1. Zoviet FranceMohnomishe
Can you remember when you first came across Zoviet France’s music?
I think it was in an old Autechre interview. Sean [Booth] mentioned them, and I love the quote that he used – it really sunk in. He said that his favourite thing about Zoviet France is the way that they suggest melody in their music. I think their music’s so subtle. There’s so much going on but it’s all cloaked under a layer of fuzz. There’s a ghostly quality to it that’s really stuck with me. I think this is my favourite album from them. There’s a video on YouTube where somebody clipped some visuals from an art film to the record, and I just love how the visual and the music sync up.
Since I discovered the record, Mark [Warren] from Zoviet France has done a couple of remixes of my tracks over the years. We became good pals over the years because they’re from the same part of the world as most of my family – sort of around the Newcastle and Northumberland area – so I have a good bond with them just as northerners. They come and hang out with me from time to time when they’re in Berlin. The use of texture and analogue hums in their work has been quite influential. I like to find a balance between really polished, digital sounds and having that less clean layer of fuzz on top. I like the contrast of it – it’s a form of decoration I suppose. When I do mixdowns, I like having certain things stand out and be quite clean and obvious, but I do like adding a layer of muck over things where I can.
