In this new feature we explore some of our favourite artists’ passions outside of their musical endeavours.

This time we speak with Hugh Schulte, of North London dream-poppers Gengahr, about his long-standing passion for painting.

To provide some background, Schulte’s band - Gengahr - shot to cult notoriety in 2015 following the release of their critically-acclaimed debut, A Dream Outside. With its curious blend of breezy psychpop melodies and gently unsettling lyrics, this otherworldly record struck a chord with its listeners and helped revitalise a British indie scene on the wane.

Fast-forward 3 years and Gengahr have returned with their much larger sophomore outing, Where Wildness Grows. Having vacated their bedroom beginnings, the Stoke Newington four-piece descended on the studio in an effort to capture the energy of their live performances, and by so doing have produced a wonderfully refined record that makes good on every promise of the first.

One might have noticed that the artwork of their releases all share a similarly textural and abstract aesthetic; almost as if they were painted by the same hand. As it turns out, that hand belongs to bassist Hugh Schulte who, alongside his rhythmic commitments in Gengahr, is an avid painter.

Ever the Renaissance Man, Schulte has also found time to co-curate a couple of ‘Gengahr & Friends’ art exhibitions, the most recent of which features works by Mystery Jets, Marika Hackman, Toothless and of course Schulte himself.

With such a demonstrable appetite (and indeed talent) for the visual arts, we thought it would be interesting to learn a little bit more about Schulte’s passion for painting. After all, and as the opening lyrics of the new LP’s title track posit, ‘Works of art/ fill a room/ with home truths’.

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TMR: Many will know you as the bassist of Gengahr but we imagine most won’t be aware of your endeavours in the arts. How did you first get into the visual side of things?

I'm an art school drop-out so I did a year of a degree in painting before the band took precedence. But I really got into it when I was about 14 and painting has been the 50% of my two bow string ever since!

TMR: You appear to predominantly use oil in your work. Is this your favourite medium? If so, why?

It is my current favourite medium, yes. I use an oil-based ground on my canvases which creates a nice slippery and non-absorbent surface. This helps with the brushstrokes I want to create in my work.

TMR: What or who do you look to for inspiration?

Recently I've been taking inspiration from nature. Identifying different patterns and textures that appeal to me and then abstracting them a bit from there.



TMR: Is there an ultimate vision to your artwork, or an end goal you’d like to achieve?

Ultimately I just want to create images that people can enjoy looking at for more than a few seconds. I often like to play with depth perception, drawing attention to the history of brushstrokes in a painting. Doing this in layers - from background to foreground is normally the most effective way of doing this.

TMR: Are visual art and music linked for you? Are there overlapping processes, inspirations or goals?

It all comes from the same place yeah, whether it's colors or notes you have to arrange them instinctively and hope other people are affected by it in some way.

TMR: What do you get out of painting that you don’t from making music?

Painting is a very solitary experience so it's nice to be able to crack on with it at your own pace.

TMR: What can you tell us about the cover to Gengahr’s new record Where Wildness Grows? What came first: the music or the cover? What is it about this image that you think speaks to this album specifically?

The music came first here as it was one of the last ones I completed in the series. The others were done alongside. As I mentioned earlier I like to try and create a readable history within the paintings which for me parallels a musical performance. All the tracks were recording live on the album and I wanted the painting to have a similar energy. The process is important for me and I wanted people to be able to pick that apart visually.



TMR: As demonstrated by the ‘Gengahr & Friends’ art exhibitions, it seems there’s a whole network of musicians who make visual art on the side of their musical commitments. Can you tell us a bit about how these exhibitions came about?

We did the first one of these around the release of our last album. I had met a lot of people in bands that were also artists so we thought it would be fun to throw a party and get them all together under one roof!

TMR: Your art is done on your own, but could you ever imagine doing something collaborative in this space (the way you have with your bandmates in Gengahr)?

It's not something I've really considered doing before but thanks for the suggestion! I love collaboration in a musical way so I don't see why I wouldn't enjoy it artistically. I'm sure it would be a very interesting and engaging exercise.

TMR: What does the rest of 2018 hold for yourself and Gengahr?

We are busy preparing for our upcoming UK and European tour, including a massive London homecoming show at Koko, which is very exciting and terrifying at the same time. After than we will be hitting up some festivals in the summer. And after that is still being figured out!



Gengahr’s new record, Where Wildness Grows, is out now via Transgressive Records. Catch Gengahr on tour this year.

-Karl Jawara