Kniteforce Revolution

Interview on the Creative Process 14/10/09

Oct 14, 10:31 AM

Interview between Patrick & Luna-C

1. What drew you to musical production, what do you find compelling about it and why do you produce the style of music that you do?

I fell into making music really. It was never a desire of mine. I was into Hip Hop and Electro music when I was 13 or 14, and bought turntables when I was 16 or so, just for mixing that sort of music. I ended up at a rave, and decided to buy some of that music and start djing it, and eventually doing my own parties with a friend of mine. He knew someone with a studio, which was pretty rare back in those days, so we went and made some music. It was just something that happened, you know?
I quickly fell in love with it though. I like the idea of a blank canvas where I can do whatever I like, taking elements form many styles of music, combining ideas, and making something unique out of it. The freedom and personal expression involved appeal to me in many ways, and I feel it is a true thing, something that isn’t compromised. And that is also why I still make the style of music I do. Its what feels truest to me. Interestingly, I listen to a lot of music that is nothing like what I make, but I have very little desire to make other styles. I am a loss to explain this!

2. Where do your ideas stem from?

My ideas come from everything and everywhere, really. I might hear a bass line on an advert or a vocal in a rock song. I might think of a line from a book or just try to capture a feeling I had. I fail more often that I succeed, but the pleasure is in the doing, even if the finished thing isn’t what I expected. But there is no specific place ideas come from, in my humble opinion. The finished item is different to the concept more often than not.

3.How do you know a good idea from a mediocre one?

Not until I try it. Sometimes I think of something and know it will work – but that’s pretty rare. It happens more as I get older because I have failed more, so learned from that. But I would say about 30% or what I do comes out as I thought it would, 50% comes out average, and the last 20% is a failure. The 50% stays the same over the years, but 10 years ago I would say about 10% came out as I thought it would, 40% failed.

4. How do you know when you have finished a track, and do you always feel you have bought the track to its full potential?

I have no idea how I know, I just know lol. Sorry, I know that’s not very helpful, but that’s what happens. I get to a certain point and thing “I have nothing more to say”. And I never feel I have bought any of my tracks to their full potential. I just know when I have reached the limits of my ability. I think if I ever did achieve a tracks full potential, I would be finished as a musician and would have no more music in me to make.

5. What work do you abandon, and why?

I rarely abandon anything. I usually finish it, then not use it. Its just my stubborn personality. I always read to the end of books too – even really bad ones lol.

6. Do you ever get discouraged or have blocks? How do you get around this?

Yes, I often get discouraged. I feel like every track I make is ultimately pointless. I am reassured by the fact that this is actually quite true lol. In the great scheme of things, my little piece of music is going to mean absolutely nothing. Plus the more you make any artwork, the more you see the machine behind the curtain, and the harder it is to be inspired by other peoples art because you know and understand the techniques. So that’s a challenge. My way to deal with that is simply to try and push myself further or into areas that I failed at before.
As for blocks, yes, I have them usually every 3 years, and they usually last for about a year. I haven’t had one for about 4 years now, because I have expanded the range of music I make and allow myself the freedom to make anything I feel like, even if it is not appropriate for the current project. This way, I never feel locked in place, and therefore never get stuck. At least, its worked so far….

7. Whats the hardest aspect of what you do?

Dealing with the people in the music industry. I hate all that crap, the egos, the struggle for recognition. I am in the industry simply because that’s what happens if you put music out. There is no love or joy for me in that side of things. Its an necessary evil, and one that tires me out.

8. What’s the most satisfying aspect of what you do?

Playing a new piece of music and seeing the idea I had work on other people. There is nothing quite like that. Well, then again, I really enjoy the bursts of excitement when you put certain elements together and suddenly you see where the track is going. Both of those things are very satisfying.

9. How would you describe your creative process?

Flawed, chaotic and unruly. I have no process as such. I used to have, but I realised that following a process meant having a formula, which made me get stagnant. Now I try to make music following Brian Eno’s quote “Whatever worked last time, DON’T do that again”. Its much harder to work that way, but man, if feels good lol…

10. What was your most frustrating creative process and why? How did you resolve the situation?

I cant answer this, really. There have been many, but none worse than any other, and the resolutions have differed in each case. Its a noticeable fact of human nature that when we try to do something and it fails, we often try to do it again only bigger, or faster, or throw more money at it. But better is to simply try a different approach – best example is, when talking to a foreigner and having difficulty in being understood. Most commonly, people will just say the same thing again slower, or louder. But it works much better to say the same thing using different words, hand gestures or rearranging the words you use. This is my way to deal with frustrating creative issues. Try another method.

11. What was your most personally satisfying creative accomplishment and why?

The last thing I made is usually my most satisfying. But it never lasts, or rather, it only lasts until the next one. Once I have finished a piece of music, I am no longer interested in it really. Its done, over, and I am on to something else!

12. Do you ever face deadlines for your work, and how do you make sure you meet those deadlines?

I actually need deadlines to get things done. I work much better under pressure, as long as its a deadline that forces me to work hard, but that’s not impossible to meet. If its impossible to meet, I simply don’t try at all lol. This is a result of how the industry used to be. It used to be that I needed at least 1 release a month, so that meant I had to get quite a of work done each month, especially when I was running 4 labels at the same time and was pretty much the only engineer / musician. It meant I had to get 8 – 10 finished pieces of music in each 30 day period, as well as artwork, paperwork etc etc, so I trained myself to function under pressure, and now find pressure helps me function. I always meet those deadlines, because I work until I am done, sometimes hitting 18 hour days. Not so much now – I don’t release so much music, so I can relax a little, but too much time is death for my creative process. I end up doing nothing at all if I have nothing coming up to do!

13. Does the technology you use to make a track influence the song itself?

Yes. Historically, technology has driven music. The Harpsicord was fine until the piano was invented, and the piano bought a whole new range of music and composition into being. There would be no Rock’n’Roll without the invention of the electric guitar, and no acid house without the Roland 303. You can trace every form of music back to a technical invention, or more often, the incorrect use of said invention. The electric guitar wasn’t designed to make distortion and feedback, and the 303 was meant to replicate a bass guitar, which it did very very badly. So yes, once a new piece of software of hardware comes out, it changes the song. But its important to remember that the song is only as good as the person who wrote it, no matter what clever equipment they wrote it on. A novelist writing by hand or on a Mac? Its the novelist that counts, not the equipment.

End Of Interview!

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