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Q&A – GROUPER 2

1: Analog or Digital?
Analog

2: What time did you wake up today?
8:30 –but got up at 10:00

3: Last thing you read?
The last one I started (finishing them is another story) was Crises of the Republic by Hannah Arendt. I just got Richard Youngs’ vegan cook book (thank you Ali.)

4: Whats your first memory?
Laying in my crib staring at the ceiling; trying to get in to a bath that was too hot; summertime, out front of the chicken coop we lived in, heat waves rising in front of our duck Max and dog Sparky hanging out in the dry grass.

5: Tea Or Coffee?
Tea

6: Last thing you cooked?
Tempeh with zucchini, kale, onion, carrot, ginger, coconut shreds and lots of garlic.

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?
A human living on the Point Reyes peninsula 1,000 years ago.

8: What inspires you?
Fear; paradox; sadness; water; patterns.

9: Last record you played?
Pulse Emitter’s meditation music series; Biosphere – Substrata

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?
Wurlitzer 200A; blank tapes.

11: Last movie you saw?
Boy (http://www.boythemovie.co.nz/)

12: Who do you love?
My family, my dog, my friends.

13: Do you have any pets?
Yes, see attached.

14: Are you useful?
I hope so.

15: Biggest fear?
#1-human beings
#2-Demons being real

16: What do you value the most?
Honesty, compassion, humbleness.

17: Famous last words?
Call the person in charge.

Grouper’s A  I  A, a double release that includes the full-lengths Dream Loss and Alien Observer is out today on LP & digitally via her own imprint.
Three shows on the east coast with Zelienople start later this week.

 

Q&A – Jeff Witscher 1

1: Analog or Digital?
both, digital lately

2: What time did you wake up today?
8 & then 9

3: Last thing you read?
“sad little breathing machine” by matthea harvey

4: Whats your first memory?
laying on the carpet at my grandparents house

5: Tea Or Coffee?
coffee

6: Last thing you cooked?
chorizo w/ fried egg, kale & focaccia bread

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be? n
Normandy landings, D day

8: What inspires you?
passion

9: Last record you played?
lazy magnet “I’ve yet to meet the redeemer” 7″

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?
currently, ms 2000 & memory man w/ hazarai

11: Last movie you saw?
The Return by Andrey Zvyaginstev

12: Who do you love?
my family & friends

13: Do you have any pets?
watching over rose this month

14: Are you useful?
yes

15: Biggest fear?
being erased & eternity

16: What do you value the most?
honesty & sincerity

17: Famous last words?
nail gun to kneecap drop

Jeff  Witscher lives in Portland Or. and records under the name Rene Hell. He’s also the boss behind the great Agents Of Chaos label.

Q&A – Roger Tellier-Craig 1

1: Analog or Digital?
Both. Analog sound sources and digital control.

2: What time did you wake up today?
Later than I like to: 11:30. Usually ’round 10…

3: Last thing you read?
L’UNDERGROUND MUSICAL EN FRANCE
by Éric Deshayes & Dominique Grimaud; a pretty exhaustive look at France’s experimental, psychedelic and avant rock history, covering everything from Red Noise to Heldon, Jac Berrocal and more…

4: Whats your first memory?
The brightness of the sun. How ethereal everything was…

5: Tea Or Coffee?
Coffee. Though I hate the effect it has on me afterwards…

6: Last thing you cooked?
Farfalle al salmone.

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?
I dunno, probably just me…

8: What inspires you?
Music, films, memories of the mediterranean coast…

9: Last record you played?
Klaus Krüger – Zwischenmischung

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?
Univox Maxi-Korg

11: Last movie you saw?
PAURA NELLA CITTÀ DEI MORTI VIVENTI
by Lucio Fulci

12: Who do you love?
My friends, family and Sabrina.

13: Do you have any pets?
Our black cat with yellow eyes named Giallo.

14: Are you useful?
As much as a dreamer can be…

15: Biggest fear?
Sharks, even though I think they are one of the most fascinating and beautiful creatures out there…

16: What do you value the most?
Honesty.

