MORPHEUS
MUSIC INTERVIEW - FALLING YOU
16.10.08 - on release
of Faith.
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| Q:
How did Falling You come about initially? |
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In 1996, I was creating ambient
/ ethereal music myself, when a friend asked if I would like
to meet a vocalist friend of his. I was very intrigued, and
that's when Jennifer came into the picture. We hit it off
right away and have been very good friends ever since. When
we were thinking of names for our project, we wanted something
that alluded to the human-centric approach to the music, while
at the same time suggestion a more ethereal connection. |
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Q:
What was the vision or impetus behind
Faith? |
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Faith is such a maligned word
in these times, and I am distressed by that. It's something
we all wrestle with -- no matter what our personal belief
systems are. We all want to believe in certain things despite
there being a lack of evidence for it. Some put their faith
in god(s) / goddesses, others like me put their faith in the
goodness of humanity, but either way, when the world gets
us down, we turn to what we put our faith in and try to find
solace. Yet, life will invariably put us in situations where
it knocks us off our high-wire and we question those beliefs,
and sometimes what we thought was a safety net to stop us
from falling to our ends was merely a sheet of glass that
shattered as we plunged through it. When we finally hit bottom,
we have to re-assess that which we held so dear. This is the
dual nature of faith -- that it can provide us much comfort
at times, yet completely betray us at others. Faith is so
often used as a wedge to divide people, but by exploring this
dual nature, I wanted to put forth the premise that it's actually
something we all have in common, and like I said, we all deal
with it, believer and secular alike. |
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Q:
What brief did you give the singers for
Faith?
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I let them know the basic idea
I was trying to explore, but I don't tell them what to sing
/ write / say. Falling You is a collaborative effort, and
humanity is a varied tapestry of ideas and beliefs. So, each
of them brings their own perspective on faith to the table,
and I think the album is better for it. |
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Q:
In what order do you create your tracks?
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What comes first?
The music almost always comes first.
At what point do you involve the singers?
That depends on the vocalist -- sometimes
they want to be a part of the music as it's evolving and
changing, while other times they want something more fully
formed.
When do you build the atmospherics?
Usually after the vocalists do their magic
... I do a basic song structure first, but once they've
performed on it, I add a lot of the reverbs / other effects
/ atmospherics / occasional noise treatments / etc.
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Q:
What makes a Falling
You vocalist?
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Oh, a lot
of things :-) Firstly, talent -- I'm very fortunate to be
able to work with this caliber of talent, and I heap as
many accolades as I can upon them and hope others do, too.
They're each incredible at what they do. Secondly, they
have to be willing to work with me :-) |
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Q:
Where does the sense of melancholy grace
come from that pervades your music? |
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A lot of sources contribute to
this I think. I'm a naturally introspective / reflective person,
so that is part of it. Also, when I was growing up, my mother
played a lot of Simon & Garfunkel and other melancholy
folk music. I also just think there is a lot of beauty in
grey skies, autumn winds, solitude, etc. It's very fertile
ground to make music in. |
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Q:
As albums go by are you progressing toward
a particular goal (if so what) or would you say your approach
is more one of free exploration?
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Each album
explores some core part of this human experience we all share,
so my goal is to keep exploring them. Not all of them are
melancholy, though ... for the next album, I want to explore
a more positive vibe, because being human isn't always about
being moody and introspective -- sometimes, we actually reach
what we aspire to :-) |
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Q:
What would you like to do more of musically
if there were no restrictions? |
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I don't feel
at all restricted now, but things I would like to do someday
would be to work with entire orchestras and choirs, record
in huge empty spaces like churches, and work with more vocalists
I deeply admire (Sarah Brightman, Lori Carson, Madonna (yes,
I like her voice quite a lot), Allison Shaw, many others as
well). |
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| Q:
What part of the musical process do you
enjoy most – technical matters, musical form, playing/performing,
collaborating, listening? Why? |
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I think I
enjoy the collaborative aspects the most. I love hearing what
the vocalists bring to the music -- sometimes I have vocal
ideas, but their ideas are almost always so much better :-) |
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Q:
What can we look forward to from Falling
You in the future? |
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Well, more music :-)
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| Thanks
to Falling You's John Zorko for allowing us that interview.
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