Introducing Abel and Petersen’s Alt Ego
CAPE Town natives Jody Abel and Callen Petersen, more commonly known as Acoustic Element, recently released their new music project, titled Alt Ego.
Acoustic Element started out in 2010 as a guitar and violin duo who mostly did covers of popular music. A departure from their previous electronicinfused cover versions, Alt Ego is an album of original music, featuring some well-known classical samples.
As Acoustic Element, the duo made a name for themselves within the Cape Town event scene. After honing their craft at corporate and night club events, they have now discovered their own sound and are ready to reintroduce themselves as Alt Ego.
Tonight spoke to them right before their big launch party at the One & Only in Cape Town and the pair revealed that their journey through the local music industry hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
“We’ve been very lucky and blessed to have received a lot of work and we could fit into various markets, but the hardest part was leaving our jobs,” revealed Abel.
Petersen added: “It took Jody about two years to convince me. He always believed in the product, not to say that I didn’t believe it. However, the biggest obstacle was changing the perception of people that this can be a career”.
They may have started out as purely an instrumental duo, but the change to Alt Ego also signals a shift in their sound. On the night of the launch, they were showcasing three tracks from their new album, which features vocals by Lakota Silva and Matthew Gold.
Speaking about why they have not added a vocalist to the group, Petersen says: “It’s a question we’ve been asked a lot, but we’ve decided against it. Look at our idols, Goldfish. They have proven that you can be an instrumental duo, have an electro and dance feel and include vocals without having another member.
“The thing that makes us special is we have that initial connection and bond that we are family and we can read each other.”
“It would be very hard to add a third person to Acoustic Element and Alt Ego,” adds Abel.
His view is that having tried it previously, they prefer to maintain their group dynamic and then collaborate with different people. The process of working with different artists is one they enjoy, as evidenced by the amounts of guest features on their album, which includes South Africa’s Got Talent winners Four, Amy Tjasink, Jade Hubner and Desmond John.
Listening to Alt Ego, it is clear they’ve settled on their signature sound, something all artists need to do in order to distinguish themselves from all the noise in the music industry. Callen says: “Our niche product now is taking well-known classical songs and adding house and dance beats, plus adding vocals to make it something special”.
After that marriage of different musical influences, how about a honeymoon of sorts? The duo is going on holiday during July, with a trip to Amsterdam, followed by a week-long yacht party in Croatia – insert intense jealousy. The trip will conclude in Split, Croatia, at the Ultra Music Festival.
Then they are off to Sweden to perform at a club called Cafe Opera, before returning to home soil and another round of promotions for Alt Ego.