Please tell us a little bit of how Minotaur Shock came to be.
Well then, I was in a couple of guitar bands before I went to University, but once I got there I turned into a strange hermit. Because I didn't really gel with any of the musicians I met, I decided to indulge my secret passion for electronic music. I borrowed an Atari from a Buddhist post-grad who taught me the rudiments of sequencing, and set to work. I didn't get a very good grade. But I did make heaps of rubbish trip-hop that I managed to whittle down into my first few EPs. The 'Minotaur Shock' moniker was made by a series of seemingly unconnected events which included some frivolous minidisc titling (I had a track called 'Minotaur Shock Rock') and a friend deciding that should be my name before he sent out the demo for me. I didn't even know he'd changed it until I got an email saying 'are you Minotaur Shock?'
What's with the title Maritime and the nautical references were you reading Herman Melville?
I spent a bit of time living on a creek down in Cornwall where I was recording with my other band Bronze Age Fox. We were quite isolated, and I took a bunch of books by people like Daphne DuMaurier, Robert Louis Stevenson and yep, Mr Melville was there too. I kind of got sucked into the whole piratey adventure of it all and when I got back to Bristol I tried to write an instrumental pop album about it. Which is harder than it sounds when you don't want to resort to shanties and stuff. I skipped chunks of Moby Dick though, it went on a bit.
How do you feel your music has evolved from your album on Melodic Chiff-Chaffs & Willow Warblers," to your new 4AD release "Maritime?"
Chiff-Chaffs was based a lot more on samples than Maritime, which was a deliberate challenge to myself to make the album using mostly sounds I made myself. The production values are higher and I was a lot cheekier in what I tried to get away with. I guess Chiff-Chaffs traded in the same kind of nostalgia for kid's TV themes and rustic cardigans that bands like Boards of Canada did, and I think with Maritime I was trying to get away from that but still connect with the listener by reflecting a more school-disco kind of nostalgia. Hence the nods to music from the late 80s. The next album is turning into some kind of prog behemoth, so who knows how that will end up.
We think your music has really original sounds and dynamics to it. Are you sick of all the comparisons to other electronica artists or are you flattered?
I think it's inevitable, although most of the time I don't get the comparison. I got pretty bored with electronica for a while, and spent a lot of time listening to pop music. I tried to reflect that in Maritime, using structures, meters and sounds that were not typical of 'folktronica' or whatever you call it. I wanted to make music that wasn't solely loop-based, but stuff that had a narrative to it. But then again its always nice to be compared to someone who sells more than you, maybe one of their fans will buy my record!
You have recently contributed some amazing re-mixes. What are some of the favorites you've done?
I really enjoyed doing the Super Furry Animals remix, even though I basically made the mix from the backing vocals and the drums. I kind of let loose on that and didn't feel that I had to make the mix sound like anything in particular. I also enjoyed making the Bloc Party mix - I restricted myself to using only the parts they sent me and not adding any synths or anything, which forced me into re-arranging what they had done but maintaining the song structure. Remixing is a laugh sometimes. Other times its a pain in the ass.
You have a mini-tour coming up in England. What could one expect from a live show?
Some falling over, a bit of inept guitar playing and some nervous banter. I find it very difficult to present this music live, as because the songs aren't loop-based things I can't just sit behind a laptop running Ableton or whatever and tweak away. So for this tour I am joined by my friend Emily who plays live flute, clarinet and keyboards, whilst I handle guitar and electronic drums. There is also video/audio footage of me playing drums which is projected behine the real me. It was the closest I could get to playing the drums and guitar at the same time. And it was all done in one take so it's sort-of live. Ha, I spend most of my time trying to justify it! Basically, if you come to a live show, you get to hear the music loud and there is a high probability that something will go wrong. Which are my basic requirements for a live electronic act. There are also animations and stuff.
Are there any plans of a U.S. Tour?
Not that I know of, although I'd love to.
So you're the drummer of the band Bronze Age Fox. What's currently up with the band?
We've finished our first proper album (not including our singles compilation) and are currently looking for a label to put it out. Check out www.bronzeagefox.com
Have you ever done a show with Bronze Age Fox and Minotaur Shock?
No - unless you count a festival but that was two different days so that doesn't count.
What are some of your favorite artists of 2005 thus far?
I like the Architecture in Helsinki album, the Vitalic album (does that count?), um, I thought the Caribou album was great. And that Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto album. Enjoying the new Deerhoof too. But I haven't really listened to much new stuff lately, I've been delving into the dangerous world of prog. Gentle Giant were amazing. And Matching Mole - Robert Wyatt was an ace drummer!
Any Closing Comments?
The new EP Muesli is out now, there are 3 brand new tracks and they go off in a different direction to Maritime so I reckon you should get them. Love from Bristol. |