Posted on: September 22, 2015 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Hello, Gallamine. A number of the musicians we review on NeuFutur have worked in factories, fast food, or any one of a multitude of fairly banal occupations. You have had a slightly more varied life. Can you go into detail about what occupations you held before your music career began?

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Prior to music, I spent a few years working at Best Buy. I recently finished a summer job in Timmins working as a production geologist.

In a few sentences can you provide our readers some information regarding your musical background and career so far?

My musical background is painfully diverse. I grew up on post-hardcore, metal, pop-punk and classic rock. I played the guitar seriously for a few years, which I think helps with the small amount of music theory I’ve retained. My tastes evolved over time, and I’m really into all aspects of electronic music, at the moment.

As far as my journey thus far, it kind-of started as a joke. I told a friend (somewhat jokingly) that I was going to get in to making electronic music. Fast-forward two years and I’ve stuck to it.

Can you describe your creative process and your recording set up for us? How did your debut single U (Do It So Good) move from initial thought to finished effort?

My creative process is very different than most, I think. Typically a track (that ends up being finished) starts with a 30- to 45-minute burst of inspiration. I like to get down whatever idea I have in-the-moment, as fast as possible. Usually these spurts are 16 bars in length. It’s rare that I actually end up finishing one of these.

U, however, was very, very different. I sat down one morning and pumped out a 4 or 5 chord progression that I built on in maybe 2 hours. The bulk of the track came to fruition in those two hours. It was vocal-less for about a week when I decided that the track could use a little bit of character. The vocal is a blend of an acapella I found online, and my voice. I drew a lot of inspiration from Porter Robinson and his approach to “Sad Machine” in regards to the vocal. Of course, my voice is pitched, sliced and resampled countless times, so it doesn’t actually sound like me – thank god.

My setup is extremely barebones. I’ve my desktop computer that I built and a copy of Ableton installed on it. I have a mediocre set of Logitech speakers I bought when I used to work at Best Buy that do a good enough job.

Listeners make much to do about the quality of online music (128 v 320, FLAC v streaming). What thought have you put into the different ways in which listeners can experience your compositions?

My music sounds best raw (WAV, FLAC, AIFF). I prefer listening to music that is of the highest quality, so I want people to hear my music in the best quality possible.

Who has influenced you as a musician? Are there any tracks from these influences that you would ultimately like to cover or give your own spin to?

Some of my biggest influences are Porter Robinson, Madeon, Skrillex, Carmack, the list could go on. No, I don’t think that I would want to cover or remix any of their songs. I really appreciate their work for what it is and how they intend for me to hear it.

How do you feel that Sudbury differs from the rest of the world in terms of musical tastes and culture?

Oh boy. Sudbury has got to be the weirdest place for electronic music. There’s a really small but involved scene, and then there’s the general populous that are, and excuse my generalization, ravers until they die. I’m in my own little bubble, I think. There are a few people who truly understand my taste and share a genuine appreciation for electronic music culture, but I believe the better part of the city is two years behind. There is a really cool local group that have been bringing some awesome artists to town, so to them I say keep it up and keep educating the scene.

How can listeners locate samples of your music and keep up to date about your latest news?

I would like to say Facebook, but I barely use it to communicate. Twitter is easily the best place. I like to post those 16 bar clips on SoundCloud from time-to-time, so make sure to follow me there to hear them.

What does the rest of 2015 hold for you?

I’m currently wrapping up my last year of university. I’d like to get a couple of songs out by the end of the year that really show how diverse of a musician I can be. 2015 has been one of the best years for me personally and professionally and I intend to keep working on that for the rest of the year.

Finally, do you have any more thoughts for our readers at NeuFutur?

I want to thank you guys for supporting my music. It’s crazy to think that other people outside of who I know enjoy and look forward to hearing my music; it’s extremely humbling. Thanks to you guys at NeuFutur for giving me the opportunity to share a little bit of my story, I’m incredibly grateful.

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