Jake Brett is a Brighton-based multi-instrumentalist.

An accomplished songwriter, he performed in various bands before releasing his debut solo album, Jake Brett and the Boleen Modifier, which is available to listen to now.

He spoke to Luke Killick about his ‘dystopian funk’ sound.

When did you first start making music?

I started playing music properly at around 13. But since I was 8 or 9 I used to compose my own tunes in a video game called The Legend Of Zelda. So it kind of unofficially started there.

What made you choose Brighton as the place to pursue that further?

Brighton seemed like this foreign land that was only two hours away from Watford (my hometown), but it seemed like it had some sort of magic about it. So I decided to study there, and now it’s the place in the world I feel most at home.

You’re album came out at the beginning of this month and in the credits for it on Soundcloud you credit your mum and dad as therapists. Was it a stressful process?

Well, halfway through this record, I moved back in with my mum for a while. I was working on some other projects and saving up money. She let me set up my studio at home and make a lot of noise.

She was a great soundboard for criticism. My mum and my girlfriend were my rocks whilst making this record. Because I recorded pretty much all of it myself, I didn’t have the camaraderie I would have had in a band. They provided that when I needed it.

Your Facebook page describes your music as Dystopian Funk, which strangely seems to fit. Is that the kind of mood you wanted your album to convey?

Partially yes, but the genre itself was thought up after making the majority of the record. I draw on a huge variety of music from Funkadelic to Phillip Glass, Fela Kuti to St Vincent and Prince to Bjork. I like a lot of ‘arty’ stuff that is a little more avant-garde but I also like simple songs that don’t mess around and have a good pay off. So I had a lot of these dark elements drawn from chamber music and minimalism, but still wanted to have a funkiness to it.

I feel the majority of the record is a conversation between those two styles. For my next record, which I’m currently writing, I’m going in the opposite direction and want to focus more on just writing simple nice songs.

You’ve said your live shows will be accompanied by a synchronised movie. Could you tell us what it involves?

Right now it involves a lot of tea, a lot of late nights and a lot of work. I recently put on an art exhibition for my album release, which you can see on my Facebook page. That’s a good guide for how it is going to turn out.

I’m developing that idea more at the moment and making all the videos. The main focus is for each track to have its own distinct aesthetic visually, that will give the audience another level in which to experience them.

I don’t believe songs have to just exist in audio. A song contains history and imagery and eventually ends up with a lot of sentimental attachment, and I really want to encompass that idea live. It will also have some of the lyrics on the screens for people to read, which is also good for me because if I forget the lyrics, I have a reminder!

Do you have any upcoming gigs in Brighton?

I don’t have any booked as of yet, but I will have a string of shows in December and January and Brighton is on that list, so keep an eye out.