"Options E.P." is by far one of the best releases of 2009, so we decided to talk to the guy behind all of those the layers of gorgeous space noises, perfect pop melodies, and "more than modern" bleeps and bloops. Oh, and he runs a record label called Make Mine Music too..
Portal
Glorious Electropsychedeliagaze-Pop
Portal Bio:
Portal is the project of multi-instrumentalist Scott Sinfield, occasionally featuring guest vocalists and other musicians. Since their inception in 1996, Portal have had numerous CD, vinyl and other format releases on several British, European and American independent labels. Portal's music won early support from legendary DJ John Peel, for whom a BBC Radio 1 session was recorded in 2000, and received acclaim from diverse sources including The Guardian, the NME and DJ Magazine. The music of Portal has shifted in style over the years, from lo-fi guitar-based ambient pop, to a more stripped back sample-based sound, to more recent material, released after a four-year hiatus, which saw Scott nod towards his early musical influences of classic 1980’s 4AD, Factory and Mute artists. Scott co-founded Make Mine Music with Jon Attwood of Yellow6 in 2002, and he oversees much of the day-to-day running of the label.
Hello, how are you?
I'm very well, thank you. Really good, actually. And you?
What are you currently listening to?
As I type this, I'm listening to “Tuatara”, a Flying Nun Records compilation from 1985. Also in the pile for listening to tonight are records by The Clean, Dead Can Dance, Bruce Gilbert, Yo La Tengo and Mark Stewart. Of more recent albums, I've been enjoying The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Fever Ray, and Glen Johnson's solo album on Make Mine Music.
Your latest release “Options E.P.” is one of the best albums of 2009..did this album just “flow“ out of you, or..?
Thank you - I'm happy that you like it so much. “Options” was probably the easiest set of recordings that I've done in the 12 years or so that I've been recording music as Portal. The songs all have very different origins and were worked on in different ways: The title track began life in a set of recordings pre-“Waves & Echoes” in 2005, but it was never completed because it didn't really fit with the other tracks at the time. I 'rediscovered' it when I was thinking about doing some new music, having taken a three-year break from Portal to look after my baby daughter and concentrate on running the Make Mine Music label. I was working on the music for it, but thought it was lacking something, so sent it my friend Glen Johnson (of Piano Magic and Future Conditional) to see whether he had any ideas about it. I was surprised and delighted when he returned the track with his words and vocals recorded on it, which was exactly what the track needed. He also kindly remixed another version of the track for inclusion on the CD. “You're Building Over My Childhood” was written and recorded very quickly -that track really did flow, the music and the lyrics. I tried to do the vocals myself, but just couldn't get them right. I knew that Ben Holton (of Epic45 and My Autumn Empire) would be perfect for the track. Ben also surpassed my expectations, recording an amazing vocal, and by adding some extra guitars at the end of the track, he took it to another level altogether. I first talked about collaborating with Lorraine Lelis, who wrote and sang the words on “Slow Burner”, about ten years ago when she was in the band Mahogany, but we never seemed to be able to find the time to work together. We kept in touch over the intervening years and kept saying that one day we would do some music. Finally, in 2008, I asked her to write words and record vocals for what would become “Slow Burner.” The original music was very different to the final version on the CD. Lorraine's words and vocals were amazing, and I ended up completely rewriting and re-recording the music to better suit what she'd done. It was the track that took the longest on the EP because I worked on four or five radically different versions before I was happy with the results. I felt I had to do her vocals justice, which I hope I managed to achieve in the end.
Is the “Options E.P.” the general direction the LP will follow when it comes out? When will that be coming out?
At the moment, I have no plans for another Portal album. That's not to say that there won't ever be one, just that it won't be for a while if there is. I'm really pleased with “Options” but I simply don't have enough time to concentrate on the music as much as I'd like or that I feel it would deserve. It's 'real life' that takes up my time - spending time with my family, full-time work (I teach students with learning disabilities), overseeing much of the day-to-day running of Make Mine Music, and engaging in other hobbies like walking and photography. I have plenty of ideas for future music, though. Some are radically different to anything I've done before, some would definitely continue from where “Options” left off. Time will tell...
How did Make Mine Music get started? Does the name come from the 1946 Disney film?
Make Mine Music was set up in 2002 by myself and Jon Attwood (Yellow6), to provide an alternative to traditional record labels. The idea was that the artists involved would pay for the manufacture and promotion of their releases, but they would get total artistic control, and crucially, 100% of the profits. The label takes no cut at all. The artists involved all support each other in terms of sharing advice and contacts, and crucially, through friendship. The name of the label actually comes from a track by the band A.C.Temple. We needed a name for our new label and I turned to the tried and tested method of looking at records I liked for inspiration (following Creation, Beggars Banquet, Poptones etc). 'Make Mine Music' just seemed to capture something of what the label was about. We only found out about the Disney film later on.
With all of the amazing talent you have on the label have you ever thought about putting on a “Make Mine Music Festival”?
Several of the bands have played together on a number of occasions and there have been “Make Mine Music” nights. We've certainly talked about doing more of these, perhaps having a tour with many of the bands playing, but as yet, it's not materialized. Maybe one day...
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
That's an impossible question! It would probably have to be either “Hatful Of Hollow” by The Smiths, or Cocteau Twins' “Head Over Heels.” Ask me tomorrow and I'll probably have a totally different answer, though.
Are you living your dream?
When I started off writing and recording music as Portal, I had no idea that it would be as successful as it has been. I never even dreamed that I'd get to release one single, let alone several singles and albums. Doing the BBC session for John Peel in 2000 was a real dream come true, and a huge honour, because I'd been listening to his shows since the late 1970s and his influence on me and my musical tastes was enormous. Making music always has been, and always will be, a hobby and something that I enjoy doing. I don't want to be a 'popstar', and I certainly don't do it for fame or money. I really am genuinely honoured and touched that so many people have liked my music over the years, and that people are still discovering it now, for the first time. It means a lot to me.
Thanx Scott! We'll keep loving the music, you just keep writing it.
Portal is currently living his life a father/electronic producer at the same time. Portal will be back, when Portal has time..
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