Lucidstatic Interview (2011)

Another chat with James Church of Lucidstatic. We last spoke with him in 2009, lets see how he has evolved since then. 

more info: http://www.crlstudio.com/lucidstatic

How are you doing? We talked with you just over 2 years ago in feb of 09 a bit after you had released your debut album “Gravedigger” on Tympanik. What’s new with you since then? Looks like you’ve got a couple more releases and some remix albums.

I’m alive and trying to get by. It has been a rough 2 years on my end personally, but I can see the how it affects the music output for sure. Since “gravedigger” with Lucidstatic, I have released a remix album and a 2cd full length of collaborations on Tympanik, a free album of remixes I have done for other artists, a free full length concept album on  Crazy Language, a free b-sides collection on Connexion Bizarre and a companion release to “Symbiont Underground’, TX Side Effects.

Now that you’ve been releasing for a few years, what has changed since you did “Gravedigger”, in terms of mindset, influences, production style, etc?

I realized with Gravedigger I was worried about the response from the new audience...I think I was trying too hard to make a diamond under all the pressure. Since I have found that when I release something that suits me just fine the response seems to be all the way around more well received. The approach lately has been to clearly define the lines between my projects and give Lucidstatic the depth to convey emotion even amidst the flurry of percussion. Trying to create a fine balance between the aggression and the emotional subtleties. The style of production is slowly evolving with a few new toys entering the equation and a removal of some relics from the shelf. The influences have been much wider ranging from the electronic to more mainstream. Needless to say, I’ve been listening to metal, punk, hip hop and everything in between and some of the influences can notably be heard in the newer material. As for mindset, man, I’m just trying to exorcise some demons into this lately. Musical catharsis.

Your track for the compilation is “Welts”. Can you give us a bit on insight on what inspired this track, how you composed it, etc.? This track seems a bit more drawn out of progressive than your earlier works. Is this indicative of a new style?

The song is basically a state I’ve been coping with lately. Trying to find a balance between everything going on in my life. I just recently fell out of a 4 year relationship and am currently just trying to keep a level head and place one foot in front of the other. The schedule I have doesn’t allow for a pause or time off. So after all the problems in the fall after the separation, I released the CRL compilation to compensate for my lack of output and to help promote some bands I’ve enjoyed listening to and working with. The song was composed mainly during this period, which was unsure and fearful of direction. The spiral keys in the mid section were to help convey that dizzying effect, building tension. The piano itself brings a nice level of human emotion to the table. I think the new material is trying harder to convey than pummel the listener with beats. The song itself is a little slower than I typically like for Lucidstatic but the balance of grit and synth elements I think decided it for me. This song is not indicative of the new material as a whole. I think it is a little lighter than the rest but allows you to see where more of my focus is being aimed.

I think we talked about this in the previous interview, but tell us a bit about your studio. What gear are you using, what is your favorite gear, etc.?

Currently, I’m working mainly with a kp3, microkorg, and a couple of electribes and odds n ends. The rest of my hardware, other than the bent toys, may be finding their way to ebay here soon. I did upgrade the software a bit with ableton suite 8, record 1.5, reason 5 and an akai apc 40. Trying to broaden the sound and try some new methods for the creative process. Nothing works better than getting out of your comfort zone.

What can we expect in the future from you?

Well, I just released a free ep on Connexion Bizarre for Pandora’s Black Book and am also working on the next full length for that project. I am in the early stages of the next full length for Lucidstatic, and I’m trying to finalize the second full length release from Angel of Violence. All this between work, school, and the single life, y’know? Needless to say, I’ll be bringing some work to the table this year that I hope will overshadow my prior attempts.