Showing posts with label phantasma disques. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phantasma disques. Show all posts

Monday, August 26, 2013

EIC's 10Q's w/ Ellie Herring

"..further exploring Dark-Experimental (euphoric) Electronic music.."


Ellie Herring
Science of Ethereal Fusion

Ellie Herring Bio:
Ellie Herring is an American born electronic musician and producer.  She was born in Tennessee and pursued an MFA in abstract painting from The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, which she credits as a heavy influence to her music. She now resides in Kentucky, releasing her first EP, 'Flailing In Attraction', with Race Car Productions of Oceanside, CA in 2011. Ellie has gone on to release several singles with her debut full-length, Until It Feels Foreign, in the winter of 2011.  Furthermore, Ellie remembers tap dancing on second base during t-ball games to the INXS ringing in her head, creating mixes on a Sony mini-disc player, Michael Jackson’s Thriller 7” on her Fisher Price record player, and buying a Heart cassette with her mother while eating sherbet.


Hello, how are you?
Doing very well. Destroying lattes and photoshopping armpits (really) for the 9 to 5.

What are you currently listening to?
At this very moment, a preview of Erlend Oye's upcoming release, "La Prima Estate". Also... Machinedrum, Tokimonsta, Beacon, Eats Everything, Brandy. You name it.

Whom or what inspired you the most to begin making music?
Midi controllers and keyboards. I'm a big tech geek so as soon as I even got a tiny portion of my brain wrapped around midi mapping and production software I became sickly obsessed. Then I got into samplers and analog stuff. I guess that's the opposite direction that it happens for most people. Music theory I'd tossed aside when I was a wayyyy too cool teenager and picked back up when I got into music again. I really never thought that it would be adapted for anything else or that I would even be able to access those memories again.

Care to shed some light on your recent LP 'Kite Day'; theme, favorite track, etc?
The title is taken from one of my favorite memories as a kid. My Dad teaching me to fly a kite one afternoon on a weekend so I'd know what I'm doing at school for Kite Day. Flying a kite for the first time blew my mind a little I think. Running around to keep it in the air. Kites live in the air. They don't otherwise. My favorite track is "Thinking JFK", I wrote it in one shot, in the middle of the night when I was thinking about sudden deaths that never have explanation or resolve. That aftermath. It's not necessarily about the assassination of JFK, the title is more of an allegory. "10 Hours In Prague" is a close second. It's based on a reoccurring dream of someone that is very dear to me. That track is my translation of the dream.

Any reason you didn't stay with Phantasma Disques for this release?
They tend not to do digital releases. Just runs of CDs, and I wanted to go both routes with 'Kite Day'. My first release, "Flailing in Attraction" was digitally with Racecar so I stuck with them. They're rad guys. BF4ever.

Will you be touring extensively for said release?
I hope so. The planning is in the works now.

Got any other projects we should know about?
An LP later this year or early 2014. That really depends on touring though.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?
I first read this as "what movie do you put on and mute when creating your music?"  because that's something I do. But it's not a movie, it's Northern Exposure the TV show. The characters and scenery are comforting.  Cicely, Alaska, the Brick bar, and KBHR 570 AM. My answer is Gattaca though.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Underworld's 'Oblivion With Bells'.

Are you living your dream?
Very close. I feel weird saying that because I'm so thankful for having such great friends and support, it feels like I should be saying I'm living it.

Thanx Ellie and Matthew!

(I believe) Ellie is currently laying low (presumably working on her next release/tour itinerary)...in the meantime...

Monday, May 14, 2012

REVIEW: How I Quit Crack - Untitled CDR

8.75 out of 10

Another Witch House/Drag artist I stumbled across a while back and have been meaning to talk about.. How I Quit Crack is a part of the Witch House clique that seems to be shrouded by a bit of mystery and (maybe) misery. Phantasma Disques (remove yourself from under that boulder, you've heard of this label by now RIGHT?), the home (usually) of HIQC, is notorious for releasing some of thee darkest Electronic music out there and releasing it all on limited run CDRs, DVDs, newspapers, etc (seriously, there's a lot of swag here). All of it under one persons supervision of course (which is why the art is so similar on these releases--which I love btw). Some of it I like, some of it I LOVE, How I Quit Crack is probably my favorite artist from said label. Her (Tina's) music is very slow and debilitating, somewhat introspective and definitely dark. Take a moment and introduce yourself to Tina's art if you haven't done so by now..

