Not too long ago I discovered a music project that goes by the name hooyoosay and the group became an immediate new favorite of mine.

Their unique but very infectious style doesn’t really compare to anything else you’ve heard which makes them that much more awesome! When I was able to get an interview feature with them, I was pumped!

[Tweet “Have you discovered @hooyoosay yet? Now’s the perfect time! #np #nowplaying”]

In this interview spotlight, we chat with the hooyoosay project about their origins, how a project of this nature couldn’t exist without the digital world being as it is, and much more.

Full Q&A along with links and a stream of their new EP Mountain Air below.

-Be sure to visit our previous hooyoosay feature here.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create?

hooyoosay is not a band actually, it’s a project of writing, playing, recording and releasing music.

How did it come about?

Well, there was this recording for which some session musicians had been hired, and when the job was done, these guys started playing some cover songs just for fun. As all the mics were still in place, pressing ‘record’ was the next natural thing to do. Then the question was what to do with these recordings, and it was decided to have them released online.

However, most participants had their reasons for not wanting to be credited, So it was agreed, in order to keep things straightforward and simple, just not to credit anyone at all. Hence an exact location wouldn’t be specified either. Well, Europe, indeed, participants being from several European countries. These first and spontaneous recordings were cover versions of early Rolling Stones material.

Next however, this accidental start was shaped into a fixed formula: loose collaborators working together on a music recording and releasing it in personal anonymity under a collective name. The recordings that followed, would comprise one or more of the ‘founding members’, but also new contributors were getting involved with each new title. So inevitably musical style and taste started spanning a wider and somehow less predictable range as the project evolved.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?

hooyoosay is a ‘just for fun’ thing. There’s no pressure to keep in pace with the latest trends, there’s no ambition to lead the charts nor to gather personal fame. It is not financially rewarding either. So anyone who collaborates writing, playing or recording, is simply enjoying what he likes doing.

How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?

We don’t really set out any specific goals when we start working on something. It’s rather a matter of seeing what comes along and how it turns out in the end, which might as well be something bluesy or just a silly fun song. Our new release for this spring is the EP “Mountain Air”, and contains elements of synth pop, surf guitar, reggae vibes, country style, electric folk and roots rock, offering as well lush vocal harmonies as instrumental pieces. Previous releases have been as well in the line of bluesy rock as in the field of funny synth pop.

Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?

Without the possibility of online releases, a project of this shape couldn’t probably exist. There would be no point in going through the expense of manufacturing pressed copies that no record company would be interested in distributing, and we wouldn’t sell any copies ourselves as we don’t play any gigs. That said, we’re not getting much return from our online presence either. Most likely one needs to input tons more effort and time, which none of us really enjoys doing actually.

From the production angle, the digital age is obviously a blessing. Sending audio files back and forth over the net and collecting contributions from the other side of the globe and then recalling all your mix settings, just imagine getting it done in the days of analogue tape!

Where can we follow you online and hear more music?

There’s our artist site, our Facebook and Twitter pages, and Bandcamp.

Of course you can also find us on iTunes and Amazon, and stream our songs on Spotify, Deezer, Napster and the likes.

Anything else before we sign off?

Yeah, wishing the best of luck and fulfillment to all those other creative souls making music out there!