17: Famous last words?
Wow, can’t think of anything…maybe I’m eternal?

Roger Tellier-Craig lives & makes music in Montreal, where he has been a long time member of the music & art scene there. His current project LE RÉVÉLATEUR will see its first release here on RS in tape form very soon. He’s also making some very cool collaborations with video artist Sabrina Ratté that you can see here. Both of them will be  in SF this September for On Land. For those of you near Montreal, he’ll be performing this June with OPN, Hair Police, No Fun Acid, Religious Knives & Noveller at a night presented by NO FUN.

Q&A – Duane Pitre 0

1: Analog or Digital?
For recording…it all depends on what is being recorded, but if analog available, most of the times I like a mixture…tape first, digital later. That’s how it went down with Origin.

For listening, I like vinyl. Though again, digital can work nice for certain releases/pieces.

2: What time did you wake up today?
A bit after 7am

3: Last thing you read?
Currently reading “Green Witchcraft” by Ann Moura (Aoumiel)

4: Whats your first memory?
A 70’s vibe of sorts, generally speaking.

5: Tea Or Coffee?
Coffee in the morning, and maybe tea later on. With the hotter months upon us in New Orleans we like to rock iced tea quite a bit.

6: Last thing you cooked?
It was either my specialty, cracked black pepper and Braggs pan-fried tofu…or pasta with baby shitake mushrooms and garlic in a red sauce. But Lauren (my girlfriend) does most of the cooking and she is an incredible cook.

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?
One of the elementals I think…and of those I’d have to pick the Wind.

8: What inspires you?
Trees, rocks, water, wind, light, nature in general I suppose, architecture, brilliant minds that think differently than most, niceness, sharing….etc.

9: Last record you played?
While typing I’m listening to The Water Wheel by Hazma El Din on voice and oud.

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?
Hmmm…well that changes throughout time of course, but for now it would be my Manta touch sensitive controller coupled with a Max patch. The patch was built for me by a friend and has several sections within it, one being a tunable virtual synth that the Manta “talks” to.

11: Last movie you saw?
Some of “Gandhi” last night, but last completed movie would be “Genghis Blues,” which was a killer doc about the blind SF-based bluesman Paul Pena and his journey to Tuva to “compete” in the annual Tuvan throat singing contest. Dude is killer.

12: Who do you love?
Many…my lady, family, friends….and puppies, haha.

13: Do you have any pets?
Yep, a 6 month old Chocolate Lab named Roux…or his full name is (haha) Roux Sha La Bête Du Monde Pitre.

14: Are you useful?
At times I don’t feel so useful, but mostly I think I am, well I hope.

15: Biggest fear?
Not being useful it seems.

16: What do you value the most?
Kindness.

17: Famous last words?
Kindness.

Duane Pitre lives and creates in New Orleans. Apart from stunning works on Important Records, Trome Records and NNA, he has worked with countless collaborators and has performed extensively in the US and Europe. Look for his newest full length release, ‘Origin’, on Root Strata this Spring.

A recent interview of Duane can be found over at Foxy Digitalis.

Recently posted excerpts from ‘Origin’:

Q&A – Stephan Mathieu 0

1: Analog or Digital?
mechanical-acoustic

2: What time did you wake up today?
AM 5:50

3: Last thing you read?
«Jason Dodge», Edition Yvon Lambert

4: Whats your first memory?
The carpet pattern during one of my first crawls

5: Tea Or Coffee?
Espresso

6: Last thing you cooked?
Linguine with Pesto

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?
Myself

8: What inspires you?
People

9: Last record you played?
The Kinks «Waterloo Sunset» 7″

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?
My EMT 930 record player

11: Last movie you saw?
Werner Herzog «Grizzly Man»

12: Who do you love?
My children

13: Do you have any pets?
Uma the cat

14: Are you useful?
Yes

15: Biggest fear?
Not to fear

16: What do you value the most?
Honesty

17: Famous last words?
«Wie lange möchten Sie noch beim ersten Schritt bleiben?»
(Josef Beuys)

Stephan Mathieu lives with his family in Saarbrücken, Germany where he makes art (sound and otherwise) and tends to his garden. In addition to his stunning solo work (the latest of which, Radioland, is not to be missed), he has collaborated with countless artists and musicians including Janek Schaefer (Hidden Name), Ekkehard Ehlers (Heroin) and Taylor Deupree (Transcriptions). Look for upcoming releases this year on 12k/line, Alku and Root Strata.

