Denis Ashton talks about “Leagues Below The Sea”

Where Independent Music Finds Its Voice

Denis Ashton talks about “Leagues Below The Sea”

written by Denis Ashton and WhatsMusic.de

Denis Ashton has recently released a new music video: “Leagues Below The Sea”.

July 2022 – Denis Ashton has been busy making new music, and his most recent studio release, “Leagues Below The Sea”, stands out as a fantastic example of his creativity and vision. Some might have caught the reference in the title, which stems from Jules Verne’s iconic fiction masterpiece, “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.” Even the video captures a maritime theme, with water being a prominent visual element in the clip.

The artist’s sound sound captures some of the best electronic elements, but there is so much more to it than that. In particular, the vocals are truly special, at times capturing some sultry depth and adding so much pathos and emotional. There is a beautiful contrast between the theatricality of the vocal performance and the futuristic sound of the synth stabs, which give the song is massive pumping effect. The bittersweet sound that comes out of it is quite special, and incredibly mercurial at that. In fact, Denis Ashton’s music is very open-minded, and he loves to incorporate a wider range of influences into his work. Most notably, his most recent release, “Leagues Below The Sea”, also features hints of electro-pop and alternative! At times raw and impactful, at times soft-spoken and understated, Denis is always able to elicit an emotional reaction in the audience with every single note. This amazing new studio work is well-produced and incredibly accomplished on the standpoint of songwriting. The track is definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys the work of artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Bloc Party, A Shamisen Orchestra, and New Order, but not only. The cohesion of this production is quite remarkable. As a result of it, the listening experience is truly smooth and immersive, akin to a journey through sound that will take the audience someplace else.

Find out more about Denis Ashton, and do not miss out on “Leagues Below The Sea”. This release is currently available on some of the best digital music streaming platforms on the web, and beyond.

Denis Ashton has recently released a brand new studio work, “Leagues Below The Sea.” This new song is also accompanied by a matching music video, which offers enticing visuals to accompany the mesmerizing electronic sounds and vocal melodies driving this track.

Interview with Denis Ashton

Tell us about yourself, who are you and where do you come from?

I am originally from Linden, Germany, and even have the name of my hometown tattooed across my chest. I now live close to the Fayetteville, NC area of the United States. Quite ironically, there’s actually a town called “Linden” not too far from me! I am an alternative electronic artist and vocalist. I mainly sing, but also rap and even scream. I record, engineer, write, mix, and master everything 100% by myself. I’m actually self-signed to my own record label Ashton Records, and right now Distrokid does our distribution when it comes to getting the music to streaming platforms and digital retailers. It has a very self-serving nature which helps independent artists such as myself. I tend to do a lot of work when it comes to the “business side” of things. My music is inspired by pain, and the stories of my suffering. My debut EP “The Sick EP” is also about having a good time, and the party songs have a deeper meaning. They’re about feeling happy and alive. When I wrote it, I was in denial about the problem I had at the time, and I actually don’t live my life like this anymore. I haven’t drank in 5 years. I had to get help. I tried to make the songs fun, but my pain naturally showed as well, which is good because it’s honest. To me, “partying” can be as simple as listening to energetic music, even if a person is completely alone and there is zero alcohol involved. I hope to help people by creating music which helps them feel happy and alive, cope, and even escape.

How was your passion for music born? Who are your idols?

