(05.14.06) LOESS is the Philly-based team of Clay Emerson and Ian Pullman. Their new release on n5MD, Wind and Water, is out this month (5/15). Clay and Ian live in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where most of the album was recorded. They took a break to answer a few questions about their music and the future of electronica.
Victoria Morehead :: How did you both get started in music?
Loess :: We’ve both had a lifelong appreciation of music. I’ve (Ian) been playing guitar since I was 9 or so and started on violin in high school. From there we’ve both been experimenting with different wind, string and percussive instruments and the process of recording and working with sound.
VM :: How long have you been working together? How did you meet?
Loess :: We’ve known each other for a while but started on music together around 1999. We had mutual friends and an equal appreciation for the same types of music. [Ian:] One day in particular Clay was playing CD after CD of things like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher and I thought it was the best stuff I had heard in years. I kept in touch with him trying to get more recommendations and found out he was making music that was similar. I was really interested in trying to make that sort of music too so we got together and started playing music.
VM :: What was the creative process behind Wind and Water?
Loess :: Wind and Water is a synonym for balance, creation and destruction. We were trying to capture the sound of the environment, movement really, trying to get a rustling, windblown sound. We tried to embody the sounds you hear when outside. The idea was to get long, evolving processes that give way to short bursts of sporadic, quick changes. Just the same we wanted to keep balance throughout. Nothing too extreme in either direction.
The sounds on Wind and Water are ungrounded, moving, breathing, building, evolving, degrading, and crumbling. They are at times ominous and foreboding and other times hopeful, innocent, and calming. We feel that the album title caputures these elements and emotions, and we aim to find a balance between them. The album as a whole attempts to evoke a respect for the two elements that embody these balances; the Wind and Water.
VM :: Where do you draw inspiration from?
Loess :: We’ve drawn inspiration from many sources. Some of it is philosophical, meaning from things we read or see and some of it is physical, for the most part meaning being outdoors. A lot comes from each other’s creations.
VM :: What music are you influenced and inspired by? Do more organic sounds, ie nature, play a part as muse for your music?
Loess :: Certainly natural sounds, imperfect, and human sounds are most appealing to us. Surreal sounds in general are intriguing; something that is not immediately recognizable is inspiring to us. We like music that does not sound time stamped by the sounds and equipment used to create it. In nature everything fits together and has its place, we try to mimic this in our composition. Each element must be dependant on the others.
VM :: Do you play for audiences, or stick to a strictly studio environment?
Loess :: We’ve played a few shows but yes, our main focus is getting a complete sound in the studio. A lot of the elements in the music take a lot of time to create. It’s difficult to recreate them live, but we’ve been working on that.
VM :: When it comes to equipment for making sounds, do you have favorite instruments? Are you always trying new things or expanding your instrument inventory to try new sounds?
Loess :: We spend a lot of time trying various things. While we do have a couple favorites, we use a wide variety of instruments.
VM :: How do you collaborate to work together? What is the process?
Loess :: Sometimes it’s through individual work and other times it’s through sitting down collectively with a basic idea and working from there. Often we go through many variations on ideas and end up going back to things we’ve done in the past and building them up into tracks. We’re very critical about our music and don’t follow through with the majority of our tracks.
VM :: Where is your music going? What do you see yourselves working on next?
Loess :: We enjoy working with n5MD, so look for more Loess there in the future. As far as the music goes, there’s no strict path we’re taking and we don’t decide what the music should sound like. When it sounds good, we’ll keep it.
Wind And Water is out now on n5MD.
