My music when beat-driven is generally speaking heavy, noisy and syncopated, in an IDM/ electro-breaks style with the odd bit off drum’n’bass and dub thrown in for good measure. I spend at least half my time making soundscapes however, which sometimes find their way into my beaty tracks, but generally never see the light of day, due to apparent lack of interest from anyone I know!
I can thank Sonic Youth for inspiring me to approach music making from a sound as apposed to melodic angle, and Autechre for making me spend a long time constructing my tracks in indirect homage to them. Other than that I don’t really listen to electronic music much these days, deliberately, so that I can develope my own sound and production techniques.
Since early 2005 I have made every single sound myself using effects processors, digital editing techniques and various bits of hardware that weren’t intended for music use, and occasionally a Reaktor synth for sub bass. Presets are the enemy. Recently I’ve also been getting into stringed instrument and electronic filter design, in order to make my music ever more unique.
BIOGRAPHY:
I’m Irish, left-handed, and 24. Started making music when I was 15, when I was in a noise-punk band with some mates. That led me to home-recording experiments soon after, and since then I’ve been broke because I spend every available cent on music gear.
I did a sound engineering course in Ballyfermot College, Dublin, which definitely helped my music in various ways, from the technical side to networking and being in an environment where music-nerd conversations were the norm as apposed to taboo!
Currently I’m based in Barcelona, but will be returning to Dublin to do a masters in production next year.
I use Logic Pro 7 on a PowerBook, with Ableton Live and Reaktor finding various uses in conjunction with an assortment of customised electric stringed instruments and effects processors.
About a year ago somewhat randomly a demo of mine found its way to Volum from San Fransisco based electobreaks-duo Volsoc, which led to a track being released on Spacebar Sentiments, alongside Limbretimbre and Silicon Scally. A few months later I sent a demo off to Andrea Parker’s Touchin’ Bass imprint which led to my first EP, The Squirm EP, being released in July 2006.
Currently I’m working on various remixes and new material, and developing a better way to play live.
Recently when beginning a project I spend a few hours/days/weeks making a few hundred samples with a variety of techniques, usually starting with live jams in Reaktor, using effects chain feedback processes and live inputs, which I then process to the point of abstraction in Logic. Then I start laying down drum sounds made by layering different types of sound, and making a groove.
I’m terrible at finishing tracks- in fact the only tracks I’ve really finished are the ones I’ve released.
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