Bop has captivated us with his new album called Punk’s Not Dead and also with the universal, ethereal titles and imploding sonic pulsars throughout it, a macro universe. So it made sense to catch up with the man from St P to discuss everything from punk rock to Fis.
Let’s mosh.
On Punk’s Not Dead there seems to be questions of space/place/existence/humans/where we are as a species… am I right?
I think these questions are universal for all art in general.
OK, since the ‘The Amazing Adventures of One Curious Pixel’ album when we last spoke, how as a producer has your working flow been? Put it like this: if someone puts pressure on you to produce more than one tune a day would that be good or bad? Good as you produce differently or bad as pressure sucks.
If someone put pressure on me and I would have to produce more than one track per day I will start to make crap.
Usually it takes ages for me to finish a tune that I’m happy with. If you have a listen to my tunes you will notice that there are a lot of details on there. No way it will be possible to do in one day.
I love the tune with Synkro, was it good to work together?
We were working on the internet, so nothing really unusual. I would love to work with him in the studio sometime; I love his music and was really happy to know that he agreed on a collab.
And on the topic of collabs, how did you come to work with Elsa Esmeralda? I love her voice.
Yes, totally agree with you about her voice. Insanely good.
I started a sketch and put an acapella from her song with London Elektricity ‘One Second’ in there. Her voice fitted the tune so organically so I ask her if she’s up for doing a song together.
The tune you worked on is called ‘Lucid Dreaming’: do you believe that this is possible, to have dreams that seem ‘real’? I mean if we’re dreaming doesn’t that mean the framework is ‘dreamlike’ and therefore unreliable and fragile?
Lucid Dreaming is when you sleep and have a dream where you realise that you’re dreaming. It is possible, there have been some studies on that, google Stephen LaBerge.
I note the title Punk’s Not Dead, is that ironic? Why did you call it that?
Oh, I have so much questions about that!
I take it from one of my tunes. I have a tune with the same title with sample of an Ian Mackaye speech in it, but I was not completely happy with the tune at the time we compiled the album so we decided to not include it in the album. But I and Med School team kinda liked the title and left it for the album. I like it because it makes people look at my music via a different perspective.
For me “punk” is something (or someone) that can swim against the current and have an identity. “Punk” is more like a specific approach to music and life. If you know how to think with your own brain, if you’re able to stand out in the crowd saying your truth – you know what “punk” is about.
Back to the tracks on Punk’s Not Dead, what’s the ‘backbone flute’?
‘Backbone Flute’ is a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky. I shamelessly stolen this title.
What in D&B and electronica is inspiring you?
In D&B it is guys like Fis, Ivy Lab, Skeptical etcetera & labels like Exit Records and Samurai Music.
In electronica music from Brainfeeder label especially Thundercat, it’s techno with ‘chords’ like Wax, Voiski, Grad_U etc, funky wonky stuff like Eero Johannes, Pomrad, B.
Bravo. Dig some tunes from Baths lately, also very impressed by sounds of Clipping. Still fan of SND (Mark Fell and Mat Stee), Floating Points, Flying Lotus. I think it’s enough.
Thanks Bop.
Punk’s Not Dead