SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE CHAPTER005 FEATURES AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH
NIGEL YANG &
JONNINE STANDISH OF LONDON-BASED BAND
HTRK BY
RUFUS KNIGHT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY
MONIKA BIELSKYTE AT
SOME/THINGS SECRET GALLERY
...
RUFUS KNIGHT / SEAN’S BASSLINES BEING SO FUNDAMENTAL TO YOUR SONGS TO DATE; DID HE EVER SPEAK ABOUT HIS FEELINGS TOWARD THE IDEAS EXPRESSED ON
NOSTALGIA &
MARRY ME TONIGHT? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE HIS APPROACH TO MUSIC & INSTRUMENTATION?
NIGEL YANG /
SEAN WAS THE PERFECT ARBITER— HE WAS VERY STAUNCH. WHO THE HELL IS STAUNCH THESE DAYS? IT WAS ONE OF HIS MOST UNIQUE QUALITIES. HE CONSISTENTLY INSPIRED AUSTERITY & MINIMALISM. TO MY DETRIMENT I TEND TO BE MORE OPEN TO NEW TRENDS IN MUSIC—
SEAN WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE TO DENOUNCE THEM & KEEP ME ‘PURE’. I KNOW HE LOVED LISTENING TO
NOSTALGIA. HE TEXTED ME ON A FREEZING NIGHT WHEN HE WAS IN TRANSYLVANIA [OF ALL THE PLACES!] SAYING IT JUST CAME ON SHUFFLE & WAS, IN HIS WORDS, BEAUTIFULLY EVOCATIVE. HE’D CAUGHT THE TRAIN TOO FAR & ENDED UP IN DESTITUTE OUTSKIRTS AT DAWN WITH SOME ROMANIAN PROSTITUTES CLAWING AT HIM. WHAT BETTER TIME THAN TO LISTEN TO
NOSTALGIA. I LIKE THAT WE SUCCEEDED IN CREATING MUSIC THAT WE OURSELVES CAN LISTEN TO FOR PLEASURE.
SEAN HAD GREAT RESPECT FOR THE CLASSICAL TRADITION & WOULD SOMETIMES WRITE HIS BASSLINES ON A STAVE, & THINK IN THOSE FORMAL, STRUCTURED TERMS, USING OSTINATI & COUNTERPOINT. WE BOTH LIKE BACH, MAHLER, SCHOENBERG, BERG, WEBERN & SO ON. WE ARE SOMEWHAT CONSERVATIVE IN THIS WAY & WE ARE STILL DRAWN TO PATHOS IN MUSIC SO LONG AS IT IS TEMPERED WITH SOME SORT OF RESTRAINT.
SEAN WOULD RESPOND MOST POSITIVELY TO MUSIC THAT REMINDED HIM OF THE EXISTENCE OF ARCHETYPES, OR NOTICEABLY AIMED FOR SOME SORT OF PLATONIC IDEAL.
SO WITH
HTRK IT MAKES SENSE THAT WE WOULD AIM FOR SYMMETRY OR HARMONY MOST OF THE TIME.
SEAN HATED UGLY SOUNDS FOR THE SAKE OF UGLY SOUNDS, DISCORD FOR THE SAKE OF IT. HIS APPROACH TO MAKING MUSIC IS SIMPLE— GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS, REWARD A LISTENER’S PATIENCE, & REMAIN FOCUSED ON OUR SINGULAR INTENT, WHICH IS TO PRODUCE SADNESS & SEXUAL DESIRE SIMULTANEOUSLY ...
HTRK ARE CURRENTLY ON TOUR THROUGHOUT AMERICA & EUROPE & THEIR NEW ALBUM
WORK (WORK, WORK) IS AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH
GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL.
HTRK FEATURE IN
SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE CHAPTER005 BEING PRINTED ON
CYCLUS OFFSET PAPER AT
IMPRIMERIE COMELLI, SPECIAL THANKS TO
ARJOWIGGINS GRAPHIC
PREORDERS AVAILABLE FOR
SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE CHAPTER005 / SHE HAS NO STRINGS APOLLO AT OUR ONLINE
BOUTIQUE
November22/2011 09/32PM 
