Mr. Standfast

Interview

Musical Style

Music for driving up to Grand Marais in the autumn. My stuff is inspired by a mixture of Presbyterian theology and boreal forests. An essential part of what it means to be made in the image of God the creator is, I reckon, to have a creative capacity. And the ability to, more or less, create and design the sound of your instrument every time you work with a synthesizer is part of what makes synthesis so amazing. I dig that.

Musical Background

At the same time I was listening to Grieg, Beethoven, and Brahms I was playing piano in a jazz band. We used to go into the practice rooms in my old high school and listen to really off the wall stuff during study hall. The drummer in our band lent me a copy of the Richard D. James Album, and from there I spiraled into Autechre, Bochum Welt, Photek, Global Goon and have since then only fallen more deeply in love with what a synthesizer can do.

Started making music

I've been composing music as long as I've been playing instruments. I played piano from the age of 6, and pretty early on was interested in improvisational jazz, but also orchestral music and big cinematic and romantic musical landscapes.

On Audiotool

A friend of mine (who is a brilliant musician, and analog genius) put me onto audiotool back in 2010. Since then, I've made around 471 tracks...which...if you do the math...is a track every 4 days. I don't have a lot of free time, and tend to just jot down melodies as they pop into my head. But this year I've been in grad school and only published a track every few months or so.

Message to the community

It should blow our minds that Audiotool is possible, and that it is free. in 2014 audiotool sent Kepz, Frigolito, RNZR and me to Moogfest, and I am not exaggerating to say it was a life changing experience. I think the culture of synthesizers is an incredibly generous and beautiful one. We are all people who have a deep respect for the people who make our instruments--and have to confess that much of what we do would not be possible without the artists behind the instrument. At Moogfest last year, Tom Oberheim spoke a bit about his role in the invention of MIDI, and he paused for a moment to play music written and performed by artists. He was moved to tears at hearing what other people had made out of his instruments. Clark did something similar during his set, pausing to express amazement at what he was able to get from his machines. I think that expresses a perfect summary of the community of electronic music--it's a place where technician and artist coexist peacefully, and get to make some pretty amazing sounds together. That's why I love the fact that Audiotool is full of old and young, remix and original, collaboration and solo act. Thanks to Audiotool for creating the instruments and the place, and thanks to all you Audiotools for making the place amazing.