36 Q&A today - background and in the studio

quiet details
2 hours ago
3 min read

Hi friends - hope all good :)

Big thanks again for the support for 36’s album - been a great week and very nearly sold out of CDs - very grateful to all of you that bought the album.

You’re the people that sustain quiet details and help us give artists decent pay-outs for their music - they all deserve it for their skill and hard work. Truly think that the fact so many talented musicians struggle to make a living wage (or even close to one) from their work is a very poor reflection on the state of the music industry and maybe society as whole.

We need to cherish and encourage artists and creativity of all types - you wonderful people that actually buy music directly from labels, artists and record shops are a hugely important part of that. So thank you :)

Last day of half-price digital and at this point in time five CDs left.

Now for my Q&A with Dennis - thanks to him!

Please tell us a bit about your background and history in music

I started making music in the early 00s, mostly without knowing what on earth I was doing. Everything I know is self-taught, so it’s just been a slow crawl to competence! I made my debut album under my 36 alias in 2008, and as of 2017, it has been my full-time job.

Please can you describe a bit about your general philosophy and process as an artist?

Everything starts and ends with emotion. I bring all of life’s griefs into the studio, and use it as a kind of high-tech therapy. The music is just a way of navigating this strange existence we all suddenly found ourselves in.

What does quiet details mean to you and how did you use that to approach this album?

It’s about restraint. The album took a few tries until I found an approach which best represented this. It meant cutting out the fluff, and avoiding the urge to overly produce the record, or go bombastic with a million and one different ideas at once. Maximalism through minimalism. Making a huge sound, without feeling like I’m screaming.

Please can you give us an overview of your studio and favourite instruments?

My studio is a Windows based PC, and a small MIDI controller, stuck in the corner of my tiny spare room. It’s been like this since day 1. It’s about as aesthetically basic as you can get, but it offers limitless possibilities. I’ve got countless VST’s, sample libraries, effect units, and 20 years of knowledge, knowing what works for me and what doesn’t.

Please can you gives a quick breakdown of how you made each track?

Each track started with a drone, which acted as the foundations. Some were chords, others were more atonal in nature. From here, the harmonies and melodies were slowly built on top of it. Once the arrangement was finalised, I used various granular synthesis effects over each instrument group, which morphed and mangled the sound, without making things too abstract or mechanical. The core should always stay human.