Sonic Router

SR Mix #78: Lapalux [Pictures Music]

Posted in Sonic Router Mixes   

Decay is, in its most primitive form, a destructive element; but eroding away clean edges and oxidizing major surfaces adds a wanton kind of texture to sound. It’s a characteristic that, given the nature of ‘in-the-box,’ or software heavy production, is often lost or never even considered. What decay does, or can do, for an artist’s depth of field is open up an endless well of possibility. For us, producers that utilize this method are a welcome thing, there’s something about grainy sound quality and slow, time-shifted samples that exposes new sounds or inflections that weren’t necessarily audible in the first place.

Lapalux is probably one of the finest producers out there at the moment that epitomizes this approach. On an early EP, Forest, he explored the realms of savaging cassette tape and splicing, willfully experimenting with speeds, fibres and techniques; making beats out of anything and everything. It’s a process that has always enamored and stupefied us in equal measure, and on his latest release, Many Faces Out Of Focus, for the Pictures Music label, he seems to have fully captured the wide eyed innocence of his early enterprises, teaming it with a learned and brave palette of samples and stuttering, low end heavy drum patterns.

Six songs deep the Many Faces… EP focuses around its two bookending tracks, ‘Time Spike Jamz’ and ‘Time, Patience, Everything,’ with the rest of the EP playing out like the kind of 2 minute long beat sketches that you wish you had the talent to commit to tape (pun intended). The opener is overtly spacious – strong sine wave sinews provide the spine around which Lapalux’s rippling shards of reverbed decay swell, before his whistful swirl of string samples drops at the 3 minute mark – and ‘Time, Patience, Everything’ is like the one true song construction on the EP; a bastardized voice harmonizes with itself before it slowly melts over 2 minutes, through feedback and reverb, into nothing.

From the first time we heard Lapalux’s music we admired the mix, the way he’s crippled any hint of a clean sample with his tape loops whilst still providing that obvious bass weight punch, but it was more the thought of his processes and, ultimately, the music’s overall impact the made us chase him down to provide a mix for our ongoing series. We caught up with Lapalux during the week his Many Faces… EP was released on cassette tape – the since forgotten format has now completely sold out at Bleep.com – quizzing him hard for the sake of our piqued interest more than anything…

Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?

Lapalux: My name is Stuart, I live in Essex (my life is just like that ‘only way is Essex’ program). I graduated last year with a degree in Music Tech. I’ve been making music ever since I was young and continue to do so even though I’ve just turned 23.

Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?

Well coming straight from a music Tech degree doesn’t really give you the greatest looking CV in the world when It comes to jobs. Specially round here. I managed to stick a job at some lame call centre for 2 weeks before I nearly went on a killing spree so now once again I’m jobless, so the daily duties, other than making music, mainly consist of finding documentaries to watch (I recommend Paradise Lost: The child Murderers of Robin Hood Hills and the second one ‘Revelations’ <--- fascinating shit).

I also do a spot of photography here and there. Nothing major, Just jumping about with my Hipster, err I mean Holga…

How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do so? How did you get to the stuff you are making now?

It all started back when I was a young whipper snapper with a sick Playstation One game called Music. It was just like a primitive studio editor. I used to make stupid beats on that thing for tiiiiime. When I grew a bit bigger I started using software like Cubase and Reason in high school and college to do my dirty work. I used to walk about school with a portable audio recorder (probably illegal noter days, haha) and record shit going on, get home, and mess about with the sounds. Like putting them in a sampler and pitching them around and chopping people speaking into a mini beat etc etc. Just experimental stuff really.

When I grew a bit more I started using Ableton and experimenting with cassette tape and reel to reel tape amongst other weird devises. I made the Forest EP out of recording loops onto cassette tapes, destroying the tapes, rewinding them, cutting the tape etc, and recording it back in to Ableton. I’ve always loved creative freedom and music gives me that. I’ve moved on now with my sound and my processes as you can tell by my new EP Many Faces Out of Focus but elements still remain It’s weird really because I don’t come from a musical background so it’s always been my choice to make music. There’s just so many possibilities in music to explore.

It gets me wet.

What’s your production set up like? I imagine it to be strewn with dusty 7”s, butchered reel 2 reels and boxy equipment…

Haha, it sometimes is. I buy and sell soooooo much stuff on ebay it’s ridiculous. I have a pretty short attention span so I’m ruthless when it comes to buying and selling equipment when I don’t think I’m using it to render it useful. I’m liking limiting myself to a few things at the moment. It’s a very mixed bag in my bedroom studio at the moment. Few cassette recorders, little synth things, portable recorder, turntable, kaoss pad, microphones dotted about the room etc etc, oh and I have software coming out of my arse!

