Matt Harvey, aka Concord Dawn, has found a home for his music and indeed his life far from his original home of New Zealand. But somehow this move is reflective of his outlook of far-reaching musicality. We chatted with him about his exciting new album project, its production and what else he's up to.

 

Hi Matt, how are you? Where in the world are you right now?
I'm in Vienna, Austria. It's where my girlfriend, my studio and most of my underwear is these days.

Your new album is coming on June 25th. It has the title 'Air Chrysalis'. Can you explain that a little?
It's about imagining things until they become real. And about fake realities inside of fake realities. It's also about writing something that's a bit different from the norm, yet true, that people can still identify with.

And you're giving it away as a free download. What's behind that decision?
Well it's clear that money is ruining music. Chasing after it has made drum & bass get kind of yucky in the last couple of years I think we can all agree. And I wanted to give something back to the fine people out there who keep it real and have come out and boogied upon the dancefloor at my shows over the years!

Can you tell us about how you have gone about producing and compiling the album?
I usually start with a wee sample of some description to give me a vibe. The art of sampling seems to be disappearing these days, it's either rip off nearly ALL of someone's tune or load up a preset these days!

 

Aaaaaaaanyways I start with a sample, add some drums, fire up one of my synths and smash it through a guitar pedal, makes some sounds, write some notes, delete something, and repeat. But not necessarily in that order. I try and use a mix of old stuff and new stuff, software and hardware. A lot of the older drum and bass made with EMUs and hardware a while back has aged gracefully whereas I'm not sure if a lot of modern stuff will...

It may be a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes using it , but , well, shouldn't getting the best sound you can get be important too? It's quite mindboggling how few people prioritise sound over convenience to be honest.

Do you have any favourite tracks that people should listen out for?
I like them all, they are all my little babies. But today's favourite would be "Kepler" but if you asked me tomorrow my answer might be well differ.

What else does 2012 hold for Concord Dawn?
I have done my next EP already. I'm on tour most of July and August and then I will be back in the studio in between gigs and whatnot. I'll just keep doing what I do and if I wait long enough I'm sure it will become fashionable again someday!

 

 

Related Links:

• Concord Dawn - The Enemy Within Preview
• Concord Dawn Reveals 2012 Plans
• Issue 57
• Issue 84
• Bape x Original Fake Kaws Milo Toy

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