EIMH: what instruments did you play in the e.p.'s?
DR.E: i played the guitar and bass parts, and programmed all the drum sounds.

EIMH: i understand you did it all (recording and mastering) on your own. why?
DR.E: because it is easier and convenient for me. i have full control of all the production work and be able to try and produce whatever is up here (in my head). and when i wanted to record or do any changes, i just need to switch on my machine and start playing. rather than start chasing the other players to come and record or redo their parts. also, i don't have to answer to anyone else, except to myself. i'm a control freak too! hahahhahahha!

EIMH: how do you label the sound of the e.p.'s?
DR.E: 'funkreggaedubacidjazzechoeyslideguitarrock instrumental styley.' but its 'noise' to be exact! hhahahahhaha! it is supposed to be a dub/dance/trance sort of thing, but ended up being rock! too much distorted guitar!

EIMH: the tracks have a very distinctive dry, dirty sound. almost as if its been pushed over the limit. is that on purpose, or by accident?
DR.E: its both actually! i've always loved listening to songs with a bit of distortion to the drums and cymbals, or any of the other instruments when its been pushed too hard during the mixing or mastering phase. it is so raw and delicious! i try to recapture that in this recording. but i felt that it gets overdone this time around! i mastered the tracks twice, that's why! once with the digital recording machine i used at home, and a second time with another machine when i needed to produce the master discs. you can hear the instruments breaking up in a lot of the tracks!

EIMH: how did you get the sounds in the e.p.'s?
DR.E: for all the echoey/delayed stuff, i used either a boss dd-5 or a korg digital delay unit. sometimes both together. and i used a boss ph-2 phasor and jim dunlop wah-wah pedals. for the reverb and distorted guitar sounds, those are from the preset sounds of the recording machine. with a little bit of tweaking of course.

EIMH: i heard that you did not send the cd's to any shops for distribution. you sold them all personally. why?
DR.E: yeah... firstly, i felt that the e.p.'s were not good enough to be distributed to shops, or for the music listening masses! hahahahahhaaha! it's actually more of an experiment. not to make money, or be famous. the music reflects that. maybe, not many will be able to appreciate it. imagine leaving it in shops and it will be there for the next 5 years! hahahahhaha! secondly, there is not many to pass around. i only managed to burn 100 odd pieces of each e.p. the laptop i was using at that time was burning up and choking to death from all the burning! and lastly, i prefer to distribute the e.p.'s to people i know and am comfortable with. so they won't kill me too much about my playing! hahahahahhha!

EIMH: who are they?
DR.E: they are mainly friends and customers of the shop (a musical instrument store) i used to work in. also there were people from australia, indonesia, malaysia, new zealand and a few other countries that actually bought the e.p.'s. so the music has gone international! hahahahahhaha!

EIMH: do you get great support from people?
DR.E: yes, i suppose so... it's not 'great support', but people do support me. everyone of my colleague bought the e.p.'s. not that they have any choice! hahahahhaha! and of course guys from the local music scene that frequented the shop. i thank them all...

EIMH: the e.p.'s were released in 2003, any new stuff in the near future?
DR.E: in 2009 maybe! hahahahhahaha! i don't know... all the instruments, effects, and the recording machine, i do not have them anymore. i've sold them all! so i really do not know... i'm thinking of putting up a band first, so the next recording will most probably be a group effort. maybe with vocals too! i'm thinking of a few people to work with right now. we'll see though...

EIMH: parting words?
DR.E: well, to all those who bought, borrowed, or stole and listened to the e.p.'s: i thank you all from the bottom of my heart. to the musicians i know: carry on rocking, stay groovy, and keep the funk up always! and to everyone else: live life to the fullest, don't stop dancing, and go for your dreams, even if people says it won't work. and love everybody...

EIMH: thanks for your time.
DR.E: thanks for your time too...

-echoinmyhead

This entry was posted by dr.echohead, on Thursday, October 20, 2005.