I work best with limitations otherwise I’ll spend a week focusing all my attention on making one meter tape loops on a reel to reel player for no reason (which I have been known to do) and never getting anything done.

How would you describe your sound? There seems to be a heavy element of decay and mania in it…

I’d call it texturally focused, experimental hip hop; it’s unpredictable at times, sonic arts with an organic edge. Usually driven by a beat or as close to a beat as necessary. I think my sound has a lot of emotion attached to it… I like to think that my feelings come across in the sound. I am a decaying maniac so I think my goal has been achieved.

You’ve got an EP forthcoming on Pictures Music. Aside from ‘Time Spike Jamz’ and ‘Time, Patience, Everything’ all the songs are very concise and they feel like audio collages set to a beat. Is it a conscious thing for you to mix up the elements in this way? Can you tell us a bit more about the EP?

It’s a very conscious effort to break away from the general scene that’s happening at the moment in music. I’m trying to liven things up and do my own thing instead of jumping on the bandwagon. I suppose you could look at it as a collage of different ideas and textures. I think of the EP as an introductory statement into what my sound is about and the varied output that’s bound together by patience and attention to detail. I just want to change things up a bit and open people’s minds to more experimental sort of stuff. I like to think the EP is an intelligent mix of genres and styles set in a way a majority of people can grasp and enjoy.

You’re releasing it on cassette… tell us why?

Well there’s a limited edition cassette and a digital download up for grabs. I just like the aesthetic of cassette tape, I think it fits with the organic part of my sound, especially the tape hiss and the general kind of low fi sound that you get with tape. It’s like a novelty thing as well, they do look awesome. Haha.

You share an affinity to people like Lukid or Gold Panda in terms of the samples and pace of your music. What kind of music do you listen to in your own time?

Yeah they are seriously dope, specially Gold Panda. I’d love to do some collab one day with him. I’ve been listening to a load of Steve Reich recently I’ve always had a soft spot for minimalism so I’ve been digging that recently. The books as well that shit amazes me. That and Teebs, Onra, Debruit, Mount Kimbie, Four Tet, Blue daisy, Knxwledge, the list goes on. Oh and a friend played me the Nicolas Jaar Space is Only Noise album the other day – that gave me shivers. There’s too much to list here but that’s the most recent soundtrack of my life I suppose.

Who/What/Where/When is an inspiration for you?

Tricky one that. Erm, a lot of visual stuff inspires me. Got a bought a copy of The Art of Peter Max a while back. That’s always nice to look at and transcribe into music and generally perusing the internet for weird and wonderful things. Weather has a big influence on my mood and in turn on my music. Learning about people and their life styles inspires me a lot too. Sometimes it’s just out of nowhere and I just need to make something. I think making music is such a habit I just have to do it to keep sane.

Are there any producers you rate that the world should know about? Any peeps not getting the props you think they deserve?

I think he’s doing pretty well at the moment but I have to mention an artist called Soosh. Me and him have done a few remixes of each other’s work and I think he has the mixture of textures and chilled out vibe on lock. Definitely check him out. Also check out Infinitirock. I’ve known him for a while now and actually hooked up with him a while back when he came to London on an overseas trip doing some gigs around the local haunts. He’s got mad swag when it comes to the ol’ hip hop thang.

Lapalux – How It Feels (Soosh Remix)

What else can people expect from you in 2011?

I’ve got a wealth of unreleased stuff I want to eventually release so I think it’s just a case of finding the best means to release them. We shall see on that front. Other than that the year so far has been pretty crazy. If it continues in this fashion who knows, it’s looking pretty cool though. More live gigs coming up too which is cool because I love playing my shit live.

Tell us a little bit about the mix you’ve put together for us…

It’s a pretty varied mix. It’s kind of a chill out hazy come down mix of a lot of lo fi beats, chill out hip hop, dubby bits and pieces here and there. Had to put the Mount Kimbie one in there and the Aphex Twin track. I’ve smacked a few of my own chilled ones in there too.

Any words of wisdom, for our readers?

“If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares you. Sing. Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.” – Everybody’s free (to wear sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann

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DOWNLOAD: Lapalux – Sonic Router Mix #78

Tracklist:

1. Lapalux – Intro
2. Culp – Agnes
3. Chocolate girl – Sakura
4. Lapalux – How it feels (I want you to know)
5. InfinitiRock – NunTaken
6. SeePM – De Caca PuPulu
7. S.Mahabra – Nice to meet you
8. Lapalux – Lost consonants
9. Quetzal – Give something
10. Mount Kimbie – 50 Mile View
11. Lapalux – Operate
12. Abel – Free birds
13. LDFD – Outtacontrol
14. Aphex Twin – Xtal
15. Lapalux – Kecksys Farm
16. Dorine Muraille – Muraille 3

Words: Oli Marlow // Photo: Megan Sharp