Brainterviews
INTERVIEW WITH
SEBASTIAN ELLIOTT OF BRAINDANCE
MUSIC EXTREME, ARGENTINA
WINTER, 2001
1.how do you compose your material? do you make a song from beginning to end and then arrange it or maybe you put together some parts that the members of the group bring to rehearsals?
i write a good amount of the song while walking, or sleeping, or crying. this is usually a texture, a pattern, a tone, a mood. this idea can stay in my head for weeks or months or even years. if it stays there that long and becomes a part of my thinking, becomes an inner refuge for me, then i am confident that i want to give it auditory substance. there has to be a real solid reason aside from greed and the desire to offend overweight hunkering devourers of cheese flavored pork rinds to bring an inspiration forth into the awaiting world.
the idea then becomes manifested in an elaborate sequence. i try to limit such labor as much as possible, so i try to work out most of the parts in my head before zombifying myself in front of a computer monitor or keyboard or sequencer. this sequence/demo will inevitably transfer over as the backbone of the final release recording. much of it will remain. parts to be played physically, like guitars, bass, strings: these will not be final, but will be actualized and detailed by dorsal finned amphibians.
vocal ideas frequently figure into this process in the form of main harmonies/textures and protean thematic notions, of which i am the chief progenitor, but rarely will these ever remain. sebastian builds the lyrics and main melodies from these notions into a song with words and targeted septic value. at this point, the whole chebang is revisited by sebastian and i. this revisionary process takes place in the studio once it's all cut. this is the beauty of hard disk recording. our songs are not infrequently recast very very late in the recording process.
it is only when we hit rehearsal that we discover just how impossible it will be to reproduce it all live.
2. your music has been described as hardcore, industrial, progressive, heavy metal. how would you describe your music? can you explain the term progressive darkwave?
i would add latin, moravian, glam, polka, balinese, lounge, and cajun to that list. our music seems to appeal to fans of the several genres mentioned who are also interested in seeing how far the genre can be stretched and mannered before it becomes something else. i think the term progressive darkwave is faithful to our roots in prog rock as well as accurately communicating our joyous affinity for misery.
3. can you tell me which are for you the main differences between "shadows" and "fear itself"?
shadows is the work of a project still in the rough. it is exploratory of veins of creativity that become much more fleshed out on fi. it also has the merit of being a year younger than fi, so it is probably not as miserable and philosophically devoid of hope as the latter. it's also shorter. in addition, fi tastes more like buttery acorn squash than shadows, which is clearly more like crispy curry beancurd.
4. how different is "redemption" from the other records?
redemption is the cd that braindance has been meant to make since its inception. it had a true production schedule and production vision. we kept to this schedule and vision despite the worst contrary intentions of most of the hairless marsupials involved. the schedule only smashed flat on its pudgy face within the last year or so when we unwisely decided to leave our fundamental cynicism behind and began to believe that hard currency was going to be put behind the project. we have since wholeheartedly returned to our prior state. rd takes the reins where fi finally give up the ghost. while not a concept album, rd is, in fact, a complete song-cycle that explores various positions regarding inevitability of certain familiar things like death, hatred, vindication, absolution, and a late brunch. the solution it leaves you with will leave you thumping the trestle table for more than just cilantro dusted quesadillas.
5. can you explain me alittle bit about the recording of "redemption" ? who produced it? when will it be released?
i produced it in studios in colorado, new jersey, and new york city. the guitars were cut in a big wharehouse in boulder. most of the rest was cut in new jersey in a project studio with protools, studiovision, and da-88's. although digital, the path to the digital realm was very very dirty and grainy, and vintage. it is being mixed in a protools room here in nyc. it should be done in a couple of days, mastered in a couple of weeks, and released by mid march or april, earlier on our website.
6. how different is the approach of andrew to bass and composition when compared to eiki?
andy knows english. otherwise, they both have been know to enjoy a good double extra cheese slice every now and then. andy plays with a pick and has a progressive metal background. eiki plays with fingers mostly and has a progressive rock bg.
7. is there something you would have changed from your previous recordings?
i would charge more money and released them as non-stick paper doilies. there's a good market for that now.
8. how important is musical theory in the way you compose your music?
theory is only a subliminal grammar now. i have a lot of theory and orchestration in my training, but it rarely if ever assumes kind control of the creative process and i have no agenda to adhere or profess loyalty to any given compositional modality. pure salivatory joy is our motto.
9. are there any plans of touring to support the release of "redemption"?
yes. then, and only then, will we faithlessly depart our hellish diernal vocations in pursuit of our hellish nocturnal advocations.
10. any final words for people in argentina?
yes.