Archive for the ‘The Rocking Chair Blog’ Category
Album Review: Retroreviews – Spin Doctors “You’ve Got To Believe In Something” (1996)
Posted: August 14, 2019 by Maximum Mike in The Rocking Chair BlogTags: maximum
1) You were born in Scotland. How did you come to be based in Riga, and what is the Electronic Music scene like?
I lived in Scotland for 29 years, and met a Latvian girl – she had been living in Scotland for some years but had decided it was time she returned to her home, so I felt it was a good opportunity to experience something new, and moved over to be here in Riga. The music scene is a little different over here. There are less parties happening, but because of that, they tend to be a bit busier. That said – Latvia i a very small country both geographically and in terms of population, so we’re probably never going to have a crazy bustling scene. It’s always likely to be smaller than big cities like London, Manchester or even, closer to us Tallinn – they have lots of bigger acts coming through.
2) How old were you when you started to create music, and what were you listening to at the time that inspired you?
I suppose technically I started making music when I was a child, at primary school – I was taking piano lessons and played brass instruments, however that stopped when I got to university. I then got in to mashups and remixes in my final year at university, but it wasn’t till a couple of years after I left that I really found a sound I could put out there, which scored me my first release. Since university I had been listening to a huge range of music – in fact, since high school I had been going to the internet cafes in town, installing Napster, and grabbing lots of music as a means to finding more – at the same time I was using my weekend job to buy stacks of CDs. I was consuming all sorts of genres, styles, old and new. That said, it wasn’t really till dubstep came along tat I felt I could consider producing some. That then led on to the other genres which I work in now.
3) What is your production method? Do you have any sort of ritual to get you into the proper mindset to create music?
I wish I did. I generally have to produce just when I feel like it. It’s not always asy – sometimes I’ll open tracks, play them once, then close them and go back to them at a later day – Sometimes when I think I’m ready to produce, it doesn’t work out – and sometimes when I think “I’ll just take 5 minutes and check a track or two” that turns in to a really productive session.
4) The sound of DFRNT flirts with many different styles of Electronic Music but always manages to dart in and out of styles with one never overwhelming the other. Do you consciously choose which style to lean on as you are producing or is it more the feel of how a track is developing?
I often have a goal in mind when I start – genre, or feeling or something like that – but it doesn’t always end up like that – it can change during the production process – and you just have to go with it – see where it takes you. I think because I listen to such a wide range of music, that comes through when I produce. I sometimes wish I could stick to one genre, but I don’t know if that would do me any favours. I’d probably get bored.
5) Your most recent album Patience is the softest and most expansive release of your career so far. Can you talk about the story the album is telling, and how it was to create?
Well it’s more of a reflection on the amount of dub-techno I was listening to. I put the tracks together with an album of this sort of stuff in mind, and it was really important to me that this was music you had to sit and really listen to – not just something you could chuck on any time for a dance or whatever. It required “Patience” hence the album title.
6) In addition to your own music you manage 2 labels, Tell us a little bit about Echodub and some of the artists you feature on that label.
Echodub was originally a little collective of people putting out music – but a few years back I switched to a regular label format, since it was alot of work trying to pull together releases from an increasingly disparate group of producer,s most of whom went on to do their own (better) thing.
I’ve only really put out a handful of releases since making that switch, because I don’t have a release schedule, and I don’t want the pressure of having to release on the label. It was home for my second album and the El Spirito EP, and I might look at doing some more physical releases in future, but so much of the music I get sent is temporary these days – it doesn’t ever feel like it has staying power, and I’d want to sign tracks that had longevity if I was to take a financial risk on a release again.
7) Cut records is a place for free music. What are the challenges of promoting a free label versus one ?
Interestingly it still costs me money to release on Cut – mastering costs, and promotional emails to a 13,000 strong email list end up costing about as much as we make from those people kind enough to donate to the releases – but it’s often touch and go, so I don’t release on Cut till I have a couple of hundred pounds to spare, so that I can put the music out there.
It’s been great since lots of blogs and people pick it up without too much hype required – I like that we have a relatively hype-free environment to release in to – it feels like people are genuinely listening.
8) Your podcast insight is a place for underground Electronic music. It seems that there is an endless stream of music out there to choose from. How do you find tracks to feature on the show?
