Written Interview with Bluetech (Evan Marc ) for FWD.DJ 2018

Listen to the mix here: http://www.fwd.dj/mix/fwd111-bluetech/

I’ve always been really impressed by the sonic textures and colorful nature of your sound design, specifically how it pertains to your synths. Do you have a specific approach that you think elevates your sound work? How much thought have you put into refining your specific sound?

I think in general Im always trying to make synths "sing" and have an organic quality to them. Earlier on that was with Reaktor, but Im almost entirely hardware these days, both eurorack modular synthesis and large format (Moog) modular as well as stand alone synths. In general, lots of modulation, and elements of randomness and chaos in the sound design in order to evoke an organic and alive quality.

You seem to be driven thematically by nature and appreciation of the natural world. Am I correct about that and if so how have your values here impacted what you want to say and how you say it musically?

Definitely inspired by nature. Plants are my other great love other than music, and my days often involve a combination of music making and potting plants or starting seeds, or lusting after some rare unobtainable species that I simply must add to my plant collection. I think that the perfection of symmetry and balance in organic forms is something I mimic in the audio realms, or at least attempt to.

Right now your studio seems quite driven by analog gear. Has it always been this way or did you make a transition at some point? Aside from your DAW are there any effects or plugins that exist solely in the digital realm that you just couldn’t do without?

Yeah, its pretty much all analog, or at least modular at this point. I use a lot of boutique guitar pedals, though also use digitally modeled plug ins via UAD to complete my mixes, especially when it comes to things like compressors and EQs that are prohibitively expensive in hardware form. UAD sounds darn good, and definitely works for me. Im also a huge fan of Soundtoys plugins, and use them extensively.

What plugin would you invent in the audio realm that does not exist currently?

I've actually been exploring Pure data (the successor to Max) which is an open source audio programming language. When I think of something that hasn't been created I poke around a bit and try to make it happen.

One of your recent series was the excellent four-part “horsemen” EP-set. Can you chat about the concept and method of working that underlies this set of releases?

Well, its only three parts right now, and I need to get busy getting the final part completed. I will quote here directly from my liner notes as I think I said it more eloquently at the time than I could muster now. “Emerging from a long period of creative drought and personal struggle, I was seeking a way to frame my own experience in a larger meta-narrative. Navigating through loss and painful transformation always feels apocalyptic, so I wanted to take the opportunity to not only frame my heartbreak in a larger context but also to really laugh at myself and experience the high drama of being human with a sense of humor. The Revelations of our little lives feel like the end of everything, and looking out of our windows of meat and bone we feel the ground rumble with the approach of the 4 Horsemen.

On a larger scale, it’s easy to draw parallels between the realities of modern life and the harbingers of ‘the end’ in John’s symbolic vision of the end of the Roman Empire. We are in the grasp of a dying empire watching the destruction of our biosphere, and yet… every seed must go to ground before new life emerges.

This series of releases is about watching it all burn with a smile, embracing the death of the self as an act of beauty in order to grow. By aligning my own story and our collective story with a prophetic vision of epic proportions, I was able to to regain my joy and (en)lighten my life.”

You also release some pretty great ambient music. How do you approach this differently and what inspires you to work in this genre? How do you tell when an ambient piece is finished or worthy of releasing?

I think good ambient and good techno are the hardest genres to make because it is so much more about what you take out then what you put in. For me, when an ambient piece makes me lose track of time and almost forget to breath then its a good one. I should be hanging in space weightless and able to fully experience the soundscape, slowly floating or moving through the audio world. Its an elusive quality of production that I have to work hard to find!

You seem pretty multi-faceted in your creative and life endeavors. Digital art (via microdose and professional endeavors), exercise, travel, etc… what are some of your other favorite actives and how do they feed into your music?

Lately running has been my obsession. I've been pretty serious about fitness through weight lifting and exercise in general, but running hold a special place in my heart. I never thought I was competitive until I started running! About to do my third 1/2 marathon for the year, and at the end of the day Im mostly competing with myself and my last race time, though I do check my results against other runners in my age range. Im certainly not the fastest runner out there, but Im inching towards the front of the pack and feel pretty proud of that for an old guy!

Really love the set you made for FWD.DJ. Can you tell our listeners a bit about it? How did you record and what is the inspiration?

I actually love DJ'ing, and don't get to do it very often. I tend to play a little more dance oriented than my live sets when I do, and have a soft spot for mutant disco and weirdo house music. I like things that touch on kraut rock and psych and world music, and thankfully there are amazing labels out there giving a platform to left of center music which is still danceable. I kept a sense of humor when putting this one together, and took a few weeks really curating the tracks and vibe I wanted to explore. Some of those tracks have been in my collection for awhile waiting for the right mix to see the light of day!

What’s on the Bluetech/Evan Marc horizon for the rest of 2018 and early 2019?

Just finished a full length album for the excellent DiN music label out of the UK which should see release around Nov of this year. The four horsemen series will see its completion in the final EP which I am almost done with. My first album gets a remaster and re-release on double 180g vinyl in september which I am very excited about! I'm also working on an album (or double) which is all collaborations with other producers who I respect and admire which will be a fundraiser project for an awesome charity which works with music programs for young people in schools which don't have them. My fingers are crossed I get an Evan Marc record done, as Im feeling the itch more and more to finish that, though its been a few years since I've made any proper dance music so no idea if it will end up being an ambient techno album or something with proper doof doof. We'll see! At this point, Im a slave to the machines and let them decide which direction things head in.