Part 2

Collaborations can take on many forms. What role do they play in your approach and what are your preferred ways of engaging with other creatives through, for example, file sharing, jamming or just talking about ideas?

I have a pretty isolated process. I write alone and the pieces evolve through the feedback process. I regularly work in conjunction with a Music Editor well-versed at functioning as a liaison capable of managing the flow of the feedback edit process in a way that is efficient and effective. Their input can range from suggesting a different approach based on tempo or arrangement to trying out different placements that I can then emulate or adjust through compositional changes. Communication and trust is key as I am not a proponent of post editing as a first resort.

Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?

It is quite difficult to separate work from life when I operate from home. I worked from a space for almost a year and it was quite beneficial. Under those circumstances I would wake, hydrate and get myself out of the door to the studio to arrive by 10AM. I tried to break every 2 hours or so to stretch my legs but wasn’t always successful. Lunch at 2 and then work through until 6PM. That was the gold standard for a regular no deadline rush day. Of course, as recording days draw nearer and depending on how successful I am at nailing the pencils down goal and session prep, there will be late nights and the occasional all-nighter.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a soundtrack or album that's particularly dear to you, please? Where did the ideas come from, how were they transformed in your mind, what did you start with and how do you refine these beginnings into the finished work of art?

My debut LP ‘Black Bottom’ represented the culmination of my struggles as an independent artist in NYC. It perhaps feels the most biographical of my solo work. It highlighted the trials and tribulations of attempting to support oneself through art in one of the most expensive cities in the world. The walls started closing in for a lot of local natives in NY with the advent of increasingly aggressive gentrification. More than ever, I felt like I had to fight to be an artist. The songs were created over a 5-year period and some even older. I travelled upstate to Syracuse with my band for a week to live in the studio/house where we recorded the project. It was an aural catharsis that I will forever be grateful to have produced.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

I haven’t actually considered an ideal state of mind in which to create. I struggle with balancing life and work. I have found that when I have the space to muse, appreciate art in general and be stimulated by just the sights and sounds of life in a relaxed manner that it positively affects my personal artistic flow. Essentially, an isolative approach exhausts its effectiveness over time. Reconnecting with the world is helpful.

How do you see the relationship between the 'sound' aspects of film music and the 'composition' aspects? How do you work with sound and timbre to meet certain production ideas and in which way can certain sounds already take on compositional qualities?

I consider every instance of ‘sound’ when composing for film. Most times the sound design comes into play after I’ve submitted stems to the stage but everything from the intonation of the actors’ voices and the rhythmic patterns of their speech to environmental sounds are all considerations in how I frame each composition. They can function as counterpoint, set the tempo or even the key signature for the underscore.

Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work? What happens to sound at its outermost borders?

What a great question! This has triggered the memory of embraces from beloved elders who have passed. Hearing a voice, feeling the warmth of their embrace and then being engulfed by their scent. A triptych of senses. I am recollecting their voices as resonant vibratos that dissipate.
I think that sound and scent are some of the most powerful of our senses in their ability to trigger memories or emotions to the point where they can even over-ride what you actually see with your eyes.

Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?

My art is an extension of my humanity, my contribution to society. It’s the way I approach the world. I’ve had to unlearn the instinct to relegate my creativity to my artistic practice exclusively. This shift in consciousness opened up my world to countless possibilities. Employing my creativity to problem solve, re-think, re-imagine and re-frame how I approach the monetization of my skills as a professional musician, has been a game changer. I realized some time ago that all work is life’s work and when my values are reflected in everything I do, I am better for it.

It is remarkable, in a way, that we have arrived in the 21st century with the basic concept of soundtracks still intact. Do you have a vision of music, an idea of what film music could be beyond its current form?

I’m interested in witnessing the evolution of film music in the context of 3d audio sensory experiences. Platforms like Sundance’s ‘New Frontier’ are signs that an entire new standard for the cinematic experience and all its components is on the horizon.