Gimmik (Martin Haidinger) has released a new EP containing remixes by Gimmik, Naqara, Moy, and Sound Synthesis, the operator of the Wave Function label. Analog Dream Plants was established when Martin reached out to the imprint about collaborating on a project. The remixes are a reworking of the original title track, and is being released on vinyl as a group effort under Wave Function’s Wave Modulation Series.
Analog Dream Plants — Wave Modulation Series
Gimmik (Martin Haidinger) :: We all know since the late 90s there is an unwritten book of rules for braindance producers—for everyone who is not aware of these rules, I will repeat them. When you were part of the electronic scene in the late 90s you had to:
— Always lie about your equipment. Never tell anyone your production secrets.
— Never admit that you were influenced by one of the main Warp artists, especially not Aphex Twin.
— Always act as if you invented the genre yourself and as if you never listen to other artists’ work.
— The more unlistenable your music is, the better—because braindance is an intellectual experience.
— Never follow mainstream music theory.
Can you remember the record that made you want to produce music yourself?
Sound Synthesis :: This comes at a very sad time, it was more of the track that inspired me to start producing my own music was from Vangelis—”To the Unknown Man.” I have a very vivid memory of listening to the music at home in our living room on my father’s big sound system and thinking I want to be able to create something like this. I was about 10/11 years old at the time I think. This is what started my musical journey for me.
Moy :: There wasn’t one specific record, I was already teaching myself music software before I knew what I wanted to make. BUT Radioactive Man. Radioactive Man, really opened my ears (and mind) to proper electro. Hearing “Uranium” for the first time was a game changer; I was fascinated by the space in the composition, and how the thick and funky beats weaved around a bassline that sounded like sheds fighting. I still don’t really understand how Keith made that sound. That LP is still one of my favorite records, I regularly refer back to it whenever I feel my production getting overly complex. It is THE lesson in stripped back arrangement and raw machine funk (for me anyway).
“I still wait for the right moment and let it flow naturally. It is part of life and all that is in it I guess, everything can inspire you in one way or another. Channeling that into the music then comes next, expressing whatever you are going through at the time. It’s complex yet very simple at the same time.” ~Sound Synthesis
Naqara :: I was pretty lucky as my mother had an extensive CD collection, remember coming across Boards of Canada CDs somewhere along the line, but I can’t really lie about this I’m a huge AFX fanboy and still remember my first time hearing a track on Analord 11—”VBS.Redlof.B” instantly got lost in the braindance subculture? if you can call it that. I really like the ability to break a bit of rules and all the diversity it brings about.
Gimmik :: Nice one! I wanted to start producing myself after hearing A Broken Frame by Depeche Mode, Radioaktivität by Kraftwerk, and Freedom Of Choice by DEVO. Late 80s, I only produced post-punk and new-wave influenced music. The craving for producing more current electronic music was started by LFO’s Frequencies. There was a documentary on the radio about the electronic scene of Sheffield in 1991—that really blew me away, it had a heavy impact. After hearing that I got all the Artificial Intelligence releases on Warp. But starting to produce was not that easy, it was very hard to get good sounding gear from where I lived at that time. Today there are endless choices of good gear, and they are very affordable too. The same applies to DAW only solutions.
What was your favorite piece of gear when you started?
Sound Synthesis :: I remember buying my first synth which was the Roland SH-201, I used to spend hours programming it and creating sounds from scratch. I work a lot with software nowadays but that was the synth that really made me go into the basic synthesis of creating my own sounds. I then had to let it go to upgrade to something different but that was definitely my favorite piece of gear starting out.
Gimmik :: My very first gear that made a deep impression was a Roland JX-3P with a TR-606, that was in the late 80s. I spent quite some time until I was able to sync them (laughing). The most memorable moment was my purchase of the SH-101. I was so excited that I had shaky hands when I picked it up. I would say that is my favorite of all time. It is a track saver—a good 101 sequencer saves every track that seemed quite boring in the first place (laughing).
MOY :: I don’t know about it being my favorite, but my first real analog synth was the Novation Bass Station. I used the VST to teach myself synthesis, so when one was advertised for sale in the local paper I decided to check it out. The volume knob was faulty and the synth kept cutting out, so I told the guy I wasn’t interested. He really wanted rid of it though, so he offered me it for £50! When I got home I re-soldered the volume pot and it was good as new. It was used on a lot of my early recordings and now rests in the MOY synthesizer library, ready for anyone who needs to borrow it.
Naqara :: I started out with a very simple set up of a Korg MS-20 and a TR-606. The MS is still my favorite piece of gear, so many sonic possibilities, usually sounded very good against the mc-202 (a real pain when you have to call the session quits and end up losing everything!). Nowadays I’m really into the Elektron Digitone and software stuff, a really versatile bit of kit which can sequence my whole setup.
What inspires you to make music?
Gimmik :: Very hard to say! It is a feeling, there is something in the air and i only have to grab it. If i do not get that feeling, nothing happens, i can not force myself. It is a constantly changing process. If I think about it; there is one thing that is always very inspiring, and that is new gear.
Sound Synthesis :: I can relate a lot to this Martin, it is something which I cannot really push myself to just do even if I have a theme to work on in which I kind of have an idea of the sound in my head I want to create. I still wait for the right moment and let it flow naturally. It is part of life and all that is in it I guess, everything can inspire you in one way or another. Channeling that into the music then comes next, expressing whatever you are going through at the time. It’s complex yet very simple at the same time. It’s a beautiful process for sure and I am sure many artists can relate to this same process.
MOY :: From the moment I wake up my head is fizzing with music; either a track I heard recently and can’t stop thinking about, a new piece I have been writing, or a fresh idea that I need to get out of my brain to make room for the next thing. Music in all forms is my escape. I love hearing new music and pulling the composition apart in my head, and I love new material. Presently I am obsessed with breakbeat manipulations, and have been spending a lot of time chopping, and micro editing breaks. In summary (because I realize I didn’t really answer the question 😆), all of life ups and downs inspire me to make music; it is a vehicle for me to reconcile emotions I would otherwise struggle discussing verbally.
Naqara :: A bit hard to say but I personally love to learn new stuff, it’s an inspiring process experimenting with a new piece of gear or software. But the good tracks are usually inspired by some happenings in my surroundings which get to me or affect me in some way or another. I agree with Keith, you can’t really force it, it just has to come to you, what i do believe in is putting in the boring work during the uninspiring times.
Analog Dream Plants is available on Wave Function.