Luckily I gt sent a lot of music from labels, and so there’s never a shortage of music to release – it can be overwhelming at times and there have been a few months where I’ve had the next 4 or 5 podcasts lined up, there was so much to showcase – but it’s just about spending time sorting through all the crap I get sent to find the stuff that I really like.
It’s nice though – having the podcast forces me to check everything I’ve been sent – it keeps me on top of all the music to a degree.
9) What is coming up for DFRNT in 2014?
I’m not really sure yet – so far I’ve just had an EP released on Amadeus records – the Flow EP, which the title track was a collaboration with a good friend Fault Lines – who is doing very well with another of his collaborations “Klient” (just signed to Trouble & Bass). I had the small EP with Stunna right at the start of the year on Cut – but so far, I’ve not got anything else lined up – I’m just making music really – if a release comes together, then I’ll look at the options – maybe an album, maybe another EP – maybe something under one of my other aliases. We’ll see.
10) Finally, your three favorite movies.
I used to be able to answer this easily – Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel – a trilogy themselves, and all revolving around the number 3. Lost in Translation was always a close fourth – but nowadays I’m less concerned with films in that way – I just like a film to entertain me. Nothing too deep. I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries lately – but I’m not sure I’ve really got a top 3 any more. I don’t feel like my favourite movies really define me in any way these days.
For more information:
DFRNT – http://dfrnt.co.uk/
Echodub – http://echodub.co.uk/
Cut – http://cutmusic.org/
1) Who is Mystical Sun? Where are you based?
I’m based in the San Francisco Bay area in California.
2) How did you come to this style of music?
I began working in this style back in 1991 when I started making music with tape loops and analog gear. I had this vision for a type of music that was like a soundtrack and cinematic. I’ve spent all my spare time since then developing my sound to match my original vision.
3) Do you have to prepare your mind to be in a certain state when you sit down to produce music?
Yes, I mediate before I start work on music and always make sure I’m in a mentally good space when I’m working. For me this music is a type of sound yoga.
4) Do you use any samples?
Sure all the time. Most of samples are ones that I make myself. I try to invent each sound to fit the song and I strive to use sounds that sound original and fresh.
5) Do you find it is easier to create music in the morning or the evening?
Evening, actually my main time is after midnight. The quiet of the deep night helps me tune out the chaos of the daytime so I can focus on a deeper sound.
6) You have many Eastern influences in your music. How did you first get inspired by that music?
Yes, Indian Classical Music is a big inspiration. I bought a CD by Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan in the early 90’s and was completely intoxicated by the music. ICM is one of the most ancient living musical traditions in the world. The focus on the drone in ICM is what draws me in.
7) What is the story behind the album 26000?
26000 is next in a series of albums I’ve planned, it’s part of a road map and there are a few more to follow. Powers of 260 have an interesting resonance, 260 is the number of days it takes for a human to develop from one cell to birth, 260 is the number of days in one of the Mayan calendars, 26000 is the number of years in the precession of the equinoxes and the Sun is ~26000 light-years from the galactic center. The name was appropriate for this moment in history on Earth.
[8)] Is there a live component to your music?
Yes, I play several stringed instruments live overdubbed on top of the carefully designed synthetic sounds and atmospheres. You will hear Guitar, Ukulele, Sitar and Sarod on 26000.
9) There is an important connection to Nature in your sounds. What natural setting inspires you the most?
Yes, I am greatly inspire by the sounds of nature, particularly birds. In fact every Mystical Sun album has had at least one track that had sampled bird sounds. To my ears birds sound like awesome synthesizers. I’m sure I will continue to use bird samples in the future as well, it’s a staple of my sound.
10) What are your plans for the next year?
I’m taking a hiatus from creating music until 2013 and focusing on mastering the Sarod and making music videos for 26000. Then in 2013 I’ll start work on the next album.
Thank you so much for your fascinating answers. I wish you all the best in the future!
For more information: www.mysticalsun.com
10 Good Questions with Disasterpeace
Posted: July 18, 2012 by Jonny in The Rocking Chair BlogTags: maximum
1) Who is Disasterpeace? Where are you based?
Disasterpeace is Rich Vreeland, and that’s me. I’m based in Berkeley, California. Just moved out here from Boston about a year ago.
2) How did you come up with the name Disasterpeace?
