How did did you get started?
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With Euphorius, we were writing ambient music, so we ended up doing the chill rooms at a lot of the Ridglea Theater parties for various promoters (Zedan, Galactic Entertainment, etc…) as well as the first Subtronic Theater event
Later, Jason and I went our separate ways, and I started a short-lived trance project called Astrolabe. That's when I met Stefan Anion and Brian Aneurysm (Bernhard Pucher) and joined the AI Collective, along with a few other names you might know - Initialization String, Starfire, Ropelab, DJ QT, Stefan (who ended up forming the Mind Theory), Bernhard (who started Iron Box Music), Charlie Pivot, and a few other folks. Our first big event was playing the outdoor area at Transit down in Houston at the Astro arena - any of you that went to that monstrosity of a massive can attest to how crazy it was.
As much as I liked trance music at the time, I had to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't very good at writing it. I started experimenting with other forms of music, listening to more IDM and breakbeat and what not, writing secret little experiments that I never really intended for anybody to hear, more making music for myself instead of trying to write dance music that I thought other people would like or that would be commercially viable. One day I ended up playing it for some friends and surprisingly, they really liked it, and thus, gift culture was born.
Could you elaborate on gift culture? Is there a deeper meaning behind the word.
Well, in essence, a gift culture is similar to what you have at Burning Man, where there's a gift economy in place - everybody runs around gifting everybody else with no money exchanged - a free exchange of knowledge or culture or other gifts. In a way, that's how a lot of electronic music culture is transmitted; if it wasn't for people like Josh and Jason and lots of other folks I've met along the way who have gifted me with software, knowledge, or good music, I wouldn't be at the place that I'm at now. Likewise, I try to pass it on forward to people that I've met who are just starting out.
On a larger level, it's about how the Internet and programs like Soulseek allow artists to share their music with listeners all around the world. Yes, I would rather people purchase my music, because each CD sold contributes to my ability to make my art. That being said, if it's a choice between somebody not being able to afford the music and downloading it, I'd rather them download it. It makes me happy to know that tracks of mine are being listened to all around the world. I've found gift culture tracks in DJ setlists from as far away as Singapore and Helsinki. That's a great feeling when that happens. Of course, I've also found my CD ripped and reviewed in Russian on Russian MP3 trading sites. You win some and you lose some, but I think the benefits of online distribution with the exposure and international booking opportunities it opens up outweigh the negatives of piracy.
What kind of music can we expect to hear from you?
My music has been described as downtempo, breakbeat, IDM, and psychill. I tend to enjoy exploring esoteric synthesis techniques (granular, spectral (FFT-based), physical modeling, etc…) and I'm a percussionist by training (with a special love for ethnic percussion) so some people say my music is tribal or exotic sounding.
I try not to restrict what I write according to genre categories, and I tend to borrow elements from many different genres, but I would say the above description is more or less accurate of my sound.
Where can we buy your music?
My music is available for purchase from the
Apple itunes musicstore or the label
Artificial Music Machine.
What's the best thing about producing or Djing?
Well, I do them both. Actually, I came at it backwards from most folks. Many producers I know started out as DJs for a few years and caught the producing bug. For me, it was the opposite. I produced electronic music for 5-6 years before I ever got behind the decks and learned to mix records.
The best thing about producing to me is the amazing possibilities that technology affords you to manipulate sound. For really the first time in human history, sound can be sculpted just about any way you can be creative enough to think of. Wire up dancers with sensors that tie into parameters that effect the music or the visuals and you've just created an entirely new form of interactive media. The sky is the limit, really.
The best thing about DJing to me is having the opportunity to share music that moves you with other people. Frankly, it's also fun to rock a dancefloor. With software solutions like final scratch, I can write a song on the plane flight to a show and spin it out that night as if it were vinyl. It can send midi clock, so you can sync it with Ableton live and do hybrid DJ / Live PA sets. Again, the sky is really the limit.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My friend and labelmate Jamie Watts (aka kilowatts) has been a great source of inspiration to me, both as a musician and as a friend. The same thing with my bandmates in Init String. My friend Paul, who left the US for Australia to study at SAE (sound and audio engineering) is both amazingly humble and wonderfully talented. Basically anybody who is interested in pushing the envelope, trying new things - they all inspire me.
