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? Hi and thanks for this interview.
My name is Glenn Love and I am a musician living in Toronto Canada. I’m a Maritimer and you could say that I live part time in Leipzig. I'm a lot older than I may appear to be in a dark dance club or bar. 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? Well yes Toronto is probably still ranked as one of the very best music cities in the world. We have had many venue closures recently and this is a huge concern.
There certainly is a critical mass of musicians and creative people here and there is still a community here despite the extremely high cost of living.
Frankly I’ve always been a lot more influenced by my musical community in Europe.
I go out constantly here in TO to see indie bands and alternative DJs. What do you see in the near, and far, future for your creative output? I have spent the last year writing new material and am still in process with this.
Some releases as either EPs, a series of singles or a album. So I have a new body of work, now I am waiting for the mixing and mastering. Some new shows and travels for sure, and videos. I have taken this past year off to set up a new studio and to compose. I am OK with a break, having gone to Europe five times from 2014 to 2016 to perform.
So yes lots of plans.
Interview continues after this video and all further streaming content...
When you first started making music, was there a particular sound or artistic/musical influence that you would say was your biggest inspiration to start pursuing the creative path yourself? As a kid I discovered the Doors...I guess that had a huge impact. Closely followed by Jean Michel Jarre, then Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans,Bob Marley, Tom Waits, Fela Kuti, DAF, Caberet Voltaire, trip hop, trance…. A really mixed bag. Sorry got carried away there for a second ... Are you musically self taught? Or have you had mentors along the way to help you develop? I started off teaching myself I guess, some friends helped here and there. I then studied jazz piano very seriously for three years. Private lessons. I started doing electronic music at the same time. When it comes to composing music, do you approach things with a clear vision in mind, or do you prefer to let songs feel themselves out? Do you have any particular techniques or tricks you use to keep yourself creative and consistent? The creative inspiration can come from so many places. Sometimes a new sound...boom that's it..a new song that just writes itself. Sometimes a phrase going through my head, sometimes a dream.
Sometimes , yeah a melody then a logical harmonic structure that follows, with a logical bassline, beats breaks and changes, all rather logical.
More often than not the inspiration is ...um...er...rather spontaneous and ….mystical.
We always get the best ideas just before falling asleep ...and always say to ourselves ...oh I'll remember this for sure it's so awesome ...nope... Do you ever find it difficult to balance the creative and technical aspects of musical creation? How do you strike the balance for the need to craft and tweak your effects and sounds, in contrast to actually just getting the song itself created with structure and melody? What sort of element of creation do you prefer, the sonic shaping or the song creation? Extremely difficult….aaaargh ….don’t get me started …
I have always have been hopeless with the technical side of everything.
I have usually not used a computer but rather a sequencer to write everything then have taken it to a producer or musical genius friend.
I am now doing all of the engineering side of things myself. I've spent the last year really working on this.
It's not just song writing in electronic music, it's sound engineering.
And its endless. It takes a lot for courage and discipline to say “ Jeebers enough already ...it's a wrap !”
Song writing and sound engineering kind of go hand in hand creatively I believe ….but don't listen to me eh !
If you could say there are underlying themes or messages that permeate throughout your discography, what would you say are the most important concepts and ideas you've tried to express throughout your artistic career, political, spiritual, or personal? Mysticism ...whatever the heck that is ...hope and optimism despite awareness of everything that's bad in the world.
Ecology, politics, simple joy. The transcendence of love. Anger about people's selfishness and lack of empathy. Gratefulness. Just having a party.
I wrote ambient and ambient trance music for a few years so the tracks didn't have lyrics. But the inspiration was the same. So much has been said, and it sometimes feel that every word combination has every been taken. As a lyricist myself I know the pain of how hard it can be to articulate something in a way that is both engaging to the audience and uniquely artist. How do you find inspiration for your lyrical poetry? I am a minimalist for the most part with my lyrics. l have always approached lyrics and vocals as more of a sound element / instrumental part ...as terrible as that sounds … I'll hate myself in the morning for having said that.
I am a surrealist perhaps...and as well I often write from my dreams.Yet hopefully in a way that is meaningful and engages people somehow on a different perhaps symbolic level.
It's really really tough… I try to avoid standard lyrical content and song structure. When it comes to your musical self and your real world self, would you say that their is a separation? Do you find yourself getting into a character or mindset when you create, or do you find your music is a representation of your day to day self? Its always just me. 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? It has been so huge. Thinking about it all is almost scarey.
Wanting the be a musician as a kid and coming from a background where that just wasn't really an option.
