The Designs- New project of Billy T Cooper & Snovonne ‘Sno’ Drake. Combination of electronic and metal elements.
Interview conducted on April 30, 2020
By Dan Locke
Alluring, enticing, seductive and striking describe the new project “The Designs” from renowned artists and musicians Billy T Cooper & Snovonne ‘Sno’ Drake. The Designs is the culmination of years of professional artistic performance, bleeding edge visuals, and above all unique and powerful song writing that grips the listener immediately and transforms the moment into an intriguing journey.
What is your upbringing?
Sno: I grew up in a family of mostly doctors and teachers, all of who had a passion for art in their private life. My grandfather was a psychiatrist by profession, a jazzman at home. I started playing piano with him as a child. He also painted. My grandmother worked in an art gallery; my other grandmother taught drawing at school. My mom used to paint and draw a lot too, she’s a professor of English linguistics at a university. My dad’s a dentist with a huge passion for classic rock and music overall. So, there’s always been an abundance of art and deep respect for all forms of its gallery; I lived in different countries since I was a child. I was born in Slovakia but went to elementary schools in USA and England, so my mind was blown open very early on. I returned to live in London in my 20’s for a couple of years, then lived in Germany for a year. Then lived in the USA for 6 years and now I live in Italy, been here for about a year. I’ve been working on music and visual art constantly from an early age. Though I studied it and went to university too, I learned most things myself on my own time, and of course, I’m still learning to this day. Nothing else ever really interested me!
Billy: My parents are also both in the medical field, they too, love and respect art. My dad writes books to this day, loved philosophy and classical music. Mom has a huge passion for dancing and crime literature. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. My grandfather was an aviator in World War 2 and used to tell me many stories. He was its injured in Africa, also got medals for courage and honor. My grandma was a part of the resistance – partigiani – against the Nazi. Naturally I grew up with music and art around me, started playing piano when I was about 5 years old, then started with guitar a little later. I started a professional soccer career as a kid, played for years, then quit later for music, when I was about 18. I had a bad motorbike accident when I was 14, I caught fire, became a human torch… my friend saved my life by throwing himself on me and putting out the fire. It was a very painful time, took me years to recover completely and I have massive scars all over my legs.
How did you discover music?
Sno: Well, my mom would say it’s all her doing because when she was in the hospital pregnant with me (for a pretty long time) she used to listen to music constantly and put headphones on her belly. I honestly can’t remember the moment of discovering music, I do feel like it’s been with me since day one, but I remember I was about 8-9 when I started being amazed by vocal harmonies. And different musical arrangements, and how they make you feel. I think that’s when I really started to realize the power and the craft of it all.
Billy: I remember my dad listening to Mozart all the time, when I was really small. As far as I can remember there was always music in the house. My dad with classical music, my mom with rock ’n’ roll. My sister introduced me to modern stuff at that time, like Madonna, Depeche Mode, Europe, etc. My first kind of metal record was Alice Cooper’s “Hey Stupid”.
How did you start to write music?
Sno: As a kid I listened to all the music I love and studied it. in terms of analyzing what is it that I like about it and how it was achieved. It was mainly soul and rock music when I was a child. I remember being 10 years old and trying to write, trying to get the hang of it, understanding instruments and the relationships between them. The first song I was happy with (at least back then haha) came when I was around 12. I was recording stuff constantly… like every day, after school. Locked myself in my room, excited to try recording something that I thought of that day in math class (yeah, I’m not great in math). Now when I look back at my tapes, I don’t really think it sounded like music until I was about 14 – 15. They were still horrible recordings but at least the song ideas were there. Then it started getting better from 16 upwards. Also, because the effects of my childhood travels started to show, I constantly felt alienated constantly. Which, wasn’t always a negative thing, but being creative became my everything. My escape, my therapy, my shield, so to speak. I got my first own computer at the age of 17- 18, got into digital recording and video/graphic editing and just exploded with creativity. Still kept working alone everyday… didn’t put my first live band together until I was 20 – 21.
Billy: I took part in a songwriting contest in the church when I was 7. Then I started writing on my own, I put my first live band together at 13, I sang and played guitar. I was just always inspired by combining sound with emotion and expression and did everything I could to get better at it and understand the process. One of the albums that changed my view on writing overall, and on groove, was Panthera’s “Far Beyond Driven”. For me it will always remain the ‘blue’ album, haha.
How the band did get its name?
Sno: We love the band name, it’s simply artistic and suggests more than music. It really just rounds up everything we’re about, literally and metaphorically speaking. It’s a project with expressive visuals, very designed.
There are layers of sound and various shades of music genres. It’s intricate, yet to the point. Kind of how we would describe ourselves as people too.
Sno, you stated that your partnership with Billy beginning, because he asked you to direct some of his music videos. Which video was he asking about?
Sno: It was a video for a song called “Choose your life”, one of the more electronic/dance tracks on the album. We also filmed a video for the title track “Porno Riot” back then. It’s funny to think about, we had no idea while filming that it was going to grow into this. Both of these songs turned out great, they’re very different form each other. We can’t wait to release the videos! We’ve been working on new ones too.
How did you develop the sound and visual of the band?
Sno: We were mainly after combining our characters, came very naturally. We have the same taste overall, in music and other arts but sometimes have different interpretations, which is the basis for creating something deep, with more dimension. Before The Designs was born, we actually started to work on a purely electronic project, we just both wanted to step away from the metal world and experiment more. Then The Designs happened, and it ended up being a fusion of the electronic approach we originally wanted and rock, metal – closer to what we’ve done in our previous projects. Our producer Eddy Cavazza is responsible for the sound overall, he’s an extremely versatile talent, with his heart belonging to different music genres. He understood what we wanted to form the beginning and navigated the whole project. As far as visuals, we’re about creating different worlds, atmospheres – different designs. That’s an approach very dear to us, kind of what I do in my solo project. I do all the graphic and video work for us.
Billy: We have a kind of cinematic approach to the project… when we work on music, we immediately see the visual. Also vice versa… a lot of the stuff we end up filming inspires us to write more music. It’s always connected.
Sno – Your grandfather was a reputable psychiatrist with a passion for fine art. How had this translated into your video work?
Yes, I think it translated in a massive way. I only realized this a few years ago. I have always had such a thing for medical imagery. old hospitals, anatomy drawings, electrotherapy stuff from the 20’s, diagrams, psychiatric books … Way before it actually became a fashion thing. When I was a kid, I’d read forensic pathology books and medical dictionaries. Didn’t understand half of it but was just so infatuated by it all. When you think of it, these are all things I was regularly surrounded by at my grandparents’ house. It’s like every room in the house was a library and a gallery. And it was all so… vintage. And then there was the piano… and my grandpa – always in a suit and a tie. I’ve never seen him dressed casually, ever.
Sno- What do you think of the movie Psycho?
It’s a classic, I love it! I wish I was there when it came out in the ’60s… to experience THAT horror for the first time. These days, we’ll handle anything. With a few exceptions, no horror movie really gives you the chills anymore (unless they get really disgusting, which just makes me cringe and yell at the TV). I used to read Hitchcock’s short stories a lot when I was a kid, I think that might’ve been my introduction to horror overall. Also, Edgar Allen Poe.
Sno- Tell me about the making of the video “The Child and the Bitch”?
Well, it’s a video I made for the title track of the last album I released as a solo. It’s all about duality, the love/hate relationship between the two, self-analysis. It actually captures my ‘medical’ influence mentioned above perfectly. I filmed it myself as I usually do, at home, back when I lived in the US.
Sno- You were name “Female visual artist of the 2019 by the American Horror Channel. How was that?
It was an amazing surprise! I’m usually talked to as a musician, so to shine a light on the visual part of my work (which takes up just as much time and energy, if not more) means a lot to me. Groovey, our publicist has a very cool show, Groovey TV on American Horrors. He liked my music videos from my solo project and played them on the show. Next thing I know – I get an email with a press release that’s calling me an ‘art vigilante’ and giving me an ‘American Horrors’ award, how awesome is that! It’s a great feeling to be recognized for what you do… I really appreciate it.
If you could work on any horror film, which one would it be and what would you change?
I would die to be on set of “Silence of the Lambs”! But I wouldn’t want to change anything, I’d just sit there watching, taking it all in. To be honest, I would love to work on movie intro credits, more than a movie itself. I feel like my strength is more in the creative cut. Artistic, designed, dynamic… capture the feeling in a limited amount of time. That’s why I love working with bands, music videos are my favorite area and one I believe I can contribute to. My all-time favorite credits are for the movie Se7en. Also, American Horror Story credits kick ass.
Let’s talk about the album. Tell me about it?
Sno: It’s definitely an emotional purge. Very psychological, as any honest music is, I think. I like that since we had Eddy (Eddy Cavazza, the producer) guarding the overall output, we were able to just ‘spit’ things out without caring too much about how it comes across or what people will think. we wrote whatever we felt, instinctually. Things that were important for us to hear. It wasn’t made to please people, or to become a big project or anything… Things just kept evolving and growing naturally. I think, ironically, that’s why people will enjoy the album get catharsis out of it. There are tons to relate to, and it’s not very filtered. It’s an album that’s very in-your-face. big loud choruses, great verses. but at the same time a lot of little intricate details happening constantly. A combination of electronic and metal elements.