I like wordplay. It was a double play on masterpiece. Switching it to disasterpiece, and then respelling piece as peace. Peace and disaster are kind of at odds as ideas, and I like that.
3) You have so many diverse influences from Prog Rock, to Classical and Electronica. How did you come to the Chiptune medium?
Convenience. It didn’t take long for me to enjoy it (no time, actually), but the initial draw was that it made realizing musical ideas much easier for me. Beforehand I was trying to realize full band-style productions, and its hard when you have limited chops and limited equipment. Working with a digital sound significantly lowered my overhead. As I wrote more in that style though, I truly began to appreciate all the nuances and strengths associated with it. Chiptune is great because it puts more of the focus on the musical content, and less on getting caught in performance ability and production (though production is still important)
4) You have done solo work and work on video games is there one you enjoy more than the other?
I enjoy both. I’ve been doing a ton of video games work lately though, and I think I’d like to take some time to focus on a solo project sometime soon, finances willing. Maybe a kickstarter would do the trick. [:)]
5) When you compose your albums, do you always have a story in mind or does that develop with the music?
It depends, I’ve definitely done both. When I was writing Atebite and the Warring Nations, I always had this idea of a high-fantasy battle, something of a Tolkien ilk. Level really had no concept, except that I felt like the songs fit together. When you write for video games, there usually is a story in mind, and it’s some combination of what the game actually is or wants to be, and what your idea about it is.
6) What are your favorite 8-bit video games?
Nintendo and Game Boy were the only 8-bit systems I had. Growing up, Tecmo Super Bowl was easily my favorite NES game. I played that non-stop.
7) What is a Disasterpeace live show like?
It has definitely evolved over time. Lately, it’s been me on guitar and my friend Roger Hicks who plays drums. I put together the entire set beforehand, and its a recording without drums. Then I automate a bunch of guitar effects, so that they change on the fly and I don’t have to worry about stomping down on pedals.
[8)] Do you find that composing Chiptunes is confining or does the specificity of the medium free you to develop new techniques?
The chiptune medium is confining but it’s almost always been a good thing for me. It forces you to come up with solutions to musical problems that you might not otherwise use. Since I’ve started using Famitracker (NES tracker), it’s become even more apparent, because you’re restricted to 5 voices total. You end up writing lots of interesting musical patterns to fill those spaces, and create the illusion that there are more parts than you have voices to use.
9) Do you play any other instruments?
Guitar and Piano are the main ones.
10) What is the goal for the next year?
My goal is to finish up all my current projects, and hopefully to focus on some solo material. I’m also playing some shows this year so looking forward to those and making better preparations than I have in the past.
For more information: http://disasterpeace.com/
10 Good Questions with Disasterpeace
Posted: July 18, 2012 by Jonny in The Rocking Chair BlogTags: maximum
1) Who is Disasterpeace? Where are you based?
Disasterpeace is Rich Vreeland, and that’s me. I’m based in Berkeley, California. Just moved out here from Boston about a year ago.
2) How did you come up with the name Disasterpeace?
I like wordplay. It was a double play on masterpiece. Switching it to disasterpiece, and then respelling piece as peace. Peace and disaster are kind of at odds as ideas, and I like that.
3) You have so many diverse influences from Prog Rock, to Classical and Electronica. How did you come to the Chiptune medium?
Convenience. It didn’t take long for me to enjoy it (no time, actually), but the initial draw was that it made realizing musical ideas much easier for me. Beforehand I was trying to realize full band-style productions, and its hard when you have limited chops and limited equipment. Working with a digital sound significantly lowered my overhead. As I wrote more in that style though, I truly began to appreciate all the nuances and strengths associated with it. Chiptune is great because it puts more of the focus on the musical content, and less on getting caught in performance ability and production (though production is still important)
4) You have done solo work and work on video games is there one you enjoy more than the other?
I enjoy both. I’ve been doing a ton of video games work lately though, and I think I’d like to take some time to focus on a solo project sometime soon, finances willing. Maybe a kickstarter would do the trick. [:)]
5) When you compose your albums, do you always have a story in mind or does that develop with the music?
It depends, I’ve definitely done both. When I was writing Atebite and the Warring Nations, I always had this idea of a high-fantasy battle, something of a Tolkien ilk. Level really had no concept, except that I felt like the songs fit together. When you write for video games, there usually is a story in mind, and it’s some combination of what the game actually is or wants to be, and what your idea about it is.
