Here’s a Brooklyn Independent TV interview with Paul of our upcoming Softoft Techech release. He demonstrates some of his creations in his studio and raps on all things Slocum.
Archive for the ‘new artist’ Category
Paul Slocum Video Interview
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012Introducing Softoft Techech
Monday, January 16th, 2012Happy New Year Alchemist friends! Our first release of the year came to us in a serendipitous fashion. It’s from a new project called Softoft Techech, which is the work of Paul Slocum who is something of a veteran at pushing the boundaries between musician, artist, programmer and tinkerer. His well received world touring band, Tree Wave, used self made hardware and software (including a dot matrix printer turned percussion synth and an atari 2600 synth) to make music not normally associated with such gear. Instead of quaint little video game Chiptunes, Treewave made fuzzed out Shoegazey kind of stuff with depth and a range of emotions and feels. The new EP we’re putting out, self titled Softoft Techech, represents a continuation of his focus on making music from the ground up, this time relying mainly on his own sample sequencing software “Looper”. The resulting work explores earthy fuzzed out post-dance sketches with layer upon layer of rhythms, voices and tones swirling and stomping all covered in unknown warmth and intrigue. It is a unique sound that seems somehow futuristic like some kind of weird funk you’d hear in a sci-fi film scene of a disco on another planet yet at the same time seems very primal and ancient like ritualistic music from a jungle tribe’s ceremony. This is a case where process is important and the resulting work carries unique watermarks of is creation and makes it an inviting listening experience. The Softoft Techech EP will be out on Feb. 27th on tape and digital. We’ll have the album art and traclist up soon.
In addition to his musical output check out his artwork, gallery, programming/hardware and his software/app development which incidentally bears the same name as this music venture. We asked Paul some questions about this EP and some of his other work and here are the results.
So there seems to be some remnants of your previous project Tree Wave in these tracks. Am I hearing that correctly?
Yes. Plentyc is an abstract remix of a Tree Wave song, and there are other Tree Wave samples scattered around. But also, some of the songs have samples from other bands that sound like they could be Tree Wave.
Did you use some of the same instruments and processes to make these tracks as you did in Tree Wave (ie dot matrix printer, 2600 etc)?
I wanted to try something different, so this album actually doesn’t use much of the old gear. A couple of tracks include my Commodore 64 synthesizer, but I think that’s about it. Sonic Tooth and Exp were made entirely with a Windows-based sample sequencer that I wrote called Looper. The other songs were made with a combination of Looper and general MIDI softsynths.
There’s definitely a techno and rave element to these tracks. On your site you’ve got some of your early Techno tapes is that something you’ve kept an interest in and carried through to these new tracks?
Yes. Although my overall approach was different with the old house and techno stuff, it definitely has a lot of similarity to this new set of songs, and I am reviving some of my old house production techniques.
Did you start with a concept of what kind of sounds and things you wanted to do with these tracks or did they just evolve over time with messing around?
My goals were to use Looper a lot, and to try making music without vocals or lyrics again. Other than that, it was a lot of experimentation.
I like the idea that Softoft Techech is a software/app company but also puts out experimental beat music. How do you see the correlation between the apps and this set of music?
I hadn’t finished the apps when I made these songs so the apps are not used on this album, but the Softoft Techech name seemed to fit the music, and it made sense because most of the music I’ve ever made has featured my own software.
Are you at liberty to say what other projects you have in the works and what things might be on the horizon for Softoft Techech?
I’m currently using a Roland drum machine as a MIDI sequencer for my sampler app, Sir Sampleton, and I expect my next music release will make use of this setup. Software-wise, this year I will probably release some new features for the Sir Sampleton app, and I’d like to eventually port my Looper program from Windows to iPhone and iPad. It takes a long time to write apps and I have to do freelance development sometimes to pay the bills, but in a few years I hope to have a pretty good catalog of music apps that are tailored to the way I like to make music. And hopefully others will find them useful too. :)
Introducing FAVORS
Monday, September 12th, 2011On Oct. 4th we’ll be digitally releasing the debut LP Five Million Years from Sacramento based band FAVORS. Born out of the ashes of a couple of bands, FAVORS is the Dance ready synth workouts of David Mohr. Electronic music has long been dominated by visions of robotic digitized dystopias. FAVORS hangs out in warmer more open ended visions of the future (or is it the past?) that read more like a Sci-Fi Noir adventure than an apocalyptic downer. When asked about the title David has said “it comes from my desire to create a larger time frame and a more expansive imaginary space for the listener to step into”, step being the operative word here as this album is a wall to wall rhythmic ride that brings in elements of House, Electro, Hip Hop and Synth Pop with nary a dull moment. Dance inspired Indie Pop is nothing new or notable, it’s become so ubiquitous that it can be quite rote and predictable but it’s the level of game that is brought to the offering here that makes it a standout and breathes new life into the scene. From synth/beat driven jammers like “D.D.D”, “Never Fun” and “The ATM” to the future primitive funk of “Cave Wall”, almost every track on this could be a single. This album suggests a bright future in store for David Mohr and FAVORS and the visions of the future in Five Million Years make it seem like we’ll have a hell of a party even if everything goes to hell.
