In the summer of 2020, I was invited to attend a residency at the Swiss Museum for Electronic Music Instruments (SMEM). Home to thousands of keyboards, synthesizers, and electronic music equipment dating back to the 1950s, it was unlike any place I’d ever seen. It felt surreal to be able to make music there, freely choosing from such a vast array of gear. I spent 10 days recording what would become Music From A Room Full Of Synths.
Sometimes, I feel there are misconceptions about me as a musician. I’m not really a "gear guy"—meaning, I often don’t know much about the tools I make music with. I've always favored a more intuitive and playful approach, rather than a technical one. While I do love developing my skills and gaining proficiency on an instrument, at heart, I try to keep a beginner's mind. Marshall McLuhan beautifully expressed the mindset I try to maintain when he said:
"Knowledge gets in the way. It is only the very ignorant person who can get past that problem because he is not fogged over by knowledge. When you're looking for new answers to new questions, it is knowledge itself that blocks progress. It is knowledge that creates rear currents just as wealth creates poverty. Knowledge creates ignorance."
This project was recorded, mixed, and edited in the playroom at the SMEM. Nothing was programmed—it was all played live. There’s a certain roughness to these songs. The music always fell apart when I tried adding new layers or tweaking the mixes. Only when I left it alone did it retain something of the original photographic quality of that experience.
I appreciate the quirks that come when working with older music gear. While vintage synthesizers are often praised for their warm sound, it’s their unique characteristics that I find most interesting. Exploring the distinctiveness of each instrument and celebrating their differences is at the heart of this project.
This record is a playful excursion. It’s about discovering things as you go along—about those little imperfections and flaws we often want to correct, but sometimes are better off accepting.
