i love nature. i love fishing. sometimes i think fly-fishing is more philosophical and artistic than anything i know.

How did you decide to work together for this project, and how did you decide what direction it was going to take?
it was a long wish
and at some point we felt we can do it

the direction was some limitations
not to do anything we did before
after that it was natural
read also this:
http://www.poemproducer.com/agfdelay/intro.html
http://www.poemproducer.com/agfdelay/outro.html

we decided in the beginning on few things like we wouldn't make a club record and we'd wanna avoid deliberately using our solo project sounding things.
besides that, few things shaped the project; one being how we in the beginning did some basic tracks very fast for one exhibition (box?21) antye made in rotterdam, where there were 21 short music pieces for each day. the music was made without too much thinking as usually is the case with albums.
after that we went for a long cleaning holiday to north finland where we at some point after listening to tracks decided to make an album out of that stuff.
how we felt after few months in nature without poisons and living healthy also influenced a lot of the mood on the album.
there was only little discussion which direction the album should take, for most of the time it went on its own with just a little help from us.
one thing which made an impact for the album was that we decided to not give a fxxk about anything and just make a very humble and simple album we would wanna do and like to listen to.

What makes this album different from your previous work?
i think its more reduced
less ambitious even
calm...inner resting.. with the issues and the music?

we concentrate on simple elements
drums.. vocals.. content

little melodies

deep bass

we abandoned our personal signatures
and tried to find a new common denominator

for me the singing is not about me only

its our thoughts and our observations

well, it's a different musical style than i've ever been involved with.
it's the first time i'm really doing a 50/50 collaboration, "a band".
also it's the first time i'm playing drums again since i quit them some 15 years ago.

it's also the first time me and antye really collaborate together; before we only made a few tracks somehow sharing and learning how to work together.

How did you influence each other when working on the project?
being critical
and supporting each other

we've come to a level where we are somehow supporting each other ok and both complementing each other rather than competing and stepping on each others toes and stuff like this which can happen.
so that said, i think we both brought our individual qualities onto album, namely with antye on vocals and me on drums and beats.
also we challenged each other a lot on composing/production/mixing/mastering stages, which is very different from working alone.

What are any generalized differences you might have noticed in the ways of thinking/being between everyday people living in "the city" and everyday people living somewhere like a rural area of north Finland?
oh its a different speed
and mood

and the pollution is so little in the nature
its sooo quiet

and noooooo people. privacy

and time has to be controlled in town

in nature you float

in the city you fight to survive

it's not only in north finland rural areas but everywhere i've been where it's less populated and a bit far away; people are much more friendly and relaxed and there's less competition and hassle going on, although that means less excitement and stuff so you have to be (=people are) quite ok with yourself when it's dark and you're alone as there's not many places to go and not many things to do.

What are possible consequences/implications of repetitive, synch-locked music? What is the significance of working without quantized structure as artists typically working within this tradition/context?
often its predictable

which is what people wish/need to enjoy/to switch off attention
to know when the chorus/bassdrum whatever happens

it can be super

but its sooo rare that you come across unpredictable music

its unbalanced

non repetitive music
demands attention and dedication
its uncomfortable in a way...challenging...

less reliable

you can't just rely on the sequencer
who keeps all the shit together
and every baby can make a tight beat

also it leaves space for surprises

its less controlled

less predictable

surprizes ;)

i don't think the issue has so much to do with repetitive/synched music for that's what steve reich and miles and everyone tried to do since ages and sometimes succeed very well, but the issue is more to do with what and how and why and when you're trying to synch and repeat something, does it make any sense or not, and whether it should be done then, and again how and why.

In what way is your album a model of any philosophical/political way of thought/line of questioning/way of being?
no model
i don't believe in models

its personal reflections

we're not trying to take any angle or attitude on any political issues neither we're trying to make any provocative or educational talk, we're just making songs about things we've observed along the way.
if it's a model in any way for anything, it's a model for personal freedom of expression and choices whatever political or philosophical or anything else they might be.

How might electronic music technologies/methods or exhibition challenge traditional notions of authorship/performance?

they do ;)

theres soo much content out there. as much as cells and oxygen can be produced
you breathe and you produce carbon. somebody needs carbon and makes oxygen again
you can pick up a stone and make a huge mosaic
if anybody stops to look at it and feels a bit better or inspired. its nice

it might be the other way around? that the traditional performance is still challenging the new electronic music to perform well?

regarding authorship it's a different thing of course, with all old methods and ways not working anymore with new distribution/copying/etc techniques. even though it's making a big mess out of everything, i think it's a good thing and i'm looking forward to seeing what's gonna come after the dust has gone.


What role does music play in influencing social tendencies? How might it play a more positive part in society?

i am not studying this kind of thing
but i guess its huge and then again its just music/entertainment

i observed huge movements in music in different times
and i know its comfort or encouragement for so many people
no matter what race or social class

thats important at any time

black hip hop in america is influencing world now
many kids wanna look like 50

what does it change / make ???

respect for different races ???

do white kids wanna be balck soon ???

like michael so much wanted to be white ???

or

i mean america is a good example

so much freedom... and what do they do with it ???

i know that i encourage some ladies to start producing their own music as well as other chickas... maybe it's a bigger variety for people to choose / how to spend their lives

music is still one of the most popular instruments to orient yourself on and
rub your opinions and to deal with the subject of life

as well as any other art/thing in the world more or less...

it's naturally a huge carrier of messages and influences around and is a big part of the cultural development.

as it's all big business and in the hands of few powerful ones it'll be very hard to convince them to change their money-sucking policies on advertisement and selling strategies and other very degrading actions they exercise below the waist level.


How will your studio work on this album translate to the live setting/performance?

right now we rehearse to present the record on stage with live drums and vocals and electronics

we have live debut next week in brussels

we'll try to take the tracks to a different level live, much improvised. i'll be playing drums live and antye will be doing the vocal and electronis.
but as the first gig is still to happen it's hard to say much more.


Are there any musicians whose current/recent work you find particularly interesting/enjoyable/important and why?

there is some cool stuff coming from the eastern countries

hip hop always worldwide

rap saves the world

i guess uk grime/breakbeat/mc music is interesting right now

i look for it always
rarely find it
unique solutions in music

right now i like powerful music with traditional
reworked influences

its nice to have a special beat and some gipsy trumpets
and somebody has to sing or rap something interesting on top

unique crossover i guess i enjoy most

i must say that ladies seem to rule lately which i'm very happy about.
i'm honored to be a partner to one...

musically i've been somewhere completely else last year or so and can't really say i heard that much "recent" music.
most of the current stuff lasts for me like a few weeks and it's done through.

the latest mos def has some interesting things in there.

actually, the latest lcd soundsystem, even though it's definitely not the music i generally like, i found interesting. here we go.
      interview by bijan for droid (email) March 18, 2005