voices #54
◦ “voices” is the place where we ask, artists reply and you read.
here we got:
public_machines
answering some questions. We have already observed his experimental / drone / noise / field recordings work here.
[1. IDEA]
■ The A. O.: The track from “A Universe” that we prefer is “Arms Used to Hold You”. Can you tell us how it came to light?
► public_machines: Like so much of my music, it came to be by chance. I had at different times recorded two piano pieces on separate tracks on a multitrack cassette player and then forgot about them. Some time later I found the unmarked cassette, played it and was immediately struck by the strange but familiar feeling. By chance, the tracks were recorded just slightly out of sync but when played together they fit, in an odd not-quite-right way with an almost limping rhythm, something I found very fascinating.
This was then recorded from a regular cassette player at a lower speed to make all the textures and noise from the tape come alive. It was re-recorded to tape several times, each successive recording further degrading the sound and bringing even more analog artefacts into the mix. To finish off the track I added a touch of granular and delay effects.
I don’t want to go too much into the meaning of the track, as it’s meant to be up to the listener’s interpretation. However, as the title suggests it’s about loss in some way. But to me the music feels ambiguous. So is it a sad loss or a happy loss? Maybe a little bit of both?
[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?
► public_machines: For me, having a goal or a plan beforehand is antithesis to how I make music. It’s all very intuitive and relies on chance, mistakes and happy little accidents. At least in the idea phase.
Usually, but not always, it starts with a sound. A sound I design or sample, a patch or preset I adjust. It just has to speak to me in some way. Then I usually improvise some chords or a melody or single notes until I find something that feels right.
I like to work with cassette tapes in various forms, such as tape loops or just recording things to tape and playing them at various speeds. It’s almost like magic, bringing something new to the music, something hidden, that sparks my curiosity.
When I have the basis I try different ideas to build on it. Sometimes it doesn’t need much – then the challenge is not overworking it but preserving that initial feeling – and other times it’s the details that bring a piece to life. It’s a lot of trial and error, experimenting, and then walking away, letting the track rest, before coming back and listening to it with fresh ears.
At this stage I find it’s sometimes useful to have an image, a phrase or a title to guide the music and focus the work. Other times it’s not necessary and the words and images come after the track is finished.
[3. FEEDBACK]
■ The A. O.: What do you hope listeners feel or experience when engaging with your music?
► public_machines: Once the music is out there I know listeners are going to connect with it (or not) in their own way, different from how I think about it or plan it. And that’s how it should be.
But still, I hope they feel a moment of calm in this chaotic world we live in. Maybe it sparks their imagination and the music can act like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie.
[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?
► public_machines: I can only make music I myself find interesting and that makes me feel something. I couldn’t do it any other way. Hopefully this comes across in the music and makes it feel personal and unique to others. But honestly, this is not something I think about too much.
[5. INFLUENCES]
■ The A. O.: Mention 3 albums that you consider relevant to your musical path and why.
► public_machines: Here are three albums that are very important for me personally as well as for the music I make. Picking only three is tough though. Ask me again tomorrow and I’ll probably give you three different ones.
○ The Cure – Seventeen Seconds
A bleak masterpiece I keep coming back to again and again (and again …). Not only are the songs themselves absolutely beautiful, they are also great lessons on how to build atmosphere and mood using a minimal palette without boring the listener.
○ Stereolab – Dots and Loops
To me, this is Stereolab at their peak. The album has this fascinating mix of stiffness and groove, and the music feels both very free and controlled and purposeful at the same time. I also love the mix of analog and digital, sometimes contrasting and sometimes blending together. And despite the myriad of details – there’s always something new to discover – it’s a very cohesive album and never feels overwhelming.
○ Erik Enocksson – Farväl Falkenberg
This is one of the albums that has had the most direct influence on my music.
It’s the soundtrack to the movie “Farväl Falkenberg” (“Falkenberg Farewell”) which had a profound impact on me when I first saw it, and the soundtrack certainly had a huge part in that.
The music is minimalistic with sparse instrumentation such as acoustic and electric guitars, pump organ, an old piano, a xylophone, on some tracks accompanied by whistling, or handclaps or wordless singing. Despite this it manages to perfectly mirror the film’s complex blend of moods: happy, sad, beautiful and poetic.
The whole thing feels improvised and the recordings are live with mistakes such as wrong notes and off timings left in. There’s also sounds from the instruments themselves – the creaking of the pump organ, the scraping on guitar strings. All of this makes it a very human and intimate experience, and all the more powerful for it.
[6. REGARDS]
■ The A. O.: Leave us with a quote you love.
► public_machines: “I love the feeling of being slightly lost
To find new spaces, new routes, new areas
I love the lack of logic
I love the feeling of being slightly lost”
(Saint Etienne, “Finisterre”)
Sometimes it’s good to let go of control. To be open to chance and be present in the moment. To look for new ways. To not be afraid of uncertainty.