D/B 11+3 | interview with Christ.

Posted on | January 26, 2010 | Michael Rosen | No Comments

11+3 is a section of Digital In Berlin dedicated to personal interviews with all the musicians and bands that have appeared in our Artist Features.

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Each artist is asked 11 set questions and to contribute 3 “facts” which can be any statement from them on absolutely anything: their own views on politics, religion, the environment, sport…or just something they read in the paper or saw on TV. 11+3 is designed to give you an insight into the motivations and aspirations of the best creative minds in the world. This time with the scottish musician Christ.

FACTS:

1:everything is real, nothing is ordinary.
2:everything is important, nothing is real.
3:everything is ordinary, nothing is important.

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?

other music that gives me shivers up the back of my neck and makes me laugh because it’s so good. my family, my friends. a sunny day, a sweaty night. everything really. i can’t imagine ever not making music

2. How and when did you get into making music?

i’ve been interested since i was about four… i started to copy some fairly
simple tunes my brother was playing on the piano,
and the interest pretty much developed from there. i have a primitive multi
track recording that i put together when i was eight, with two 1970′s
tape recorders… basically i recorded into the mic on one of them, then
played it back and played along with it, recording into the mic on the
second player… as i said, really primitive, but reasonably effective.

3. What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?

cocteau twins, treasure
nitzer ebb, belief
stevie wonder, innervisions
aphex twin, saw 1
bowie, hunky dory

there’s a hundred more i could name… elbow are pretty big for me at the
moment, and i’m really digging the new kelpe after seeing him play in
edinburgh last year.

4. What do you associate with Berlin?

style, wurst and schneider tm.

5. What’s your favourite place in your town?

i’d say my home town is edinburgh, though i don’t live there anymore.
probably the museum on chambers street. it’s a huge and intricate
victorian building with various additions, and you could explore it for
hours without seeing the same room twice. i spent so many hours
there as a child looking at giant insects, or mineral formations, dinosaur
bones and all the other artefacts. i particularly love the
scale model locomotives in glass cases. they had mirrors underneath them so
you could see all the moving parts, and a button to press
which would start their mechanisms running

6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?

i think i would probably invent psychedelic experimental studio-pop, and
spawn the ‘christmania’ movement. failing that i’d be a chef or
a photographer.

7. What was the last record you bought?

i should probably say i bought something really esoteric and artsy, but it
was the la roux album, for my girlfriend for her christmas.
it’s actually really good, totally reminiscent of everything i loved about
music when i grew up. the last album i bought for myself was
‘the seldom seen kid’ by elbow.

8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?

alive or dead?… ivor cutler for one. i have a hand written letter from him
.. i wrote to him to ask if i could sample one of his albums
and he wrote back. eno, for the conversation. maybe the BBC radiophonic
workshop guys, but in the 60′s and 70′s.

9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?

as a performer, i really couldn’t say… i’ve done many, many different
gigs, from festivals to tiny club gigs. every one has been a trip
in its own right. madeiradig was how a gig should be though… professional,
friendly, well-organised. the hospitality and location were
pretty special, too. as a spectator, probably the cocteau twins in glasgow
barrowlands on the ‘bluebell knoll’ tour. it totally blew my
windows out.. you know, the harmonies are such an integral part of what made
the cocteaus great, but it was just liz fraser on vocals, with no
backing singers, and it was just as impressive and mesmerising as any of
their records.

10. How important is technology to your creative process?

it is and it isn’t. the technology just allows me to take things that few
stages further than if i was writing a piece for piano or guitar.
a good portion of the technological help i employ is quite old by today’s
standards, and a lot of it is a bit broken.
i think as in any pursuit, my gear goes some way to defining the limits
within which i can operate… kind of sets up the arena… then it’s
up to me to do something within that arena which i like.

11. Do you have siblings and are they proud or jealous of you?

i have a big brother and a wee sister… they’re worlds apart in terms of
character and personality, and i probably differ from them as much.
i think they have a bit of a nebulous idea of what i do. i think they think
i hang out with cliff richard and the streets at pop star parties.
i doubt they’re jealous. i know my sister likes my music… my bro is more
into his adult orientated driving music… chris rea and stuff like
that.

MySpace | Benbecula Records