The possibilities brought to bear by music technology such as the Kyma system, the upcoming Reactor 5, Max/MSP, etc — all inspire me to try to create. I often tell people that it's like blissful meandering through an infinitely vast and beautiful parameter space. Just don't forget to hit record!
Do you listen to any non electronic music?
I fell in the trap of being so in love with electronic music for a few years that it was all I listened to for a long time. Lately though, I've been looking for inspiration in other places and rediscovering non-electronic music. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Ben Folds, Stereolab, Tortoise, Miles Davis, Philip Glass, Fourtet (which is more folktronica, I guess), Laika, Radiohead, Tabla Beat Science, Unkle, and Bjork (who I guess might technically be electronic, I suppose), among other artists. I'm a musical omnivore.
Name your top two tunes at the moment.
Spaghetti from Kilowatts, off the upcoming Pasta EP, which is coming out on Bless Records and RawQ (Killowatts with peter vanek) called Tumbling Down. In fact, much of the music that I find myself listening to and loving comes from people that I know.
What was your favorite event to play at, and why?
Well, as far as init string goes, I'd have to say last year at Burning Flipside (which is a regional mini-burning man type event), playing under an 80 ft tall metal pyramid that shot flames 40 feet in the air and green lasers for a bunch of wonderfully crazy freaks.
As far as gift culture goes, I'd have to say that my favorite event to play was at the Omnidance festival in upstate NY - nothing like playing a sunrise set in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains to brighten your day.
Any upcoming gigs?
Thursday night weekly gig with James Meadows at Crave called MixBAG. We try to keep things fresh with regularly bringing in guest DJs and Brett's hamburgers can't be beat, so y'all should come on out and have a good time.
May 14 - A Touchsamadhi / Psytopia outdoor party in Austin - I'll be doing a live set in the chillout area.
May 21 - Grapes of Wrath with Mistical Productions
May 28 - A Shiva Shakti event
May 29 - Burning Flipside
Jun 04 - A drum and bass dj set at Crave
I'm also very excited to report that Gift Culture and Initialization String will all be playing the GeoLogic: an Aestival Festival in Chicago in July by
Psymbolic. We're also currently lining up dates in Philly and NYC for a nice little east coast tour.
What do you think of the current state of the Dallas scene and what do you think we can do to improve it
It saddens me that there isn't more support for what people are trying to do. I'm as guilty as the next party about not going out as much as I should, but I try to support when I can. I sometimes wonder if people here realize how good they really have it - Dallas is full of world class producers and DJs - message boards in other cities have posts talking about how envious they are that people in the Dallas scene have so many chances to hear great talent, and yet those same artists struggle here sometimes to get the support they deserve here.
As for what we can do to improve it, well, there's not much that I can say that hasn't already been said. Support your locals, if they have records or albums out, buy them. Visit a weekly every now and then. Bring a friend who is new to electronic music - new people are the lifeblood of any cultural movement.
Speak up and let local artists know if you like their music - I know for me that knowing my music has touched people has been the thing that's kept me going when things got hard.
Is there anything you see that other musicians do that annoys you?
I hate it when artists hoard knowledge, as if it were some sort of trade secret. The tools are so advanced these days that even with the same knowledge, people are going to get unique sounds out of them. Knowledge is power and information wants to be free. If it weren't for people sharing knowledge with me, I would never have found this music or culture.
Also, I hate it when people don't financially support events because they're Very Important People. Even when I'm on the guest list, if I have cash to spare, I'll still pay to get in. We're all trying to do the best we can, and if we love it, we should put our money where our mouths are and support.
Do you want to thank anybody
Just because you're not listed doesn't mean you didn't touch my life… Eiwe and Annesta, of course, for putting so much time and effort into DDM. Josh Meredith, Aaron Anthony, Mason Collier, David Green, Mist and Mellody, Skywise, Jason Warner, John Walker, Jamie Wattts, Kari Altmann, Reggie Zeno, Robert from Galactic Entertainment, Raid-5 and co, Dave Cannon, Brett and Wendy, James Meadows, Brian Maples, Roy Hoover (RoyGBIv!!!), Thomas Fang, Dan Burton, and Martin McCreadie from Artificial Music Machine for putting my music out. Troy and Julle from psymbolic for being such artistic inspirations, Cyberina Flux from KNON, Tom and Chris from KTCU, Darrel in NYC, and everybody else who supports my music, electronic music in general, and electronic music culture.
Photos courtesy of Kari Altmann