Let it unfold, let it unfold, ..have patience, let this dark piece of art so elegantly titled "Untitled CDR",  creep it's way into your heart. Droney vocal manipulations, dark/eerie synths, monotonous drum machines, and a bit of disparity make for a most excellent album, I'm pretty sure this is part of HIQC's motto. 'Untitled CDR' is pretty much a perfect example of what I am looking for when I say I like "Modern Dark Sounds". There's something very unique about HIQC's style that I just can't put my finger on. It's so simple, but its entirely complex and intensely layered at the same time. Her cover of Chris Isaak's classic is "Wicked Game", is (in this writer's opinion) maybe even better than the original, a rare feat, but I thoroughly believe it.

This is such a dark-downer, why wouldn't you like it? Recommendedx▲.

Standout Tracks:Wantingyou, Collapse, Godblessthechild, Thatboy (my second favorite track, sounds like something John Balance would write♥)

EIC's 10Q's w/ How I Quit Crack

"..shrouded by a bit of mystery and (maybe) misery.."


Delirious Meditation

How I Quit Crack Bio:
How I Quit Crack is a Lo-Fi Witch House/Drag artist (Tina) from Texas. I wish I could say more, but I couldn't find a decent Bio..;( Just listen for yourself..


Hello, how are you?
Hey. Climbin' up the wallz, spinning in my bed, you?

What are you currently listening to?
I keep listening to the Raincoats record 'ODYSHAPE' especially thiz type of song, its so fruity and light like a drink, also Yoko's 'APPROXIMATELY INFINITE UNIVERSE' ..and the Nirvana 'FECAL MATTER' demos, Mostly I download songs then slow em down or reverse 'em to palatalization is complete and I can digest..

Care to explain the band name?
I had a dark period in my life that the name illustrates. I made an escape pod for my soul with HIQC makin' diary videos in my room and recording in my bed.... Either way, I don't know if "HOW I QUIT CRACK" means anything anymore, it's like my ILLUMINATI ALTAR now where I have my play time and make shapes with colors. And it's a place I hide often.

Out of all your tracks you have done so far do you have a favorite?
"Wanting You", it's a digicrawl. I wish everything sounded like this all the time sometimes. Also for fave videos; "In Realm" and "In Realm (Live)", somewhere between these 2 I exist I propose..

Is there a new LP on the horizon?
Yess! 2 in the works now, feverishly recording and sorting myself, I'm terrible to wait upon.. I have 2 coming sooon from Texas based labels; HOLODECK RECORDS with friends, TROLLER etc. And also PECAN CRAZY RECORDS, run by ATTIC TED. So far it seems like they're gonna be 2 very different records.

Will you be touring for said album?
Kinda in the talks of a tour now, I'm not certain to go West or East, Up Down...? Talking with TROLLER about a summer tour and possible an East Coast Tour in April, but still workin' the bugs into that one..

What movie would work best on mute while listening to your music and why?
Digi-scramble Simpsons I think would be great,........maybe Disney's Sleeping Beauty or All Dogs Go To Heaven anything Don Bluth animated..

Got any other projects we should know about?
HARD WHITE with Alex from Blissed Out. It's a in the air and deep in the Earth like shopping malls of the mind, it's has me excite, anthemic discourse that is..

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Yoko Ono's 'APPROXIMATELY INFINITE UNIVERSE' its dated sounding sometimes but its amazing all the time..

Are you living your dream?
I think I go out of my way to manifest my dreams literally. I live dreams by acting them out after they're conceived. Honestly, I'm not sure what my dreams are except to go to Europe sometime soon, I guess dreams snowball.

Thanx Tina & Phantasma!

HIQC is currently working on a slew of projects for the terrific Phantasma Disques label (as well as a slew of other labels), look for more of her work in the very near future...