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AV: Tell me about when it was that you first realized that music was going to be something that you not only enjoyed listening to but also something that you were going to enjoy creating as well?
SS: Since about 15, I had a couple keyboards around all the time. I was in bands pretty much throughout high school.
AV: What was it about the inherent possibilities of the synthesizer that caught your attention as a teenager in the 80's and led you to start creating your own music?
SS: I would have to say it was the clean bubbly sound of early Depeche Mode or Yazz that really attracted me to electronic music the most. At the time, a synthesizer was a very uncommon instrument so I found electronic music and synthesizers to be very alternative. I was actually in some grunge-esque Washington state bands as a synth player which wasn't common at all.
AV: How much influence on your own musical path did the time spent in Germany have on you?
SS: When I look back on it, I think there were two things that living in Germany opened up for me. The first was the idea that electronic music could be pure electronic and popular without singing or in a typical pop song structure. Clubs were playing pure electronic music, stuff that wouldn't have flied over here at the time (at least in Seattle where I was living). I found it mind blowing actually. The second point was that prior to Germany I had never written complete compositions. I think this was because I was trying to do electronic music with singing and I'm not a lyricist so I struggled with trying to write words to songs. I had a ton of half written songs but never completed anything. In Germany I really found out that you
could compose electronic music that wasn't based on any prior musical genre. Not to say I didn't know about TG or space music etc. It was more that the music I was hearing in Germany was closer to what I was
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fond of.
I've actually never really been that into typical space / sequencer music
even though some bits of this influence have ended up in my music. I mean, I
like some of it but I'm not passionate about it. During my discovery period
in Germany, I came back to the states and was able to actually create songs
from start to finish. I met up
with a friend in the same position that I was
and we started putting together some techno. We started playing raves and
late night parties. It was fun and gave me the inspiration to keep writing
music.
AV: Tell me about your demo Burning Igloo and the
avenues that opened up for you in regards to getting your music
heard.
SS: I've been planning to offer BI as a download from my website. It's
still really interesting sounding to me. Only a couple of songs
have been available publicly. Future music magazine published one track
in 95 and this is how Hypnos Recordings found out about my music.
Believe it or not, I still get emails from people writing me to tell me
how much they still enjoy Haight Pacifica.
AV: How did your
hooking up with Mike Griffin and his Hypnos label move your
music to the next level as far as establishing you as an ambient artist
within the community?
SS: I think at the time, it was still
pretty special to put out a CD. People looked at a professional CD and took
you for being a successful musician. It was quite a bit easier to get people
to listen to your work and easier to get reviews. Most of all, I think what
Hypnos did, was give me the avenue and audience I needed to continue to
write
music. I get a kick out of people who say "I write music for me." I'm
the total opposite. The last thing I want to do is listen to my
own music. The greatest compliment is an email from someone telling
you your music is inspirational to them.
AV: What was your
first release for Hypnos? Tell me about this CD and what you
were hoping for in regards to introducing yourself through your music
to the ambient community and to your listeners and fans?
SS: My
first release was Washed in Mercury and at the time, I had absolutely no
idea what genre it was aiming for or what sort of person would find interest
in it. I never actually thought my music quite fit in with what Hypnos was
putting out. I have 4 solo cds on Hypnos, so in a way, I guess my music
was integral part of the Hypnos sound even though I didn't think it was
fitting in with the other releases. I did have a funny goal that I remember
very well. I thought that after one year of WIM being out there, my goal was
to be making minimum wage off of my music. I still haven't reached this
goal. :)
AV: Looking back on that release was it everything you
hoped it would be? What kinds of reactions did you receive from
listeners/reviewers in regards to this release?
SS: I think
it's still a cool set of songs today. Considering how dated a lot of music
from this time period sounds, I think it still sounds pretty fresh. I look
back at all of my early music and enjoy the simplicity of it. I recorded my
first 4 albums direct to DAT without any multitrack so the songs tended to be
simpler and less organized than they are today. Just the result of getting
older and more specific as to my tastes so each album prior always sounds
simpler to me.
Reaction was pretty good. I remember getting a lot of
reviews that specifically related the album to early Fax / Warp releases with
it's own edge. Seems actually tougher to get magazine reviews these
days. The personal computer studio wasn't in full swing yet so there
were far less musicians putting out CD's.
AV: After working
through that first Hypnos release and receiving feedback from
listeners and reviewers about the CD were you enthusiastic about
starting to work on the next release and the release after that?
SS: Each
album is a loving strain to me. Each requires hundreds and hundreds of hours
between myself and my music. A very personal interaction that I find
addictive, frustrating, and eventually always worthwhile. Today, I have more
of an art for art's sake concept of my music. Back then, I was hoping to at
some point make a living off of
my music. It took a few albums to get this
out of my creative process.
Recently, I'm more excited than ever about
releasing music. The web has giving me the opportunity to create my own
listener base, an intense form of motivation. I have an ever growing group
of listeners that I have a bond with. People from all over the world. I do a
lot of direct orders from my own web store. In fact, I've really
never
been as excited as I am now about the possibilities that are
available from the web. I really see myself as my own best source for
promoting my music whereas I use to rely on labels to do this.
AV: Do
you always have a clear idea as to where you are going with your
compositions/music or is it more like you don't know until you
actually get underway with each new project?
SS: I always
have a very clear idea of what I want when I start each album and each album
ends up being the exact opposite than what I originally had in my mind. I
write down thoughts like "simple tones - mono with
spacial reverb accent" and
keep them in my studio to look at but I seem to kill everyone of them during
the first song of the album.
