EIC's 10Q's w/ Julia Kent

"..precious meets dark & dramatic.." 

Julia Kent

Precocious Twine Designer

Julia Kent Bio:

After years spent performing and recording with other artists and groups, Canadian-born, New York City-based Julia Kent found her own voice with her solo debut, 'Delay', an exploration of the private emotional worlds that exist within the disjunctions and dis-orientations of travel, hailed for its “lovely, melancholy” compositions, full of “aching romanticism…rich melodicism, and detailed arrangements.” She toured to support it throughout Europe and North America, and subsequently released an EP, 'Last Day In July'.  In 'Green And Grey', her following solo record, she continued to use looped and layered cello, electronics, and field recordings to explore the intersections between the human world and the natural world, the melding of the technological and the organic, the patterns and repetitions that exist in nature and are mirrored in human creations, and the complexity and fragility of our relationships with one another and with the world that surrounds us. 'Character', her latest record, will be released by The Leaf Label in March 2013. Julia Kent has composed a number of original film scores, and her music has been used as accompaniment to theatre and dance performances. She has toured throughout Europe and North America, including appearances at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, the Donau festival in Austria, Meltdown in London, and the Unsound festival in New York City.

Hello, how are you?

 Julia didn't answer this one, ..we'll assume she's doing good though;]

What are you currently listening to?

 I have just been listening to Gudrun Gut's latest release, 'Wildlife', and Simone White's 'Silver Silver', as we're all talking about possibly collaborating together for a show in Italy. I'm really excited to have the chance to play with them...hope it comes about!

Do you mean anything specific based off of the title of your latest LP 'Character'?

The title was inspired by the idea that we are all characters in the narrative of our lives, but that we don't necessarily have control over that narrative, the way an author might. With that title, I also wanted to reference the idea of character as something one achieves over time, and also, of course, the definition of character as a symbol in typography.

Do you have a favorite/most personal track from said album?

All of the tracks on the album are quite personal--it's that sort of record! But I have to say that I enjoy playing "Salute" the most...at least at the moment.

Will you be touring for said release?

I just did some Italian shows in March and April and now a more extensive European tour in May.

If you could choose anyone (dead or alive) to remix your music whom would you pick?

Both Roll The Dice and Melora Creager from Rasputina have just done fantastic remixes of tracks from the album. I couldn't ask for anything better!

Got any other projects we should know about?

Right now I am working on music for a theatre production in Australia, which I'm very excited about. And I have various collaborations in the works...

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?

I think every movie should have its own music (or not, which is also a choice), so I'm not quite sure how to answer that! I think sometimes it's better to let people be free to create their own images while listening to instrumental music. But in terms of having a visual accompaniment to my music I am always drawn toward the abstract.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

Oh goodness! Bach cello suites, probably...but it would be very hard to pick which performance!

Are you living your dream?

Yes, but sometimes it's a nightmare! Seriously...I feel very lucky to be able to make music and use it as a way of communicating...

Thanx Julia!

Julia Kent is currently touring Europe, who wants to fly me out there..?;]

EIC'S10Q'S w/Roll The Dice

"..The formula is pretty straight forward, piano + synths + nothing else (no computers) = a minimalists fan's dream come true. Like John Carpenter, maybe Laurie Anderson or Terry Riley mixed with a little bit of Arvo Part.."


Roll The Dice
Synthetic Microcosmic Progressions

Roll The Dice Bio:
On top of Peder Mannerfelt's other moniker, "The Subliminal Kid", he also produces for and tours with Fever Ray. Malcolm Pardon composes scores for film and television. Mr. Mannerfelt & Mr. Pardon shared studio space in Stockholm for several years, so it only seemed natural that they would finally decided to join forces and release something together. Every track started and ended in the same way with their debut release, there were no pre-conceived notions/ideas, but they had to complete a track by the end of each day, a kind of "free-for-all jam session" with a goal in mind. Earlier this year the duo released their official debut album. They continue to work together in as many mediums as possible.


Hello, how are you?
Peder: Just fine thank you, starting Monday morning with coffee in the studio.
Malcolm: VERY WELL THANKS. ENDING THE DAY IN THE STUDIO ,WITH A COFFEE.

What are you currently listening to?
Peder: Black Math Horseman, I missed the album when it came out last year but it´s been on constant repeat since I found it last week. I also just got the new record with the music from The Knifes opera "Tomorrow In A Year". It´absolutely amazing, it will blow your mind!
MALCOLM:TO BE HONEST AT THE MOMENT MUSIC HAS BEEN TOTALLY SURPASSED BY BBC DOCUMENTARIES AND NEWS PODCASTS...KEEPS YOU UP TO DATE, AND ALSO IT GIVES MY EARS A BREAK FROM THE MUSIC ...

I read online somewhere that you are connected to Fever Ray, care to explain that?
MALCOLM: I'M NOT, BUT:
Peder: Well i produced half of the album together with my studio partner Henrik (Van Rivers). We where also part of the live shows that took place last year. Me and Henrik work really close together doing production work and remixes. We also have a techno label called F and we are in the process of putting together our second release.

When you began writing music for RTD did you have a specific style/genre in mind?
Peder: No.
MALCOLM:THE IDEA WAS TO AVOID HAVING ANY SPECIFIC GENRES OR STYLES IN MIND, AND TO NOT HAVE ANY PRE-CONCEICVED IDEAS BEFORE EVERY SESSION. ALMOST LIKE A DOGMA, IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE APPROACH TO EVERY SONG WAS TO GO ABOUT IN IN A WAY THAT NONE OF US HAD TRIED BEFORE...

Who does all of you visuals live? Is there a theme involved?
Peder: Our friend Ruben Broman has done all the live visuals for us. It involved us going out in my boat at 5 a.m in the Stockholm archipelagos to get background footage to our first live show at the Norberg festival. We got some pretty grand plans for the future with a lot of old television sets, 70s TV cameras and video loops. It´s all a part of the process of Roll The Dice, having big dreams about stuff trying to accomplish them and ending up with something completely different.
Malcolm: AS WITH THE MUSIC,THERE ISN'T REALLY A THEME HERE, ITS MORE OF AN IMPROVISATION, FROM THE ACTUAL VISUALS AND ARTWORK, TO WHOM WE ACTUALLY CHOOSE TO WORK WITH...WORKING WITH PEOPLE WE HAVEN'T WORKED WITH BEFORE, GOES ALONG THE LINE OF AESTHETICS WE HAVE FOR OURSELVES, TO KEEP GETTING SURPRISED BY THE OUTCOME.
Peder: We just got a video for The New Black that our friends Frode & Marcus did. I have done some music for there art films in the past and they really liked the idea of doing something for us. We have also worked very close with our friend Gustaf non Arbin to create the artwork for the records (the CD version will have different artwork). It´s been really fun to work with just friends and let everybody contribute there ideas to the whole process.

Will you please play some US shows?
Peder: We already have :)
Malcolm: WE DID ONE SHOW IN NY LAST SEPTEMBER, AND WE WOULD OBVIOUSLY LOVE TO DO MORE.

If you could score any existing movie out there which one would it be and why?
Peder: Fantastic Planet. It´s actually an idea I had for a long time to do a new soundtrack together with all of the sound effects to that film. The original sounds are really really inspiring in it´s simplicity and it would be really cool to do a interpretation with the Roll The Dice mindset.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Peder: Aphex Twin "Selected Ambient Works Vol 2"
MALCOLM: PEDER,WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!!...ROLL THE DICE,OF COURSE.

Are you living your dream?
MALCOLM: I'M DREAMING MY LIFE THROUGH.
Peder: Hell yes.

Thanx Peder!

Roll The Dice are currently putting together work they did for a their friend Gustaf, look for that in the future...

EIC EXCLUSIVE: Roll The Dice - For Gustaf

Roll The Dice - For Gustaf

Please ~njoy this unreleased track, an installation piece RTD did for a movie. (Thanx again Peder!)

REVIEW: Roll The Dice - Roll The Dice

6 out of 10
Find it here.

A little while ago while looking at one of my favorite sites for great "underground Electronic" music I came across a band called Roll The Dice. The review for RTD stated that they were a Fever Ray off-shoot of some sort, so I immediately became intrigued and double-clicked my little heart out. Upon further listening I came to the conclusion that although the artist may have helped in the studio, Roll The Dice sound nothing like Fever Ray. Instead RTD sound more like John Carpenter, maybe Laurie Anderson or Terry Riley mixed with a little bit of Arvo Part.

This is the official debut recording from Swedish duo Malcolm Pardon and Peder Mannerfelt, but they are not new to the scene. On top of Mannerfelt's other moniker, "The Subliminal Kid", he also produces for and tours with Fever Ray. Pardon composes scores for film and television. Mr. Mannerfelt & Mr. Pardon shared studio space in Stockholm for several years, so it only seemed natural that they would finally decided to join forces and release something together. Every track started and ended in the same way with this release, there were no pre-conceived notions/ideas, but they had to complete a track by the end of each day, a kind of "free-for-all jam session" with a goal in mind. The synthesizer seems to be the main instrument that sticks out, but there are also other elements like odd white noise samples of some sort, a few mid-tempo pulsations, and of course the beautifully sparse piano compositions. I would definitely recommend this album to all Emeralds fans or people that really like to dissect sound while listening to it. The formula for Roll The Dice is pretty straight forward, piano + synths + nothing else (no computers) = a minimalists fan's dream come true.

Fans of synthesizer and/or piano work will be intrigued. If you are not a fan of either instrument this may be a difficult album for you to except, but given a little patience it may grow on you. Minimalism is definitely the key note on this one.

Standout Tracks: They all have a flow to them, I don't really have a "favorite" track per say, I like the album as a whole more..

Check into Roll The Dice..

Apparently this is a Fever Ray off shoot of some sort??

Sounds very John Carpenter-esque mixed with some quircky IDM effects and maybe a little Arvo Pärt..mmmme likey..