I've had a few completely different musical careers so it has evolved. Was a solo pianist for a couple of years ….then played as a keyboardist in alternative bands ...now a life as a dark electro kind of guy.
This is a great question …
My choice to pursue music has changed my life immeasurably for the better in every domain and I thank you for asking this question. 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? I'm a card carrying member of the international goth industrial dark electro scene. Honest ...I've got the card to prove it too...
I often go outside my genre to listen to live music and support friends. I draw tremendous inspiration from all music.
I seem to have become a little more critical about dark electronic music ...maybe I'm too close to it.
There's always new stuff coming out … I listen to the music of bands whom I know, a lot. It's very varied ...very.
Have you had any particular moment(s) that you would like to share, that you would consider to be a crowning achievement in your musical career so far, or moments that you would say truly continue to inspire you to pursue your artistic path? I've edited my initial response here.
Just the fact that I became a musician and have been realizing my dreams. That's an achievement, despite the odds.
Maybe playing in a band for the first time ...so magic….that first album...that first international show….waking up one morning in a foreign country and realizing this is your new life …
Music has brought much euphoria into my life. Playing live shows, recording new tracks, attempting to go live the life that gives you the experiences that inspires it all... it can be difficult to balance the time. Do you have any particular methods that you use to keep yourself focused or balanced in your direction? It's so hard. Especially in Canada to be a working musician. I have an awesome job that gives me a lot of time off when needed. That provides balance.
I bicycle about two to three hours per day minimum and spend as much time as possible in nature. Do a lot of mind body work. Healthy living. Staying engaged. I travel as much as possible. What are some of the biggest challenges you have had to overcome in your musical career? I almost died in 2012. I am fine now, more than fine.
When I went through that experience I decided to stop trying to chase every little opportunity. Paradoxically things have been better since then.
I lost the hearing or most of it in my left ear in 2014. I'm managing. It's a real challenge.
When it comes to fan and critic feedback, how much do you take it to heart, and how much do you feel it evolves, pushes, or holds your sound in place? Do you feel that the personal response and interaction in the live environment, and the subsequent positive press you've regarding both your live and recorded music has consciously encouraged you to do things a certain way? Great question ...honest to goodness…from one point of view negative feedback from strangers means fuck all … sometimes the negatively is just a projection of their own inner world and has nothing to do with you or your music. From another point of view people have very different tastes. In my scene we realize that about 99.9999999 percent of the people in the world will automatically not be interested in what we do. As well the audience never lies. If you have no audience then something has to change. Sometimes you also realize that all that's needed for a good review etc is to make a financial contribution. I've had enough positive feedback and positive reviews for my music and live performances to keep me going.
It serves to keep you aware and objective. My own body of work has had strengths and weaknesses and I've strived to learn from my mistakes.
And YES ….the feedback I have received has been very, very important.
I have close friends who are brutally honest with me. Love em. Each one of my albums has been radically different. Eight now...and counting ...eight released, a few unreleased, plus many other appearances etc.etc.
So I am used to all kinds of feedback.
Outside of Electronic Music, what other genres could you see yourself composing music in? Or should I say, do you see yourself inspired by? Inspired by … honestly almost by any musical style. I am drawn to the more fringe side of the music world. I don't listen to anything that is kind of mainstream. I also have huge gaps in my musical knowledge. I've been listening mostly to new indie alternative bands for decades now. 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? 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? I really don't ever think about hypothetical collaborations. I tour with label mates when I am in Germany and have done several shows with my friends Intent:Outttake, Mechanical Moth, Novastorm and Terrrorfrequenz and other great bands involved with my label Sonic-X. I am very excited about the new talent being drawn to my label now. I amalways open to doing remixes.
i have a large circle of friends bands here in Canada and I try to support them in any way that I can. I guess that's a form of collaboration. Perhaps the most important. When it comes -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? Being an avid reader is one thing. I read a lot of non fiction and some sci fi. I am very critical of science fiction and have my own tastes but have derived a great deal of creative energy from it. I have leaned more towards hard science fiction, space opera and utopian sci fi. Film is another primary influence. The experience of film but also certainly soundtracks. Immensely formative. Travelling ….thats big.
And no, I don't game ….lol. Thank you so much for participating in this episode of Infidel Interview. Any parting words for your fans, or my audience? Thank you for this interview. It's been interesting to put all of these thoughts together for others to read.
Please check out my music and again, will be releasing new material soon.
I am on iTunes, Bandcamp, YouTube etc and can be contacted through Facebook.
Follow Glenn Love on his official Facebook page for his latest activities:
Glenn Love's Bandcamp contains much of his music for download:
Check out his videos on his official YouTube channel: