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AV: Before we get down to questions about
your latest CD, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how
you got started creating the style of music that you do now?
GK: A basic need for expression without the limited boundaries
of language. I grew up listening to
soundtracks which led me to Jean Michel Jarre and early Kitaro whom I saw in
the late 1980’s performing live on VH-1.
AV: Your latest
CD, Ephemeral Highways, was released not too long ago.
What was the inspiration for this project and when did you actually start work
on it?
GK: Inspiration came from listening to early ECM label jazz and
early Windham Hill label music.
Music from Metheny, Tibbetts, Micus, Rypdal, Ackerman, Isham all these guys
used space in their compositions and deeply emotional melodies that
transcendent time.
None or very little of what any of these guys recorded in
the late 1970s and 80s sounds remotely dated.
AV: Once you get an idea for a music
project do you set aside the time to work on the music and dedicate your full
attention to the project or is it a little less structured than that?
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GK: I only work when I am inspired.
This usually comes from being out and about in the natural world or in my car
traveling the open backroads ofAmerica. Ephemeral Highways is a very structured release and
bears no resemblence to the space music I compose as Alpha Wave Movement. I usually don’t enjoy forced music making which I
have experienced from some of the smaller labels that are no longer around.
AV:
Does beginning a new project bring to
mind echoes of your previous works and how do you let your new work be its own
creation without becoming too derivative of what you have created before?
GK: Sometimes it does.
Working in the AWM mindset I enjoy using improvisations with the hypnotic
rhythms of sequencer based composing.
I know everyone has their own genre they feel most comfortable in composing. I sometimes stretch myself.
AV:
On a project like this do you isolate yourself during the creation
process or do you sometimes seek outside opinions as to how things are going?
GK: Always. On
Ephemeral it was deeply personal and I wanted to control all compositional
aspects. However I do enjoy the
spontaneous energy that occurs between two musicians in a room with little
music at hand to start
from. By this
I am speaking of the Thought Guild project with Christopher Cameron and my work
with vocalist Jim Cole. Two
musicians that were really great to work with in the moment. You never know where that evening's events will
take you. It sometimes has its magic
moments.
AV:
Tell me about a good day that you had while
creating this new CD and how moments like that keep you moving forward into each
new project.
GK: Every time I started composing I felt I was closer to
reaching my goal which was to release the music.
AV:
If someone were to pick up your latest
release what would they find there? Give me an idea of the feel of your latest
release as compared to what has come before.
Would your listeners recognize it as your “style” or might they be surprised?
GK: Great music for traveling the open roads. Something a little deeper, warmer and emotional
than they would expect from previous releases.
Lets give them a surprise!
AV:
When did you
know that this project was done and that tweaking the mix would not make it any
better than it already is?
GK: I am not an engineer.
I just do my best with what I have at hand be it recorder, mixer or synths. I think choosing the right sound for your
composition is very important and I believe on a personal level I am good at
that. I also had the audio help of
Stephen Van Handel who has a very good ear for mixing.
AV:
Do you ever
feel apprehensive when it comes time to take a project like this to the next
stage and release it to the public?
GK: No. I just do
what I feel I want to do. I have no
major label backing me and calling the shots.
AV:
What kind of
feedback have you been getting since releasing this CD? How closely do you
follow reviews or the comments you receive from your listeners?
GK: So far extremely positive and very inspiring comments but
then again its only been out a short time and has had very limited exposure. I always cherish feedback from my fans.
AV:
When you
finish a project like this and it has had a little time to settle down after
the official release do you ever go back and take a critical look at the
project and think about things that might have been done differently or have
you already moved on in your mind to your next creation?
GK: Sometimes I do but after working on the music so long I tend
to let it go and mature.I usually
don’t have anything in mind for the next project and of course one can be very
critical of ones own work but Ill keep that to myself.
Plus I don’t have the big bankroll to hire a producer but if I did well…..
AV:
What might
your listeners be looking for in the near future from you as far as the next
musical project?
GK: Well theres a DVD in the works with natural landscapes and
scenery from the NW with unreleased ambient music and a new Alpha Wave Movement
cd due for release later this year on my label Harmonic Resonance Recordings.
AV:
Is there
anything else about this project that stood out in your mind that you would
like to pass along the readers of Ambient Visions as we close out this
spotlight?
GK: If you enjoyed any of my releases under Alpha Wave Movement
please take a listen to Ephemeral Highways.
It has the strong thematic side of AWM with a twist.
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