Billy: Yes, the album is like a collection of snapshots of different dark states of mind we were both in the past couple of years. It deals with obsessions, addictions, relationships, self-analysis… As we mentioned in other interviews, we’re both saying good-bye to certain things with this album and inviting new ones.
Billy- I did like your version of Genesis “I Can’t Dance”. Why did you go with the sound and the visuals that you used on the video?
I had the idea when I was snowboarding, I had the song stuck in my head the whole day and I remembered how I listened to it as a kid. So, I wanted to revisit a ‘childhood’ song and interpret it my way. We had a lot of fun during the video shoot, that was the main purpose… cover “I Can’t Dance” and have fun with it.
What makes this band different from your other bands?
Sno: The Designs is like a fusion and exaggeration of mine and Billy’s other projects. It has the heavy atmosphere and expressive visuals of Snovonne, and aggression and decadence of JTR Sickert. It’s dynamic, emotional. The concepts are rooted in psychology, inspired by our duality, passion for open mind, freedom, melancholy. I think with having Eddy on the team, it became more polished and defined.
Billy: I see it as evolution. everything I’ve done before has evolved into this now.
Let’s talk about your upcoming release. What can you tell me about it?
Sno: Well, as mentioned above, it’s an electronic/metal album with lots of psychology behind it. The working title is “Porno Riot” which we will most likely keep. Not sure about the full release date, but we hope to share at least a few songs with people in the following months.
What is your favorite track on the album?
Sno: I have a lot of favorites, if not all of them. “Begin”, “Forever wrong”, “Choose your life” … There’s also a quiet little number on there called “Neon” which I think is special.
Billy: My favorite one is “Begin”, the one I’m most connected to is “Choose your life” which was the first (and originally the only) song Sno sang on before this became a Designs album. But honestly, I’m happy with what we did, I love all the songs.
What band would be a good fit for you to tour with, on a world tour?
Billy: Well, in terms of huge bands, we both love NIN and Sisters of Mercy, so I guess those two.
Since both of you have been in bands which have tour. How do you stay healthy while touring?
Sno: Touring is usually hard for me, because I can’t sleep. I just try and enjoy things, joy helps everything. Of course, a good diet, gymnastics at the gas station and other things help, but it’s not always possible. Sweat all the bad stuff on stage.
Billy: Well, I like sports and on tour, stage is the best workout. Beer is good nutrition, unfortunately depending on quantity.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
Sno: I think its great people have access to any sort of music they want and listen to it as much as they want. I just wish they took artists less for granted sometimes.
Billy: In the beginning I didn’t like it, I thought it was bad for musicians but, with a few rules it’s a positive thing overall, I think…
Digital vs. vinyl?
Billy: Digital (streaming) during the day, to listen to as much new stuff as we can and vinyl at night… chill out with our favorite records and a glass of red. Enjoy both.
Sno: Yes. There’s definitely something special about vinyl… the pleasant sound, the big artwork. But we do not cringe at digital as some people do. As long as we get to hear what we like, we’re happy.
Any plans to tour?
Sno: Yes, we’re planning a US tour for autumn, let’s hope it will be possible, given the situation in the world right now.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? And what is the meaning that song means to you?
Sno: Listening to Prince & The New Power Generation “Gett Off” right now, so that’s gonna be stuck in mind for a while, such a groove. Songs like these just put a grin on my face immediately, that means a lot to me.
Billy: I’m listening to a lot of Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop and The Smiths lately. Iggy’s “Lust for life” has been my morning anthem. Also Velvet Underground “I’m waiting for the man”, I listen to everyday… I really like the atmosphere.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Sno: Quarantine doesn’t change much (except the atmosphere) for me, since I work from home anyway. We’ve been working on a lot of things. finishing the album, writing new music, filming videos, preparing stuff for touring. and other legalities around the project. Also staying healthy – working out, getting fresh air around the yard. We’ve also been cooking a lot, more than usual. We’re actually running a competition. maybe once quarantine is over, we’ll open a restaurant 😀
Billy: It’s weird but I finally had more time to dedicate to music and books, gained more patience, I’ve been needing that. My life is usually very fast and hectic.
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
Sno: Yes, it’s definitely a thought, we’d love to. It’s just that we have other pressing matters right now we need to attend to and quarantine is a good opportunity to get it all done.
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
Sno: Hopefully alive and well! I try not to think too much about the future. I know I’ll be with music and art, but everything else will just have to unfold.
Billy: I hope I still have hair. And hope we’re still making music and doing shows.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Thank you everyone, for your time and support! This is a new project, so it’s awesome to have people with us from the beginning. For those interested check out www.thedesignsmusic.com, and follow THE DESIGNS on FB (@thedesignsmusic) and Instagram (@the_designs_music)
