Michigan-based Artemis K is a rising experimental sound artist who has released several solo cassettes of his forward-thinking electronic sound/noise/rhythm explorations. He is also actively collaborating with longtime GODSEND friend and fellow sound architect PBK, under the name ACCLIMATE, and together, they have played a number of successful live performances as well as recording some material for future release. Artemis K was interviewed in September, 1998 for GODSEND.

(G)-GODSEND's Todd Zachritz

(A)-Artemis K

(G)-First, what led you to the creation of electronic/experimental music?

(A)-My initial venture into electronics started as a desire to perform more "Industrial Dance" style music, which resulted as a sort of reactionary measure against the confines and limitations of the "typical" band setting. Belonging to a number of bands in the past, I found it difficult to find others with the same musical visions that I had, constantly running into creative differences and in-fighting with other band members. So I shifted my focus to other music making devices, such as the sampler. One thing that really attracted me to this instrument and electronic music in general was the fact that the only people I really needed was myself, with my creative boundaries restricted by no one but my own imagination. My involvement with the more experimental side of things really took off upon my first encounter with PBK. He turned me on to more ambient and "noisier" material, which I had little contact with prior to. I was now listening to a whole slew of artists that seemed to push the creative envelope even one step further, which I truly admired. Slowly I tried my hand at this, sort of borrowing back and forth between my EBM style work and this new soundscape material, incorporating one into the other, leading me to the point I am at today.

(G)-Were you musically active in other bands or more conventional music before beginning your Artemis K project?

(A)-As I stated earlier, I was in quite a few bands doing more conventional music, nothing really worth mentioning. These all contained the standard guitarist, drummer, vocalist, and I played the bass. I also tried my hand at vocals for a bit in one band, but I felt this to be an even worse situation as I had to be TOTALLY dependent on what the others were doing musically.

(G)-You work alongside PBK in ACCLIMATE..please describe how this collaboration began and what exactly ACCLIMATE is about...

(A)-In mid 1996 PBK was asked to play at the 2Experences Festival in Paris, France alongside Toy Bizarre, La Forge, ConDemek, and Schimpfluch Gruppe. As the majority of Phil's gear is analog and much too numerous to possibly take everything, he asked if I would like to perform with him at the Festival, sampling various source material of his and putting my twist on it since my setup is digital and fairly scaled down. I agreed, and we began rehearsing for the performance for the next several months. We recorded everything, and started to realize that we had some great, powerful stuff! After Paris we decided that we should pursue this new sound we had created, and thus Acclimate was born. Like the name implies, Acclimate attempts to accustom its listeners to everything from ambient soundscapes and abstract rhythms to and harsh and aggressive "noise". Its general purpose is to show people that this a valid musical artform and that there is more to music than what the general consensus perceives music to be.

(G)-What do you wish to accomplish with your music/sound? Is it purely an intuitive release or do you map out any sort of goals (in recording and/or theory)?

(A)-When I first started electronic music, I wanted the music to move people, with rhythm being the primary focus. Although I still love rhythms and beats, my primary focus now is to create music that makes the listener think about what it is they are hearing. I want people to say "Wow! What is this?" and give them an entirely new listening experience. I want to capture a feeling or mood and mutate it a thousand times, so that aurally they feel all of the changes with me. I would like to think that my sound takes you from one point and drops you off at another completely different point. Each release I do starts with a particular sound or perhaps vocal sample of a mood or condition that I am trying to convey. Then I just begin hammering away with whatever feels right for the piece. I kind of let the music take me where it will, no longer playing the role of the composer but more of the medium. I don't consciously go into the studio with the idea of making something tribal this, techno that, and so on and so forth, although the end result may contain some such element if I feel it complements the track in some form or fashion. Also, whereas in the past the majority of my works were pre-programmed, I now do alot of my material on the fly. I'll load various sounds or sequences and just start plugging away, recording everything. This often leads to creativity that I might not have considered had I meticulously programmed everything like I did in the past.

(G)-In your music, I hear aspects of a number of styles and genres...so it seems that you are interested in a wide array of different sounds, right? Are you interested in pursuing other types of music besides the more noise-based work as Artemis K or ACCLIMATE?

(A)-I'm interested in all types of genres, especially if they contain electronics. I'm an old RivetHead, and still greatly enjoy that type of music. For every song I complete for myself or Acclimate, I create something along the Industrial dance path. Elements of "noise" are still present, but not to such an extreme degree. I have lots of this material saved to disk, which I am contemplating releasing as Rufus3906, and have recently given some rough cuts to a vocalist and a guitarist to see what the end product will yield. I feel more comfortable working with such musicians now as opposed to the past because they have to fit the boundaries that I have laid down for them, making it essentially still my vision. Maybe I'm just a control freak...

