“I was initially thinking “fuck it, this album is going to be two hours long.”
I noticed a difference in tracks and sequencing between the earlier version of the album I’ve had and the official BF one. Most notably for me two of my favourite tracks, ‘Running Ink’ and ‘Of Hearts’, are no longer on there. How did you go about choosing what to keep, what to remove and the sequencing order? The final version definitely feels more cohesive in a way but is there anything you now wish may have been done different?
“You have no idea how many times I’ve listened through the album forwards, backwards and rearranged. I was initially thinking “fuck it, this album is going to be two hours long.” But then I broke it down again and again until it felt right to me. The tracks ‘Running Ink’, ‘Of Hearts’ and some others were removed for various reasons but basically FlyLo and I, as well as others, felt that the less-is-more approach was more suitable. As it stands now I wouldn’t change a thing. The tracks that were removed, however, will be released on a cassette version of the album along with many other unreleased tracks later this year.”
Nalepa once mentioned to me how impressed he was with what you could do with Ableton. Which leads me to wonder if a/ you make all your music in Ableton? b/ if you don’t what do you use and how does Ableton fit into it? and/or c/ if you do make your music primarily in Ableton what is it about the program that makes it essential for you for making music (as opposed to just using it to perform live which is what most people do)?
“I did do a Q&A with Nalepa’s music class where I ran through my workflow in Logic Pro and shared some of my secrets. For remix work and live sets I use Ableton Live which is ridiculously intuitive. The warping/timestretching in there sounds great and as much as I’m a fan of Logic it really can’t hold a candle to Ableton in that regard. Ableton was the first program in years that really wow’ed me and years later I’m still uncovering new things to use in the studio or live, and as an added bonus it somehow manages to work on my old beat up Powerbook G4.”
And in terms of live shows what do you use for that and what can people expect? Is it strictly your own stuff or a mix of yours and other people’s music?
“The KNIFE [see below picture] is in full effect running an old copy of Ableton Live along with an Akai MPD24. On occasion I’ll also use a little Ozone2 midi keyboard for live instrumentation as well as my trusty Shure SM58 if I feel like doing live vocals which is something I’ll be doing a lot more of lately. As far as what to expect – a lot of my own stuff that you might know and like, some remixes, edits and a lot of my own stuff that you have never even heard. If the set is a few hours long I’ll sometimes incorporate tunes from guys like Current Value, Huoratron, Neonblack or some drone/metal. Whatever I’m feeling for the occasion, I guess. Performing is really intense for me most of the time. I hear my music loud and see what it does to the crowd. It sends me firing straight out of the void. A lot of times it feels like we’re all serving some kind of penance. Yes.”
“Working with others can be a challenge, especially when it comes down to swapping files via the internet, but it forces me, at least, to get over old habits and staples and rethink things.”
Download: Omega Clash – Straighter Metal
Over the years you’ve worked with various other producers, and more recently you’ve done the Omega Clash project with Adoptahighway. Is there anything else you’re working on collabo wise you can/want to tell people about?
“A lot of people sleep on Omega Clash, I think, but our steam is building. Our first EP is out (omegaclash.bandcamp.com) and our second is nearly done which will be picked up by the San Francisco label Frite Nite and released at some undetermined time. Samiyam and I did a track together and I’ve got some other stuff in the works with Lower/Lewis Rowley (UK), Illum Sphere (UK), Emika and a scratch record with Om Unit (UK), and probably some others that I’m an asshole for forgetting about.”
How do you find it working with other people on music, considering what you epxlained with regards to what you’ve put into the music, do you find that working with others is as liberating as doing things by yourself? Or does it force to maybe keep some of what is inside you quieter and instead open up to new ideas/moods etc…?
“Definitely the latter. There is still a degree of unease or menace with the Omega Clash music but it has a different sensibility and complexity all its own which comes from working with Adoptahighway – a ridiculously talented bassist, composer and ex-lofi breakcore producer. Working with others can be a challenge, especially when it comes down to swapping files via the internet, but it forces me, at least, to get over old habits and staples and rethink things. I feel like a real collaboration should be able to hold its own identity and not necessarily sound like X & Y musicians built it. There’s still a lot to uncover for me in that regard but I’m always learning and making those ‘good mistakes’ just as I was when I started all of this.”
What’s next for you? As you pointed out this album has been a long time coming so do you have anything already planned or something you want to move onto?
“Maaaan I have plans. Supporting the album with a tour is crucial. Also I never stop working so there are a lot of new unreleased tracks that I’ll be working out later with Brainfeeder. I’ve written a few short films that I’ll be producing, shooting and scoring on 8mm/Super8 cameras. Lots of remixes. New artwork. Maybe a long-overdue art book. Hopefully finding some opportunities to do original music for film/television/interactive media. I’d like to render Nothing Else to sheet music and have a series of orchestra performances minus the stuffy dress code. Maybe after all of that I’ll start my next album which is tentatively titled Michael Jordan. Ugghhh.”
Laurent Fintoni
Photo credit: Nathan Osterhaus
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