Can you give me some idea of what your home studio looks like?
Well it's mainly an Akai S-3000, a Macintosh Quadra 800, I use a Pioneer DJ M500 mixing board because it has built-in sound effects, of course turntables, and some Yamaha monitor speakers. There's also software like MetaSynth, there's a program called Digital Cathedral which is a really cool piece of software that lets you do bugged out reverb effects and stuff like that. Hyperprism is another effects program, it lets you do real-time manipulation. There's a whole bunch of other stuff, but that's just what comes to mind off the top of my head.
How often do you find yourself recording?
All the time. Just about every other day.
Is there anything that particularly inspires you to record, or has it become like a ritual?
No, I'm mostly an ideas person y'know. I try to come up with a concept or an idea and try to figure out sonicly how to engage and just push the envelope in that direction. It's about trying to conceptualize a framework around art and music, because that's my whole kick. I mean I'm mainly a writer and artist, and DJ-ing was meant to be an extension of that kind of stuff that would allow me to build and develop and create a forum for conceptual art as DJ-ing.
And now look at everything it's become?
Right, it worked, but now a lot of people think I just do music, which is a real drag.
Do you have any kind of ritualized process when you're building up a composition? Do you start from the drums up, or like, a loop that catches your ear?
Nah, I mean it depends on what project or focus I'm working on. I don't really have a set routine.
You play upright bass too, what are you using to record it?
Just a piezo-electric pickup. It lets me go direct into my mixing board. That way I don't have to bother with a bunch of amps and mics and stuff, because I like to travel really lightweight.
You use a lot of field recorded sounds in your recordings, like police sirens, and subway rattling. Are you recording these yourself, and if so what kind of gear are you using to record outdoors?
Just a pretty high-end mini-disc recorder and a microphone.
