Posted by tonywonder in 2010 | 0 Comments
Introducing Adoptahighway, feat. MELT #5
Another edition of MELT is finally here (that makes 5 in all), four months after Christmas (just like we wanted!) and stacked to the brim with seething, wonderful computer music. Taking place this Thursday evening at Club Garibaldi (somewhere in the crystal caverns of BayView), MELT, which is on its 5th installment, is curated by a noisy bastard who goes only by the name of The Demix ( who’s also closing out the night). MELT 5 will feature sets from the grim Dolor; the pensive Made of Oak (who’s also in Decibully); Samarah, Wisconsin’s first ever female electronic musician (unless you count Gordon Gano…which we DO); and Adoptahighway, a classically-trained composer and and half of beat-team Omega Clash who, as a matter of fact, happens to be IN THE BUILDING RIGHT NOW. (Adoptahighway’s also got an album out, go listen/buy). Here’s some tracks from MELTy-type artists…
Adoptahighway – Yes Like You Think It Is
After the bump, a brief interview w/ Adoptahighway (and an additional track):
Seizure Chicken: How long have you been involved in MELT?
Adoptahighway: I was first approached by The Demix near the end of 2010 through e-mail where he mentioned he was putting together events at Mad Planet that would showcase electronic music here in Milwaukee, and wanted to know if I’d be available for any of the shows. At this point, it was a weekly event. I performed at the 3rd MELT event in the last week of January. Since then, MELT has become a monthly show, and has moved south to Bay View. I know this will probably make me sound like an ass, but I actually have only attended one MELT event, that being the one I performed at. I would have attended the others but I had some scheduling conflicts that prevented my attendance.
SC: What’s the state of the union of electronic music in Milwaukee?
A: There was an obvious time where this city had a real presence in the electronic scene, back with the heyday of the Massive, Addict, and Zod recordings output. I feel that it has definitely fallen off since then, but it’s slowly climbing its way back to a recognizable presence. This has a lot to do with events like MELT, which is letting people experience electronic performance rather than just seeing electronic music as being some DJ spinning records with a 4/4 beat at some bar. Electronic music in Milwaukee also has a lot of support from local radio stations 91.7 WMSE and 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, so a big thanks to all those involved at those stations.
SC: What do you think about the role of computer and the internet in the making of music? What about its promotion and circulation? What do you think of the internet’s impact on local music scenes?
A: It helps because it allows artists to share their music with no restriction and allows writers and bloggers to showcase what they enjoy. It hurts because it allows artists to share their music with no restriction and allows writers and bloggers to showcase what they enjoy. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the internet is so packed full of everybody trying to cut ahead and convince you that what they make/like is so important that it’s all very deceiving. It takes a lot of work to find something genuine. Sure, I host my music on sites, but I want people to experience it live, rather than formulate opinions based on an online review or how many plays I have on Soundcloud or wherever.
Adoptahighway – Ideas of Relationships
SC: You’re classically-trained – how do you combine/reconcile/integrate/whatever your classical education with the more mainstream aspects of your work?
A: My classical training has influenced my music greatly. I draw tons of inspiration from romantic era composers and 20th century/modern classical music. It’s another form of music that needs to be experienced live to realize that it’s the most powerful and awe inspiring music in the history of humanity. It doesn’t matter how much you may love a band or certain genre of music, a Bruckner or Tchaikovsky symphony will drop your jaw and put you on your ass. Although my degree is in classical performance, my education included training in theory – to a certain extent, I use traditional classical structure, voice-leading theory and counterpoint in my tracks.
SC: You’re also the other half of Omega Clash, a duo with Milwaukee’s Lorn (who recently released an album on Flying Lotus imprint Brainfeeder). How does your work in the duo differ from your solo work? Any plans for future output?
A: Lorn and I are very close friends and longtime roommates, so Omega Clash spawned rather naturally around 2006. The music of Omega Clash is like when you mix colors. You have red, then you have blue, and you mix to make purple. adoptahighway is red, Lorn is blue, and Omega Clash is purple. You can hear aspects of Lorn and aspects of adoptahighway, but Omega Clash is the result of combining the two. We are currently wrapping up on some track production and will be funding our own independent release. We’re looking to press maybe a thousand vinyl, add some digital download codes in each sleeve, then hit the road this summer and play out as much as we can. So keep your eyes and ears open, because it will be making a splash very soon.
SC: Who are a couple musicians who’ve influenced you and your work? What are some non-musical influences?
A: Obviously I’m influenced by Lorn, but not just by his music, but his personality and outlook on life. We’ve been friends for a long time and have spent a lot of time around each other, and since we’re both musicians, it’s very easy to draw inspiration from what he does. I get inspired by all my fellow musicians that are in this game and truly passionate about getting their sound out and establishing a medium for the expression of electronic music as well. They know who they are. As far as non musical influences….I gather a lot of inspiration from the way the mind works. The kinks and faults and ability to remember or not remember or block things out, I find that all very intriguing. Plus, I drink a lot of beer and can think up some bugged out shit when I’m hosed. If I happen to remember it in a sober state, I’m generally influenced to try and get some music out of it.
