Interview with Luke Drozd: Make Music, Make Art
Known for his screen-printed posters, album artwork and multi-disciplinary projects that blur the lines between performance, sound and sculpture, Bergen-based artist, illustrator and musician Luke Drozd has carved out a distinctive space where sound, image and storytelling meet.
In this conversation with Almass Badat, Drozd discusses his ongoing Propaganda poster series with British Underground’s Crispin Parry, the enduring power of physical print in a digital world and why collaging, collecting and the overlooked remain central to his creative process.
Luke Drozd, photographed by Paulina Campos Hierro.
“I never think about legacy. That way madness lies. All I ever really think about is trying to make something I like, and hopefully others will too.”
Hi Luke, as a polymath, how does your music practice compliment (or contrast!) your visual art?
I tend to think of all my work as coming from the same place. I can see the through lines even if it’s not obvious from the outside. Collaging, collecting, experimenting and trying to maintain a playfulness is nearly always present. I think it all links together somehow but maybe time will tell exactly how.
The “Keep Music Weird” limited edition A2 screen-print, the third release in BU x Luke Drozd’s ‘weird’ series, celebrates experimentation, collaboration and boundary-pushing music, with all profits supporting Duchenne UK. See purchase link below.
How do you capture the sound and energy of a musician or event in a single image?
My process tends to be the same each time I work on a poster or album cover. I listen to the music and scribble down ideas based on what it makes me think or feel. If one of these chimes with the band, we move forward. All I ever hope to do is make an image that somehow holds some of the energy of how the music sounds. I’m not sure I always manage it, but there is always joy in trying.
Tell us about the latest artwork in your propaganda series with British Underground.
This is the third work in the series. Each starts with a phrase or a quote from British Underground ‘Head Mischief Maker’ Crispin Parry, and from there I comb through my archive of old magazines, cuttings and encyclopedias to try and wrangle that into a piece of artwork people hopefully want on their walls. Something bold and a little weird…which is itself very BU.
Where can we get a print of the “Keep Music Weird” poster?
Via the good folk at Prints of Thieves, the print studio in Leeds run by Tommy Davidson-Hawley and his team of brilliant printmakers. Tommy is a talented poster artist and musician and runs his studio with a great deal of care and attention to detail because he is also embedded in that world.
Luke Drozd by Jason Nogoy
Do your dreams look like your art?
Often my dreams are incredibly mundane and filled with anxiety. Sometimes my art is like that. I once dreamt I was the first dolphin to become an astronaut and go into space. Sometimes my art is also like that.
Music posters often become cultural artefacts. How do you think about legacy when you create?
I never think about legacy. That way madness lies. All I ever really think about is trying to make something I like, and hopefully others will too.
In an era of digital promotion, what keeps the physical poster relevant and powerful?
I think there is still something thrilling about the physicality of work out in the open. Having your attention grabbed in a record store or on the street by a pop of colour, a bold image and wanting to know more. With the works that end up being screen-printed, this is heightened by an ability for us as artists to play with the colours, overlays and texture that can be lost on screen. They are physical things occupying a hinterland where advert meets artifact.
Have you ever produced something that flopped or surprised you in hindsight? What did that risk teach you?
I have produced many things that have done both those things. Posters that I wasn’t especially pleased with that years later I realise still hold up. Or work that I thought at the time did its job, but in hindsight misses the mark. That said, I try to keep moving forwards, and think of each previous work as a learning experience. Taking a risk can help with that progress. It leads to new ways of working and to new collaborations.
What advice would you give young designers hoping to make their mark in music culture?
Make things you want to make, find people you want to work with. Make a mess, make mistakes. Say yes to some things, say no to others. Drink plenty of water, but not too much.
Finally, where can we see more of you work and how can people get in touch with you?
Via lukedrozd.com or instagram (@lukedrozd)
Shreds Hexes by Luke Drozd
