ASC’s new album, Out Of Sync, is out on Monday 2^nd July.  One of the main names in the the Autonomic sound, the album takes electronic music, and twists and turns in into something new. 'Out Of Sync' is the follow up to 2010's critically acclaimed 'Nothing Is Certain', and follows a diverse set of 12"s. He took time to talk to Kmag about the album, and where his music comes from.

 

Why 'Out Of Sync' title wise?
Because it describes my music and where I think I fit in with today's genres and attitudes.  I kind of see myself as this outsider not tied to any trends or any particular scene anymore.  I'm existing in this organic globule outside the sphere of music.  At least I think I am anyway!

You have said you are writing music for imaginary movie scenes, are they always sci fi? Was there a constant imagery theme while you were constructing 'Out of Sync'?
Not necessarily.  It's mainly putting the idea of my music to images and motion pictures.  A lot of the time, it's sci-fi stuff, as that's what I'm heavily into, but it can be anything really.

 

If you could go back in time and score one movie what would it be?
I think most people would expect me to say Blade Runner, since I'm a huge fan of it, but I think that score is perfect as it is, so I'd choose to do Akira.

 

Have you ever drawn pictures or had the desire to express your ideas in any other way than music?
Yes.  I still draw every now and then, but having the amount of ideas I have for making music, I don't do it as often these days.

You have wrung out so much originality from 170 bpm and bent the tempo to fit your style more than anyone else in electronic music. What keeps you working at this tempo?
Perhaps it's the fact that I've grown up with music that evolved to sit at this tempo.  It's a hard thing to let go of, but most of the time I'm just striving to do something that hasn't been done before.


How do you keep original and constantly apt names for your tunes after so many years, do you have a system?
I like to read a lot and research things I'm interested in.  I've always been quite particular about how a word looks in print and how it sounds phonetically, so that in a way, has an impact on how I name my tracks.  Often, I will have the name for a track and the idea of how it sounds before I've even put pen to pad, so to speak.

Has the flow of musical ideas always been so constant for you?
For as long as I can remember, yes.  I've always been fortunate to have a constant amount of ideas at any one time.

Do you ever have blank periods that last for more than a week or so when you feel like you might have run out of ideas?
Every now and then, yes.  It's not that often though.  I'd say it happens a few times a year.  I think it used to happen to me a lot more when I wasn't as accomplished a producer as I am now.  When you learn new techniques and add them to your arsenal, when you implement those into your process, it can serve as a catalyst for how a piece of music forms.  Adding things like that always helps to keep my mind fresh.


'Out Of Sync' is an album in every sense of the word. Please tell me 5 other albums in any genre that you feel are perfect albums (or close to perfect) for your taste.
808 State - 90
FSOL - Lifeforms
Helios - Eingya
Global Communication - 76:14
Slowdive - Just For A Day


Whats next for ASC & Auxiliary after the album project ?
A few more LPs that were written a while ago that are finally coming out, including:

Mindspan - The Second Cycle (Silent Season)
ASC - Time Heals All (Silent Season)
ASC - Zone Of Avoidance (Auxiliary)

There's a handful of collaborations with Ulrich Schnauss and a few with Synkro still to come out, which will probably be later this year on Auxiliary at some point.  There's also some more work in the pipeline for Samurai Red Seal and Horo.  Other than that, I've just finished a second sample pack for Loopmasters, which is kind of like an expansion pack for the first one I did, in many ways.  There's a bunch more big stuff that I'd love to get into, but I'm not gonna announce until the contracts are well and truly signed and delivered.

 

 

Related Links:

• ASC Announces Auxiliary Schedule
• Queensway Releases Automatic Lover LP
• Queensway Guest Mix
• ASC Guest Mix
• Dirty Dike - Constant Dikestar LP Review

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