As much as I love electronic music, it isn't for everyone. My wife for instance
can't stand it. Not in a scornful way, she lets me enjoy it, but in a genuinely
curious "how can you listen to that stuff?". Actually, it's a good question
and one that I really don't have an answer for that I'm completely comfortable with.
I just like the stuff. However, there is something definately odd about how
something so completely synthetic can be artistically appealing and engrossing.
At least, to those of is who enjoy such things.
I actually originally come from a classical music background have played violin,
viola, and piano. I acquired a Casio CZ-something in the 80's after becoming
intrigued with some of the 70's synth music and the pop music of New Wave.
It was fun but limited. In 1990 I went to purchase a Korg M1 (I know, but
hey, it had a sequencer and had some real world sounds). While I was trying
out the M1 at the store, one of the clerks unboxed a new shipment which contained
the just released Korg Wavestation. I think it was the first one in Minneapolis
as Guitar Center didn't get theirs in stock for another week or so. Anyhow,
I powered it on, turned the patch select knob to something random and hit a handful
of keys. WOW!!! I was blown away by the evolving textures immediately.
I bought it on the spot and that chance purchase really determined the arc
I've taken through music since.
At the time, digital was still all the rage and the old analogue stuff was undesirable
and "old". I was very much into abstact soundscapes at the time so the digital
PCM stuff really held no interest for me. The old wierd analogue stuff was
cheap so I stocked up. I think I've pretty much owned most major synths from
the 70's and 80's you could name and some exotic stuff as well. At one point,
my studio looked more like a museum than a workspace. When the price of analogue
went through the roof, I sold off a ton of the excess and used the proceeds to fund
more highend outboard gear and a few more expensive analogue pieces like my PPG
and my Serge modular rig.
Today, I still have too much gear but I've managed to get it down to a point where
it is workable for me. The gear I've kept, which is still a pile, are things
that I have an emotional attachment to that money won't be able to overcome or isn't
worth enough to hassle with the sale of. Things like my 2600 from my buddy
Bill Brown that I spent years trying to get him to sell me and the Minimoog my wife
bought me for Christmas one year that she found in the basement of a music store
in Chicago.
For a while, I was a founder and partner / owner of Green House Music along with Brooks
Rongstad and Nathan Larson. We released some quality albums and received excellent
critical praise. One of the albums we paid for and released was Vir Unis'
first and second solo project. We also released the followup to his and Steve
Roach's Body Electric, The Blood Machine. In the end, difficulties
in getting distribution and differences in personal opinion between the founders
forced the label to fold. Google it if you want to know more about the releases
we had a hand in. Brooks Rongstad is still around and he regularly pushes
on me to produce more music. I've been kind of unproductive the past couple
of years and the studio has kind of been empty and largely unused for any serious
work. I go in a putter around but don't seem to create anything solid.
This is changing however, Brook's constant proding has caused me embark on a major
studio overhaul which is nearing completion. I have been doing some new work
so be looking for it here soon.
I mainly compose ambient type soundscapes. Most people describe it as "sound-trackish"
and I suppose that's a good enough description. As much as i love the old
analogue stuff for synths, I'm a hard core digital guy when it comes to the recording
and MIDI. I've been with MIDI since i purchased a Roland MPU-401 and Master
Tracks Pro for my Wavestation in 1990. I also was a beta tester for the first
versions of Logic and Cubase for the Windows platform. i no longer beta but
i still get buggy software from the manufacturers, now I just have to pay for the
priveledge. i use MIDI extensively in the studio and for synths, plugins,
external effects, and as CV for my modular stuff. Nothing in the studio gets
used without MIDI being somewhere in the picture.