6) What are your favorite 8-bit video games?
Nintendo and Game Boy were the only 8-bit systems I had. Growing up, Tecmo Super Bowl was easily my favorite NES game. I played that non-stop.
7) What is a Disasterpeace live show like?
It has definitely evolved over time. Lately, it’s been me on guitar and my friend Roger Hicks who plays drums. I put together the entire set beforehand, and its a recording without drums. Then I automate a bunch of guitar effects, so that they change on the fly and I don’t have to worry about stomping down on pedals.
8) Do you find that composing Chiptunes is confining or does the specificity of the medium free you to develop new techniques?
The chiptune medium is confining but it’s almost always been a good thing for me. It forces you to come up with solutions to musical problems that you might not otherwise use. Since I’ve started using Famitracker (NES tracker), it’s become even more apparent, because you’re restricted to 5 voices total. You end up writing lots of interesting musical patterns to fill those spaces, and create the illusion that there are more parts than you have voices to use.
9) Do you play any other instruments?
Guitar and Piano are the main ones.
10) What is the goal for the next year?
My goal is to finish up all my current projects, and hopefully to focus on some solo material. I’m also playing some shows this year so looking forward to those and making better preparations than I have in the past.
For more information: http://disasterpeace.com/
10 Good Questions with Steve Jenkins of Telefuture
Posted: July 11, 2012 by Jonny in The Rocking Chair BlogTags: maximum
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1) What is the story of Telefuture?
Both Frank and I have been involved in a music scene that revolves around a type of music called “Chip Music” (also commonly referred to as “chiptune” or “8-bit” music) who’s sound is largely based in the 80s. We started becoming friends in 2010, going back and forth about music in general. Skip forward a couple of years to where we were talking about musicians that incorporate a broader range of 80s inspired sounds… relatively larger acts such as Mitch Murder, Lazerhawk, College, etc. I think we were both a little bit embarrassed in admitting our love for the style, since there is a bit of a stigma surrounding the idea of 80s inspired music being considered ‘nostalgic’ before anything else, but we both quickly realized that like the artists we represent, we are genuinely in love with the sounds from that decade, and aren’t using them ironically.
The name “Telefuture” came from a video hosted by Laura Weinstein which was a recording of a newscast from the 80s talking about the future of technology. I started thinking about how the people speaking in the video were so sure that these kinds of technologies would last forever. To me, the name “Telefuture” represents the idea of keeping old dreams alive, and preserving the ideas of the past.
2) Where is Telefuture based?
I’m located in the central coast of California. A smallish town halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Frank lives in New Brunswick, Canada. Physically, Telefuture is based in North America, but I think spiritually it is based either on the internet or in a different time.
4) Do you search for artists or do they come to you?
It seems to be a good mixture of both. We contacted both friends from the chip music community and reached out to additional artists for our website’s launch (Telefuture is officially only a few weeks old). Since then, we’ve received some really incredible demo submissions, and have been reaching out to people we’ve been admiring from a distance.
5) How did you come to this style of music?
Being a child of the 80s, I feel like these styles of music have somehow been encoded into my DNA. They aren’t something I’ve ever actively sought out, they’ve always just been a part of my life. For a lot of people, I think the 80s sound might currently be considered a novelty… something they hear and simply think to be a throwback to a bygone era. For me it is something grander. Something both familiar, and something that is just as relevant as any other sort of music being produced today.
I grew up in a time where bands like New Order and Tears for Fears were being played regularly on MTV. I think it piqued my curiosity in terms of what sort of music I had previously been exposed to. In the early 2000’s, I lived in Portland, OR, where I would go to basement concerts to watch bands like Glass Candy and Chromatics play what were essentially rock shows. Today these bands are commonly known for their italo-disco / synth music (some of which has been recently featured in the soundtrack for the film “Drive”). I think this is a good example of how a lot of people’s music is evolving into something that reconnects to the greatness of the past, and sheds a new light onto it.
In regards to the chip music we include on the label, it seems as though the artists are working in a similar way — where they are taking inspiration from old sounds, and making them something original and relevant in a contemporary sense. They avoid the label of “kitsch”, and instead create something that bridges the years between the past and the present. They take technology from the past to create original compositions meant to exist in the present.
