Q & A: Phaserland
Tell us a bit about your musical background? I read that you got into using midi sound from a young age?
I was lucky enough to come from a musical family. My dad played classical guitar and some of my earliest memories was sitting in his guitar case and running my hands over the orange fur lining. I soon picked up the guitar in the 4th grade and started to mess around with synth programming on the SQ1 in the mid ’90s. I have been in-and-out of bands since high school, but it was only until 2013 until I really started to make something great on my own. My dad had a really early version of Band-in-a-Box on his Mac Classic and I used to mess around with writing in notes. It certainly helped my grasp the concept of midi notes at a young age.
What is your studio made up of these days?
My basement sanctuary! A beefy PC, Les Paul studio, Komplete Kontrol S49, Reaper n’ vst friends, DX-7, KRK VXT 6 monitors, triangles, rainsticks and more! The saxophone is my latest addition… let’s give that some time.
You have released with some big label names in the Synthwave scene, how did you network to those guys? Did they find you or did you find them?
The internet is a crazy thing. I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but I kept telling myself to make what I love and embrace the scene. I remember getting lots of love from the legendary Synthetix.fm and other unknown friends that later became great friends. Releasing with Timecop 1983, sunglasses kid, Starforce and others was just a natural progression of the time. we would just shoot over a message to each other and ask! Honesty was always my motto!
Joining up with Rosso Corsa Records has always been a dream of mine from the very beginning. In late 2016 I was approached by Michael from Rosso, and I couldn’t say no!
Are you a fan of the whole retro scene, like video games and the whole ’80s movie thing?
Absolutely! I am currently working on my retro game station, as well as my Betamax movie collection and Mame arcade machine.
What can we expect from a live Phaserland show?
Live guitars, keys, synchronised videos, warm fuzzy feelings, dancing like Carlton and a great time! I want the listener and audience to have an experience… a true trip to Phaserland. Improvisation is also a factor in my set. Every set is a bit different, and I think this comes from my Jazz and Jam background. I might go off on a tangent that only will happen then and there.
Is this your first time in Australia? If so what are you most looking forward to outside of playing shows?
This will be my very first time down under! I really look forward to hanging with one of my best buds Marko Maric. As you may know, he hosted Synthetix Sundays for a long time, and probably played 12,000,000 hours worth of music. Ha! When Marko came to Detroit in 2015, he saw me play my first live show, and I made him breakfast the next day. I expect some tastey Down under flavor soon! Oh, and the crazy wildlife everyone keeps talking about
What is your musical preference/inspiration outside of the retro sound?
Jazz, funk, Vaporwave, prog, library music from the ’70s and ’80s (wait that’s retro) some funky EDM crossover stuff like Oliver, trance, ’90s R&B and nature field recordings.
What is the next move in the Phaserland camp? (new music, more touring etc..)
New EP, new music video, new collabs and more! I also will be playing shows on the regular at Detroit’s coolest barcade called POP OFFWORLD. It’s all about making the music. New or old, it’s gotta move the soul!
