AT+EX: So, full disclosure: we’re good friends. You and I have spent countless hours talking about music of all sorts, sometimes to the nauseation of the customers flanking us at the Forge Lounge (RIP). For the readers’ sake I’ll say, familiarity aside, I am an honest fan of your music and that’s why I asked you to do this, so here goes:
What was the first experience that made you decide to create music, and who were the artists that got you into music in general?
LL: When I was a kid, there was always music playing in the house. My dad had a bunch of Kraftwerk stuff – the first thing I can remember consciously hearing was “We Are The Robots” in his car on the way to the grocery store. I loved it and listened to it constantly while reading old Dan Dare comics. When I was 11 or 12 I started pilfering my dad’s CD collection for stuff to listen to on my 45-min bus ride home from school. That’s how I discovered stuff like Aphex Twin, Autechre, System 7, The Orb, Björk, Dead Can Dance, Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus – I devoured it all. It was a complete obsession. Once the iPod and filesharing became a thing I was basically doomed to always seek out new music. But I never seriously considered making my own music until a few years later when I stumbled across a pirated copy of Reason 4. I did some really terrible stuff in Garageband before that – truly unlistenable, I think I’ve deleted it all from every hard drive I own. Maybe an old friend still has one of the CDs I would burn of that stuff. I hope not. Reason, though, that was the game-changer.
AT+EX: You’re lucky to have had such a cool collection to pilfer from. So, what were your main sources for sounds, since you started in the DAW arena, and how did your sound and gear evolve over the years?
LL: I started out teaching myself synthesis with Reason’s Subtractor VST. That one taught me the most out of any DAW synth besides maybe the Arturia minimoog V VST, which I got a few years later. I started out making chiptunes and put out loads of stuff like that in the early years, like 2008-2012. In 2015 I got Ableton Live and that really opened things up. I got into analog gear a little after that. A mutual friend sold me their old MS-20 mini and that thing is an absolute monster. I still don’t really know how the patch bay works, but I haven’t broken it yet so that’s probably a good sign. I also have a Volca keys, a Minibrute, and an SQ1.
AT+EX: How would you describe your sound, your intention, and where do you draw inspiration from?
LL: Is “nostalgic desperation” a genre? Most of my music is less about conveying a message and more about trying to evoke emotions. After my last performance someone came up to me and told me my set made them cry. It was the best compliment I’ve ever received and the first time I really felt like what I was doing was worthwhile. I cry at shows all the time. It’s the best feeling to just let the music fill you up so much you can only express it physically. I want to make more people cry. Is that sadistic? The goal is to evoke strong, primal responses in people, whether that’s a profound sense of wistful gratitude for past intimate moments or raw fury at the current state of our society. I think a lot of people feel powerless, especially now, and I want to throw gasoline on the fire that is simmering beneath all of us. Antifa is inspiring. Watching communities organize to fight their oppressors is inspiring. Black Lives Matter is inspiring. #MeToo is inspiring. There are more than enough of us to be able to topple our broken institutions and completely redefine our civilization. I think that’s the biggest message I wanted to throw behind “In the Absence of Purpose”: You are not defined by your job, and it’s okay not to feel like you need a purpose to exist. Embrace that you do exist and that simply by existing, you are loved.
AT+EX: I know you have eclectic taste in bands, and I know you have a history in studio engineering. Do you have any plans to incorporate other players and instrumentation into future works?
LL: Yeah, I think that collaboration is crucial to stimulating creativity. “Kommós” came about from a jam session with a close friend of mine, and I’d love for that to become more common. The biggest hurdle I face is learning to not be a complete control freak when it comes to arrangement and mixing. I’ve been making music by myself for so long that it feels awkwardly intimate to invite someone else into that process. Jamming together is one thing, but getting into the nit and grit is a completely different beast. That said, I’m still open to the idea – especially concerning vocals and guitar, because I have zero self-confidence about attempting those myself. If it doesn’t have keys or a shitload of knobs and faders it is completely alien to me.
AT+EX: 5. Haha! Well, what recordings are available from you now, and is there anything in the works that you want to talk about?
LL: Everything noteworthy is on my bandcamp page right now – although there’s some random stuff on soundcloud too. I just released my latest album “In the Absence of Purpose” a couple months ago, and there’s usually a decompression period whenever I toss something into the void. Music is a constant in my life but there’s nothing concrete I’m focused on right now besides my own mental and physical health during quarantine. That could change in a matter of days or weeks, of course.
AT+EX: Well, certainly take care. I look forward to whatever you make next. Keep us informed. It was great talking to you.
LL: Thank you, and thanks for having me!
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