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Precious and grace

The role of an artist is always subject to change. What's your view on the (e.g. political/social/creative) tasks of artists today and how do you try to meet these goals in your work?

My work is personally motivated, and I don't feel bound by society to provide a certain function. Nevertheless, I have observed an increasing political element in what I do in the form of environmentalism. This can be quite subtle – for example, celebrating the biodiversity of an area by listing the species of flora. In drawing attention to such things it raises the issue of their intrinsic value, and the need for conservation. More generally, I feel it difficult to engage with 'natural' landscapes and not be aware of our own impact upon it. I don't necessarily think that art should be didactic, and wouldn't want my work to simply become a tool for polemic. It's a question of balance. I can't ignore these things, so I just need to find a way of expressing them.

Music-sharing sites and blogs as well as a flood of releases in general are presenting both listeners and artists with challenging questions. What's your view on the value of music today? In what way does the abundance of music change our perception of it?

There's no doubting that we equate preciousness with scarcity. There are a number of beautiful birds that come to the table in our garden, among them, the chaffinch, and the yellowhammer. The chaffinch is a common bird, the yellowhammer is quite rare. They are both equally beautiful, but I find the yellowhammer more precious because it is so rarely seen. The same must be true of music. If there is a glut then we tire of it. We become immune to its special qualities. As an artist, all that I can do is produce the work that I believe in. I listen to very little contemporary music and try not to be influenced by what is going on around me. If I'm struggling, I look to Jandek for inspiration. He's been doing his own thing for 30 years and more.

How, would you say, could non-mainstream forms of music reach wider audiences?

Non-mainstream music is by definition marginal. It is of limited appeal to the wider public. Of course, the mainstream takes on elements from marginal musics and commercialises them. House and hip-hop, for example, started as purely marginal genres, but there are now mainstream versions of those forms. It could be argued that the way to reach a wider audience is to dilute and diminish those elements in the music that makes is less accessible.

Usually, it is considered that it is the job of the artist to win over an audience. But listening is also an active, rather than just a passive process. How do you see the role of the listener in the musical communication process?

I've produced a good many longer pieces, typically 20 – 30 minutes in length. These recordings require an implicit commitment from the listener, and an appreciation of form that is on a different scale to the norm. There are no easy ways in – it almost requires a kind of surrender, although I don't necessarily think that this is a passive act. Each person brings something different to a piece, formed by their own listening habits, ideas and sensibilities. It's an honour to have someone spend some time with it. For myself, I'm as much a listener as composer. The process of composition itself involves repeated listening, and it's the pieces that stand up to those many listenings that I offer to the public.

Reaching audiences usually involves reaching out to the press and possibly working with a PR company. What's your perspective on the promo system? In which way do music journalism and PR companies change the way music is perceived by the public?

In 2005 I began self-releasing music by sending promotional copies for review and radio airplay. Eight years later and I pretty much still do the same thing. Nowadays I've noticed that social media plays an increasingly important role – so much so that it's almost a necessity for the self-publishing, self-promoting artist. I've also noticed that music blogs are good places for fostering marginal genres – they tend to be quite niche-oriented, and therefore build up a loyal readership, often being run by individuals who have an incredible passion for the music they cover. I imagine these forms of journalism will play an increasingly important role in forming opinion, with their editorial freedom and almost instantaneous coverage of new music.

Please recommend two artists to our readers which you feel deserve their attention.

Mark Peter Wright is probably someone who needs no introduction to your readers. He's an artist working with sound, texts and artefacts who engages directly with notions of 'listening'. He also edits the 'Ear Room' website, and therefore would have some very interesting answers to your questions relating to the perception of sound.

The Ingenting Kollektiva are one of my favourite 'groups'; their 'Fragments of Night' LP was a highlight last year. The label which hosts them, Invisible Birds, also has a beautiful aesthetic, and they also release films; 'My Heart, Delirious With Sound' and 'I Can Feel the Sea Falling Over My Head' being two particularly stunning works. 

Visit Corbel Stone Press at www.corbelstonepress.com and access the Sustain-Release archive at www.sustain-release.co.uk

 

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