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ELECTRIC SKYCHURCH
INTERVIEW 3/03
By Doctor Strangelove
It's crazy how the years go by so fast. It was only a few years ago
around
'96/'97 at a party called Fusion where Electric Skychurch was on stage
in
Orlando doing a sound check as me and my friends listened in awe. Then
a few
hours later in the midst of their performance the police walked in an
said
its 2am time to shut it down. Many years later James Lumb aka Electric
Skychurch had took a little siesta and then in 2001 he emerged with a
new LP,
Sonic Diary. This year they have put the music to the stage and will
be
performing at several Florida dates including the Ultra festival in
Miami. I
had the pleasure of getting to ask James Lumb a few questions before
their
upcoming tour.
Doc: James, being involved early on in the rave scene and
performing
legendary live sets in the desert, what does it mean to you to perform
live
as an electronic musician?
James (ESC): Well, I've always performed live as a musician. I bought
my
Juno 106 in 1984 when I was sixteen and started jamming on top of
electro
tracks in my basement for friends. Then I began playing bass onstage
in punk
and funk bands when I was nineteen. In the late 80's I went to college
in
Athens, Georgia -- there was a great band scene there, and I got used
to
being on the stage. By the time I was 21 I had played about 100 shows.
Although I was playing bass guitar onstage, I had synthesizers and
drum
machines at home so it seemed natural to haul it all out to the 40
Watt Club
and use it in a show. Slowly I morphed into an electronic musician,
one
machine at a time, as I started making acid house tracks in 1987 and
1988.
At that time I always played more material onstage than I ever
bothered to
record. Pretty soon I was playing complex live material with
sequencers and
samplers. Over the years I got more comfortable with having nothing
but
machines and a vocal microphone onstage. Its been a natural
progression.
I've never had the DJ attitude, where you make tracks in the studio
and spin
them in clubs. I've always been an onstage musician.
Doc: I've noticed a lot of producers/musicians doing dj gigs
instead of
performing live, what's your perspective on that?
James (ESC): Well, its a lot easier. I have a lot of respect for
people who
do it that way. If sharing your music with people is the ultimate
goal, then
I would have to say that playing tracks as a DJ live is a great way to
do
it. Keep in mind that the best DJ's I Know have experience with many
different types of music, not just their own stuff. Generally, DJ's
specialize in presenting music to an audience, whether or not they
wrote the
tracks. Actually, I find it very hard to make a good DJ set out my own
stuff
because I'm so used to playing live - working with my studio
recordings
onstage feels limiting. Its much easier to spin other peoples stuff,
that
way you have millions of tracks to choose from, and not just a few of
your
own.
Doc: Do you think that the hype of big name superstar djs takes
away from
what it means to perform live in this genre of music?
James (ESC): Not really. Electric Skychurch is always sandwiched, at
large
events, between Superstar DJ's. Its just easier that way, because
having more
than one electronic band is a technical nightmare! The cool thing is
that,
between DJ's, we always standout! In fact, we get called onto the
stage to
break up the DJ energy and make it happen "in the now." A lot of my
close
friends are "Superstar" DJ's, and I Know its a tough world to be in.
Its
very competitive, and the audience is fickle. With so much competition
and
so many wannabees its hard for DJ's to make themselves stand out.
The "Superstar" DJ's just happen to be the ones that play well and
work very
hard to market themselves. Kinda like a one-person, live onstage,
radio
station. And you know that radio in the United States has become so
nostalgic - so saturated with pop music from the past - that we depend
on
these people to find new music for us.
Doc: Why did it take so long for the release of Sonic Diaries?
James (ESC): Sonic Diary is a compilation of my best solo ambient
material, the stuff I make at home, in private, in response to the
things
that happen to me on a personal level. It isn't like anything I play
live at
big concerts. For years I held onto the "Sonic Diary" music because I
was
just too close to it, it was too personal, and has so many
autobiographical
elements. I'm really glad I released it when I did because the
response has
been so overwhelmingly positive. I was blown away by how many people
really
love it. It's not a pop record. I have had two people tell me that a
child
was conceived while the record was playing! How cool! I'm glad that
people
use it as a date record. That is the best
Doc: Sonic Diaries seemed to be of a very personal nature and more
of a solo
journey. I read that you are now focusing on putting out a more dance
oriented album and working with producer Clif Brigden? Why the change
and
what's in store for the future?
James (ESC): Clif is awesome. He was Thomas Dolby's drummer for years,
and has
produced some of the finest house and acid tracks out there. He brings
all
of his experience to the table, and I enjoy the collaboration. The new
record represents what I've developed onstage, on big sound systems,
in the
past few years. Clif is helping me cram all of that psychic
information onto
a record. In the past 4 years the live sound of the band has become
much
harder musically, and more physically present in the moment, with more
traditional vocal arrangements, and a much more sophisticated approach
to
audio recording. While Sonic Diary is personal and intimate, the new
record
is energetic and communal. Both records have a strong narrative
element -
they tell stories.
Doc: You're also known to be a bit of a gearhead, so for all the
techies out
there what is your favorite piece of gear?
James (ESC): Roland Juno-106, Roland TB-303, Roland TR-606!!! My Holy
Trinity of Japanese gear!
Doc: Electronic Dance music has been around for more then a decade
now,
what do you see in its future?
James (ESC): Only a decade!!! Jeez!!! I distinctly remember the
electronic
music of the 60's and 70's!!!! It's all music, and it will all become
part
of our culture and history just like rock, jazz, hip hop, and
classical.
Doc: and last but not least.... why does ice cream have no bones?
James (ESC): Perhaps a haiku will help to explain:
slippery cold cream
flows like vanilla water
flexible bone white
Cheers!
James
Click here to listen to his latest track Liberty featuring
an electro-duet with
Roxanne Morganstern and James Lumb. For more Electric Sky Church mp3s
and information checkout
http://www.skychurch.com .
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