Q&A – Ryo Nakata 0

ryonkt

1: Analog or Digital?
yes! Analog.

2: What time did you wake up today?
AM 5:50

3: Last thing you read?
Osamu Dazai / Sha-yo

4: Whats your first memory?
記憶が無い (I don’t have one)

5: Tea Or Coffee?
Coffee. 詳しいです。(I know it very well.)

6: Last thing you cooked?
UDON

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?
学校の先生 (A school teacher)

8: What inspires you?
友情 (Friendship)

9: Last record you played?
Francisco Lopez / untitled [2007]

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?
simple

11: Last movie you saw?
Mmmm…

12: Who do you love?
My Family & Friends

13: Do you have any pets?
No

14: Are you useful?
わからない (I don’t know)

15: Biggest fear?
Loneliness

16: What do you value the most?
Make a kindness to a person.

17: Famous last words?
If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent. [Isaac Newton]

Ryo Nakata lives in Sapporo (Hokkaido), Japan where he makes music as Ryonkt, runs Slow Flow Recs, and brews coffee.

My translations of his Japanese answers are in parenthesis.

Q&A – Will Thomas Long 0

will-long

1: Analog or Digital?

analog

2: What time did you wake up today?

5am, thanks to the cat.

3: Last thing you read?

the New Yorker

4: Whats your first memory?

christmas trees

5: Tea Or Coffee?

green tea

6: Last thing you cooked?

carrots

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?

a bird

8: What inspires you?

love, and memory

9: Last record you played?

Aki Onda – Precious Moments

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?

Tingsha bells

11: Last movie you saw?

In the Mood For Love

12: Who do you love?

Chubby Wolf

13: Do you have any pets?

two black cats

14: Are you useful?

not lately

15: Biggest fear?

acceptance

16: What do you value the most?

friendship

17: Famous last words?

‘In closing, let me just say this.’ – Peter Sellers

Will Long (and his late wife Danielle Baquet-Long, aka Chubby Wolf) is Celer and behind the Asia-centric distro project Floor Sugar. The latest Celer release, ‘In Escaping Lakes’ is out now on Slow Flow Rec.

Q&A – Richard Youngs 0

r_youngs

1: Analog or Digital?
Both

2: What time did you wake up today?
8 o’clock

3: Last thing you read?
Sports page of the Daily Record

4: Whats your first memory?
Jumbled-up amalgam of early childhood

5: Tea Or Coffee?
Tea

6: Last thing you cooked?
Noodles

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?
My son to see what kind of father I am.

8: What inspires you?
My family

9: Last record you played?
Reference master of ‘Under Stellar Stream’, my forthcoming Jagjaguwar album

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?
4 track reel to reel machine

11: Last movie you saw?
Vicky Christina Barcelona

12: Who do you love?
My family

13: Do you have any pets?
no

14: Are you useful?
I hope so

15: Biggest fear?
Medical treatment

16: What do you value the most?
Moral seriousness

17: Famous last words?
Whose?

Richard Youngs lives with his family in Glasgow, Scotland. Since the release of his first LP almost 20 years ago, he has released a staggering amount of material, including last months ‘In The Vally Of The Ultrhits’  & more recently ‘Like A Neuron’ on Dekorder. He describes his forthcoming record ‘Under Stellar Stream’ on Jagjaguwar as “doomy hymnlike stuff”. Cant wait.

Q&A – Peter Rehberg 1

1: Analog or Digital?

Both

2: What time did you wake up today?

