Blair Jollands: Kiwi musician on his career, recent album 'Little Comet'

Kiwi musician Blair Jollands has made a name for himself overseas. 

He works as a sound designer and composer in the film industry, as well as creating and releasing his own music. 

Jollands has a wide range of film credits, but some of the most popular he left his mark on are Poldark, Shackleton, Midas Man, and Alien vs Predator.  

He’s worked with a wide range of stars, including Madonna and Rhianna, and won praise from the late David Bowie and Boy George. 

‘Little Comet’ is his fourth album, which he recently released under his own name after performing under the pseudonym ‘El Hula’.  

Jollands left New Zealand in 1995, spending awhile in the United States before winding up in the UK, where he’s remained since. 

He told Mike Hosking that getting a job in sound design at the time was very much a right time, right place situation. 

“I was a coffee barista, and I thought y’know, I really need to get something that pays a little bit more to help my music along.” 

“So I actually walked in and gave them my CV, and a week later they said ‘will you come in because we had three people just, they’ve been headhunted and they’ve gone to another studio.’” 

Although sound design and music production may seem like different areas, Jolland says these days the line between them is really fine. 

“For example, the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, for say, his movie ‘Sicario’, it’s, I find it very hard to establish what is music and what is sound design – it's very tonal, it’s not as harmonic, less melodic.” 

“But generally speaking, sound design is more organic, and we capture sounds and manipulate them.” 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Another expect flying the musical flag for you. Blair Jollins

(00:02):
as a musician sound designer as well. Among other things,
he composes and designs the soundtracks for programs like pol Dark, Shackleton,
Midas Man, and Alien B Predator. He's also performed and
released music under the name el Hula. His fourth album,
Little Comment, has just been released in his own name
and Bled Jollins as with us. Very good morning, Hoho, Mike,
thanks for having me. Now the el Hula, how do

(00:23):
we explain that what's going on there? El Hula was
actually a name of what was my sort of alter
ego so to speak, a little while ago, when I
was on boy George's label and it was a project,
and just recently I revamped it and we did an
EP which you were just playing there. Yes, And actually

(00:44):
el Hula I was a big well I'm a big
fan of Elvis. But at the time I thought, well,
when I've got my records on the shelves, I want
to be near Alvis. So al Huda was the closest
name and it worked. Actually, that's quite clever. You left.
How long ago I left A nine five. I went
to the States for a little while like busking and

(01:04):
stayed in New Orleans and went around the perimeter twenty
six states. I loved it, and then I run out
of money, got to the UK and thought I'll stay
here for a year or two, and here we are.
And that's the way it goes. The story whereby the
sound what do you call it in the movies, what
do you call it? Sound engineering? Sound design? Sound design?

(01:25):
So that story whereby you wander past the theater. So
you're working in a cafe just off Sable Row and
you wandered past the theater with the sign for the
job and you just walk in. Yeah, and you get
the job. Oh, you've done your homework. You're dealing with
a pro here make doin. Well, yeah, that's very good.

(01:47):
Is that real? That is real and it's really happens.
I mean, it's so hard to get in that business,
and people are runners for years and they go to
go to film school and college to try and get
into it. But literally I was I think I was
working for I was a coffee barrister and I thought,
you know, I really need to get something that pays

(02:09):
a little bit more to help my music alone. And
I did have experience. I'd worked at Stebbings here in
Auckland as a mastering engineer, so I did kind of
know how to operate a little bit of the cat.
So I actually walked in and gave them my CV
and a week later they said will you come in
because we had three people just they've been headhunted and

(02:32):
they've gone to another studio, and then like can you Yeah.
The reason I asked that question is is that seems
to be a time and place type story of something
that cannot be creating nowadays, and if you landed in
London tomorrow it would never happen. I don't want to
discourage people try it, but yeah, I think it was
pretty pretty very lucky in the right place at the

