The Deli NYC #55 - Half Waif, NYC MixCon 2018

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Von Sell
Like the mesmerizing blur of the world passing by as seen
through a car window, Von Sell’s newest single “Digital
Sleep” swirls with detail faster than we can understand. In
a flurry of voices, delayed and warped into the dominant
texture of the track, “Digital Sleep” urges us towards attention
while never offering a chance to focus. The track
plays true to the idea of short-sightedness but also acknowledges
its own investment in the beauty of so much
sensory content, constantly veering in new directions,
collaging together seemingly unlinked sections. The effect,
particularly Von Sell’s production of his vocals into an
ethereal backing, is dazzling. (Cameron Carr)
Your newest single, “Digital Sleep” sounds more “avant”
than your 2016 debut EP.
I think there’s always been two sides to me and my music. I have
the urge to make music that’s accessible, but and the same time
I always want to challenge the listener to some degree... bridging
that gap (if there is one), or finding the sweet spot, is just
always a little like shooting at a very small target from very far
away: almost impossible to hit perfectly. As a result I just happen
to sometimes end up slightly more on the experimental side
Thermionic Culture Rooster
and other times on the more “conventional” side.
Synthpop Avant-Pop
Was there a piece of gear that inspired the abstract sounds
in the track?
Not really. I recorded these piano chords originally and it just
sounded a little boring to me. So I ran it through God knows
how many plug-ins until it didn’t sound like a piano anymore.
That kind of laid the foundation, and I ended up approaching
a lot of the sounds in this song that way—but in the creative
process I didn’t even have any gear other than my laptop, a
mic, a midi keyboard and a preamp… In the mixing stage, I
remember running a lot of sounds through the Thermionic Culture
the Rooster.
What do you like the most about the recording process?
What do you like the least?
What bugs me more than anything is when I record a sketch
of a certain element, that lacks the precision or quality of a legitimate
recording but is still somehow magical... and then you
record it for real but it loses its magic and you know you’ll never
get it back. What I love the most are happy accidents; you put
something on the wrong track or the wrong place or turn it up or
down by mistake, but it ends up sounding amazing!
26 the deli Summer 2018