6.30

3: Last thing you read?

newspaper

4: Whats your first memory?

Train tracks

5: Tea Or Coffee?

Tea, milk no sugar

6: Last thing you cooked?

Breakfast

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?

8: What inspires you?

9: Last record you played?

David Bowie: Low

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?

11: Last movie you saw?

Silentium

12: Who do you love?

Family

13: Do you have any pets?

yes

14: Are you useful?

Hopefully

15: Biggest fear?

Heights

16: What do you value the most?

17: Famous last words?

Don’t be late

Also known as Pita, Peter Rehberg is a native of London, England but has lived in Austria for quite some time. Apart from being considered a pioneer of the 90s experimental computer music / digital noise world, and often involved with the likes of Jim O’Rourke, Fennesz and Stephen O’Malley, Peter runs the inimitable Editions Mego.

Q&A – Scott Goodwin 0

1: Analog or Digital?

Both.

2: What time did you wake up today?

5AM, 6:30AM, 7AM, 7:30 AM, and 8:20AM

3: Last thing you read?

How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built by Stewart Brand and NYTIMES.com

4: Whats your first memory?

My brother’s baptism. Though I was about three years old at the time, so I actually think I am remembering that I was previously able to remember that instance. A memory of a memory.

5: Tea Or Coffee?

Both, hopefully not on the same day. I worked for a year at a tea company and received a terrific education in tea and tea culture, but I live in a coffee town. Its practically on tap.

6: Last thing you cooked?

Egg sandwich with a really phony approximation of a harrissa-mayonaise.

7: If you’re reborn who or what would you like to be?

I don’t know. I don’t really think that will happen.

8: What inspires you?

Winter: The walking loop in Overlook Park. Summer: Beer.

Also, my friends.

9: Last record you played?

My turntable indicates that it was The Yellow Princess by John Fahey. I am generally not a fan of solo guitar music and that whole mystique, but this album really gets to me. It was absolutely the defining piece of music in my life when I moved to Portland, Oregon about three years ago. So to me the album’s sonorous chords ring out and a tempest of memories arises. I remember reading The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Thinking of Self-Speaking, and Space is the Place and then spending hours going through the copious collections of the Multnomah County library system. I was gazing covetously at the Saturn records up on the walls of Mississippi Records and drinking notoriously strong drip coffee all day for a dollar and tip at the Fresh Pot. I had no job and no permanent housing, but I had a wide-eyed Platonic sort of wonderment in my newly adopted city. It is an attitude and a time I find somewhat quaint now but still hold dear.

10: Favorite piece of musical equipment?

To me a well-placed microphone in a room with a good amount of amplification and some sort of EQ is enough. I could listen to “room feedback” for hours, but haven’t found it particularly useful for making music for a while.

I suspect my most honest answer would be Ableton Live LE 7 or my new MacBook, though both may be soon eclipsed by the DIY modular synthesizer I’m building.

11: Last movie you saw?

The Godfather Part I. The scenes in and leading up to the Michael Corleone’s reprisal murders in Louis’ restaurant were remarkably tense and physically affecting even after seeing it a number of times previously.

12: Who do you love?

My family first and foremost. Though that may be a result of a recent deep viewing of The Godfather. I have to shout-out my incredibly brilliant and beautiful group of friends in PDX and nation-wide, too.

13: Do you have any pets?

No.

14: Are you useful?

I really don’t think so. Unless you need a grant proposal for a music-related non-profit organization. Though when I was out of work last Fall the whole economy did go to shit.

15: Biggest fear?

That I’m wasting time. That I’m playing it too safe. On some level, they’re both the same basic fear, to me.

16: What do you value the most?

Thought and the time to think it.

17: Famous last words?

Nope.

Scott Goodwin is 1/3 of Bonus and more recently, has been rocking sine waves solo. A Bay Area native, Scott currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Apart from the recently released, amazing “Off Light” disc, we’re really looking forward to what he does next!

Fun fact: Scott is roommates with White Rainbow.

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