1. The ATM
2. Robert
3. Cave Wall
4. D.D.D.
5. Starship
6.View Masker
7. Connector
8. Never Fun
9. Inventor Club
10. Courage Control
11. 41818
Introducing Silent Portraits
Monday, June 27th, 2011
Yes friends we find primo artists from the far corners of the earth that have a sound and feeling that seems at home in the Alchemist galaxy and we share them with you. The newest star in our constellation is the stunningly beautiful work known as ‘Silent Portraits‘. The artist responsible for said work is a Berliner that prefers to be known only as Maxi who lists “empty dancehalls” and “giant stars that have run out of fuel” as descriptions of her sound. As apt as those descriptions are we would add that it is the powerful yet subdued vocals and the beautifully emotive and unique voice behind them that really make these songs stand out and form the heart (however broken it may be) of the sound. These are minimal compositions based mainly on echoey guitars and reverb laden voices and it’s this minimalism and restraint that allows one the space to feel the moods that the pieces evoke.
For the past handful of months ‘Silent Portraits’ has been softly releasing new tracks through her bandcamp and we are elated to say that we’ll be putting out her debut EP on limited edition cassette/digital sometime in the near future. Dates and details are still assembling themselves but Maxi has many things to feast your ears and eyes on for the time being. In addition to her work as Silent Portraits Maxi is also quite a talented Director of videos and a visual artist. Some examples can be found here for Porcelain Raft and also for Quiet Lights. One of her most excellent videos (and songs) thus far is the melancholy yet cathartic one known as ‘Mama’. Here’s a new live version of the track and the video to tide you over. Stay tuned for more.
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Silent Portraits ‘Mama’ from Silent Portraits on Vimeo.
Introducing GDC
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011As the Pythons say “and now for something completely different”. We are excited to announce that we’ll be releasing the phenomenal tape “Jours Avec Jennie” by the left field avant-poppp mastermind Zach Phillips under his GDC moniker. Hailing from the green country of Vermont, Zach Phillips has been steadily making a name for himself with his virtuosic piano and synth based tape explorations into what one his other labels (feeding tube records) has described as “an intricate and idiosyncratic world of private melodic symbology”. Known for his releases under the name Horse Boys, Sord, Nals Goring and lately Blanche Blanche Blanche, we are excited to be putting out the only record under the GDC umbrella, and what a record it is too! “Jours Avec Jennie” has been rightly called “one the best cassettes of the year and hands down the best pop record I have heard this year” and “this is a must hear!” by the astute blog Auxiliary Out. Recorded over a mere eight days and densely filling both sides of a c30, this is a lo-fi faux French masterpiece. It’s like a bootleg of a Smile era French version of Brian Wilson set loose upon the synths of Bernard Fevre with a head full of Scott Joplin and Thelonius Monk.
GDC’s “Jours Avec Jennie” will be out March 29th on a limited edition of 100 pro dubbed hi bias c30 tapes. Look for some samples and a pre order date soon. For now visit the site of Zach’s “non label, non press” OSR tapes dax bills.
Introducing BAnanas Symphony
Tuesday, November 23rd, 20102010 has been a great year for us and it’s due in large part to the addition of the talents of Illus Ocean, Atlantic At Pacific and Local Winds to the Alchemist Collective family. Now as the year draws to a close we are excited to reveal another awesome new artist joining the team: BAnanas Symphony. Hailing from the “City of Brotherly Love” Philadelphia, BAnanas Symphony is the work of Yohsuke Araki whose gift for captivating melodies is equaled by a voice fit to deliver them and an experimental production bent that takes them to another plane. Yohsuke is also a member of the up and comers super-group Blackhawks comprised of people from Cough Cool and Nude Beach. We have a special debut release from BAnanas Symphony that will be up in time to add something to your holiday playlists. Check back soon on that. A more full length BAnanas debut is scheduled for early in the new year and it’s shaping up to be something really special!! For now we’ll let Yohsuke introduce himself via this little q+a session.
What are some of your earliest musical inspirations?
