Spindrift Interview

How did you start making music under the name Spindrift?

I began making music under the moniker Spindrift because I wanted to capture a distinct vibe. It’s pretty upbeat and astral. Hydra Coil (another project I work on with the amazing Marcus Aurelius Klonek) has a different sound and feel too.

How long have you been into music?

I started tinkering on an old Yamaha synthesizer when I was 5 years old. My parents bought it for the entire family. I took a profound interest in it. I learned a lot about chord progressions and tonality at that time. I could hear a song and find out what chords it used, and how the melody was on top of it. It felt very natural.

How important is music to you?

It’s paramount. It relates to everything I do. I love how it’s rhythmic, communication, momentum, timing, technical, and language. Music is so many things. I find that it enriches everything else I might do in life.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

I love Future Sound of London. They have such textural depth; Juno Reactor, I love his exacting and precise sound. I love Max Richter for his delicate nuance. Biosphere is another favorite for his sound design and the timeless way he captures the beautiful essence of Norway. I deeply admire John Williams, James Horner, and Bernard Herrmann for their unbelievable depth of knowledge into music theory. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Allegri, Grieg, Tchaikovsky are all amazing. I could go on and on about so many wonderful artists and what they mean to me.

When did you start recording music?

I was 15 or 16. I had done a lot of midi stuff before that, but I knew that didn’t make tracks like I’d heard on the radio or by my favorite artists. I started researching what I needed to layer and record.

What instruments do you play?

I play keys/piano, guitar, bass, and various woodwinds. The instrument in which I am most proficient is the multi-track. I usually get confused looks when I tell people that. I think it’s because most people don’t look at it as an instrument. I do. I layer, automate, and delicately weave elements. It’s not just a utility to me; it’s a sacred instrument. I hope that comes through.

What sort of software do you use?

Cubase is my main DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) I do everything there. I have a lot of 3rd party VSTi plugins. I really like the Native Instruments Komplete package. It’s so vast, varied, and stable. I have a few hardware units, compressors, preamps. They’re good for giving things color.

What compressor and preamp?

The compressor is just some cheapo Alesis 3630 that’s embarrassing to even list. I think it was $40. Sometimes I’ll use it on a drum sound here and there. It’s cheap, but it can sound thick and thwacky. Sometimes it will do the trick. The preamp isn’t something you can go out and buy. It’s completely custom made off of an old high-end console module from the 70’s, but with modern transformers. I’ve had them since the early 2000’s. I can’t remember what they are. I just know I flick them on and they sound nice.

Over the years, the internet and technology have influenced everyone to some extent, and new technology directly applies to the technique in which you produce music. How has technology changed the way you produce music?

Soft synths are pretty amazing. I’ve been around through all of their progression. I knew what the earlier ones were like. I thought they seemed weak at first. I didn’t have a lot of faith in them. I wanted to use hardware and sort of scoffed at VSTi’s. Now they’re incredibly powerful. I find myself looking at a new hardware synth and thinking, “Wow, this thing doesn’t do nearly as much as Kontakt or Absynth.” I kind of have the opposite opinion now. There are some good older synths that still have this unique sound to them you can’t quite make on a soft synth. Especially filter sections. That’s hard to emulate as of now. Other than that, the future is soft synths in my opinion. Every year we see processing getting more and more powerful, and with each hardware generation, software seemed to become more robust. Like for example all of the 64 bit plugins with insane internal multipliers. A hardware synth can’t touch that sort of depth. If you’re going for hardware, it has to be because of its musical instrument properties, not its technical prowess.

I love how you can recall absolutely everything within software. You can put a pin in what you are doing and come back to it effortlessly. I love that. They really do sound better to me too.

How do you prepare for an album?

I detach myself from listening to a lot of music. I go for hikes and focus on nature. I guess it’s a purge of preconceptions. I’m not worried about being super unique. It’s about clearing myself so that I can start work with only the most natural of approaches. There’s a time to listen and learn, and then there’s a time to write. Once you have a firm grip of the mechanisms, I feel it’s beneficial to step away from influences. Then when your influences become abstractions from nature, imagination, or just life around you, your unique beauty will come to the surface.

There are some people that are constantly listening to music throughout their process. I think that’s fine too. It’s a different way of working. Some people can sleep with the light on, others can’t. I think it’s like that.

What’s your composing method?

I start out with a basic instrument. I think about the dynamic quality of it. It might be something sustained like a pad, or plucky. Or a combination of both. I’ll start finding chord progressions that I like that relates to how I am feeling. A lot of the time it’s like I’ll stumble upon a new friend, and the chords will lead me to this thing that is way beyond my abilities. I’ll be surprised. Melodies will sprout from there. Sometimes I’ll start with a melody and write some progressions, find harmonies, etc. Sometimes an idea might start from a simple sound recording or tone.

Where do your ideas come from?

I’m not sure. I would say a lot of experimenting tempered with quite a bit of prior study into music theory. Music theory is kind of like learning kung fu; it just prepares you so that you don’t have to think about it when the reality of the situation hits.

