Voices #42
◦ “voices” is the place where we ask, artists reply and you read.
here we got:
Perry Frank
answering some questions. We have already observed his drone / ambient work here.
[1. IDEA]
■ The A. O.: The track from “Atlas” that we prefer is “Desert Plain”. Can you tell us how it came to light?
► Perry Frank: Desert Plain was written and recorded during an evening session together with Leave No Shadows On The Ground.
They were basically written with guitar, while making experiments with reverb and delay pedals on my pedalboard after watching a documentary about the Amazon deforestation.
Main drones features a combination of the Strymon Cloudburst and the Hologram Electronics then I’ve added a bass line with the Volcakeys.
Basically there are only three or four tracks in this song.
I usually record my songs on tape cassettes with my Fostex X18 multitrack, often when they feature not so much tracks, then I record the tape on my Mac.
Titles came to me while thinking about a future when all the trees have been cut down, all around there will be only desert with no shadows on the ground.
[2. CREATION]
■ The A. O.: How do you usually approach composition? Do you start with a concept, a sound, a state of mind or what else? How do you generally proceed from the initial seed to the complete work?
► Perry Frank: I usually approach composition with all the situations and things you mentioned, not of course together, then sometimes it’s a concept that runs thru my mind and leads me to take an instrument, usually my guitar or a synth, sometimes I’m just jamming and making experiments with my pedals and I find a good tone to start writing a song or a tape loop.
Atlas and Nuit Ensemble, my 2022 album, have been written almost completely starting from tape loops, but my tape loops are nothing more than guitar and synth soundscapes or arpeggios recorded on tape and then cut down to make a 10 seconds endless loop.
[3. FEEDBACK]
■ The A. O.: What do you hope listeners feel or experience when engaging with your music?
► Perry Frank: I don’t really know how to answer, everyone has his own way to experience the music. I just hope they feel better someway, I hope they find in my music a secret place to feel sad and nostalgic in the happiest way.
[4. IDENTITY]
■ The A. O.: In a world saturated with digital music content, how do you try to keep your sound distinct and personally meaningful?
► Perry Frank: I know it’s a very ordinary way to answer to this question, but I always put my heart in my music.
That’s the real difference to tell all the plastic music you hear all around today.
Music must be sincere, always. This must be the leading way to make it, you must really have something to say and that something must be sincere.
There’s no calculation behind my music, otherwise I’d be making pop. There’s a lot of passion and a desire to experiment and taking inspiration from true feelings, situations and concepts, trying as much as possible not to be ordinary.
[5. INFLUENCES]
■ The A. O.: Mention 3 albums that you consider relevant to your musical path and why.
► Perry Frank: ○ Brian Eno – Music For Airports
○ Fennesz – Endless Summer
○ Basinski – Disintegration Loops
[6. REGARDS]
■ The A. O.: Leave us with a quote you love.
► Perry Frank: This is a quote from David Toop I love the most and that describes Ambient in a very significative way:
“Rather than emerging as a ship on the ocean, Ambient Music becomes part of that ocean itself”.