Some of my earliest musical inspirations…I guess my earliest would be bands like metallica and nirvana and radiohead because me and my close friend mike learned how to play instruments and record by covering them when we got a recorder at age thirteen. Then at fifteen I got into more indie rock kind of stuff like built to spill, modest mouse, demeberists, all that kind of popular indie stuff in the mid 2000′s, and luckily animal collective when feels had just come out. By the time i turned 17 I was really into them and getting into their whole sort of NYscene, which was like black dice, gang gang dance, white magic, excepter and stuff like that. At the same time my brother was DJing at WNYU and getting into a lot of really obscure stuff but more importantly a lot of dance music as well. So i was sort of getting into that kind of stuff slowly, but surely, throughout my latter teenage years.
What are the live BAnanas Symphony shows like?
I don’t do BAnanas shows too often. I had my first show without a band this weekend actually. I played a show in Baltimore where I did a solo set, my friend dan who is Cough Cool did a solo set, and then we joined into our band and played as Blackhawks. It was a lot of fun. My set was really short, just sort of dreamy and dance-y at certain points. I’d say it was like 10 minutes.
What are your favorite venues to play? Best shows lately?
We’ve been playing this place in Jersey called The Basement Gallery for a few months. It’s sort of where I’ve befriended a whole array of friends and have the most fun playing. But it recently got put down so now I have to find a new favorite spot to play. I like basements, and small venues, and warehouses. The very first BAnanas show was at Glasslands in Brooklyn. They were pretty sweet there because the sound guy was on top of our shit and the vibes there are cool. I’d like to play that place again.
some of your favorite things you’ve been listening to lately?
A lot of Moritz Von Oswald. It’s really inspiring when I listen to all his projects but at the same time I can’t help but think I will never make music as good as his so what’s the point? Other than that I’ve gotten really into Irma Thomas. I really like oldies. A lot of Francoise Hardy because she’s probably my favorite. My brother got me Architecture & Morality by OMD for my birthday so I’m digging that a lot.
What’s the significance of the name?
Well, it’s a reference to a certain band that inspired me a lot a couple years ago, but I’d rather people find out on their own, than revealing it myself. Good luck if you actually care!
Introducing Local Winds
Monday, October 25th, 2010from Wikipedia:
“Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet’s atmosphere into space. In human civilization, wind has inspired mythology, influenced the events of history, expanded the range of transport and warfare, and provided a power source for mechanical work, electricity, and recreation. Wind has powered the voyages of sailing ships across Earth’s oceans. Hot air balloons use the wind to take short trips, and powered flight uses it to increase lift and reduce fuel consumption.”
You may be asking yourself why do I bore you with this Wikipedia definition of the unseen but powerful force of the wind? The answer is because the newest addition to the Alchemist Collective is spaced out ambient artist Local Winds and the above description of wind does a pretty good job of summing up some of what his sound is like.
As the side project of one Scott Dickson (who is also getting some props for his more synth chill pop work as Closed Cassette) Local Winds explores instrumental mood music that is somewhat reminiscent of the best of 90′s ambient stuff like Global Communication and Aphex Twin but brings this sound into the modern post Chillwave world. He also brings the whole concept of Ambient music into a new and fitting framework of the short form of Pop music. In an age when attention spans are shrinking as things vying for attention are exploding Ambient music that can take you deeply into another space and time but bring you back in less than three or four minutes is quite appropriate. It also speaks to the fact that tastes have changed and that a short bit of chilled out backward synths or some slowed down arpeggios can be just thing to soothe the mp3 bombarded mind.
The blog unholy rhythms is already hip to it and wrote this “Local Winds provided the soundtrack for the end of the world. As we bicycled across the street, sharing headphones, the thumping sounds filled our ears. They reminded me of the waves we used to listen to – how we would observe them frolicking from the distance. I could get lost in this soft noise.”
Scott’s first release with us will be an EP that should be out sometime in the early months of 2011. We’ll be bringing you more details on that as it approaches. For now you can get a preview of his sound at his myspace page.
comfrt crtures are weird animls
Friday, October 1st, 2010
We consulted Nietzsche about the newest addition to the Alchemist Collective, comfrt crtures…here’s what he had to say:
“O my animals, chatter on like this and let me listen. It is so refreshing for me to hear you chattering; where there is chattering, there the world lies before me like a garden. How lovely it is that there are words and sounds! Are not words and sounds rainbows and illusive bridges between things which are eternally apart? Speaking is a beautiful folly: with that man dances over all things. How lovely is all talking, and all the deception of sounds! With sounds our love dances on many-hued rainbows.”
Quite.
New artist: Atlantic at Pacific
Friday, April 23rd, 2010We are excited to announce the addition of a new member to the Alchemist Records family: Atlantic at Pacific. Mainly the work of Austin Wood of Santa Cruz, CA, those familiar with the sounds of Washed Out and Toro y Moi will find some similarities but Atlantic at Pacific definitely has it’s own thing going on. The debut EP Weddings will be out sometime this Summer, which given the tropical feel of the sound is quite fitting. More to come.
