It wasn’t hard for Christchurch synth pop act Wulfie aka Tim Heeringa to convince us that it’s worth showing you his new music video. Heeringa and his team went for an authentic retro look for his track Overcome. Sophie Mashlan quizzed him about the visuals, sounds and himself!

You’ve only just started up the project, Wulfie – your new single, Overcome, has a very creative video with an authentic old-school feel to it. Can you give some insight into the process of creating this video?

The video was a collaboration between me and a team of students studying at the Ara Broadcasting School in Christchurch. (Micah Winiate, Andrei Talili, James Mackey, Sebastian Boyle, Nisha Jolliffe). Micah (the Director) had a vision of an 80’s post apocalyptic backdrop where the main character goes through virtual reality in search of his lost love. I wanted it to look like it could have been filmed 30 years ago while keeping it futuristic. Therefore the texture you see over the whole video is in fact, true VCR rendering. The only way to achieve this authentically, of course, is to run it through a video tape player several times till the desired effect appears. Not only that but the whole thing was filmed in 4:6 ratio in an era where wide-screen didn’t exist!

What other bands and projects have you been involved with in the past that we might have heard of?

I have been playing in several bands and projects over the years but the main one for the last three has been Black Fox Trio, a rock trio birthed in the midst of rubble in the heart of the city.

What inspired you to dive into creating synth-based electronic music?

I’ve always had an obsession with electronic music. Even though I grew up on mostly rock, classical and jazz, I’ve always craved the freedom in creating what ever sound I wanted while evoking an emotion or idea in a way I’d never heard before. I want to capture the flamboyant musicality of the 80’s while merging modern technology with my first love, song writing.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

This is always a hard one because I listen to so many different styles. I would say Muse has been a massive inspiration as well as Above & Beyond, Alice In Chains and probably John Mayer in the way I approach songwriting and playing the guitar.

How long have you been making music for, and what formal training did you get, if any?

I started writing songs in my final years of high school, about 8 years ago and from there went on to study at the ARA Musical Arts, receiving a bachelor of musical arts in 2014. That was an immense help in my journey as a songwriter and opened up a world of ideas and sounds I didn’t have before.

What’s up next for you?

Well, obviously, I want to push Wulfie as far as I can go. I am releasing my debut EP in just over a month and a couple more singles. I have also started writing for other artists as I write far too much for my own projects. and have always wanted to write for others. I am about to head away on a two-month tour around the country in Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper’s show: That Bloody Woman before coming back home to carry on taking over the world with retro, electronic pop!