article 2013-04-17 A word with Multiple Mono by Tom Bauer Galerie Project We recently caught up with electronic DJ duo Multiple Mono, who will perform live at our Fall Exhibition on 921/13 from noon to midnight at Lightspace Studios (1115 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY) Galerie Project: How did you two first get into electronic music? Rob Paterson: I was introduced to electronic music my freshman year of college. A couple of new friends played me music by Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Fatboy Slim, and Daft Punk. By the time Radiohead released Kid A I was totally hooked. Colin Kasprowicz: I was fascinated by the Philip Glass "Kayaanisqatsi" soundtrack (1983) as a 4 year old. Over a decade later while pursuing conservatory studies in orchestral oboe, I realized that I was spending all of my free time in the electronic composition labs, and very little of it in the oboe studio. That sealed my decision as to what direction in which I was going to focus my creative energy. GP: When and how did you start working together? RP: We met through a mutual friend while I still lived in DC in 2005, but we didn't start working together until I moved back to Stony Brook in 2006. Colin was playing with a dope trio at the Velvet Lounge (Our local venue), and after hearing them a few times I asked Colin to join Multiple Mono on keys. GP: Were there certain DJs that inspired you style-wise starting out? RP: I spent many late nights listening to the 112 crew (Tom Amaraso, Bill Patrick, Dennis Rodgers, Matt Licata) at the now defunct Club Arc and the robots crew (Which included Nick AC). Hearing and watching them DJ totally changed my perspective on electronic dance music. Besides them, the DJs that influenced me the most at that time were Richie Hawtin, Magda, Patrick Bateman, James Holden, and Danny Howells. CK: I only came to DJing fairly recently due to Rob's gentle encouragement so my influences are almost entirely current touring artists as well as our insanely talented friends. I love watching a producer spin their own material, so I'm always interested in seeing how a particular artist goes about that. GP: Where do you see music going today? RP: From an audio standpoint, I'm hoping that music continues to rely less on heavy handed digital compression and more on proper mixing, composition, and experimentation. CK: From a stylistic standpoint, I'm impressed at how all stylistic boundaries are being shattered. This leads to both incredible new sounds which otherwise would never have existed and a deep appreciation for music which does not attempt to best exemplify a given genre, ultimately succeeding. The purist and the progressive both win. GP: Who are some of your favorite DJs and Producers currently? RP: Butane, Francois K, Chris Patrick, Point Break, Bill Patrick, Dennis Rodgers, Hawtin, Ambivalent, Mike Servito, Villalobos, Wolf Dem, Velapene Screen, Mousky, Claude Von Stroke, the list could go on and on... CK: See Rob's list and add the young Philly Seen: Lara & Wolf Dem, Ditchdigger, and Achievement who seem to take the most liberties with that question of "Where do you see music going today?" Which is admirable because they're rewriting the book every day. GP: Can you describe your live setup? RP: I'm running Traktor and Ableton Live controlled by an evolution uc-33, sending audio to 1 channel in the mixer and midi sync to the pigtronix infinity looper, Colin's pedal board, and his sound card. Colin runs Traktor controlled with a controller and Maschine on his laptop, sending audio to another channel in the mixer while playing an Alesis Micron Synth thru his pedal board and the looper into a third channel. CK: That’s correct. Add the occasional children's toy and that’s our live setup. I've enjoyed utilizing my Casio VL-Tone lately. GP: How has it changed since you two first started working together? RP: Multiple Mono's live configuration has changed in every way since it started as a live piece band in 2005. CK: Yes, the only piece of gear we're still using from my first show with Rob in 2006 is the Micron Synth, which has proven incredibly versatile (And portable at 4 pounds). GP: What is the difference between playing out as DJS and playing using a live setup? RP: A DJ setup requires way less gear and preparation. CK: We really dial in our live sets, whereas DJing is more open to on-the-fly interpretation. We talk consistently through both, but during our live sets the communication is more intense. It's rewarding, both ways. GP: Do you have a preference for one or the other? What are the challenges in each type of performance? RP: Not really... when we are DJing, the biggest challenge is to present the music we are playing in the best possible way through creative mixing, track selection, and timing. The biggest challenge during a live set is to create music that is both dance floor friendly and interesting to listen to. CK: Exactly. They're different animals concentrated on the same goal, which is presenting the best possible for the given situation. GP: How important is your connection to the audience when you play? Do you notice a difference in connection when you perform live as compared to when you two DJ? RP: Next to sound quality, our ability to connect to the audience is incredibly important, no matter how we are performing. CK: During our live sets, we've got a broader palette to engage an audience with. DJing comes with something of an expectation of a steady beat or rhythmic patter which anyone can latch on to. Live, we can draw from our entire arsenal of sound in order to make for the best possible experience and that's a lot of fun. GP: When you record music, do you look to alternative art forms for inspiration? Are there any particular tracks or sets inspired by this art? RP: I'm always inspired by other art forms and the artists that create it. My studio is filled with paintings by Velapene Screen, interesting flyers, stickers, toy robots, and photos taken by myself and my girlfriend. We have worked with a few amazing artist collectives like Art for Progress, Fresh, and Sparkboom to combine visual art with music. CK: I should add that we're also greatly inspired by the natural world. No recording session or compositional time is complete without taking good breaks outside, staring out the window into the woods, listening to birdsongs, or smelling the fresh air. Nature provides us with the foundation for some works or the finishing touches for others. I doubt we've recorded a single piece of music that doesn't reflect this either directly or indirectly. GP: Were there certain visual artists or artwork that inspired you growing up? What about currently? RP: Currently I am heavily inspired by Velapene Screen, Kenneth Park, Thejass, Pixel, Shaina Simeon, and Ricky Hawkins. CK: I draw the most inspiration from Japanese art. The complexity of simplicity, the zen of dwelling on a single blade of grass or a crane standing perfectly still in a rice paddy... drawing the very most out of seemingly so little... that's one of my major approaches to making music. GP: In regards to one of your latest releases, Loopershoot, what do you picture when you close your eyes and listen to the track? RP: That track was recorded live for a demo video shoot we did for the Pigtronix Infinity Looper, so all I see when I listen to it is a replay of the performance from my own perspective. CK: Same here. The fact that we have beautiful video documentation of that track coming together in real time means I can just sit back and remember everything as it happened, note-for-note... the music itself is the end that justifies that means of making it. GP: What's on the horizon for you two? Are there any upcoming releases, gigs, or projects? Multiple Mono: We are releasing 4 tracks on Manyc Records, an upcoming electronic compilation this spring, and an artist EP on Ricochet Records due out this summer. We're also booking summer and fall events in NYC and Long Island while recording more music in the studio.