Rhythmism.comPortrait: Overcast Sound @ Mutek 2010
by rhythmism
Tuesday, May 25th 2010, 01:10 PM
Since 2005, Michael Pettit and Jamie Drouin have been casting an atmospheric haze of deep, minimal techno over their hometown of Victoria, British Columbia. As Overcast Sound, fragments of field recordings mingle with cinematic sweeps and a dub undertow. Pettit combines his background in techno with Drouin’s sound-art practice, creating a signature that recalls the dub-techno excursions found on the Echochord label. Drouin is no stranger to MUTEK, having contributed to a project by audio-visual duo Skoltz_Kolgen, as well as the Placard headphone extravaganza from 2007. Like his other sound works, there’s an emphasis on the way audio can shift senses of place, space and time. The duo’s improvised performances and re-imaginings of their compositions are accentuated with an evocative visual presentation.
NAME: OVERCAST SOUND
CITY/COUNTRY: Victoria, Canada
WEBSITE: www.overcastsound.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/overcastsound
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/OVERCASTSOUND
Have you played at MUTEK before? If so, please share your favorite MUTEK memory? | If this is your first time what are your impressions of this avant-garde electronic music festival?
Michael Pettit (MP): This is my first time performing at MUTEK, though I have been to the festival several times before. MUTEK has always been an enjoyable experience for me - it's a wonderful collection of the current zeitgeist in electronic music, as well as acts that are new to me. Plus, the opportunity to meet and interact with other artists and festival attendees is great. I don't think I have ever left MUTEK disappointed in the experience.
Jamie Drouin (JD): I have actually performed three times as an experimental sound artist, which is the other side of my career. It's encouraging to know that MUTEK is willing to support both of my ventures and does not pigeon-hole me into one musical category.
My favorite MUTEK memory is my performance in 2005 with the duo Skoltz_Kolgen, who had created an absolutely HUGE multi-screen projection installation which reacted to incoming sound called ASKAA. A handful of international sound artists were invited to perform inside the installation, and most of the collaborations resulted in really lovely delicate visuals. My performance kind of threw the visuals into a blaring white panic, which both startled and delighted the audience (and me).
Best DJ moment of 2010 so far
MP: OVERCAST SOUND is a live performance project, so we don't really have a 'best DJ moment', but a recent performance highlight for us was a recent gig in Berlin at Farbfernseher Club. It is a very small venue, but has a great vibe, and an enthusiastic crowd packed in that night. Everything was clicking for us in our live set. All that adds up to a great time.
JD: We've also started to hear some great feedback on our releases from artists we admire, which inspires us to keep going forward.
Obsolete item you can't part with
JD: It depends on how you define 'obsolete'. I have a few antique cameras which use film sizes no longer available, like a swing-lens banquet camera from the late 1890's that requires me to cut down individual 8x10 inch film sheets. Definitely a beautiful camera design that I will never let go of.
Best recent gift
MP: I received a Golden Half camera as a birthday present. It's a fun little camera that takes half frame pictures on 35mm film.
JD: My wife visited us in Berlin last month (we're just finishing a three month temporary residence here) and we had the chance to re-visit the place where we got engaged a couple years back: a spot along the Spree River where there used to be a impromptu techno club. The club is long gone, but the river is at least still there.
Next big purchase
MP: Not sure I have big purchase in the next little while, perhaps a medium sized purchase - a new mixer for the home studio or MIDI controller for live performances.
I have a weak spot for small devices that make ghastly amounts of noise. My next purchase is another King Capitol Punishment synth box, with a few custom tweaks.
Best producer of 2010
MP: It seems premature to make that declaration only halfway through the year - there seems to be a lot of really great music coming out in the first half 2010. Some producers that are impressing me so far: Quantec, René Pawlowitz, Brendon Moeller, the Wolf + Lamb crew, Luke Hess, STL, Quarion.
JD: So very many to choose from...Demdike Stare (who we get to perform with at MUTEK!), Fluxion, Thomas Fehlmann, Johann Johannsson...argh!
What you miss most about home when abroad
MP: It's never just one thing I miss, it's the sum total of everything that makes it "home". On this trip I am missing certain people and my backyard the most.
JD: My wonderful and supportive wife. It's not every partner that would be cool with you taking off for weeks hanging out in foreign clubs.
Indispensable travel item
MP: Someone compatible.
JD: Oh great, now I am going to sound shallow, but it's my camera
What’s on your drink rider
MP: Gin & tonic
JD: Ditto
iPhone or Blackberry?
MP: I don't own a cell phone.
JD: I'm trying to un-own my cell phone. Worst thing I ever locked myself into for five years.
What’s on your iPod playlist
MP: It's a bit random right now since I am traveling away from home, but some of it: Spatial, Snooze, Massive Attack, The Posies, Mungo's Hi-Fi, The Knife, Interpol, Fluxion, The Clash, Lou Barlow ... plus tonnes more.
JD: Mine is a little bit anemic right now...I just have two great super-housey podcasts downloaded from Plasmodium Radio: Mark E Quark and Miss Shelrawka. Normally, I have everything from John Duncan to classical on my iPod.
Favorite city/club to play
MP: Berlin is a great city to play. The audience is pretty well educated in electronic music and are open to just about anything.
JD: Yeah, it's definitely a dream to play in a city where people don't come up to you and ask if you have that track "...don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me."
Favorite city/country for holiday
MP: Iceland or Cuba.
JD: Totally, Iceland and Vietnam
Hobbies
MP: Cooking and related food & drink activities are probably my primary hobbies. I do spend a good deal of time in the garden puttering around as well.
JD: Travel, travel, travel. We try to go on at least two trips a year minimum and these tend to coincide with exhibitions or festivals I'm presenting at.
Personal hero
JD: I try not to hero worship anymore. Whenever I met one of my early heroes they almost always ended up being total dicks.
Favorite book
MP: Not sure I have only one favorite book ... one of them is Minipops by Craig Robinson, which is a collection of famous people drawn really small. Funny and weird, which I kind of like in my books.
JD: Mine are all photography monographs. Lee Friedlander 'Flowers & Trees' and Eiko Hosoe 'Ordeal by Roses' stand out in my mind right now. I also have a couple film maker biographies I really enjoy re-reading, such 'Truffaut' by Antoine de Baecque & Serge Toubiana
Guilty pleasure artist/record
MP: Not that I am embarrassed by it, but I like diva/disco house every once in a while.
JD: My wife likes blaring Neil Diamond and ABBA during car road trips. Originally my brain resisted, but I've been known to sing along.
What did you want to be when you were a kid
MP: I remember wanting to be a veterinarian for a long time.
JD: Movie effects makeup! I used to steal my mom's cucumber facial cream, sculpt gaping wounds on my arms and paint them up all gross.
Least favorite day job before DJing?
MP: I spent a number of summers as room steward / kitchen staff at a sports fishing lodge off the coast of Western Canada.
JD: Any of them. I had a very brief career in a mall dipping ice cream cones into chocolate, then rolling them into nuts. I was fired because I did not appear 'enthusiastic' about my job.
One thing you should always do
MP: Say 'thank you'.
JD: It's the Canadian in us, but yes, be nice. I particularly think it's important in the electronic music scene where if you are a total ass professionally it does not take long for everyone to hear about it.
One thing you should never do
MP: Take things for granted.
New for you in 2010
MP: There were a number of new things for us in the first half of 2010 - releases on new labels, setting up a temporary home in Berlin, playing at MUTEK. We're hoping the second half of 2010 will be just as eventful - with the release of our first full length artist album and the setup of our own label to self release some material.
Upcoming tour dates
MP: MUTEK obviously on June 4th. We're just sorting out some summer festival appearances and other dates, so check the website www.overcastsound.com to find out the details.
June 2-6, 2010
MUTEK 2010
International Festival of Digital Creativity and Electronic Music
Montreal, QC Canada
www.mutek.org
NAME: OVERCAST SOUND
CITY/COUNTRY: Victoria, Canada
WEBSITE: www.overcastsound.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/overcastsound
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/OVERCASTSOUND
Have you played at MUTEK before? If so, please share your favorite MUTEK memory? | If this is your first time what are your impressions of this avant-garde electronic music festival?
Michael Pettit (MP): This is my first time performing at MUTEK, though I have been to the festival several times before. MUTEK has always been an enjoyable experience for me - it's a wonderful collection of the current zeitgeist in electronic music, as well as acts that are new to me. Plus, the opportunity to meet and interact with other artists and festival attendees is great. I don't think I have ever left MUTEK disappointed in the experience.
Jamie Drouin (JD): I have actually performed three times as an experimental sound artist, which is the other side of my career. It's encouraging to know that MUTEK is willing to support both of my ventures and does not pigeon-hole me into one musical category.
My favorite MUTEK memory is my performance in 2005 with the duo Skoltz_Kolgen, who had created an absolutely HUGE multi-screen projection installation which reacted to incoming sound called ASKAA. A handful of international sound artists were invited to perform inside the installation, and most of the collaborations resulted in really lovely delicate visuals. My performance kind of threw the visuals into a blaring white panic, which both startled and delighted the audience (and me).
Best DJ moment of 2010 so far
MP: OVERCAST SOUND is a live performance project, so we don't really have a 'best DJ moment', but a recent performance highlight for us was a recent gig in Berlin at Farbfernseher Club. It is a very small venue, but has a great vibe, and an enthusiastic crowd packed in that night. Everything was clicking for us in our live set. All that adds up to a great time.
JD: We've also started to hear some great feedback on our releases from artists we admire, which inspires us to keep going forward.
Obsolete item you can't part with
JD: It depends on how you define 'obsolete'. I have a few antique cameras which use film sizes no longer available, like a swing-lens banquet camera from the late 1890's that requires me to cut down individual 8x10 inch film sheets. Definitely a beautiful camera design that I will never let go of.
Best recent gift
MP: I received a Golden Half camera as a birthday present. It's a fun little camera that takes half frame pictures on 35mm film.
