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Slouch

Kingbastard is a composer/producer with a diverse range of musical styles and tastes. Born under the sign of the Bastard he is rarely seen, choosing to hide away in his bastard-cave delving into the realms of experimental electronic music, lo-fi and infectious IDM, surfacing once every few days to create alternative acoustic tracks and gather essential supplies.

UDR: Talk about the [run:>EP].

KB: The initial idea behind the [run:>EP] was to collate like minded tracks together. To be honest I never set out to make an EP, it just happened naturally as I put tracks with similar elements together. The running order of them was the hardest thing to conceive. I very much like things to flow into one another as naturally as possible, and I hope this comes across with the EP.

The idea behind the tracks that feature on the EP, and the thing that I consider makes them work well together is the mixture of easy and uneasy listening.
I've always enjoyed using contrasting sounds to try and form interesting soundscapes. The tracks all have elements of static, white noise and lo-fi sounds in there somewhere which is supposed to represent mixed-up muddled communications, crossed with the more subtle nuances of pads and fx to give a aura of calm/space. Also I have a fascination with machines and robotics so I think this came out naturally in the creation of the tracks.

I'd have to say I'm most proud of the way the EP flows as a whole. It's meant to be a little piece of escapism which I think works particularly well if you sit back and watch some visuals whilst listening through headphones. I am also quite proud of the graphics I produced for the CD, simple but effective:)

There were no real obstacles to overcome during the making of it. As mentioned, the tracks were already written before I even considered collecting them together for an EP, so it was a relatively smooth process. My only real problem was that using high definition photo paper and black ink for the majority of the EP cover/inserts means it's very difficult to keep clean, it shows up any little marks, a minor quibble.

I honestly can't say what the EP means in regards of my future. I'll just keep on plugging away and making music that hopefully more and more people will get to listen to and enjoy. I have teamed up with Herb Recordings to release [run:>EP] across the digital download sites and also on CD, so hopefully it will get a good response when released. (Start of Oct 2006 across the download sites, hopefully on CD before the turn of the year). I have also recently discovered that 'Future-Music' magazine will be featuring the first track from the EP [Aurelia Aurita] on their cover DVD in issue 180, set for an October release, so that should hopefully mean that a few more ears get to hear it, which is what it's all about really.

UDR: Talk a bit about the origin of the 'Kingbastard' alias. Also, elaborate on your musical & artistic roots. Have you had any formal musical or artistic training? What were some of the early ideas that influenced the development of the 'Kingbastard' idiom?

KB: The origin of Kingbastard came from a sleepy Sunday afternoon sitting having a drink and smoke with my friends back in 2003 in Leeds. I believe that the English version of robot-wars was on the television in the background and we started calling out what our names would be if we had a robot on the programme, naturally the name 'Kingbastard' just popped out of my mouth and we all had a good old giggle, sad eh, but true:) I've been creating under that name ever since, but I also write under various other aliases too!

I would say the main instance in my life that started me making music was when I first moved out of home and my new housemate taught me how to play the guitar, learning various radiohead and smashing pumpkins songs. Before that I studied music at school, where I learnt to play keyboards, but I never really started to get the inclination to create my own stuff until I was about 19.
Artistically speaking I have always had an interest in drawing and keeping sketchbooks, I have too many to count now! I've also studied Graphic Design/Visual Communication at College and University level which definately aides the creation of artwork for my music.

Some of the earlier musical ideas that influenced the development of my own music have to be hip-hop/rap in my early teens such as Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, Hard To Obtain etc...(not directly influencing my music making, as I wasn't creating material at that time, but now that I look back I do see elements within my music now that is definately influenced by my listening to those styles of music). Then as I learnt to play guitar, artists such as Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Dylan, The Doors. As I got into my twenties I started to listen to alot of electronic material from labels such as Warp records, Planet-Mu and they have definately had an influenece on my musical progression, but not as much as the late, great John Peel, who's shows I regularly listened to. Just the sheer diversity of the bands he played influenced my own music collection and influences and my need to have diversity in my own music. Generally my musical progression feels like quite a natural one, changing and evolving with my own tastes.

