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Interview conducted
in July 2004
LATEST RELEASE:
"Cabin in the Sky" |
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| |  | |  | | By Delphine Payrot | | Photo all rights reserved |
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Founded twenty five years ago in San Francisco and then exiled in Europe at the begining of the 80s, Tuxedomoon has always been the object of a cult. Influenced by a very large musical range, this band created an incredibly original style for itself that enticed a large number of fans. After several years of silence, Tuxedomoon comes back with a superb album, "Cabin in the Sky", the result of the recent re-formation of its three founders, Steven Brown, Peter Principle and Blaine Reininger.
What have the group's members been up to since their split-up?
Peter: We never really split in reality as we have always worked together in and around each other and even after the reunion tour of 88 we were still sharing ideas in Brussels until I left in 91 and picked up again in 96 with Joeboy in Mexico, but anyway not to avoid your question about our other activities since then, everyone of us has been busy according to his own calling. I can't detail all of that for you but I have been a sound designer and producer for hire, was a partner in a digital audio accessories company that morphed into kiosk, and later website development. I am a composer of film and theater music (I have only released 3 CDs of such material so far) and have been a performer in a number of ensembles in NYC area since moving here in 91 including my own band Ecco Bravo (in which I play guitar) and bass solo improv shows, also toured with avantgarde guitarist Phil Kline and chanteuse Anna Domino and instrument maker Bradford Reed and Patrick Minimal Man Miller (rip). I even played in a short lived group (Pookah) that included Bond Bergland of Factrix and Freddy Mutant (friends from the old SF days).
Steven: The split was so traumatic that I left Brussels after 12 years and moved halfway around the world to Mexico where I understood I could retire and live the life with a pension for artists. I was mis-informed and had to keep working. I started a band with my main man Nikolas Klau and 4 or 5 or 3 (depending) mexicanos, it's called Ninerain and we've released two CDs. We've since been around, did the music for the mexican pavillion in Hannover 2000, played berlin Haus der Welt Kultur, played St Petersburg released a compilation CD there on Neo Acustica label.
What is Winston Tong doing now?
Peter: Living in San Francisco, he recently performed with the reformed factrix at a research magazine celebration.
Steven: He is translating obscure french poetry into english.
By the way, what was the reason for the split? At that time Tuxedomoon was pretty successful.
Peter: I forgot, but like I said we didn't ever think of ourselves as a finished event, we just shelved it for a while from time to time. This happened before 1988 as well you know.
Steven: Sometimes you need a break.
What was the motivation for reforming the group?
Peter: We wanted to hear some more Tuxedomoon music and knew that we were the only ones to make it possible.
Seven: We realized that we still had something i.e. a chemistry between us and that there was still a public interested in us.
What was the contribution of each of you on the album "Cabin in the Sky"? What's your writing process?
Peter: As an anarcho-syndicalist collective, we established a method of working together which has only changed with technological developments over the years, but is essentially the same which is in a very organic way we record improvisations somewhere together in a room and then one or another of us while listening back to tapes we have of these improvs we find clues to ideas that might be mouldable into something that can be either recorded formally or performed live with some liberty for variation to keep it entertaining for the players... We refine and combine ideas found this way until we are satisfied with the result. Of course usually there are some fairly habitual roles to play amongst ourselves, but nothing is formalized.
Steven: We all write together usually... jamming away for days... then picking out the bits we like and polishing them... or not.
Was there a concept or a main idea driving the conception of this album?
Peter: Undoubtedly the visceral thing that holds it conceptually together is the town of Cagli where much of it was written and recorded, but no, no underlying theme was intellectually present for us.
Steven: The concept took on a life of its own during production.
How do you manage to work as a group with members located in so diverse places?
Peter: See above for working method... Obviously we have to be in the same place with some free time and a room full of equipment and so the logistical complications dictate that we don't get to do this that often or for that long a period of time... These limitations although inconvenient also bring some resistance that is part of the overall Gestalt.
Steven: We are the first PAN-POST NATIONAL group.
Minimal Compact also recently reformed, toured and released a compilation on Crammed. Did you keep contacts with them? Was this a motivation for Tuxedomoon to reform as a group?
Peter: Absolutely nothing to do with us in the way you suggest... We have played at least 25 shows globally since performing two concerts in Tel Aviv in 1997 (if that is a place to start what seems to be called the reformation of the group) co-incidentally Rami Fortis' wife Naomi was involved in inviting us to that festival and so in that way they did play a sort of indirect part...
Steven: No, used to see Samy at Crammed office i much enjoyed his Freezone series on Crammed.. Saw him at the botanique in Brussels and the Bataclan in Paris last September for the 20 years anniversary of Crammed, it's been a while now since we hung out though.
What was the contribution of Aksak Maboul on the album? Is that a recognition of your past collaborations with Crammed or the indication that you are having projects with them?
Steven: Aksak Maboul is Marc and Vincent, both key players in all Crammed productions..
Peter: They were essential, both for their energy and enthusiasm and Marc for his recommendation of collaborators and Vincent for his good ears they were present in various configurations throughout the mixing sessions in Athens and Brussels.
What was the motivation for invitiving other artists as Tarwater, John Mc Entire, Marc Collin, Juryman ou DJ Hell? What were their contributions?
Peter: Well DJ Hell is outside of the rest of that set... He had been contacting us and we were working together since 2000 when we did a tour of Austria/Germany to promote the remix project he had initiated (on our way to play Serbia and Russia)... While we were in Cagli in 2001 he came down to visit us and gave us some drum tracks 2 of which are on the record (Luther Blissett and here til Christmas)... The other people came up at a suggestion of Marc Hollanders, each situation worked differently artistically but basically we sent multitrack masters to Juryman, Tarwater and McEntire and they sent back their impressions, an exception was Marc Collin, we brought him into the workplace in Brussels where we were finishing the recordings and went through his library of sounds and chose some and put them in various songs, so his influence is a little more diluted in a way, but still present.
Steven: Tarwater did a great redux of anuncialto which Peter Principle decided to use on the CD rather then on another remix release. This i think worked very well. Hell came to Italy and worked with us one night he and Mark Collin from Paris are only ones who we actually had face time with.. I really like how Juryman transformed Cnhese Mike as well.
Tuxedomoon has frequently been changing line-ups in the past, with members going out and in again. Do you feel that's going to continue or are you going to stabilize?
Peter: Probably not but who knows we might add someone sometime for something.
Steven: If we get more money some day i would like more more more... Naturally keeping the core 4.
I missed your latest concert in Paris. Is there any chance to see you in concert in Paris sometime this year? Do you plan to tour?
Steven: Paris in festival Villette Numérique on 24 September!!! And some more to come.
What are your next projects? Do you already think about the next Tuxedomoon album? Do you have projects for film, ballet or performance soundtracks?
Peter: We are hoping to start work on a new writing project soon with the intention of putting out another record in the not too distant future. As you can see this requires some coordination, but we have begun.
Steven: We are all primed to begin work on new CD. We get bored very quickly. | | | | | | | |
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