Always Changing _ Interview with Orphx

Christie, do you think that gender has impacted on your musical performance, do you feel that you can add something the other hasn’t due to gender, or is this not a factor at all? Also, have you ever been treated differently as a female musician? 

Christie: I tend to prefer less overly aggressive music, more abstract sounds and more tactile or hands-on approaches to making music but I’m not sure that has to do with gender. I do think the contribution of women to electronic music is often not considered on its own terms and merits. “Music by women” is often described and judged in that way instead of being considered simply as “music”.  It’s changing, but for a long time it was fairly rare to find other women in electronic music, actually making the music rather than just doing vocals. Our experience is with industrial, techno and experimental noise scenes and in the past I felt the need to “dress down” and avoid overtly feminine clothing in order to be taken more seriously on stage. I didn’t want people to assume that I was just there to be seen. These days, I feel comfortable dressing however I like. But I still find that people are more likely to approach Rich to talk about our music and our equipment after a show.

Really informative insights there Christie, thanks for that! In a recent article on SonicBloom.net a female Ableton employee states that in 2010 or 2011 only 7% of Ableton users were women, why do you think this is?  

Christie: I can’t speak for all women, but I think there is often a lack of confidence in using music equipment and software. Last year, my friend Naomi Hocura and I ran a series of free workshops on electronic music composition for young women, to try and create a space where women would feel more comfortable learning and experimenting with recording equipment and software.

That’s a really great idea! How would you compare the Canadian music scene to that of Europe? 

Rich: The European scene for electronic music is more vibrant and it seems to receive more attention and support than in Canada. Here, there have been small but important scenes for noise and techno in the larger cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. And Montreal is home to Mutek, one of the best annual festivals for electronic music. But we really appreciate playing in Europe because there are more places to play, more venues, and larger and more enthusiastic audiences.

Christie: In Canada, there are much greater distances between many of the urban centres so it is more difficult for people to connect and collaborate. This isolation might also produce a certain kind of creativity, where people are less influenced by other artists.

Your European tour begins soon, how do you feel about that? 

Rich: We’re really looking forward to it.

Christie: It’s always a great opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends.

Thanks for taking the time out to do the interview guys, really looking forward to catching you play in Manchester!

 

Orphx “Boundary Conditions” tour

April 26: Berlin – Suicide Circus w/ Adam X and Lasse Buhl

April 27:  Bonen, Germany – Forms of Hands 2013 festival

May 3: London – Plex Basement Session #2 w/ Paul Prudence and special guests

May 4: Manchester – Ritual (Q Cavern) w/ Casual Violence, Systemic, CWS and Leon Mitternacht