First off, just want to thank you for participating in this edition of Infidel Interviews. Could you start off by giving a little information about you to the audience? Whatever you feel comfortable with, but name, age, and where you live would be pretty standard?
Given name – Danny Ryder, im young enough to know better and old enough not to care, im based in the north of England..its wet,bleak and grey most of the time.
How do you enjoy where you live? Is there a vibrant music community where you are? Would you say you find that your local scene influences your attitude and/or creativity?
There is Zero Alternative music scene here but I create regardless as releasing music online gives a global audience.
What does MONOMORTE mean to you guys in 2017? And how does that compare to what the project meant to you guys when it was formed?
Monomorte is a side project and sandbox to test ideas and concepts, releasing music was a side effect of this process. It wasn’t meant to last more than a month or so, but people seemed to respond.
Do you consider yourself to be part of a particular sound or scene? What is your thoughts on the nature of genres and styles, and do you have any particular ones which you find to your enjoyment more, listening and/or production-wise?
Whilst I’m included in the witch house genre, I’m more interested in atmospheres and imagery rather than making music for the dance floor or whatever’s cool, that path leads to a dead end..
Interview continues after this video, and all videos thereafter...
Is electronic music where you started making music? Or did you have previous musical background or experience before hand? If so does/did your previous musical experience affect your electronic compositions? What led you to electronic music, particularly the more experimental kinds of it?
I’m the product of watching Gary Numan/jean Michelle jarre and KLF music videos as a kid.
Electronics and computers have always interested me so naturally I would try and combine the two.
What would you say are your biggest influences when it comes to art and music? Are there any bands that you would say struck you with the chord that inspired you to peruse your current path of musical aspirations?
The works of Aphex Twin, numan and the Prodigy, Also Die Krupp’s ‘the final remixes album’ was a game changer for me. The idea that electronic music can be as aggressive as metal was a massive eye opener for expression. I’ve very broad tastes so would be impossible to pin any one thing down. Ask me the same question on a different day and id have a different list.
What sort of new bands have come out in recent years that have caught your attention? Is there any bands out there you see yourself, or would like to, remix or collaborate with in the future?
Whilst there’s nothing new under the sun, bands that are doing something interesting are acts like’ Author & Punisher’, ‘3TEETH’, ‘Gazelle Twin’ and ‘SØLVE’, there’s a lot of interesting stuff once you dig around a bit..
Would you say that your choice to pursue music has changed your life since you started? Would you say that creativity has evolved you spiritually, emotionally, or logically?
Making music isn’t a choice, that’s often more a curse than a blessing as paying bills isn’t a choice either.
What would you say are your favourite themes and topics that inspire you to compose? What draws you to those themes?
I don’t start with a theme or fixed idea, I just play and see what sounds good to me and build on it from there, if I hear a sound I like then I can build a track around it. In most cases , Beer is a catalyst.
Would you consider yourself to be an overall political or spiritual individual? If so, if how what would you say are your strongest/most important views and/or causes?
I consider myself an existential nihilist, which takes a lot of the worry out of life and lets me get on with my work. I’m more concerned with what’s in the cup, rather than how full it is.
What sort of processes do you go through when making music? Do you have a formula(s) that you follow, or do you feel it out as you go along? Or is it more of a mixture of the two?
I just hit record and play the keys, sometimes the result becomes a track..most of the time, its just doodles.
Do you spend a lot of time crafting your own sounds? Or do you value song crafting and effects tweaking more? Or do you find it's a balance between the two? What's your relationships with presets?
I have no problem with presets/Loops as a time saving exercise SOMETIMES, but I disagree with using presets because you can’t use your gear, that’s like buying a car and getting someone else to drive it for you.. you must read the manual, as your competing with people who do..
When you make music are you primarily a hardware or software oriented musician? Or do you do a fusion of both? Are there any particular instruments, programs, or effects that you would say are vital to you making music?
Ive had a lot of synth gear in the past but I found that the more you learn, the less gear you actually need. So nowadays I just use one hardware synth (Kurzweil PC3K6) which is played live, no midi and no automation. Reaper is the DAW and maschine is used for drums. I sometimes use a roland vsynth for effects and sample manipulations, but as a rule its 90% Kurzweil. No other synth comes close.
Do you find that when you are working on projects where you ended up learning new techniques during the process?
Im always learning new things and trying to come up with new ways of treating sounds. Every song should bring something new to what has come before, it’s easy to get lost in the possibility’s and spend a month making a snare drum sound though. that’s happened a lot.
What do you see in the near, and far, future for your creative output?
I’ve no idea, which is what keeps me interested.
Outside of dark and atmospheric electronic music, what other genres could you see yourself composing music in? Or should I say, do you see yourself inspired by?
That’s hard to say, I create the kind of music that I like to hear, so to make something different would require a major rewire of my brain. This is unlikely in the current climate.
Do you have any other musical projects that you are involved with, or do you have any other musicians or artists that you collaborate with in some capacity? If you could collaborate with any musician or artist, dead or alive, who would it be? And what in particular draws you to want to collaborate with them?
My main project is called ‘Of these,hope’. Although ive done mainly remixes up till now, a new four track E.P is in the works called ‘The Possible Self’. This will either be my swan song or the greatest realisation of my work, hard to say, it will be more industrial/song based than monomorte.
Ive also contributed to the forthcoming album ‘Encounters ‘from the artist ‘ We have a Ghost’, The guys super talented and everyone should check him out.
Promotion can be one of the most difficult things in the music industry. Do you have an agent that helps book shows and manage your online presence, or have you decided to trek it out without and mantle the reigns of the social media apparatus yourself? Is it difficult engaging the online world consistently and originally, or do you find it easy?
I do my own promotion (which is why I’m still very, VERY underground) . I like the idea of people finding my tracks by accident.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have had to overcome in your musical career?
Self-Doubt & Self-Belief, they are both liars, the trick is being able to tell.
In an industry that is driven by sales, and consumerism, what are your thoughts on digital downloads (legal and illegal)? Do you feel that streaming and digital download stores aid the accessibility of music? How bout music piracy? It obviously hurts sales in some regards, but it also boosts the access and distribution of the release which could lead to potential fans who do come to shows, buy physical copies of music, and get merchandise? Do you feel there would be enough turn around in that sort of system or are you firmly against file sharing?
It’s pretty baffling that people won’t spend a few dollars on a track that has taken days/weeks of sleepless nights to create using thousands of dollars’ worth of gear. On the other hand, nobody’s forcing us to make music and sell it.
I myself, like the convenience of online music and if I like something, ill buy it, as it’s the only way to make sure that there will be more music from that artist in the future.
The best analogy is, if you’re not willing to work for nothing yourself, then don’t expect an artist too either.
We must rely on the goodwill of people, for better or worse.. can’t see that changing anytime soon.
When it comes to non-musical media, what do you find yourself most inspired by, and what about it draws you to it as a source of inspiration? Do you participate in the gaming world? Avid reader perhaps? Maybe cinema fan? Combination of some lol?
Books and movies obviously play a large part in triggering ideas and concepts. Mostly scifi and horror as you’d expect. Games are too much of a distraction and lifes too short!
Thank you so much for participating in this episode of Infidel Interview. Any parting words for your fans, or my audience?
Thanks for the interest, There will be a new monomorte track called ‘The Peoples Pyramid’ on 23rd November 2017, it will be worth that dollar ;)
Check his music out on his official Soundcloud for free streaming:
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See his video content on his official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/monomorte