ands + Gear Read the full features on Delicious-Audio.com Photo: Joanna Sullivan Yamaha Reface DX / Behringer Model D / Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man BARRIE In the the beginning of 2018, dream-pop five-piece Barrie put out shimmering singles, “Canyons,” and “Tal Uno,” before releasing a 12” in October aptly titled Singles. The Brooklyn-based band hail from all over the country (and world), but have recently converged in New York to collaborate and write songs together. Their dreamy sound puts an ambient spin on retro synthpop, delivering ultra gorgeous tracks that swirl in a neon glow. In 2019, they’ll be hitting the road in support of Miya Frolick. (SARA NUTA) What feelings, events, people and/or records worked as a source of inspiration for your 2018 tracks? Barrie: Those songs were written in 2015 or 2016, it took a long time to get them out. When I wrote them, I was living in Boston and my band at the time practiced in my apartment, so I had a full drum kit, percussion, bass and guitar amps, keyboards, etc. right in my room. I played everyone’s instruments all the time and that inspired a lot of music. Especially playing electric guitar, which was new for me. Do you guys use guitar pedals? Barrie: Live, the texture mostly comes from Noah’s guitar. I like a really simple clean setup, just a Memory Man. Synthpop Chill Wave Spurge: I run my piano sounds, per the recommendation of Dom, through a compressor pedal to even out the sound, and my Roland JV1010 through the compressor out into a mixer where I can control the levels of my piano sounds along with my Reface DX which is handling the synth sounds. Noah: My guitar pedal set-up is super simple: chorus, phaser, and space echo. I have the chorus on pretty much all the time and use the phaser and echo for moments here and there. The centerpiece of my set-up is the Elektron Octatrack, which is a sampler, mixer, and MIDI sequencer. I use it to trigger one-shot samples, and to send MIDI sequences to/process audio from my KORG Minilogue. We don’t use a backing track so we needed something that would cover a lot of ground and be ultra-flexible/powerful, which the Octatrack is perfect for. What other synths were particularly inspiring? Noah: The Juno 106 sound played a large role on our first couple singles. On the upcoming album, Dominic and I did some modular synth stuff, Spurge did some sounds with the MS20, and I recorded a lot of Prophet 08 and Moog Mother 32. Spurge: I use the Reface DX for live and my personal writing. I really love the user-friendliness of that versus the DX100 or DX7. I also recently got the Behringer Model D which I would highly recommend if you like the classic Moog sound. 22 the deli Winter 2019
RODES ROLLINS There aren’t too many country singers that wax-poetic about the larger than life figures of our world. It seems like the cultural focus of the genre has shifted toward different stories with different motifs. Yet artists like Rodes Rollins are trying to change that with songs like “Mystery Man.” Appearing like a country-pop mirage on the horizon, Rollins’ vocals are watery and obscure, detailing a man in a “forsaken land” that cannot be shot dead. The track is less about a character’s arc and more about this legendary figure’s reputation, and it plays out over haunting instrumentals that border on psychedelic with twangy guitars that become surprisingly soothing. With its soft sonic palette, Rodes’ 2018 material has the tempo of ballads and the melodies of lullabies, but a sense of unease and tension conferred by her vocals and the edgy and dark production transform these tracks in unmissable noir psychedelic gems. (TUCKER PENNINGTON) There’s a very intriguing Spaghetti Western element to many of your tracks. How did that get in there? I’m immensely inspired my Morricone. Often, when I’m writing I Photo: Mark Peaced Electro-Harmonix Lester K / Danelectro Spring King / Spaceman Orion Noir Folk Dream Pop Spaghetti Western think about Western landscapes and sounds. His music always takes me there. What did you grow up listening to? I grew up listening to Nirvana, The Beatles, and Cat Stevens. Mostly stuff my dad would play for my sister and I. Although sparse, most of your songs feature a subtle but “intense” production. Is there a team working on your recorded sound? I work mostly with producer Alex Goose and engineer Keith Armstrong. I write and arrange the songs in Brooklyn, and then I bring them over to LA where we record and work on the production. Alex is a real tastemaker and has an amazing ear for references. He collects records and can pull the most obscure references about that always help with production. Keith, is an incredible engineer with every guitar pedal imaginable. He knows how to achieve any sound, and he’s a real analog guy. Speaking of pedals, what are your favorite ones right now? Pretty much everything is drenched in verb, we used a lot the Spaceman Orion Spring Reverb and the Danelectro Spring King. I’m also a fan of the Electro-Harmonix Lester K, which I use to achieve a nice leslie rotator effect. the deli Winter 2019 23
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