Artist Interviews

Q&A: Prefuse 73

By | Published on Wednesday 4 May 2011

Prefuse 73

Long-time Warp signing Guillermo Scott Herren started out as a DJ and hip hop producer in Atlanta, releasing several albums under different monikers before making his debut as Prefuse 73 in 2001 with much-lauded LP ‘Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives’. Collaborative projects with TV On The Radio, Battles, Mos Def and José Gonzales followed across five further full-length releases, with numerous singles and compilations also emerging to critical acclaim.

New concept album ‘The Only She Chapters’ was released last week on Warp Records, embodying a move away from the beat and loop-based ethos of earlier works towards a more compositional style. Presented entirely from a female perspective, guest spots come courtesy of Zola Jesus, My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden and the late Trish Keenan of Broadcast.

Guillermo has plans to tour with production partner Daniel Lopatin as part of Oneohtrix Point Never, kicking off a handful of summer dates with a summons from Animal Collective to play their edition of ATP on 12 May. With another show booked at Manchester’s Deaf Institute on 28 May, the duo are also slated to appear at Field Day and Bestival.

We caught up with Prefuse 73 to divine his reasons for making an all-female concept album, steering things along with our tried and true Same Six Questions.

Q1 How did you start out making music?
At an early age, my mom encouraged me to play piano and other instruments. Due to the area I grew up in, it was pretty easy for stubborn kids like myself to get into some counterproductive ‘extra curricular’ activities. Eventually, I became interested in hip hop, punk rock, my mom’s jazz records and lastly electronic music. I started to take control of my own musical ambitions toward the end of high school.

Q2 What inspired your latest album?
For the most part, the latest album was inspired from wanting to explore ‘concepts’ that went further than my previous releases as Prefuse 73. I wanted to focus on sounds created from a more acoustic source, and the process involved in such a mission. A lot of non-traditional, if not ‘primitive’, microphone techniques were explored to achieve the sonic palette for each song. There is also a heavy focus on the interplay between the actual “compositions” and the female voice. Once the instrumentals were done, I felt like a common thread of vocals were needed. In this case, I felt as if it was more fitting by using a variety of diverse, strong female voices. Once everything started to take its course, things started to make a lot of sense to me sonically and took a much more feminine tone and focus than anything I’ve previously been known for releasing as Prefuse 73.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
I can’t really think of there being a certain “technical” way I ever start a track. Ideas could come from playing various instruments, making a beat, or manipulating different sounds. It’s always different. I suppose I often try to start off with some sort of initial concept to follow. As if everything is a soundtrack to something visual or emotional. It’s important for me to stay focused on one record at a time. I don’t always have that luxury, but it’s better for me not to interrupt creating my own music to go tour, or do remixes, or mix other people’s records. I also like to keep my distance from listening to other music, and engaging with outside influences, while I’m working on new ideas.

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
So many people from so many different eras. All the hip hop I’ve grown up on, Steve Reich, Milford Graves, The Boredoms, Ennio Morricone, Christian Fennesz, Alice Coltrane and all the music my friend’s make.

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
I’d probably just advise them to listen to each album for what it is. There’s a whole lot of it.

Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
Right now, my current ambition regarding this album is to really work out the live set. As for the future, I’m going to keep making music maniacally and keep it movin.

MORE>> www.prefuse73.com



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