AV: Tell me about how you hooked up with Michael Bentley and
Foundry Records and when it was that the two of you decided that Vast had found
a home on Foundry.
SS: I actually met Michael through Forrest Fang. We all had
dinner together one night inBerkeley. After my album Fields, I kind of new right
away I wanted to spread out to a new label. Michael and I both live in The Bay
Area and we get together quite often. It made sense to have Vast come out on
his label.
AV: When did you first start work on Vast and did you have a
notion of where you wanted the music to go with this release?
SS: I start each album almost right away. I go through a good 8
months of continually throwing out songs until one pops up interesting enough
to guide an entire album. It's a grueling process. It's been almost a year
since Vast, and I'm only now completing my first song since this album. The
first song is always the toughest because it's got to move in a new direction
for me. It can't be a continuation of the last album. It's got to feel like a
real jump musically and professionally. As for a direction. I write notes to myself of how I want the
album to sound. Currently, on the magnetic board behind me is the following:
warm evening lo fi tones
less sounds but each sound more fantastic
bits of rumble
shorter songs
mostly mono with stereo effect
toned drums
short parts
drastic changes within each song
This is sort of the outline of a how I want my next album to
sound. I can't say it will come out like
this but it gives me a little set of rules to work from.
AV: I was reading on the Foundry site in the description of
Vast that the music was created on your own homemade equipment (hand forged).
First off, why build your own equipment? and secondly how does this help you
achieve sounds that you can't get from equipment off the shelf?
SS: I built my equipment when I was in college. It was a simple fact of economics. It's super
cheap to build your own equipment from scratch.
Not that difficult either. Prior to today's
"synthetic" synthesizers, hardware was really expensive. Had I been
just getting into music now, I would have never fathomed building my own
equipment because softsynths are so affordable.
I'm glad I had the chance to build my equipment though, it's really what
has giving me an original sound and composition. I'm totally of the opinion that modular
analog gear is far superior to what you can do on the computer. One of the
biggest bummers of today's softsynths is the lag time between the controller
(knob) and what the controller is set up to control (a filter for example).
It's pathetic. If you don't have a history with analog hardware you probably
wouldn't even notice this. This slow
response is perhaps the biggest hurdle for me.
AV: Who were some of your influences that fans of electronic
music might recognize in the music that comprises this release?
SS: I listened to a lot of Depeche Mode, Bill Nelson, YMO, TG
growing up. I don't know if there's any
electronic musician influences on VAST per-se. I did listen to a lot of old
jazz and big band stuff at that type. I've been really taking more by creative
recording and mastering right now. I've been analyzing old recordings like from
Coleman Halkins and other jazz greats. I'm really into mono / left / right /
recording right now but I can't seem to make it work in my own music. I've been
listening to a guy / band called Luomo, namely the albumVocal City.
It's a great house / electronic album.
AV: Looking at Vast from the finished side of the project
what is the theme if any that runs through the music and was this something
that you intended when you started work on this CD?
SS: There's no real theme behind
Vast. It's an accumulation of what I knew at the time composition and
sound design wise. I want to make really good electronic music that people
really can get into. I want the music to be the same feel you get from a pop
album. Meaning, it's not a background ambiance or incense music, rather great
electronic music that's catchy and full of color. Sort of like syncopated
fireworks. The biggest challenge is to write music that you don't imagine
singing to.
AV: What role did Michael Bentley and Foundry play in regards
to tweaking the final sound of Vast?
SS: He played part producer, creative director, engineer. I
think I had him over several times during the process of writing each song.
He's the type of guy that holds art at the highest level. It makes sense to
have a person like this around you. Vast wouldn't be the same album if it
wasn't for Michael.
AV: Is Vast a leap into a new musical sound for you compared
to your previous releases? Considering that you were number 7 on the essential
CD's list for Echoes it sounds like you found just the right groove. Any
thoughts from your fans as to this release?
SS: There's a few die hards who prefer my older work. Especially
Zo Pilots and Outfolding. They would like me to continue down the path of these
albums. The problem is that each album is a certain time point in life. Each
had their own equipment, their own limitations. I don't like continuing a CD
into several CD's. I think I said earlier I throw out songs until I have
something that doesn't sound like it could go on my last album. For some reason, between Star's End and Echoes
I have a real legitimate fan base there. I was really floored at how many
people came to the last Gathering Series concert inPhiladelphia. It's incredibly inspiration to
have a line of people waiting to talk to you about a connection they've made
with you because of your music. I think in terms of Vast, It's by far more
professional sounding than anything else I've done. It's more listenable which
means more people can relate and enjoy it.
AV: Was Vast a single outing in this musical style or are you
thinking about doing other releases in a similar vein in the future?
SS: My next album, tentatively called Villa Galaxia, is going to
be like Vast in terms of rhythm and complexity. There will be more percussion
and more quirkiness. Villa Galaxia is just the next step for me musically.
AV: Will you be performing music from Vast out on the road
any during the course of 2007 or are you hard at work on your next release
already?
SS: Tough question. I would love to do this but I haven't found
a way to play my songs in a exciting and "live" way. This is why my
live shows have always existed independently from my studio recordings. It's
tough to ask a crowd to watch you play a laptop and this is the only way I can
see me doing actual songs from my albums. I've had an idea about actually
having a small band perform the songs live. For instance, several people
playing keyboards and laptops, a guitarist, drummer and a second percussionist.
Something like this. This would only happen if music was my sole career
which I don't see happening. Would be cool though!
AV: Well thanks for sharing your thoughts with us about your music Saul and I wish you much success in everything you do in the future.
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