Audiotool

Interview

Richard Place: Originally, from Liverpool, but for some time now I've lived just outside London, and I work in London. Age: 42. It is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. Profession: I studied art and design, but now I work at an advertising agency, heading the creative team, using my powers for evil.

Musical Style: I suppose it could be categorised as minimal synth, synth wave, DIY, new wave, vintage synth pop. Occasionally I touch on EDM, but more often I start off with melodies and vocal ideas now, rather than beats and basslines. I'm really into vintage, analogue sounds. Software synths can often do a great interpretation of analogue sounds – the Pulverisateur being a fantastic example – I love that instrument. However, over the past year, I've also started purchasing a few physical analogue instruments. I love them. I think a lot of it is down to the small inaccuracies, especially in pitch. And I love the feeling of sounds directly created by turning dials and moving sliders, manipulating voltages. So, increasingly, physical devices feature in a lot of my tracks on Audiotool, especially over the past 9 months. But I keep coming back to the Audiotool staples, especially the Pulverisateur, which often remains an instrument of choice.
Musical Background: I suppose my period in the 90s as a post-punk and Goth obsessive has stayed with me to a degree. In the 00s I was more into Electro and House. However, more than anything, I think the earlier music of my childhood had a profound and lasting impact on me. OMD, Tubeway Army, The Human League and many others. I vividly remember first hearing their early records (and radio play) as a child in Liverpool – around the 1978-1982 period.
Making music/On Audiotool since: I had a college band in the early to mid 90s, very guitar driven and post-punk and new wave in style. Though electronic was part of it – I used a drum machine and lots of "synth" – actually just a cheap, Yamaha presets keyboard, fed through a chorus pedal and a reverb. Back then creating electronic music just wasn't anywhere near as accessible (or affordable) as it is now. I largely stopped by the end of the 90s. Probably because my attention shifted from music and nights out towards building a career in design. At the start of 2013 two things happened. First, I met a few musicians/performers, initially online, then later in person, who were creating fantastic electronic, avant-garde music and I started to feel inspired to create music again. But the real spark was discovering Audiotool at the same time. I was at a sister-in-law's house, feeling extremely bored, so I was browsing the Android app store and I came across the Audiotool Sketch app. I loved it, and then very soon discovered Audiotool itself. My very first track on Audiotool was called "Sieben". I shared it with one of those musicians, who was very encouraging, and it was even featured on a small compilation CD, that was handed out as part of an exhibition on DIY music and new independent labels. A few months later, I had an instrumental album released, physical and digital, on a little indie label. I also collaborated on a cover version of 'Nowhere to Run' with Ivan Antunovic. I supplied the backing track, entirely produced on Audiotool, and he provided the vocals. It remains part of his set. In 2014 I was invited to perform at Fluc in Vienna and Abattoir in London. It was never my intention to do gigs (or to sing), but as I was asked, I thought I'd give it a go. I took a physical synth, but in large part I was singing to digital backing tracks, produced using Audiotool. I really enjoyed it – a real buzz. I don't plan to start touring ort anything, but a few gigs a year would be fun.

Agrippa

Interview