UDR: You mentioned a keen interest in technology, which no doubt comes across in your music. What draws you to things technological and what do you think compels you to emulate/evoke these ideas through music? Talk about your process, and if you dont mind, talk a bit about your gear.

KB: Well I'm a product of the computer age and have grown up with that technology as it itself has grown, especially home computers and gaming consoles which are constantly evolving. I believe it's a very natural thing to be drawn to things that develop as we do. I'm fascinated by machines, not necessarily because of what they do or consist of, but the sounds they make. I guess that as technology is a part of my everyday life this comes through in my music. I like to sample from all sorts of machines, inanimate objects etc... that surround me and then craft them into tracks, whether it be taking the tone of a printer and making it into a synth, or recording the sound of a computer starting up and drenching it in reverb to create odd soundscapes for example, there's so much inspiration around, but I just seem to be naturally drawn to machines.

My gear is basic stuff really. I've only been using a computer to make music for a year now so I'm constantly learning and finding new ways of doing things. I'm not one to read manuals however so it's often a slow learning curve, but I find the more hands-on approach of simply trying things out is an ultimately more satisfying method. I'm running a PC setup with Acid 5.0, Reason 3.0, Audiomulch, and various vsts. I also use an SP808ex e-mix studio (A hardware digital 4trk/fx/GrooveSampler) an old DJX keyboard, a casio tr-20, a Yamaha FG-432S acoustic guitar, Tanglewood electro/acoustic, philips mic, an olympus digital Dictaphone, various toy instruments, and an assortment of percussion. (unfortunately at this moment in time my hardware is out of action meaning I'm not able to utilise as many of my instruments as I would like, and my PC is in dire need of updating, so hopefully in the not too distant future I will have a more comprehensive computer-based/'Live' setup).

The tools that currently appeal to me are the Kaoss Pad 3, and any high-performance laptop designed specifically for creating music. I really love odd instruments too, like old kids instruments, toy pianos, retro keyboards and synths. More for looks than for sounds however. I've always wanted a mellotron and a quality upright piano too, but these are merely dreams at the moment.

UDR: Talk a bit more about teaming up with Herb Recordings, also releasing via online record labels, OMDs, digital downloading vs. hardcopy, etc. Seems many people are unaware of the many new alternative avenues opening up for artists to release their material.

KB: I got to know the guy who started Herb Recordings through an omd (online music distribution) site. They approached me and asked if I'd like to feature on their first release 'Natural Environments', a label sampler/compilation. Herb will shortly be releasing my [run:>EP] in October this year and I hope to release more material through them in the future.

A certain online label released material of mine online without actually signing it and haven't paid me a penny for mp3/CD sales. That's a major downside of releasing via online record labels, the lack of human interaction, face to face. Unfortunately there are a lot of assholes out there just waiting to use and exploit you, so my advice would be to make sure you do a proper check of the label, their background, personnel etc... I was naive and taken in by flattery, but I have certainly become more astute and clued up thanks to my experiences.

Releasing via an online label and across digital download services is generally a good thing. Usually the process from signing contracts to music being released is a quick and smooth one. You obviously don't have the overhead costs of producing Cd's and all the peripherals that come with it. Your music is spread out across a very wide area, making it available to lots of new audiences in a short amount of time.

With the Explosion of download sales over the last five years I think it's definitely an avenue of music distribution that music-makers should be involved in. It's a good way to get your name out there and promote yourself, it sounds good to say your music is available on iTunes' and this can attract more people to your music through shameless name-dropping:)

UDR: Unlike many, Kingbastard offers up music for download. File sharing can be a very polarizing issue. What are your thoughts about this ongoing paradigm shift in the music "industry"?

KB: I don't have an issue with letting people download my music as I believe that it can allow you to attract a solid fan-base and serve as a good means of promotion through friends sharing music and hopefully spreading the word.
I think when you are a small/relatively unknown artist such as myself it's important to try and do things to get attention. Being in such a competitive industry means it's very hard to get noticed, so anything you can do to get a few more listeners and support is worth doing.

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