Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Tokoloshe
Tokoloshe is an indie alt folk music project formed by Jakub Wąs in 2019. Up to now it has been mostly a solo endeavour with all songs self produced and recorded in a DIY, Lo-Fi, garage manner. Bringing in his close inner circle of musicians for live performances has further expanded the sound to that of a dynamic and multi dimensional band. Bringing in rock elements and giving it a feel not unlike that of R.E.M. or the Pixies. Inspired by this sonic upgrade, the Dublin based collective which now also consists of Steve Ryan, Des Hickey and Noël Duplaa have been working on their first fully collaborative material which is set to be released in 2026. The following is an interview with Jakub, the frontman of the group.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
There are two in particular. From a very young age I’ve been very drawn to music. My earliest memory being from when I was around five years old, I remember getting obsessed with the song ‘The Final Countdown’ by the band Europe and asking my dad about what the lyrics meant. Hearing a big pop song such as that on the radio on a regular basis exposed me to getting a song stuck in my head for the first time and what it was like to have it internally playing on repeat. Another early memory I have of music is listening to the album ‘A Kind Of Magic’ by Queen, on my parent’s cassette player while playing with Lego, pretending that the figures were characters from the film ‘Highlander’, which that album was the soundtrack to. So it was the big epic stadium pop songs which got my attention at an early age, which is what they’re designed to do I suppose.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I remember seeing a live performance of Nirvana on television in my early teens and being obsessed with Dave Grohl’s drumming, which made me want to give that a go. So I convinced my parents to buy me a drum kit for my seventeenth birthday. I started playing in bands shortly after that, first learning covers, then working on original material, recording in the garage, playing gigs etc. So the drums are how my passion for creating music initially began.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I played in bands for years as a drummer and finally got the courage to try and write my own songs. Being behind a kit in front of an audience is one thing but attempting to sing on a stage or even showing anyone a song with my voice on it was definitely out of my comfort zone. But I had been writing these songs and recording demos which I really liked so I decided, screw it, I’ll put something out and see how it goes. I never intended to play any live shows and thought I’d just record and put stuff out but one needs to do both really to make a project legitimate, so I started playing some shows and got the bug. Now after a few solo releases and a few years at it, I finally managed to get a steady group of people who want to collaborate on my music with me. All close friends of mine, and very gifted musicians/producers in their own right. So the project has now evolved into a collective one and I’m excited to see where it will go from here.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Acoustic Alternative Space Rock
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
That there is no right or wrong way to do it, I thought I’d have to learn a lot of technical stuff to be able to write a song. But I did it the other way, I had ideas which I needed to get better at getting across and I’m learning how to use various methods and tools to do that as I go along. Going from drumming to fronting a group made me learn to just go into stuff and figure out how to make it work after. So gaining more self confidence completely changed the way I make music and learning that jumping into things and sometimes failing is better than not giving it a go at all.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
I’d use an acoustic guitar to flesh out an idea initially, once I have a structure I’d usually use GarageBand to lay down a demo. A very simple set up of an iPad, interface, lightning cable and condenser mic is enough for me to put a good demo together. Which I will then develop and expand on over time.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I’m currently obsessed with a band from Belfast called Careerist. I’ve been following them for years and they just released an absolute masterpiece of an album called ‘Silver Birch Lodge’. I also got to see them play live recently and they blew me away!
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Everything comes out in the music to some degree. I write a lot of songs about relationships, past and present. Some lyrics are inspired by my slightly childish interest in ufology. I like to incorporate wacky lines in serious songs to lighten them up occasionally. Topics such as cosmology, sci-fi and the paranormal also influence the kind of artwork I put together for my releases or gig posters. I’m fascinated with using outer space to express one’s inner space. My occasional confusion in making sense of existence is also often expressed in my songs, with slightly off kilter melodies or chord progressions which gives the music a slightly confused feel too I think.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Empathy, if I expand on a topic or feeling that a listener might relate to or see a similar side to that I’m expressing, but hadn’t paid too much attention to it until I mention it, yet totally get it, that would be cool. I’d like to make a person feel like being a bit unusual or approaching a topic from a different angle can be fun. For example having a sad, serious song with humorous lyrics which wouldn’t normally fit that context is something that wouldn’t be too common, yet in real life if someone is sad we try to use humour to cheer them up. So I’d hope my songs make a listener feel like I’m a friend trying to cheer them up in a way. When someone feels obliged to listen to slightly melancholic music in the first place it usually means that they need a bit of cheering up.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Patience. It’s an art form like many others that involves a lot of trial and error. Getting better at your instrument takes time, getting better at performing takes time, getting better at recording takes time. I used to get fired up and want to release as much as possible or gig as much as possible, but there are many steps you need to take to get good at all of the above.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I’m a bit older now, with a family of my own, I’m quite busy, so I’m not really thinking about dream venues or festivals. I’m happy to get together with my friends, play music, record, put on shows in modest sized places and I’ll keep doing that just because I’m still very passionate about making music. If it ever progresses to anything bigger and I’m blessed enough to reach a wider audience that would be great but it’s not my ambition really.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
There’s an indie Irish artist whose work I’ve followed for years called Lizzie Fitzpatrick, who plays in a band called Dose and makes great electronic music under the name Coolgirl. It would be cool to maybe get her to feature on a future track or get her to do an electronic remix of an existing track or something. She’s someone I’ve always looked up to who makes awesome stuff and would no doubt be inspiring to work with.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music?(Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Bandcamp:
YouTube:
youtube.com/@tokoloshemusic?si=m4CiyG5mR92sjJpY
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/artist/4Q6Ofm9AVUp8TldlMZ1zV9?si=VkC8gkBPRDmVBZWkQS4QLA
AppleMusic:
music.apple.com/ie/artist/tokoloshe/478639871
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokoloshe_music?igsh=MXA1ZGUwdDdlYzZqMw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Myself and the lads have a five song EP we’ve been working on that’s almost done. It’s sounding great and it will be the first fully collaborative Tokoloshe release, so I’m very excited to get that out and play a few gigs to promote it.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Though my music is a bit silly and occasionally refers to some odd topics, there’s a sincerity to it underneath it all which comes from a genuine place that I just like to express in a bit of a humorous way.