Which non-musical influences are important to your music?

Nature, and just noticing life. I guess that might be the very definition of nature. Film influences me a lot too. I think visually.

Have you had an experience of another’s work that changed your musical thinking and ushered in a new creative period?

I would say constantly. That’s why I have to have this sort of calm before a new project starts so I can purge the cerebral, and progress emotionally into the work without too many direct thoughts on what I am going to do next. It’s very organic. When you let the emotion move you into something, there’s no concept of time, archives of past experiences or influences. That’s all within the realm of logic and thinking. Emotion is pure feeling. That’s where I try to be. But you can’t be there all the time, so you do get influenced, and that’s awesome too.

Some overarching influences might be, Bruce Lee’s “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do”. It’s about martial arts, but if you read it like it’s about music, it makes perfect sense. One quote that sticks out is, and I’ll probably be paraphrasing: “The classical man is just a bundle of routines, ideas, and tradition. If you just learn techniques, you become the shadow; you’re not understanding yourself.” So what he was saying, let’s relate it to music, if you hear a sound in a song you love, and you attempt to copy it using the same technique, even if you succeed, you’re only understanding the superficial quality of it. You’re not understanding what made it great to begin with, which was, that it was human. It came from someone’s essence.

Certain books, movies, poetry have influenced me at distinct times. Maha Devi Li Ra La’s literary work influenced me a lot on the Poseidon album.

Do you think about the listener when you’re composing?

I do very much so. I think especially in the technical aspects of the mix. Musically, the things I hold dear and sacred I feel will translate. On a technical level of getting the mix to sit right, it’s a constant process of, “What would this sound like on PC speakers, or ear buds, or huge hi fi speakers?” I want it to sound great and tight on all of them.

What do you hope your music will trigger in your listener?

When I first started studying music theory, I read a passage that said something like, “When you’re creating music, your job is to make the world a better place. If you’re not a force for good, you’re not a force.” I’m paraphrasing, but I think that is true. I want to help people connect to something deeper, and relax. I’d like to think I could be a counterpoint to the chaos and darkness in the world.

Do you think your music is conveying a message to your listeners? If so, what message?

I think a listening experience is subjective, but there are always objective goals I suppose. I hope it accesses something deep within them and brings something positive to the surface. That’s how music felt when I was a little kid. I’d hear a good song on the radio, like one from Depeche Mode, and the melodies just made me feel like the world was this amazing place. It was like biting into a fresh and perfectly ripe strawberry for the first time. It’s like “Wow this kind of thing exists? Earth is awesome!”

What do you feel as you play music?

I feel vibrations. Not just from the physical music itself, but I guess, emotional. I find it fascinating that finding new chord progressions and timbre layers never gets old. It really is infinite.

Do you ever get lost in the music?

Absolutely. I think it’s important to get lost in your art forms. You must. Then it becomes less cerebral and more emotional.

When are you completely satisfied with your work?

I think if the emotions are intact, I am satisfied. There was a period of time when I’d do 20-30 different versions of a track (some minor changes, others major). I’d go back and listen to/feel the energies of all the different versions, and it seemed like the 5th to 7th ones had the best vibes, typically. You could tell when the mix starts to get too technically mixed vs. emotionally. It’s truly an art form to recognize that and balance the technical with the emotional.

What song of yours are you most proud of?  Why?

Spindrift – Starlight, Astral Projection, Parallax

Hydra Coil – The Headlands, Coastline, Procyon Dream, Life Forming, and Spiral

Sorry I didn’t list just one. I don’t think I could. They’re all my children in some way. I think what makes those my favorites are the melodies. Melody to me is one of the most important things in music. What characters are to writing, melody is to music.

What do you say when asked to describe your music?

I say it’s ambient music that could fit well in films. I might bring up Vangelis or film composers who have done a lot of synth work in movies.

What is the creative drive behind your newest album?

I think Marcus Aurelius and I play very well off one another. We record sounds, create layers, and they inspire us. One theme we always seem to have in our music is “light”. We were discussing this the other day. It’s quite intriguing. Light brings things into view. It allows us to see, it makes things clear. It is why there is life on earth. I think on this latest album we’ve really pushed that theme forward.

Where do you see Spindrift going in the future?

I see it building upon its energy and vibe, but refining on technical and artistic levels to new plateaus. I believe you never stop learning. Everything you do contributes to your next body of work. I feel I have a personal responsibility to sharpen and refine during and between projects. I hold myself to that joyously. It’s a constant process.

In your own words, how would you best describe your music, and what are the main components that uniquely set your music apart from other musicians?

I feel the music I do has a classical sensibility, but also a lot of authentic influence from jazz and blues. None of those influences might sound apparent on the surface. It’s blended together with an obsessive ear and approach to the audio arts. Sometimes I feel like I am more of a film director or a painter than a musician in my approach. Musicians are very in the moment. They perform, it’s over, they walk away from it. I dwell inside the vision.