(G)-You have been active with live performances...how do these differ from your recorded output? Are they an important aspect, or do you find it necessary to familiarize people with what you're doing?

(A)-I haven't played out as Artemis K, although I have thrown in a few of my tracks like DMF and Sordid Sardonica to some Acclimate performances. Live performances with Acclimate are very much like the recorded product because almost everything we do is of an impromptu nature, with very little sequencing done. I load banks of material that I wish to work with, mostly vocal samples and sounds and noises, and play them as they seem right. Some of the rhythms that I bring in are sequenced, but I often opt to play many of these live off the keyboard. PBK brings in a lot of the harsher and more analog sounds and does a lot of mixing different sound sources into play. Live performances as Acclimate are very cerebral, and each of us must really listen and be in tune with what the other is doing or the process will not work. PBK and I click phenomenonally with each other in this context, so I doubt that much will alter in the way Acclimate performs and records. Acclimate always seems to get a great response and turnout from the audience regardless of where we perform, which is surprising to me because we still don't have a finished Acclimate release out! So I don't think it's necessary for people to hear us before hand in order to enjoy what we do. Playing out is necessary because it increases our fanbase and provides a good place to distribute my solo works as well as Phil's. In turn, it also allows for more people into experimental sound to exchange ideas, tapes, etc. We've found that anyplace will book the noisiest of artists if it packs the place and brings in money to the clubowners. This has led to other local and national experimental acts performing, building up quite a powerful little "scene" in our area.

(G)-Your thoughts on the current electronic "scene" and it's various offshoots and subgenres...and any other artists you think are essential listening?

I think that there are several great artists out there doing fantastic things with electronics. I think its unfortunate that everyone feels a need to categorize them into a specific area. There are so many names now all of the different music styles that I can't remember half of them! Noise, Experimental, Darkwave, Drill N Bass, Intelligent Techno, Goa, Gabber, EBM, Crossover, Heavy Electronic...It's endless! Some of my material has "heavy electronics", some is more minimal. How would one label me? Hybrid or Bastardized? Music is what you make it, what you like, what moves you. I find the need for a label irrelevant. Essential listening would be (in no particular order):

Panasonic

Autechre <Chiastic Slide>

Download <Microscopic, Charlie's Family>

Decree

Numb

Straphanger's Ball

PBK

Techno Animal <Re Entry>

DVOA <New Words Machine>

(G)-Is Creative Expression Collective just a name to release your music, or are you hoping to expand into a full-fledged label? Any plans for a CD release?

(A)-Creative Expression Collective was originally started as a "collective" for all of the projects which Phil or myself were involved in, such as our solo endeavors, Acclimate, Mulatto Experience, Pookie, and .Com. It is in a sense our "mini-label" of the truest Do It Yourself format. If more projects come up, these will probably be included as well. We are in the process of adding a cd cutter to our arsenal, and hope to begin releasing cds in the near future. This will bring us closer to becoming a small label, and we plan to release some compilations with all of those in the CEC to give people a small taste of what each band or artist is about.

(G)-When not making music, you work in a morgue...do you see this influencing your music in any way?

(A)-My music has always had what I considered to be a darker or more atmospheric sound, but I believed that to be due more to influences from the outside environment around me. After all, real life is not always happy. However, I have taken certain influences from my work in the morgue and translated it to my music. For instance, DMF resulted after seeing a child molestation case, and Muddied Burial came about after seeing numerous autopsies. When you take all of the vitals and lifestuff out of an individual, then stare at this expressionless face, it's hard to imagine an afterlife; hence, the vocal sample used and the melancholy synth sounds that reaffirm the realization that when you're dead the game of life is over. I'm sure that in the future I'll draw more of my experiences into the music, as well as some of the terminology, since I often find musical correlations within it.

(G)-What do you see in the future for Artemis K and your music? Any closing comments?

(A)-In the future I hope to further cross the lines between rhythm and noise, forcing the listener to delve deeper into just what it is they are hearing, recognizing that there is far greater scope to music than MTV and what they tune in on the radio. Noise is on the rise, and I hope that people will come to acknowledge its validity and those that helped to pioneer its way.

Gratitude to Artemis K for agreeing to this interview.

For more info on his work, please contact the Creative Expression Collective via email at: a.m.kowalski@xtra.co.nz