APAULL on Homogeny, Evolution, and the Art of Timeless Production

The interview is in Spanish. See p 80-81 of the link below.

https://issuu.com/viciousmagazine/docs/vicious_magazine_n_88?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab8_m9qVnKcqqgYztfgKVXut8pVMbrXlACPzhuRfZsfTxyIMjW09WeWv04_aem_3__QkYC6bukH1vGn4MNJGg

1.     Homogeny explores the collapse of individuality in a digitally programmed world. Looking back, what sparked your interest in this theme, and how did it shape the album's sonic identity?

Homogeny is a story about devolution. We are promised a world of individuality while at the same time being funneled into a bland sameness. Much of this stems from attacks on what is considered truth and what is considered information. During the covid pandemic there was an understandable rush to find truth but no ability to let this truth evolve on the basis of new evidence. Governments took control of their citizens rather than the other way around and punished citizens for questioning their settled truth and labelling everything that didn’t suit their agenda as disinformation or misinformation. This continues unabated in the western world where people are being punished for speaking out on prevailing truths.

The Homogeny story takes this and imagines the future. Today, we imagine aliens as the “little grey person” featured on the album cover. What if this is humanity’s devolved fate and what we will become? Homogeny sees tomorrow through today’s eyes, an androgenous world, bereft of individuality, with the most confined threshold of what is “truth”.

The album’s theme shaped its sound. Sonically the album has distinct industrial and techno underpinnings which form the backbone of most tracks. While there are elements of confected happiness in the tracks, when you scrape that away you are presented with the gloomy realization that the world you thought you lived in has changed.

2.     The album balances raw, hypnotic industrial tones with echoes of indie dance and synth wave. What was the creative process behind merging these influences into a cohesive sound?

The industrial elements of my tracks are often found in noise layers, the kick, bass-lines and vocals while the indie dance and synth wave elements are typically found in keys, pads and percussion. I don’t set out to blend genres. When producing I let whatever wants to come out, come out. Creatively I think it is a function of wanting to create songs with messages but to camouflage those messages a bit, so it is not so in the listeners face.

When I produce tracks, I start off with many parts. I play them in isolation and in various combinations. I get rid of things that don’t work and continually introduce new elements. I do this until I think I have enough sounds to actually produce a track. At the end of the day, I would like people to dance to my music and I think the indie dance and synthwave elements do that. If the listeners wants, they can listen more deeply for the messages that are always there.

3.     You started producing music later in life after a successful career in environmental science and business. Now, with Homogeny being your second full-length LP, how do you feel your approach to music has evolved compared to your debut album Fought and Won?

Being a little older I am motivated to get on with it. I do not have the same runway as someone in their 20s. This drives me to continually produce new tracks. The Fought and Won album was assembling a collection of already finished tracks into an album. The theme and aesthetic of the album came after. The theme was driven by the covid pandemic, and I think album tracks reflected that as well as the various life challenges we must overcome.

Homogeny takes a hybrid approach. I came up with the theme midway through track writing, so I think I was better able to knit the story together to suit the theme. The process was more deliberate.

I already selected the theme of my third album, so this process of matching theme and storytelling with the tracks continues to evolve. It won’t be a concept album, per se, but I am starting to think of album production as writing a novel or painting a series of paintings. It is a body of work and there needs to be some continuity that threads its way through.

4.     Your music is message-driven, and Homogeny is no exception. When crafting this album, was there a particular moment or event that reinforced the urgency of its message?

The covid pandemic and its aftermath were the moments in time that drive Homogeny’s story and messages. As a society, I think we were already teetering on the edge of eroding personal liberties like freedom of speech, thought and movement before the pandemic but this crisis broke the dam. Post pandemic these liberties, which are the bedrock of western society, continue to be attacked.

5.     The album features striking visuals, with cover art by Jay Hodgson and lettering by Al Diaz, a key figure in the Basquiat era. How did this collaboration come about, and what role do visuals play in your artistic expression?

Visuals are an important part of my creative process. I produce music but want to package it visually to convey two things: 1. The theme and story of the release; and 2. Brand continuity.

I worked with Jay Hodgson, who is a music professor in London, Ontario, Canada, but also a noted visual artist, to create the cover’s main artwork of various corporate logos swirled and blended together and the little gray man or woman staring out at you. The concept is mine but the art is his. It conveys Homogeny.

I have worked with Al Diaz since my second release. He creates the title lettering (e.g., Homogeny) for my various releases. I met Al at a Van Der Plas gallery show in New York’s lower east side and loved his letter-based creations. The use of his lettering in a consistent way adds some continuity to my various releases. My idea for this came from looking at KMFDM release covers. Most of KMFDM’s artwork is produced by British Artist Aidan "Brute!" Hughes. He makes their releases instantly recognizable. I am trying to achieve something similar.

I also work with techno legend and photographer Dave Clarke, who has taken all the photos of me for both of my albums. I admire successful artists who venture out and try to be successful in another medium. He is in a very unique position of understanding and capturing the vibe I am trying to create through my music. Our most recent photo shoot took place over two days, one roaming the streets of Amsterdam and another in a famed Antwerp atelier.

The tired but true aphorism that “a picture is worth a thousand words” drives visuals creation for my music. It is a visualization of my sonic vibes. I want the listener to see what they hear.

6.     You’ve had remixes from respected producers like Christian Smith ,Neil Landstrumm and Rhys Fulber to come. How do you feel about seeing your original ideas reinterpreted, and do any of these remixes surprise you?

I choose my remixers very carefully. First, I respect them as artists and love what they do. When I send over tracks to be remixed, I place my trust in them. I provide very little direction in terms of what I want, other than asking them to include, in some form, whatever vocals or vocal samples I used, in their remix.

My remixers are very talented artists, and they deliver impactful re-interpretations of my tracks. Since their audiences are much bigger than mine, they also help introduce apaull to them. To date and as I establish myself the remixes tend to perform better than my original mixes. I am ok with that but continue to work very hard to change that, with some success.

My biggest surprise has been how much I learn from my remixers. For instance, last year Christian Smith road tested the remixes he was working on for me in club settings and on Berlin’s HOR and then refined them. I didn’t know that was something you could do. Neil Landstrumm is an efficient musical machine who takes my tracks and adds his unmistakable sound. His drive and output inspires me. Finally, working with Rhys Fulber was a like a dream coming true. I have listened to Front Line Assembly since their beginning so having the privilege of working with him felt very full circle.

Also, I’ll let you in on a little secret, as with the visual artists I work with I secretly hope some of the skills and talent of remixers will rub off on me.

7.     As someone deeply influenced by '80s and '90s electronic music, from The Orb to Skinny Puppy, do you see parallels between those eras and today’s underground electronic scene?

I think the difference is that in the ‘80s and ‘90s there was an underground but now there is an underground scene.

I first heard Skinny Puppy when I was DJing at a campus radio station in the late ‘80s. Along with them bands like KMFDM, Ministry and Front Line Assembly were creating these strange and new sounds that really resonated with me but I knew few people who listened to it.

Today’s underground techno scene is basically its own genre. It has developed a critical mass of listeners that are more interested in new approaches to art rather than the more commercial ones. It requires pretty regular disruption to keep itself underground.

8. Now that Homogeny has been completed, what’s next for you? Are there live performances, new collaborations, or any unexpected directions you're planning to explore in 2025?

I’ll be releasing all of the tracks on Homogeny as singles along with a remix until about September. Also I am working towards “getting on the road” through DJ sets and live performances. Of note, I am working with Brighton UK’s Ross Harper on a live tour of historic churches that will take place in May. Finally, work continues on my third album that will be released in 2026.