JD: My wife visited us in Berlin last month (we're just finishing a three month temporary residence here) and we had the chance to re-visit the place where we got engaged a couple years back: a spot along the Spree River where there used to be a impromptu techno club. The club is long gone, but the river is at least still there.
Next big purchase
MP: Not sure I have big purchase in the next little while, perhaps a medium sized purchase - a new mixer for the home studio or MIDI controller for live performances.
I have a weak spot for small devices that make ghastly amounts of noise. My next purchase is another King Capitol Punishment synth box, with a few custom tweaks.
Best producer of 2010
MP: It seems premature to make that declaration only halfway through the year - there seems to be a lot of really great music coming out in the first half 2010. Some producers that are impressing me so far: Quantec, René Pawlowitz, Brendon Moeller, the Wolf + Lamb crew, Luke Hess, STL, Quarion.
JD: So very many to choose from...Demdike Stare (who we get to perform with at MUTEK!), Fluxion, Thomas Fehlmann, Johann Johannsson...argh!
What you miss most about home when abroad
MP: It's never just one thing I miss, it's the sum total of everything that makes it "home". On this trip I am missing certain people and my backyard the most.
JD: My wonderful and supportive wife. It's not every partner that would be cool with you taking off for weeks hanging out in foreign clubs.
Indispensable travel item
MP: Someone compatible.
JD: Oh great, now I am going to sound shallow, but it's my camera
What’s on your drink rider
MP: Gin & tonic
JD: Ditto
iPhone or Blackberry?
MP: I don't own a cell phone.
JD: I'm trying to un-own my cell phone. Worst thing I ever locked myself into for five years.
What’s on your iPod playlist
MP: It's a bit random right now since I am traveling away from home, but some of it: Spatial, Snooze, Massive Attack, The Posies, Mungo's Hi-Fi, The Knife, Interpol, Fluxion, The Clash, Lou Barlow ... plus tonnes more.
JD: Mine is a little bit anemic right now...I just have two great super-housey podcasts downloaded from Plasmodium Radio: Mark E Quark and Miss Shelrawka. Normally, I have everything from John Duncan to classical on my iPod.
Favorite city/club to play
MP: Berlin is a great city to play. The audience is pretty well educated in electronic music and are open to just about anything.
JD: Yeah, it's definitely a dream to play in a city where people don't come up to you and ask if you have that track "...don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me."
Favorite city/country for holiday
MP: Iceland or Cuba.
JD: Totally, Iceland and Vietnam
Hobbies
MP: Cooking and related food & drink activities are probably my primary hobbies. I do spend a good deal of time in the garden puttering around as well.
JD: Travel, travel, travel. We try to go on at least two trips a year minimum and these tend to coincide with exhibitions or festivals I'm presenting at.
Personal hero
JD: I try not to hero worship anymore. Whenever I met one of my early heroes they almost always ended up being total dicks.
Favorite book
MP: Not sure I have only one favorite book ... one of them is Minipops by Craig Robinson, which is a collection of famous people drawn really small. Funny and weird, which I kind of like in my books.
JD: Mine are all photography monographs. Lee Friedlander 'Flowers & Trees' and Eiko Hosoe 'Ordeal by Roses' stand out in my mind right now. I also have a couple film maker biographies I really enjoy re-reading, such 'Truffaut' by Antoine de Baecque & Serge Toubiana
Guilty pleasure artist/record
MP: Not that I am embarrassed by it, but I like diva/disco house every once in a while.
JD: My wife likes blaring Neil Diamond and ABBA during car road trips. Originally my brain resisted, but I've been known to sing along.
What did you want to be when you were a kid
MP: I remember wanting to be a veterinarian for a long time.
JD: Movie effects makeup! I used to steal my mom's cucumber facial cream, sculpt gaping wounds on my arms and paint them up all gross.
Least favorite day job before DJing?
MP: I spent a number of summers as room steward / kitchen staff at a sports fishing lodge off the coast of Western Canada.
JD: Any of them. I had a very brief career in a mall dipping ice cream cones into chocolate, then rolling them into nuts. I was fired because I did not appear 'enthusiastic' about my job.
One thing you should always do
MP: Say 'thank you'.
JD: It's the Canadian in us, but yes, be nice. I particularly think it's important in the electronic music scene where if you are a total ass professionally it does not take long for everyone to hear about it.
One thing you should never do
MP: Take things for granted.
New for you in 2010
MP: There were a number of new things for us in the first half of 2010 - releases on new labels, setting up a temporary home in Berlin, playing at MUTEK. We're hoping the second half of 2010 will be just as eventful - with the release of our first full length artist album and the setup of our own label to self release some material.
Upcoming tour dates
MP: MUTEK obviously on June 4th. We're just sorting out some summer festival appearances and other dates, so check the website www.overcastsound.com to find out the details.
June 2-6, 2010
MUTEK 2010
International Festival of Digital Creativity and Electronic Music
Montreal, QC Canada
www.mutek.org
