Artists

Connan Mockasin Biography

Biography

Mockasin, who was born Connan Hosford in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, was first exposed to music by his guitar-playing father when he was very young. The fact that he made his first song at the age of five doesn’t seem all that unbelievable when you consider the lively, imaginative, and experimental nature of his later work.

Connan & the Mockasins, his first band, was formed in 2004. They played shows in New Zealand and independently released two EPs before moving to England. However, Hosford believed that the band’s structure prevented him from expressing his uniqueness, so he disbanded the group and returned to New Zealand to concentrate on solo work under the stage name Connan Mockasin.

Career & Projects

Connan Mockasin, a songwriter, draws inspiration from obscure acid-damaged artists from various eras as well as ’70s soft rock, silky jazz, and spiraling, wonderfully confusing psychedelic pop tunes. Along with releasing a number of solo albums, Mockasin frequently works with and produces for other musicians. He has produced music for Charlotte Gainsbourg, played in the sleazy glam funk band Soft Hair, and even released a joint album with his father in 2021 called It’s Just Wind.

Jassbusters Two, a primarily instrumental solo album by Mockasin, was also released in 2021. When his mother encouraged him to self-produce an album, Hosford set about using his parents’ home while they were at work to produce Please Turn Me into the Snat, his perfectly realized debut solo album, which is overflowing with inventively quirky psychedelic music.

Sam Eastgate of Late of the Pier, a friend and collaborator, shared his songs with label owner, producer, and DJ Erol Alkan after he had shared the stage with bands like Crowded House and Micachu & the Shapes in 2010. Alkan had intended to release an EP of a few tracks, but after falling in love with the entire recording process, he changed his mind and chose to make it the first full-length album on Phantasy Sound.

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