Interview: Solar Bears

Irish pioneers John Kowalski and Rian Trench have a revolutionist agenda in their Solar Bears project: Take the complexities of human emotion and drama, and translate them into a subtler medium; change the purpose and meaning of electronic music into something that isn't removed from the human experience; and draw us closer to a concept of electronic music that focuses on artistic value rather than just beats. Their debut album She Was Coloured In is the result of this agenda, and it reflects an intellectual competency the likes of which we  unfortunately are not regularly exposed to within the wider genre. 

We took the liberty of asking a few questions to delve deeper into the collective mind of the duo:

IMT: You guys have spoken about the director Tarkovsky in other interviews, and we were wondering about the relationship of your music to film. What is it about Tarkovsky that you like? Do you think the visual influences the sonic for your music, and do you mean for your production to seem cinematic?

SB: He was a visionary. Metaphysics is something that fascinates me greatly. His imagery is still unparalleled to this day. All his films are timeless. They are transformative in that they shape your opinions, viewpoints and dreams.

IMT: You’re cited having Aphex Twin as a relevant figure for you guys personally. Has James’ music influenced your music in any way? Is there any tradition you’d like to be seen as coming out of?

SB: I am against tradition for the most part, same goes for convention. We try to go against type as much as possible. Drukqs by Aphex is one of our favourite records. It has a freeform approach that is really appealing to us because of its scope.

IMT: You’ve mentioned you’re interested in philosophy—who are you thinking of, what philosophers do you love? You guys seem to have an almost Hegelian interest in dialectics, creating the synthesis through the album itself, which is always juxtaposing one musical palate against an entirely different one…

SB: Deepak Chopra, Alan Watts, Descartes, Nietzsche, Sartre and Socrates. Contrast is very important from digital and analogue to synthesis and acoustics. We listen to music from all decades and ages. 

IMT: Is cross-genre music important to you—some of the songs (especially those with guitar) seem to have been composed on a Desmoiselles D’Avignon logic, all styles all together at once?

SB: How we compose is dependent on mood and spontaniety. Allowing things to happen and not ruling anything out lends itself to a sprawling record. Some of my favourite albums have the same current/spirit like Screamadelica and Contino Sessions. 

IMT: It seems, artistically, that the focus on spontaneity in your work is really similar, in some ways, to Dada and Surrealist principals—how does the dictates of the unconscious influence your work?

SB: An artist is a channel. Bob Moog described it well when he explained he is simply open to inspiration, it is in the ether/atmosphere. Having no style is just as effective as having a defined sound.

IMT: What artist deserves buzz? Who you think we should feature?

SB: Right now I am really impressed with two producers in particular. Young Montana? is one and Moths is another. They are both quite young but they are creating waves already.

IMT: Is there anything about Ireland, or the music scene in Ireland, that you feel contributes significantly to the UK music scene at-large? What are your feelings about the traditions that are being started here in the States within the scope of electronic music?

SB: The music scene in Ireland is stronger than ever. There are many up and coming acts that are getting attention abroard. Sites and publications are paying more attention to what is happening here more and more. I was speaking to Rian about this yesterday. We felt that the American electronic scene has almost overtaken the European one.  

IMT: Lone produced a fantastic remix of your ‘Twin Stars,’ one of our personal favorites of the remixes of your tracks, as well as Keep Shelly in Athen’s remix of ‘Cubs”. Will we see any future collaborations with either of these artists? Do you have any upcoming remixes we should know about?

SB: There should be a new remix online soon but I am not at liberty to say who is behind it at the moment. Stay tuned.

Below is the aforementioned remix, followed by Lone's remix of "Twin Stars," off Solar Bears' Inner Sunshine EP:

Dream Valley (Young Montana? Rework) by Solar Bears

Solar Bears - Twin Stars (Lone Remix) by subraw

FaltyDL: You Stand Uncertain LP + Mixtape

These days, it seems like FaltyDL is the hardest-working producer on the scene, pumping out quality offerings one after another, expanding his fan base with a signature, maybe designer sound: a New York-centric vibe, a chaos, a longing--an exacting precision in the architecture of every release. Who the fuck cares about the "structure of the modern dance album"? FaltyDL unapologetically strips the phrase of all its meaning to approach a deconstructive method of production, and from the remaining detritus he pieces together a sound by doing what many producers are afraid of doing: making music soulful. "You Stand Certain" is indeed an opportunity to peer into the soul of a native New Yorker from a very rare and singular perspective.  


March 9th, he dropped the "You Stand Certain" Quietus Mix, which he accompanied with only the shortest and least pretentious of explanations:

"It’s all over the place! It’s exactly the sort of mix I’ve always wanted to do, where you just drop a load of tunes, and genre-wise go all over the place, just play things I love. It’s pretty funny, there are parts of it that are just an interview with Squarepusher on the phone, and I don’t even know where I got that. It’s weird stuff I find in my iTunes; when I come across something like that it’s as comforting to me as, say, a familiar book is to a really dedicated reader. I don’t read that much, I should do more, but I’ll come across an old track and it’ll bring back a lot of memories. It’s kind of an influences mix too. The music I’ve chosen here – there’s a RZA track, some Luke Vibert – it’s all stuff I’ve listened to many times and just love." 


The mix plays like an exercise in the pleasure of the listener: each song, even the two previews from the upcoming LP ("You Stand Uncertain," and "Gospel of Opal"), have a nostalgic quality about them that leads anyone, croak-throated or born talent, to make a fool of themselves singing along, sometimes even to songs they'll realize, perhaps not all at once, that they've never heard. On the other hand, there are some you likely will have heard: Frank Zappa, RZA, Mariah Carey, Brian Eno, and Aphex Twin all get airtime--but the other tracks make you feel like you should have heard them a long time ago. 

  

   

What's more, fast approaching is his full-length, "You Stand Uncertain," out today digitally, and out physically on Planet Mu on March 28th. Preview and pre-order the album in its entirety on FaltyDL's page at Planet Mu; the promotional blurb reads: 

"Although at times it’s anchored in the familiar basslines and rhythm science of uk dance, as heard in his previous material, on this album it’s clear that Drew has been soaking up some of his native city’s musical past such as disco, house and hip hop. With this in mind the album moves at different tempos, the ghosts of dance music past are evoked but never allowed to take over, giving the whole album a decayed, dreamy abstraction that allows for comparisons with the current crop of ‘chillwave’ producers, were it not for the tight drums and basslines."

   
     Tracklist 
   
  
      1. Gospel of Opal (ft. Anneka)
      2. The Pacifist 
      3. Open Space
      4. Brazil (ft. Lily McKenzie)
      5. Eight Eighteen Ten
      6. It's All Good
      7. You Stand Uncertain
      8. Lucky Luciano 
      9. Voyager
     10. Tell Them Stories
     11. Play With My Heart
     12. Waited Patiently (ft. Lily McKenzie) 

Check out the video for "Gospel of Opal," below. 

Hip Love: