#20six

Should I make a video to this??

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2987454731/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/artwork=small/transparent=true/

For those not familiar with your work can you tell us a bit about yourself, what music you play, and the things that inspire you?

I live on the west coast of Canada and have produced and directed a few independent films, that I also composed the music for.  I have been influenced by the films of John Carpenter, and in particular the way he scores the music for his own films. I’ve always dug that analog synth sound, and many artists from the 70’s and 80’s that used that ethereal sound: especially Vangelis and Tangerine Dream, a little bit of Goblin, and some 70’s psychedelia. 

Your previous experience in doing soundtracks has really shown through with this particular release. Can you tell us about how you went about creating the concept and narrative for 'The Next Level’?

I originally came up with the title first, something to signify my second LP.  I was exploring more of that Vangelis sound and “space” in particular and tied it all into the crazy idea of a group of self-proclaimed aliens recruiting humans to leave the Earth with them so they can reach The Next Level. Each track title is tied to that idea, such as Breaking the Bonds, and Leave With Us. There was a story in the 90’s about an underground UFO cult that believed they were going to leave the Earth on a ship traveling behind the Hale-Bop comet and I was fascinated with that. I tried to incorporate it’s insanity in to the narrative, even using some verbiage from their “teachings” and the voice of their leader, “Do”. I thought it added a bit of uneasiness to the ambience of some the tracks - I like throwing in as much creepiness as possible.

Was your intention for such a cinematic and action focused soundtrack?

Yes some of the tracks were intended to be as “travel pieces” - whether that’s considered "outrun" or not - but definitely in keeping with the idea that one is about to embark on a journey, possibly through space. But first, you have to "accept the terms and make a change". It’s one’s journey to the so called Next Level. I really wanted to capture that ethereal feeling that’s present on some of my favourite synth-related film soundtracks.

In our last interview with you, you expressed that you would enjoy exploring even darker territory than your 'Player One' release; have you achieved that goal?

I think I have. There’s really only the hint of synth-pop in two of the tracks on The Next Level, and I wanted to keep everything tied to the same concept. Definitely the tone of the some of tracks is dark, and I tried exploring new sounds to achieve that. On the other hand, I think I’ve come up with some of my most beautiful sound textures, but man do I love keeping it a little on edge. I really wasn't going for an exclusively retro feel on this release, but certainly used some very retro sounds.

You've incorporated guitar into this release as well and explored many new genres and sounds. Whats your drive behind that?

Some of it has to do with simply tweaking virtual knobs to find a sound that peaks my interest. I’ll usually mess around for what seems like hours on a certain guitar tone or synth texture and stop at something that’s unusual or familiar enough to throw down some melodies. I like that lush string sound, and that angelic New Age sound from the early 90’s. I threw a bit of that stuff in here, something I’d always enjoyed, but never really had an outlet for it. I love that the guitar is a great companion to synth music - particularly a heavily compressed tone, but I opted for using a double-tracked acoustic guitar on the final track Leave With Us, something I haven’t done in this genre. I just really like to stretch the soundscape and see where it can go.

We have heard from you previously that you really enjoy the work of Depeche Mode, John Carpenter, Pink Floyd, and many retro game tunes, but what modern music influences your taste?

First of all, I’m as big a fan of this retro synth wave movement as anybody. I listen to and love so many of the artists in this scene, and they are all very influential. I like such a wide variety of music, and the more “modern” stuff I listen to is still all over the place. I like a lot of female acts, even some singer-songwriter stuff. I’m a big fan of Io Echo, Nicole Atkins, Goldfrapp, Catpower and Gliss - all female fronted projects. And I dig electronic outfits like Shpongle,  and Infected Mushroom. 

-Where we can find your release and what plans do you have for the future, if any yet? Will you be taking a break or continue producing?