I like to believe that my passion for music is a God-given gift. I have no natural talent for it, but God has walked with me and stayed by my side as I had the blessing of acquiring my talents through extremely long and hard work as well as experience. When I first had the feeling of “I HAVE TO BE A MUSICIAN! This is my dream!” I was 15 years old laying on the couch of our family guest-room. I believe this was in 2009, but I have certainly thought of being a musician a few what’s before then as well. It was the great era of MySpace, “emo” hairstyles and fashion, and alternative electronic music. Bands such as the Medic Droid inspired me to become an electronic musician. I think that I first started getting heavily into electronic music when Sonny Moore first started releasing music under his actual name, (before his “Skrillex” project was born). He had just quit his alternative rock band “From First To Last” at the time. I think I first started dabbling with the idea of becoming a musician when I became a fan of the emo band “Hawthorne Heights” at around age 12 or 13. I wanted to be in a rock band at first, but decided that I’d rather be an electronic-music-producing vocalist & solo artist. My greatest musical hero right now is Kyo, vocalist of the Japanese visual kei (Japanese glam rock) alternative metal band “Dir En Grey.” He also sings in “Sukekiyo” and “Petit Brabancon”.

What kind of music do you do?

99% of my music is electronically produced, but I did record my acoustic guitar using a vocal microphone for the outro of my song “Citrus” on my debut record “The Sick Ep”, which came out December 31st of 2021. Fun Fact: That EP took over 10 years to make, actually. Long story about a long process, haha. I sing, I rap, I scream, and I produce, so I wear many hats. I use the DAW (digital audio workstation) “FL Studio” by Image Line, but sometimes I use the free version of “Audacity” for simple editing and even filtering. Audacity actually came as a stock program on the laptop which my high school let me borrow for the school year. This was long before computer programs were called “apps”, which is really telling about my age! I’m actually 28 years old, but the “pretty boy” look keeps me looking more youthful, haha! My music tends to incorporate elements of many genres. Although alternative electronic is my main genre, there are also elements of rock, rap, and maybe even r&b in it. I like producing “strings sections” and electric guitar riffs, even though none of my current music has any electric guitar parts which I actually recorded on an electric guitar, haha! There are plenty of piano and synth sounds too, of course!

What is the most important song for you? What message do you want to convey to the listener?

Hm… probably “Leagues Below The Sea”. It’s a song about drowning, but it’s a huge metaphor for feeling overwhelmed. This includes the pressures and stresses of day-to-day life, as well as suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (AKA “OCD”), ADHD, and anxiety. I love writing lyrics, and I tend to use many metaphors and a lot of figurative language when I write. I love the music, too. From the automated wobble bass, to the synths, to the drums, and the strings and electric guitar sound I layered in the chorus. The singing could use work, but I did my best at the time. I really like how the screaming/yelling turned out. My DAW said that I recorded about 1,000 vocal takes, but they weren’t recorded all the way from start to finish. I had to press “STOP” quite quickly plenty of times during the recording process. This was also the 1st song which I ever recorded in my new vocal booth by Clear Sonic. I recorded about 90 to 95% of my vocals in there for this song. I did record a few earlier on before the booth was set up and ready. This was also my first song for which I used my “ML-1” microphone by Slate.

Why should a listener who doesn’t know you listen to your music?

Whether you love it or hate it, it’ll be different than anything you’ve ever heard before. The music is well written, it’s original, and conveys emotions. Maybe it’ll make you happy or help you cope with your problems. I hope it inspires you.

What are your future projects? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

5 years from now, I hope to be creating music for a living. I also have a clothing line project called “Augustus Avant”, which is currently on pause. They say it’s no good to “chase 2 rabbits at once”, ‘cuz you’ll catch neither. Musically, my current plan is to release several singles with music videos, and then start released full albums. I have a collection of lyrical ideas for several albums which I have been collecting over the last 10 years. They’re mainly stories about my life. Most would be “concept albums”. I tend to write lyrics about almost every negative thing that’s ever happened to me. A lot of the albums would be about different phases and issues of my life, and they would definitely overlap a bit. I’m definitely a story-teller.

Tell our readers a funny episode that happened in your career as an artist.

I had someone comment my Facebook video ad for one of my EP songs implying that it sucked, and when I politely thanked them for their honest feedback, asking them what I could do better next time, they simply told me to quit posting trash. I reply to trolls because it helps the engagement scores of social media algorithms (;

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