Feature: Colin Bragg Decodes ‘Permission to Feel’
How did everything come together?
Through the course of a year. Three tracks (“Chandra,” “Warbler,” “Found Object”) were recorded soon after my 2023 album Entropy, and they carry over that album’s sound and concept. These tracks feature guitars or loops often filtered through a synthesizer.
“Further Yet” and “Yawp” came later in the year, as I was working with raw fuzz tones - a more direct, lyrical sound.
“Autophones,” “Skipping,” and “Art Class” were recorded at the beginning of 2024, and are more minimalist, played with synthesizers. They act almost as cooler colors in the overall palette for the record.
Can you share any interesting or unique musical elements or production techniques used in 'Permission to Feel?'
The source sound for the track “Found Object” is from a micro-cassette recorder I found in one of my dad’s guitar cases. It’s of him writing a riffy song on acoustic guitar. I used the tape as a primitive sampler, looped several moments from the tape, and then filtered the sounds with a synth. The track almost comes across as my trying to remember being in the same room as him and hearing him play. I miss him.
Which song(s) from 'Permission to Feel' do you think best represents your artistic vision?
“Yawp” and “Autophones” seem to feature the sounds I keep coming back to explore: emotive electric guitar, textural loops, and a sort of Steve Reich/Robert Fripp minimalism.
“Skipping” is played with a reproduction ARP 2600, which is a semi-modular synth that was used throughout the 70s and early 80s for all sorts of movies. Think R2D2 and the ark in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I can visit with R2D2 anytime, which is nostalgic, but the synth is so deep that after I create a patch I can find myself just staring out the window as it almost plays itself. The ARP will definitely be featured on future releases.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Like that funny drawing that sometimes pops up on social media, I went from being a talented young person to a burn out to a weirdo with a home studio! I enjoy collaborating in many projects and genres (most recently Sataraš Quartet and Relay Station), but I realize that it is my individual work that keeps me centered and engaged in making new things.
The reason for my being drawn to solo releases is twofold: I studied classical guitar and composition in school; I grew up in an artsy house, where my dad’s art studio was in the basement. He was a commercial illustrator and painter. These two environments definitely encouraged my desire for a home studio of some sort, and plenty of alone time to work out my ideas. As David Lynch says, “You’ve got to have a setup!” A funny story: There was a trapdoor in a library room that led down to the basement. Dad worked with Magic Markers when creating commercial storyboards, and he would vent the studio by keeping the trapdoor open and running a box fan in the library window. I remember as a kid standing at the top of the trapdoor stairs and inhaling those marker fumes!
So, it could have been the markers that led me down this path.
How do you approach creating something new and different?
Sometimes I start with almost nothing, and see what comes up - a simple motive to get started. Or I set up loose parameters or restrictions and then go for it. Often something surprising comes out, particularly if I am playing outside of my conscious ability and subconscious muscle memory. Through these steps I learn new things and satisfy my need to experiment and explore.