(02:54):
right time for sure. Yeah. Creatively speaking, what's the difference
between sound design and movie and the music you want
to make? Are you doing it too for you know,
description prescription? I would say there's these days is a
real fine line between music and sound design, Like if I,

(03:16):
for an example, the late Johann Johanssen, for say, his
movie Sakario, I find it very hard to establish what
is music and what is sound design. It's very tonal,
it's not as harmonic, less melodic, but generally speaking, sound
design is more organic, and we capture sounds and manipulate them,

(03:40):
but not so as to really compete with score, right,
so they have to be slightly different so as not
to be out of tune with each other. Is it
a gift or you learn it? I think both, you know,
I personally felt I had an affinity with it being
a music position. There's definitely a lot of timing involved

(04:03):
with sound design, knowing when to place sounds like when
do you place the rooster crow in a cutaway? You know,
how long do you wait? And when's that? When's that
blast of thunder? And the distance just to sort of
help and emotion. Is that one of those things? And
the reason I'm building up to this is do you
watch White Lotus? Do you know White Lotus the television printer?
I've heard of it? Okay, right, So it doesn't matter.

(04:25):
So the third series is just out now. People are
reacting to the music, the sound design. They don't like
Season three. It's gone because it's set in different place.
First season Hawaii, then Italy, and now it's set in Thailand.
It's different, It's got a tie vibe to it. But
people are reacting to it. Is it supposed to be
just so subtle that you don't even realize it's there? Yes?

(04:49):
Or can you then go wait a minute, here I
am and suddenly that's when people react and that you
haven't done. Think it should be subtle. It should be
like Ringo Star on the drum kit. You don't notice it,
but it's there, It's solid and it's doing its job.
You know, a very good example of great sound designers
the lightsaber from Star Wars. You know, we noticed that

(05:11):
it's just really cool, right, but you just accept it.
It is what you're saying with white Lotus that the
news people are starting it jars. It distracts from you
that night saber thing. Isn't it because it is? It
is cool? But is it cool because it is cool
or we've just in retrospect decided it's cool because it

(05:33):
could have been different. I think it really is actually
really really cool. It's a cool sound that someone's made
from like smacking a cable and then manipulating that, putting
it through lots of guitar pedals or something. It's so true. Now,
what are you going to play for us after the break?
I'm going to play a song called Wading in the Water,
which is off my new album. I listened to that yesterday.
It's a good song. Is going to change it up

(05:56):
for the live acoustic, I'll cut it down a bit.
You know, I wanted to play Waiting in the Water
because you know, it's a song that embraces encouraged us
to embrace not only the light and the joy, but
the darkness and loss and grief, and lately, for me
the last year, I've experienced quite a bit of that.

(06:18):
I lost my mum last month, and you know it's painful,
and I know that a lot of listeners will be,
you know, have gone through it or going through it,
so you know, this one's for all of us. And okay,
the guest is Blair Jollins. The album's little comments. The
song is Wading in the Water.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
We're gone a little SOULJA way saved I free. Well,
I went along just for all the waves in the sea.
Still through the bottle, that light is broken in the sand.

(07:16):
Still I look through tomorrowle burn and message in my hand.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
And I'm with in in the water, but I can't
find you, And I'll stay round a little longer, So
I can't hold you.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
And where.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
And out in the water, But I can't find you,
and where around A letle longer, so I get older,
and I.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
Will hold you, And all the days on account and.

Speaker 3 (08:18):
Lost in a rage to the flood for all the
gold in the mountain, Well I would trade for blood.

Speaker 2 (08:33):
Still I look through the bottle. Their light is broken
in the sand. Still I look through tomorrow burn a
message in, and I'm with.

Speaker 3 (08:56):
And in the water. But I can't find you. You
no way around A little longer, so I can't hold you.

Speaker 1 (09:59):
Brilliant, well done, le Jolin's good to see you have
a good dumb start in the country. Thanks so much.
Come look us up next time you back, won't you?
Little comments as the album that was Wading in the Water.
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
News Talks at b from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.