Nightwaves:
How would you describe your music?
Robert
T: Electronic music that evokes the feelings of the late 70s , using mostly analogue and/or vintage equipment.
NW:
When did you start creating your own songs?
RT:
About 3 years ago.
NW: What gear and equipment do you use to make your recordings?
RT:
Quite a bit of eclectic equipment actually, I have 2 drum machines I like... a Roland R8 and a Roland TR707 , and for synthesizers
I'm really enamored with my Elektron Analog 4 . In addition to those I use a Nord Micromodular and 2 Waldorf synths, a Microwave
Xt and a Blofeld.
NW: I understand you have some songs on a new compilation that is being released by Low Noise Productions.
How did this come about?
RT:
A mutual friend gave my name to the owner and producer of LNP, so he then contacted me. I submitted 3 songs and hoped he would
use 1, but he ended up using all 3, and then discovered I had 3 years of music that I had created that no one had ever heard,
so keep your ears and eyes open in the future for some more releases.
NW: Do you know many electronic musicians in
the Moncton area?
RT:
Not many initially, but I was frustrated with the lack of a "scene " in the Moncton area so I started a facebook page that
now has about 30 members, although not all of them release their recordings, which is a shame, because they are all talented
in their own way, I do play with a talented musician called Paranerd, and I also know of Marc "Bones" Leblanc who has been
a huge help and encouragement. Plus of course my friend Mike who is half of our project "Albedo 79".
NW. What is it
about electronic music that you find so interesting?
RT:
The fact that the sounds do NOT sound like anything acoustic, the types of tones and sounds I use tend to sound otherworldy
and hopefully like the future. Plus, it's easier for 1 person to create electronic music when using more than 1 instrument
thanks to sequencers and MIDI, I prefer to play everything in 1 take or "live without an audience". I couldn't play 2 guitars
at once for example, but with drum machines and synthesizers I can be a 1 person orchestra if required.
NW: What are
your earliest musical memories? What's the first record you remember buying?
RT:
My father has a huge amount of 45 records from the late 50s, early 60s and I loved listening to them as a child, almost all
of them were instrumentals by bands such as the Shadows, Ventures and Spotnicks. The first record I ever bought was a movie
soundtrack LP that had "2001: A Space Odyssey" on side A and "Star Wars" on side B.
NW: If you could collaborate with
any band or artist in the world, who would that be?
RT:
Hmm that is a difficult question, but I would pick Jean Michel Jarre.
NW: I notice a lot of your music has a very cinematic
quality. Is that intentional?
RT:
Yes, I really like soundtracks myself, in fact the most played album I have on my itunes is the Blade Runner Soundtrack by
Vangelis! I also loved watching movies where I thought the music really added to the film itself. For example, "The Good the
Bad and the Ugly", "Clockwork Orange", "Star Wars", "Blade Runner" and "Tron" for example. ("Tron" and "Clockwork Orange"
both by Wendy Carlos BTW!)
NW: Is there a piece of gear (hardware or software) that you absolutely couldn't live without?
Is there a manufacturer that you are very loyal to?
RT:
I couldn't do without my Elektron Analog 4 now that I've used it more, it's very deep and fun to play, plus it sounds fantastic.
I'm quite loyal to Waldorf, and Roland but mostly their vintage equipment.
NW: What program/programs do you use to
record your music?
RT:
I actually use Pro Tools 9 , but only as a 2 track cassette recorder! I set up my gear to play, figure out a few riffs/patches
etc. Once I am comfortable/inspired I then perform my music in one take, and then do some rudimentary editing afterwards.
NW:
Do you work alone or with others, or both?
RT:
YES :) My solo stuff is under Robert T or dude163, and my collaborations are under RPG, and Albedo '79.
NW: How can
interested people hear your music?
RT:
2 places: Soundcloud and Low Noise Productions.
Links
are here:
For
Soundcloud:
