rolled in and we rolled up our sleeves and just did it. By the end of the night we had a track.” Not All the Beautiful Things has been over three years in the making and contains themes about transformation and metamorphosis, as What So Not delved into numerous aspects of everything including, the writing and co-directing of music videos, conceptualizing his 600-square-foot ‘Peacock Horse Monster-truck’ and heavy involvement in all aspects of the show programming.
What So Not spoke with B-Sides during his tour stop in Oakland, CA, where he unveiled his live production during the first headline show of the tour. A wide range of topics was covered including the process of making Not All The Beautiful Things, bringing Steve Lukather’s son, Trevor on tour with him, the natural connection of drumming with electronic music and more. Check out the interview:
