EIC's 10Q's w/ Distel

"..ominous embodiments can excite us and bring a sense of aberrant pleasure.."

Distel

Sinister Systematization

Distel Bio:

After several contributions to compilations and one 7 inch release here is the long awaited debut album called 'Puur' by Dutch Electronic project Distel. Their sound is not easy to define... When seeking for references you could say that Distel has all the originality and talent of Coil and the sound is like that of Autechre on a dark trip. What is evident is that the waiting for this album was worthwhile as it is one of the artistic highlights from the house of Enfant Terrible. It is beautiful and complex and grotesque on all levels.

Hello, how are you?

Fine, thanks.. or 'busy', as is the more common saying for a Dutchman, which, for us, somehow indicates that things are going well in general.

What are you currently listening to?

I'm actually in the middle of a recording session for two new releases by my other band Hadewych and at such a time I try to refrain from spending too much time listening to other music. Still, today, on my way to our rehearsal space, the last things I listened to were Swedish black metal band Craft, Caspar Brötzmann Massaker, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Virgin Prunes ... Mainly because I enjoy rhythmic stuff while riding around.

What's the story behind the band name?

'Distel' is Dutch for 'Thistle'. I like the sound of the word and the aesthetics of the plant itself. And the stingy bit.

Whom or what inspired you the most to create the kind of music you do?

For Distel that would be a childhood filled with Kraftwerk, Jarre and Marouani.. and a quite some years of trying to make sense of the first 20.

Care to shed some info on your latest LP 'Puur'; theme, favorite track(s), etc?

There's no real unifying theme on Puur. Recurring elements are the purity of failure and being trapped in compulsive behavior. My favourite tracks are "hxxx" and "vxxx", mainly because of the way they stand out in their directness. Some trivia; the album itself was written and recorded within a two year period (2009-2011) in both Nijmegen - my hometown - and Paris; most tracks on it were hand-played, apart from some sequenced percussion parts and the album title (which simply translates to 'pure') can in Dutch refer to both something exalted and something raw or too strong for the average taste…

Will you be touring extensively for said release?

This Autumn we will play some shows in Scandinavia and a few in the Netherlands together with Europ Europ from Norway. Apart from that there will be no extensive touring - just your occasional show here and there.

Got any other projects we should know about?

Not if you were looking for something that resembles Distel. Currently I'm participating in about 8 other projects and bands of which the most important one is Hadewych. I'm also in the process of setting up a small music/art object label that will issue its first release - by free jazz/noise duo Dead Neanderthals - near the end of this year.

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

For me personally Distel's music has become such a world on its own that it does not easily allow non-musical elements to accompany it, without them seeming banal or just an inane abstraction of what is actually there. Still, a movie which I think creates a similar kind of  dense and saturated atmosphere on a visual level is Merhige's 'Begotten'.

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

None. I'd rather live with the memory of all that I've heard.

Are you living your dream?

More and more, but not primarily due to my musical endeavors...

Thanx Distel!

Distel is currently going slightly unnoticed, let's turn this around people, posthaste..

EIC's 10Q's w/ Martin Eden

"..late night industry grind mixed with a hint of Neo Futuristic fated sound.."

Martin Eden

Post Bliss Commerce

Martin Eden Bio:

Matthew Cooper started making music under the name Eluvium in 2003, and since then we have never known what to expect from each release: minimal ambience, solo piano, modern classical, static noise, stately and sonorous pop. Restlessness, restfulness, wonder, and wanderlust. Emotionally direct, and emotionally indirect. A listen to the Eluvium catalog is a wide-eyed stroll through a museum of different eras of the human experience. The diversity of sounds has been held together with a gorgeous but beguiling unity that always lets you know that Eluvium is your guide along this stroll.  It was a bit of a surprise to hear that Cooper’s latest project would be released under a different name, but a listen to that project makes the reasoning evident. It is a world of off-kilter beats and unidentifiable instrument loops and keyboard swells. It somehow manages to be cold and alien and warm and human.  The name for this new world of sound is Martin Eden.

 Hello, how are you?

Getting over a cold unfortunately - otherwise doing well..

What are you currently listening to?

I'm mixing the new Eluvium record at the moment, so I haven't had much time to listen to anything else - but some things that have been recently played around here in the last few months are: Gonzales 'Solo Piano 2', Max Richter 'Recomposed/The Four Seasons', the Yo La Tengo catalogue, Burial 'Kindred/Street Halo' Rachel's 'Systems/Layers Radiolab'

How long has this "side project" been in the works? Was there something that prompted it?

It's been a long time coming I think - I've been craving the chance to work outside of the Eluvium world -- I think the final straw - oddly - was one day I was reading my book at a local brewery and 'Computer World' was playing - a record I've heard hundreds of times - but for some reason - I kind of thought to myself - "that's it,.. I'm making an Electronic record"

What is the general theme behind "Dedicate Function"?

The most important part of it was for me to have fun doing something completely different - the pursuit of playfulness and discovery but there are clearly underlining tones and thoughts suggested by the project name  - people might only get that part if they have read the book - but it may also just be created out of my personal feelings towards the book - there are multiple themes dealing with artistic integrity / machine operated life / as well as feeling accepted and what may or may not come from that in the end -these things are little hints at something..

Any plans to tour for said release?

Not likely on this release - though I'm open to unusual offers - definitely for the next Eluvium - and hopefully when the next Martin Eden record happens..

Got any other projects we should know about?

I just finished sanding and re-staining my deck  - it took a pretty serious effort..

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

I honestly have no idea.

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

Whatever it is, I'm sure I'd grow a little tired of it..

Are you living your dream? 

Very close to it.

Thanx Gloria and Matthew (er-um "Martin";)!

Martin Eden recently released his debut album for Lefse Records, be sure to absorb that for all it's worth...

EIC'S10Q'S w/Drifting In Silence

"..washed away to virtual space abyss.."


Drifting In Silence
Tranquil Cadence Chasm

Drifting In Silence Bio:
Drifting In Silence, is Shoegaze meets Dancing Shoes. To the trademark shifting layers of aural light and shadow, composer/multi-instrumentalist Derrick Stembridge had added driving, motive rhythms that provide a new edge that you’ll be hard-pressed not to dance to. Voices, processed and pumped through vocoders, achieve new prominence. Complex, industrial-strength (but never pedestrian) percussion keeps everything moving, while lyrical keyboard lines weave through and tie everything together.


Hello, how are you?
I’m great!

What are you currently listening to?
Currently I’m listening to a mix ranging from Kraftwerk’s "Computer World" to Led Zeppelin's "III".

When it came to sculpting your sounds into what they are today, who would you say were your biggest influences?
For sound sculpting pads and ambient landscapes, Brian Eno and Vangelis are major influences. When it comes to guitar, I think of Robin Guthrie, and Robert Smith of the Cure. For drums, hands down, John Bonham. And vocals… I mostly use a vocoder so my main influence in that area would be Styx.

Tell us a little bit about "Lifesounds". Is there a theme or narrative with it?
“Lifesounds” comes from the combination of the words “life” and “sounds” to create a new word meaning, “…the experience of stones skipping across waves of sound. A digital diary in the form of sound.”

Will you be touring for said release?
Yes, a tour is in the works for later this year so be sure to keep an eye out on the Drifting in Silence website.

Got any side projects we should know about?
Yes. Back when I was working on "Facewithin" in 2009 I started a project called Longthenight. In this project I was experimenting with more acoustic-based instruments and creating organic sounds. I’m currently working on a followup EP for Longthenight that’s due to be released later this year.

What movie could I watch on mute that would sync with your music?
I would have to say either Eraserhead or Enemy Mine.

What's your least favorite form of electronic music?
I actually like all forms of electronic music.

If you can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ... which album would it be?
That would definitely be Marvin Gaye’s "Here, My Dear".

Are you living your dream?
Yes.

Thanx Derrick!

Drifting In Silence is currently working on a tour schedule for his latest release as well as a follow up for his side project Longthenight...

EIC'S10Q'S w/Geneva Jacuzzi

"..head first into a bath of Post("Pre" maybe?)-Electro Pop sounds infused with what sounds like/can only be described as Tropicana Goth music.."


Geneva Jacuzzi
Caliginous Electro Art

Geneva Jacuzzi Bio:
Geneva Garvin (aka Geneva Jacuzzi) is a songwriter, visual and recording artist from Los Angeles, California. In her music she has honed a blithe and cryptic wit filled with sultry puns, double entendres, and irreverent references to mysticism and the occult. From 2004 to 2007 she fronted the tongue-in-cheek goth band Bubonic Plague, an influential cult favorite in the burgeoning scene in LA’s Echo Park district.

Her music has used styles that range from Darkwave, Goth, Lounge and Tropicalia. She recreates these sounds in painstaking detail on a portable 8-track cassette recorder.

Her recent recordings have zeroed in on a discarded period in electronic funk and dance music associated with groups like Morris Day and The Time, El DeBarge and Zapp & Roger. She infuses these styles with elaborate instrumentation and harmonically complex textures that are technically difficult to achieve using her recording equipment. These distilled instrumental pieces often last under 30 seconds.

She has also developed a collage-art style that she uses to package her own music and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti albums. Like her music, her album covers consist of other album covers, intricately re-worked and shuffled so as to give the impression of a sensuous time in contemporary music, while avoiding specific references or quotation.


Hello, how are you?
I'm as well as can be expected.

What are you currently listening to?
The sweet song of "My Cockatiel" (Norman). His melodies are quite unique. Tonight, he seems to be venturing off into a rather strange style of music. It sounds almost like a classic Zarzuela sprinkled with a hint of Mariachi. It's actually kinda good.

What's the story behind the band name?
Well, Geneva is my real first name and Jacuzzi is my fake rock and roll last name.

Which artist(s) influenced you the most when it came to creating your signature sound?
Oh how I wish I knew what my signature sound was!! Anyway, this is hard so I'll just list whatever pops into my head. Devo, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Human League, Sparks, Abba, Fad Gadget, Chrome, Prince, MJ, The Cure, Ministry, The Associates... this could go on forever and I know I'm forgetting all the Good ones.

Who is your favorite artist from the Los Angeles area?
Uh, Christian Death, Duh!

What's your least favorite genre of music?
GENRE MUSIC

Is there a tentative title/theme/release date for your next album?
What? Who said anything about a next album.

Will you be touring for said release?
Oh definitely!

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
There are a lot of good albums out there. HA! but none that good

Are you living your dream?
No, My dream is to become a Jedi Knight and live out the rest of my days levitating in the magical ice caves of Hoth.

Thanx Geneva!

Geneva Jacuzzi is currently working on a follow up to "Lamaze"...maybe.

EIC'S10Q'S w/Twin Sister

"..simplistic beauty and playful banters that put a smile inside my ear every time I listen to them.."


Twin Sister
Cozy Pop

Twin Sister Bio:
Long Island, NY-based indie pop quintet Twin Sister make music that is dreamy, yet danceable. The five members of the group -- vocalist Andrea Estella, bassist Gabe D'Amico, drummer Bryan Ujueta, keyboardist Dev “Udbhav” Gupta, and guitarist (sometimes vocalist) Eric Cardona -- crossed paths while playing in their respective bands, ultimately befriending each other and forming Twin Sister in 2008. Their first EP, Vampires with Dreaming Kids, was self-released that year. After their first live show out of town, at SXSW, they toured with tUnE-YarDs and Xiu Xiu before putting the final touches on their second EP, Color Your Life, which followed in 2010.


Hello, how are you?
Good. A little sweaty. Our practice space has no ventilation or windows.

What are you currently listening to?
A lot of Kraftwerk. Andrea is in an 80's dance pop phase; the first Madonna album, stuff like that. I just found the Teen Dream album "Let's Get Busy" for her. I don't know how good that'll turn out to be. We'll see. Bryan is at the beginning of a quest to get into house music.

Why exactly are you called Twin Sister?
Eric's mom has a twin sister, and Andrea has a twin sister too.

Are you guys officially signed to any label yet?
Yes, we're on Infinite Best Recordings. We couldn't be happier about it.

Have you begun work on your follow up to “Color Your Life”? Is their a tentative release date/title?
We're working through lots of new material, but it takes us a while to figure out where songs and sounds belong. We'll probably let the finished songs dictate what our next release looks like. It could be a single.

I went to your site and downloaded every song you had on there, 90+ songs later I am convinced you guys are amazing. Your style has slowly developed from Indie Rock/Pop into Dream Pop, was that always your intention to go down that route?
It's not our intention to evolve in a specific direction; that would be very hard to do, or maybe just very boring. Also, because we all write material for the band, we're always pulling in multiple directions at once. Hopefully the series genre classifications for our music will become more and more confusing with time.

Out of all the MANY songs on your site that aren‘t on your recent EP, which one(s) do you care for the most? I really like “Ribbon Bow”.
I love that one too! It almost didn't make it; Dev thought he had lost it. That one has a great mix of fidelities. Another one I really love is the extended version of the song "Dry Hump" from our first EP. It's ten minutes long, really good to fall asleep to. The crackly little recording of Eric and Andrea singing "All My Trials" is a good one too.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
The Beach Boys "Today!" First It'd be fun, then It'd make me go crazy.

Are you living your dream?
Sure!

Thanx Hunter & Gabel!

Twin Sister are about to go on tour with Memoryhouse..!