HARD SCIENCE

Hard Science is the performing alias of Arturo Brisindi, who earlier this summer, put out his debut full-length called “Dreaming in Stereo”. A multi-modal artist, Hard Science combines audio and visual aspects in live performances and harkens back to a sound in the 80s when analog synths were all the rage. Give his record a spin and catch his upcoming set at Pressed Cafe on October 19th.

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hardscienceav/

Web: http://hardscience.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/le_douche/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardscience

Latest Release: Dreaming in Stereo (Album, June 2017)

Upcoming shows: Thursday, October 19 - Hard Science, Jack Moves, Markian. 8PM. Pressed Cafe, Ottawa ON.

SA: How did Hard Science as a project come to be? HS: In a way, this project really dates back to my creative renaissance - around 2008 when I got back into analog synths. I had taken a bit of a hiatus for three or four years, instead focusing on playing drums in my band at the time, My Dad vs Yours, and helping to run a recording studio. That year I picked up my trusty Roland Juno 60 and Jupiter 4, and so began my journey into vintage synth obsession. 

But if you want to get technical, I would say that Hard Science as an entity really began when I actually started using the name in 2012. I was just starting to perform live techno with my modular synth and had just started getting into video. Before then, anything I did outside of My Dad vs. Yours was a bedroom project that I’d mostly keep to myself, or share with a very select group of trusted friends. 

Hard Science is me, whether it’s synth-pop, live modular techno, video, interactive installations, all of my creative work falls under the Hard Science umbrella. It has been a work in progress and is constantly evolving. 

SA: What bands, musicians or artists would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? HS: There are so many artists and bands that have shaped who I am creatively and beyond. But for this album in particular, I think some of my biggest influences include Air, Boards of Canada, Röyksopp, early Washed Out, Com Truise, Twin Shadow, and Neon Indian. 

I think you’ll notice a common theme among most of these artists. They all employ sonic qualities that produce a heavy sense of nostalgia, specifically those of the 1980s. That sort of thing is a consistent influence on my sound and aesthetic. This might sound really hipster of me to say, but I’ve been obsessed with the 80s…since the 80s. 

SA: Thus far in the project's lifetime, what has been your biggest success? HS: In all honesty, I think the biggest success in this project’s lifetime is the release of Dreaming in Stereo. It’s weird to admit, but there was a time when I wasn’t even sure that I was going to release it. There were a lot of twists and turns in the making of the album – a lot of stepping away to do other things and coming back to rework. It took me almost 10 years to complete the album, but I feel good about it, and I’m really happy that it’s finally out there. 

SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? HS: The biggest challenge for me with respect to this album was getting over my own self-doubt. I knew there was appeal for the music I was making. I knew that, despite it being a somewhat niche album, there was an audience for it, but something inside of me just kept convincing myself that nobody would like it. I really struggled with the idea of putting it out there in the open for everyone to hear. I feared criticism and rejection. I think this is pretty common among artists.

I tried to really focus on what people who had listened to the album were telling me. I focused on friends whose tastes I trusted, and who I knew would be completely honest with me. I also had an intense desire to leave something that I was proud of behind as part of my legacy. I think as one gets older, you start to think a lot more about your place and contributions to this world and our culture, and how you want to be remembered. 

SA: How do you approach the song-writing process? HS: My approach to songwriting is to start with a blank page. I usually sit at my Juno 60 and play around with different chord patterns, melodies, and sounds. Often times I try to shape a sound on a synth and build a song based on that. If I’m satisfied and feel whatever I’ve done warrants working on any further, I’ll record it. Once I’ve got a solid foundation, I’ll either try to figure out other parts, like a chorus or bridge, or just focus on the one part and build on it by adding bass, drums, melodies, space echo, or whatever. 

These days I’ve been working on short loops. I’ve got a mini project where I make short animated loops on my computer. I accompany each video with an audio loop of its own. For the purposes of this project, the pieces are meant to be 10 to 15-seconds long, but I plan on revisiting them in the future. You can check them out on my personal Instagram page (@Le_douche).

SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? HS: If I’m at a show these days, I’m usually working or performing. I will say that doing live video and being a part of Switched On Synths has exposed me to some top notch music and has allowed me to work and share the stage with some incredibly talented artists. There is no shortage of talent coming out of Ottawa/Gatineau. 

SA: You recently played the Outdoor Electronic Music Festival (OEMF) at the Parc des Portageurs. What was that experience like, and what does it say about the electronic music scene in the region? HS: I love that festival. I make a point of going every year, whether I’m performing or not. It’s about the only thing I look forward to at the end of the summer. Kerry (aka VJ Daisy) and Michael Caffrey, the organizers, have an amazing thing going. This year was awesome! The weather was terrific, the crowd started forming pretty early too, so I had a good amount of people by the time my set started (I went on first), and those rocks make for a really great projection surface for the visual artists. 

This festival has been going on for years, and I think that says a lot about electronic music in Ottawa/Gatineau. Although very small and niche, those involved are dedicated and passionate about it, the music, and the experience. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people who make and play electronic music, either through OEMF, Switched on Synths at House of Targ, Possible World events, and through the Ottawa Synths Facebook group. There are a lot of incredibly talented people in our midst and I’m hoping that more and more people start to recognize it. I hope that more labels start forming, more venues and promoters start putting on electronic and experimental shows. I think we’re just starting to scratch the surface and I’m really happy to be a part of it. 

SA: I feel as though certain songs off your debut album would feel right at home on Stranger Things, and you've spoken about your love for '80s inspired synth sounds. How do you create music that inspires such different emotions, and ushers back to such an era? HS: There are a few factors for me. First, I am a child of the 80s. And although I was probably too young to really grasp much of what was happening around me, what I did absorb really stuck, mostly in a glorified, fantasy sort of way. I am a very nostalgic person, and like most people, my nostalgia is triggered by music and sounds. I often try and incorporate that nostalgia into my own music. It all comes down to the equipment; the synths, the drum machines, the tape echoes, the gated reverb, and the recording techniques. All of those things really shape my sound, literally and figuratively. 

SA: You have the chance to sit down for a meal with three musicians, dead or alive. Who are they, and why?  HS: 1. Chuck D (Public Enemy) – My very first favorite band was Public Enemy, back in 1989. I was 10 or 11. I was completely ignorant of his politics, but Chuck D’s lyrics had an effect on who I am and how I see the world. He exposed me to the struggles and the perspective of black people in America at a very young age. It would be amazing to sit down and chat with him about politics, life in the 1980s NYC hip hop scene, Flavor Flav (wtf?!?!) 

2. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) – What can I say? I love Pink Floyd. One of the main things that drew me to them was Roger Waters’ storytelling. It would be pretty cool to sit down and pick his brain over a sandwich. 

3. Bob Moog – Though he’s not a musician per se, he revolutionized music in a way that I feel is unmatched. It would be an absolute honour to speak with him about his work.