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How did you meet Kim Cascone and get involved with Silent Records?
I only met him once in the office! I got
involved with Silent through my friend Adam Douglas who was running the Flask imprint with Thad Jones. They were distributed by Silent so I never dealt with Silent directly.
Briefly describe the "ambient" scene during the times you were putting out material for Silent.
Well... as much as I was in the
scene, which was fairly minimal, it seemed confined to the various chill out rooms that inhabited the growing rave scene in the early/mid 90s. Invariably, the conditions were often not
ideal with a lot of bleed through from the main sound systems. I got the bug though at one of the New Years Raves at the Livermore County Fair Grounds. There was one hall that had been
set up mostly for the chill out space and it was filled with little pup tents lit up by black lights. I think Charles or Charlie [Charles Uzzell-Edwards] was DJing and he played some track
from the Orb and it floored me... literally! Now admittedly the chemicals running through my brain had quite a bit to do with that as well but it seemed at the time the ideal sound. There
seemed to be a lot more possibilities in it than the house and techno that was being pumped out at the time. Less limitations.
How has it changed?
No idea! I gradually lost interest in the ambient sound and got involved in writing more rhythmic and involved stuff.
Is there any unreleased material from the Silent period?
ummm... I think there are a couple of things that Adam aka Deeper Than Space, and I did
that never saw the light of day but I think in looking back, we are probably okay with that! They can stay in the cave. [a full-length piece by Arthur Dent and Deeper Than Space totled
“Chindogu” has yet to be released]
What is your favorite Silent release?
Ah. I am not sure that I really have one but I did
like the Hafler Trio one which is just a big drone for an hour. The Heavenly Music Corporation stuff was also quite good.
Any plans on re-releasing the Silent material?
Nope.
What are you up to now?
For the last few years I have been working on a project called
Qulfus. It is composed of various bits and pieces of jazz, dub, classical, blues, soundtracks, Latin jazz... but doesn't really sound like any of its constituent parts. It doesn't really
sound like anything else beyond what it is... which sounds like a bunch of crap but that is pretty much what it is... It is a very personalized sound. I have also done quite a few
compositions for contemporary dance with a collective called The Beauty School which has since transformed into the Experimental Performance Institute at New College in San Francisco. I
premiered my own multi-media piece called Nimbusphere for 8mm film, dancer and 4 floor fans in 2000. I am a founding member of the ever-revolving improv collective Modular Set. Also
keep a look out for Super Pig. We play gigs in San Francisco when we can, as I now live in New York City and my accomplice lives in the Bay, but it is a sight to be seen! The sonic
adventures of a self-loathing cannibalistic fallen Pig super hero and his man servant.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Qulfus is currently looking for a label so if anyone is interested in
putting it out please get in touch.
Please include links to any sites you would like included on the site.
www.snurp.net
www.modularset.com
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