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Interview with PYSCHO Unfortunately I've discovered Dysrhythmia only by means of 'Pretest', also because your previous releases were not known here. Would you like to describe your past records? KH: Dysrhythmia has a total of 4 other recordings besides 'Pretest'. In order they are: 'Contradiction' our first full length CD. It is no longer available. A limited run of 500 were pressed and have since sold out. It's a pretty raw recording. It documents our first 9 months together as a band. We were still learning how to play together and write. Jeff our drummer was most new to the band and didn't have any input, really, in the writing of those songs. We learned from this record that our songs could use a little editing! haha. Next was 'No Interference', our second full length CD. The recording is a lot cleaner but at the sacrifice of the natural sound of our band and instruments. Still, this record did a lot to get us attention and people seem to enjoy it a lot. I still like the songs on it. Between "No Interference" and 'Pretest' there were two split vinyl releases. The first was a split 10" record with the now-defunct Thoughtstreams, an eclectic, wildly experimental band from the D.C. area. This record featured 2 new Dysrhythmia songs that were later re-recorded for 'Pretest' ["Annihilation II", "Annihilation I"] After this was a split 7" with the Philadelphia band Technician. We toured together last year and wanted to have something to sell with both our bands on it. The record comes with a hand-stamped, sheet lead cover, which freaks a lot of people out [in a good way!]. and features an early, live recording of "And Just Go", again re-recorded for 'Pretest'. . How have you developed
the sound of 'Pretest'? Is it an arriving KH: I see each album as a snapshot of where we were at the time. Different influences find their way into our music as time goes on. Usually by the time one of our records comes out, we've already been playing those songs for the past year or two and we're already writing new stuff. It's new to a lot of listeners, but to us we're already moving on to the next phase. Obviously, we want to top whatever the previous record was. To continue to challenge ourselves and improve our writing, make the material more intense and just "better". In my review I've briefly described 'Pretest' in this way: "instrumental earthquake". Do you think it's a good literary image to set the focus on your record? KH: Yes! We want to the music to have that euphoric, explosive feel. That's great that you get that sensation from our record. Actually, there is a song called "Earthquake" on 'Contradiction' and that was the exact reason we gave it that title. Have you chosen the name
of the band because you wanted to create an KH: Yeah, I heard the name while I was watching the news and a nurse was talking about a patient suffering from dysrhythmia [an irregular heartbeat] and at the time we were struggling to think of a name and I thought that sounded perfect and fit in what we were doing musically. My only regret is that Dysrhythmia seems to be an impossible name for people to remember or especially spell correctly! Why have you decided to work with Steve Albini? Do you think he is the best man to catch your kind of sound? KH: We are all fans of his work both in the realm of his engineering skills with other artists [PJ Harvey, Neurosis, Don Caballero, and so on...] and his own music as well [Shellac, Big Black, Rapeman, etc.] It just seemed like the most logical thing to do. So many people were telling we were better live than on record and that's because the previous records just weren't accurate representations of our sound. Steve is most known for his ability to "capture" the sound of a band live in a room, and his mic placement skills. We went into the studio and played the songs live, direct to 16 track analog tape. Everything was done the old fashioned way. There was hardly any EQ or compression/processing used at all. So what you get is a very real, natural, organic-sounding record. It fits our music perfectly. We would love to work with him again. You don't seem to be afraid of complexity; is this your musical challenge? KH: Sure playing complex music is challenging, but sometimes it's the slowest stuff that's even harder. For instance a song like "Touch Benediction". It's very repetitive, but the hypnotic flow is very important. To maintain that slow pace consistently for an extended period of time is challenging too. We play whatever the song calls for and aren't afraid to be simplistic rhythmically or harmonically when it feels right. We're not a bunch of stuffy prog-elitist who think "this has to be difficult and technical or else it's no good". Complex, dynamic, physical, intense, powerful and catchy (in some way): is this the description of Dysrhythmia sound? KH: That sounds good to me. I think all those elements play a part in Dysrhythmia's music. Your music is undoubtedly
technical, but it's also full of feeling; KH: Thank you. I agree and that is one of the things I would like to see more people recognize about this band. I think sometimes it's too easy for people to just notice the musicianship and not the emotion we are conveying. I don't like to think of our music as something only "learned people" can understand or enjoy, and I don't think it is. I talk to many people at our shows who are non-musicians and sometimes don't even listen to metal or progressive rock at all. So, it's a good feeling to know our music can cross into different boundaries. I think it's the attention we pay to dynamics, melody and rhythm, instead of wanky soling that can make more "regular people" relate to our music. Do you think Dysrhythmia sound requires a particular attention in order of being perceived, understood and mentally captured? KH: It's definitely not background music. I think to get the most out of our music you need to listen to it several times, because there are things you will not catch on first listen and I think to begin to remember the songs you need to hear them a few times. Metal, punk, prog, avant rock, noise, post rock, jazz, math rock and something else; this is what we can hear inside your songs. Is it a way to let your influences arise or do you want to express a 360° vision of music? KH; We are all fans of so many different kinds of music and this band let's us explore those different influences. We try to incorporate them so they are not used in a herky-jerky "genre jumping" kind of way. We want it to be a little more flowing and subliminal. Are you trying, with your music, to rediscover the original concept of crossover (early '90 bands)? KH: We aren't necessarily trying to recreate any time period of music but I do agree there was a lot of cool music in the early 90's that blurred the realms of alternative, punk, industrial, metal, etc. We aren't purposely trying to crossover, I just think the music is diverse enough for that to happen naturally. Do you feel to be the
heirs of a band like Don Caballero (I'm KH: I'm a fan of Don Caballero. I like their earlier, more "metallic" stuff, better. I think what we do in a lot more structured and less repetitive than their music, with less focus on just the drumming. But we aren't trying to follow in anyone's footsteps. In which way improvisation is important for you? Is it your approach, a choice, the best way to let your sound come out or what else? KH: Some of our songs are born out of improvising. Usually one of us will just start playing a riff or idea in rehearsal and we'll all try to jump in and just jam on it. We'll tape those improvs and later we'll listen and if there's anything worth using we'll figure it out and begin to compose it into a finished piece of music. Other songs are written in advance by usually either myself or Clayton and we'll present it at practice and add our own parts to it and work on the arrangements. You play instrumental music; is this your definitive choice or will you exploit vocals in the future? Do you consider a limit having a vocalist? KH: It was our choice to be strictly instrumental from the beginning. There are no plans to add a vocalist. I won't say having a vocalist is limiting, because the voice can be used as just another instrument as well. They don't have to be signing actual lyrics or words. Still, I like the stripped-down sound of just guitar, bass, and drums and listening to the interaction of just those three basic instruments. Don't you need to express
something with lyrics that can't be, KH: I think not having lyrics leaves it more open to interpretation but there are meanings behind the titles of our songs. We want them to fit the mood and convey what the original inspiration behind them might have been. How did you feel when you read that you were one of the band "You Need To Know in 2003" according to Alternative Press? KH: Haha...it was cool I guess. It's nice to be noticed. Pilot, Navigator and Liaison; what about this nicknames? KH: We just thought it was more interesting than putting bass, drums, guitar next to our names. Clayton is the pilot because he does most of the driving on tour, Jeff is the navigator because he is good with maps and directions, and I am the liaison because I am the one that deals with the business end of things in this band whether that's with our booking agent, label, press, mail, website, promoters, etc. The others hear what's going on through me. You could also apply these nicknames to our duties as players in the band as well; Clayton as the driving force with his propulsive bass lines, with us following Jeff as the time keeper and me as the guitarist fitting in between them. What about your shows with Mastodon, Cephalic Carnage and Uphill Battle for the Relapse Contamination Tour 2003? Which kind of audience have you fronted? KH: The audience on that tour was mainly a metal, Relapse-following type crowd, which was great way to introduce ourselves as a band new to that audience. How did you get in touch with Relapse/Release and why do you think they have chosen Dysrhythmia? KH: I have to say I was surprised when they expressed interest in Dysrhythmia. We played with The Dillinger Escape Plan here in Philly in Dec 2001 and almost everyone from Relapse was there for the show. Some of the Relapse crew had already seen us before and were Dysrhythmia fans, the others had only hear about us. We must've made a good impression on them that night and they began talking to us a few months later. I think the label is trying to expand beyond their death/grind roots and I guess it was a somewhat daring move on both sides, but it seems to working out so far. In the links page of your
web site I've read the name of a band: Anacrusis! KH: Yeah, Anacrusis are one of my personal favorites. More people should go back and check them out. They were truly ahead of their time. There's so much great music out there that is undiscovered by many. Some of my recent favorites include Circle [a hypnotic, driving, loopy, (mostly) instrumental rock band from Finland] Rothko [instrumental ambient band who use just three bass guitars], Bohren Und Der Club of Gore [dark, slow, quiet and jazzy, from Germany] Thought Industry [these guys have been around forever and have changed musical direction with every single album, from prog-thrash to lush, indie pop. I think these guys are great and seem to always be 5 years ahead of the next "new sound"] Nels Cline [avant-jazz rock guitarist who's style is incredibly fresh and his own. We got to do a show with him once and it was mind-blowing!] |