Bloomfield Machine On the Making Of ‘Left to our own devices’
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'Left to our own devices?’
This is my 6th full album of Bloomfield Machine instrumental tracks. I am always engaged in making new music. It is as important to me as eating and sleeping—so while I don’t need a “spark” per se to be inspired, but I will say that as my work progresses, I seem to be channeling darker and more industrial soundscapes. This is not really a conscious choice. There are so many dark and scary things going on in the world today, I think it could be my way of expressing the subconscious distress I feel. I try not to indulge in thinking about the world situation too much, but after thinking about the overall sound of this work, the title came to me as a way to explain that our “devices” are creating havoc in many ways.
Which track do you like the best and why?
It’s always hard as a composer to choose a favorite track—they are all like my children. I think “Supernormal” is really well constructed as it builds to a heavier guitar-oriented groove with a catchy melody. It has a bit of a Nine Inch Nails feeling. It feels fully formed.
What did you enjoy most about making 'Left to our own devices?’
Along with building a track, the most fun for me is finding and sculpting new and interesting sounds with the cornucopia of software tools and stomp boxes available today. I feel like this mad scientist looking to create some new psychedelic sounds that no one has ever heard. There are so many choices. I like it when the listener doesn’t know what a particular sound is. Is it a guitar? A synthesizer? A sound affect? Finding a way to make it work is so much fun--like a crazy puzzle. It’s the closest thing I can imagine to when I was a child playing with my toys and any kind of world is possible.
How do you approach the creative process when working on a new project?
What steps do you typically take from start to finish?
There are a few ways I approach it. I have a little Casio MT-68 keyboard that I love to take anywhere (actually 3 of them). It has some great sounds, and a cool little built-in beatbox and has been a wonderful tool for creating for many years. I often watch videos or a movie and play with it—some attention on the movie and some on my fingers—but full attention on neither… I’m able to channel full ideas that way pretty consistently. I do the same thing with a guitar. It’s pretty kooky. I also might be driving and I’ll hum a melody into my iPhone. It really is a mysterious way to write. My other process is to create or find a cool drum or glitch loop/pattern. There are free loops everywhere or a create one by finger drumming on the keyboard. I typically mangle them with effects and chop them up. Then I’ll just start to overlay some notes, pads, and effects. It’s a very “accidental” process that yields great results. I often leave artifacts and things that are not necessarily “correct” in a polished way. I like the human element of finger drumming and distorting things with hiss and noise. I don’t even try to make the drums sound like a real kit sometimes. Then, I mix that with melodies. Mostly, my process has evolved to keep me interested in what I’m doing. Many of these tracks are so short that my friends always say—“It was just cooking and then it just ends!” I say I made my statement and need to move on. I suppose some of that is from looking at YouTube videos and having so much content to choose from that my attention span has shortened—like everyone’s. But now I notice a lot of modern electronic artists are making shorter tracks too! Sometimes I will begin a track in the morning and work all day until it is mixed and mastered! If there is such as thing as a positive addiction, Bloomfield Machine is it for me.
How do you stay inspired and motivated to continue pushing boundaries in your art?
I listen to lots of music, go to live shows, go to art galleries and I look at new tools and gear daily. Creative people are my friends and music is the only thing that is consistently gratifying to me. Making music is the fun part, but marketing, social media, etc. do frustrate me. It just never feels that productive...but, I really want people to hear my music and am very appreciative of your platform to interest music fans in my work. I feel like the most productive way for me to feel happy is to spend the bulk of my time making music—even if that means I may not have the certain “success” that some artists have. I hope you enjoy listening to my creations—maybe transported to other visual worlds that are yours alone!