6) What 80s sounds are the main influences for your artists?
As a label that presents 80s inspired electronic music, I would say that the influences are vast. After going back and forth with the artists on our roster prior to launch, I would say that it is safe to include musicians like Giorgio Moroder, Jan Hammer, Vangelis, Kitaro, Tangerine Dream, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hirokazu Tanaka, Nobuoo Uematsu, and many, many more. 80’s electronic music encompasses a massive set of musicians, and I think the list could go on forever. This is the sort of diversity that I hope to share via Telefuture.
7) Are your artists interested in producing music for video games?
Indeed our artists are interested in producing game music and a lot more. Spamtron has done game soundtracks. Plain Flavored creates his own games. Makeup and Vanity Set recently did the soundtrack for a short film called “88:88” which inspired the music for his release. Frank does game music. I don’t make music, but have been involved with making games. I would say that the Telefuture staff and roster is comprised of multi-talented people, who are very much in touch with the various sorts of media commonly associated with their respective styles of music.
8) As the music industry changes what are you doing to help distribute your artists music?
I consider myself fortunate to have been involved with most aspects of the ever-changing music industry. I’ve worked in record stores, played in bands, recorded albums, DJed for radio and in clubs. I’ve designed cover art and websites for artists and have been a part of advertising, promotion, and music distribution. I’ve written about and for bands, worked on and for various record and netlabels.
I like to think that I can bring this broad set of skills to use while maneuvering our tiny corner of the music industry — all from an independent perspective. I like to think that we can offer artists more than uploading their music to a few sites and making a post in a message board. Instead, I want to offer a set of tools to help musicians release their music into the digital world and beyond.
As a standard, we use the 1980s a touchstone in terms of our releases, offering more than a digital download, but instead unique physical releases. I feel like this practice is becoming rarer as time goes on, but is something that makes more of an impace on the listener. I’ve always considered an album’s physical format to be more significant than a digital one, and want to be a part in preserving that notion.
9) What are your plans for the next year?
To continue releasing really great music from awesome artists from around the world in unique and interesting ways. We already have quite a few releases lined up, the next of which will be available in July. Stay tuned!
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Album Review: Kill the Drive – Lady Karma
Posted: June 26, 2012 by Maximum Mike in The Rocking Chair BlogTags: maximum
We can’t always wait for the big name, well known bands to come perform in our area and with the release of Kill the Drive’s new album, “Lady Karma” we no longer have to. KTD’s newest release proves that there are top notch bands out there that just need to be discovered. The band has come a long way since their 2009 release “Post Cards From Hell”. It is a lesson to stick to your guns, just because you’ve made something great and haven’t become superstars, don’t give up, your magnum opus may be just around the corner.
Unlike their 2009 release, “Lady Karma” has a much cleaner as well as a heavier sound. One can’t help but compare this band to some the of Punk Rock greats such as Bayside, Rise Against, or Green Day but instead of saying that KTD sound like them, I would be more inclined to say that they have taken everything that is great about those bands and built upon them.
The album begins not with a great single but a statement of what to expect through the album. “Losing Fight” is clearly is a great opener which immediatly sucks you in and prepares you for what is coming. Tracks 2-3 are by far the strongest tracks on the album because both “Monster in My Bed” and “Apocalypse 101” are the mosh tracks, high energy and catchy as hell.
One of the things I most enjoyed is the fact the Kill the Drive did not forget the Pop Punk roots which most bands in Israel started from. There are two tracks in particular which let us know this, “Shades of Grey” and “Wait in Line”. They are the summer pop-punk tracks we wish were still being made by other bands from our childhood.
Other tracks that stand out are the beautiful punk ballad “Fading into Nothing” and the hardcore “Violence”. The last track that most needs recognition is the song “Anybody Listening” which awaits us at almost the end of the album. I believe it was unfairly stashed there because in most likelihood, there could only be one opening track to the album and I’m not unsure this shouldn’t have been it. Track 11 is reminiscent of what The Offspring wish they could still be putting out today.
With Eyal Reiner’s haunting punk voice and a special shout out to Gideon Berger’s perfectly timed drums, Kill The Drive’s “Lady Karma” is exactly where Punk Rock needs to be.
The album can be purchased here.