Different Purpose _ Interview with Gerard Hanson [Convextion / E.R.P]

Music definitely has powerful potential for us to delve into introspection. What is the music scene like at the moment in Dallas?

The scene here is diverse. At the moment there’s a handful of people making techno/electro in Texas… R9, Cygnus, Submersible Machines, Plastic Sleeves, Blixaboy, Betdat, and more. Most of them have releases or they will soon. Maybe later this year there will be a compilation of the Texan tracks. One of the partners from Down Low Music, Minto, is also from Dallas. I met him years ago and he kept me in touch when I was not recording much. There are also quite a few synth enthusiasts and some modular synth companies here also. LZX Industries a local company that builds video synths.

It’s different now. I can be more introverted and still discover music without having to be social, thanks to the internet. So, in that way maybe scenes don’t matter so much. But, that can get a bit dull if you want to experience real time interaction with people who share the same interests. Our scene is small, but I like the people involved. They’re also good friends.

What was the scene like when you were growing up, what kind of music initially caught your attention?

The first song I remember noticing every time I heard it on the radio was Barry white Love’s theme. I didn’t really like music at that age, but I liked the sound of the guitar. The strings made me feel strange, and a bit unsettled. Later I’d become intrigued by the sounds in Gary Numan’s music. I still was pretty young and I hadn’t begun to collect music yet, but I was happy to hear this one on the radio. Later I’d discover the usual stuff like Depeche Mode, and The Cure. I was usually looking for something that sounded somewhat other worldly. I was crazy for a few of the basslines in some songs by The Cure. The bass gets stuck in my memory and plays over and over. The same goes for Clan of Xymox, which is another band I was listening to.

Eventually I found more and more music and then I got into things like Chris & Cosey, which eventually led to my discovery of house and techno. There was and still exists a record store called Bill’s that kept all of that early stuff in stock.

Sounds like a record store to visit. Why were you so quiet on the release front between 1997 and 2005?

I was feeling isolated. My inspiration comes from living and doing things. Sometimes I’m happy to listen to other people’s music and I don’t feel like I have anything to write or I feel like I can wait. And then I suddenly start to feel a sense of urgency and then all I can think about is making more music. I’m disorganized… and I lose track of time. I usually intend to do more releases but time slips away. Sometimes I focus more on making music or just spending time in the studio with no end goal. I get lost in the process. It makes me happy.

Well Ger, I think I can safely say everyone that follows your music is very glad you found that sense of urgency again. Is there anything you would like to say before finishing up the interview?

I woke this morning thinking of something about Kraftwerk, it goes back to a question about futurism….they made an album about computers with analog machines… now we use computers to emulate analog machines. What would they think…. or did they already predict this?

Fantastic food for thought right there, I can’t think of a better way to end the interview than that, thanks again Ger.

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subsekt 014 with Convextion will be broadcast on Fnoob @ 2200GMT / Wednesday 28th November 2012

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