quarta-feira, 1 de junho de 2016

Year One with Darkswoon - An Interview


Jana e Christian formam o duo Darkswoon e ano passado eles debutaram com "Year One", um alucinante exercício dançante, cerebral e simultaneamente, denso e sensual.

Tentar rotular a sonoridade do Darkswoon é basicamente superficial, eles passeiam por trip hop, pós punk, electro, dreampop, shoegaze e não soam ou se enquadram em nenhum nicho.

"Year One" é feito sob medida para ser degustado tanto num pista escura e bem alto, como sozinho e introspectivamente, porém os efeitos certamente serão opostos. 

Experimente.


***** Interview with Darkswoon *****



Q. When did Darkswoon start? Tell us about the history...
I always wanted to get into electronic music but felt limited and intimidated by the daunting process of learning a whole new musical approach. I started playing guitar as a kid and hadn’t played anything but stringed instruments my whole life. A couple years ago I found myself in between bands but writing a lot and collecting electronic toys and pedals, just experimenting with sounds in my bedroom. I was only writing it for myself so putting it out into the world carried vulnerability but felt really freeing and honest at the same time. Basically, Darkswoon is my dream project. I have been dreaming it up for more than a decade. What came out of these dreams and bedrooms sessions evolved into a set of songs that I self released last year (Year One EP). I have been working hard to follow the EP with a second release this summer.

Q: Who are your influences?
I listened to a lot of psychedelic, classic rock and grunge growing up. The Doors, Can, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Hole, Radiohead, Blonde Redhead, PJ Harvey, Portishead, Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails. I credit Trent Reznor for introducing me to electronic music, which is now a huge part of my music collection. I can remember the first time I heard any of the aforementioned bands/musicians and feeling something profound.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This is a challenge. I had to add a sixth. In no particular order:

Nine Inch Nails-The Downward Spiral
The Knife-Silent Shout
Aphex Twin-Selected Ambient works
Bjork-Vespertine
Blonde Redhead-Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
PJ Harvey-Rid of Me

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I still get nervous. I think I always will. When I can harness that nervous energy and properly channel it, performing can be an intense out of body experience. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life, no matter how much it freaks me out.


Q. How do you describe Darkswoon´s sounds?
If the music were a Venn diagram, the overlap would include elements of electronic, shoegaze, 80/90s goth, psychedelic rock. It’s is driven by electronic beats, strung together by synths and guitar, carried by voice. The lyrical content ranges from topics about death, ghosts, love, cats.
When people ask what kind of music I play, I describe it as electrohaze or dark electronic shoegaze. I don’t really like attaching a genre to it though because then there are preconceived notions about what the sound should be.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
My friend, John Mowatt, recorded the first Darkswoon EP, Year One, in his basement studio, Underground Audio. I wanted to maintain some of the lo-fi quality that I was creating in my bedroom. This year I’ve been working with producer/engineer Sean Flora on the next release, which will have a more polished sound. He runs a recording studio on Sauvie Island in Oregon called the Rock n Roll BnB. The BnB is an atomic ranch/studio that you can stay at while you record. The land out there is so beautiful. It’s an amazing space for creativity. The recording process can be exhausting and a valuable lesson in patience. I love recording though. It’s so rewarding as everything comes together. It’s like magic.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I feel a bit out of the loop with the new musicks but here a few bands to check:

Gazelle Twin, Haelos, Lebanon Hanover, Muscle & Marrow

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I don’t know how I would achieve this but I’ve always wanted to cover The Knife’s “We Share Our Mother’s Health”.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
More music! I am finishing up the details for our future release. I am also shooting a music video for a single off the upcoming album that will be premiering very soon. That’s all I can say right now but I encourage anyone who would like to keep up on that to follow on facebook:www.facebook.com/darkswoon.pdx
Check the website: www.darkswoon.xyz and www.souncloud.com/darkswoon
And please help yourself to a free download of the Year One EP at darkswoon.bandcamp.com

Q: Any parting words?
I am really honored to be featured in TBTCI. Thank you!
*
*
*
Thanks