Artist Spotlight: LornHe describes himself on
MySpace as a "22 year-old morbid ass fool originally out of the Midwest, currently in Brooklyn, NYC." This is perpetuated by the dark and gritty electronic tracks that are posted in his player. He's put out an LP, "Grief Machine" as well as a couple scratch loopers. I recently got the chance to interview him, so without further ado...
Johnny: Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you?
Lorn: I'm a visual artist and musician originally from the Midwest of the United States. Grew up in the sh*ttiest parts of Illinois, moved all over the state, Wisconsin, Arkansas. I grew up around my mom's various DJ boyfriends who were playing a lot of early hip-hop, electrofunk, R&B but I started making music before I got into high school after I bought a pair of turntables and didn't want to scratch over hip-hop instrumentals. Started out making loops and around the same time I was just discovering drum & bass and Aphex Twin. I'd have to say the first tune that hit home with me was Aphex Twin's "Come To Daddy". I think that track's initial imprint can still be heard in a lot of my tracks. Now all I really do is make music.
J: You mentioned before that you may be doing work with Ooah of the Glitch Mob, are you allowed to tell us more about that?
L: For sure, but there aren't too many details at this point. Ooah and I will be working on a few tunes, maybe an EP. Not sure if it will become a side project for the both of us under a single name, though... I imagine something will come together this spring '09. We're both pretty busy these days but it'll happen and it'll probably be pretty disgusting.
J: Have you collaborated with any other big names out there?
L: I've started a few things with my homie Nosaj Thing; LL from Lazer Sword and I have made a few plans as well. Doing a remix for Mux Mool who's on Ghostly International (and should get shown a lot more love). Right now I've started a track with this dude Zackey Force Funk out of Arizona -- super ill sh*t. But my tunes can be heard in the sets of a lot of my homies like Nosaj, The Gaslamp Killer, Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, and, for some reason, dubstep DJs.
J: Top 5 tracks of all time?
L: Oh boy. That's harder to explain than the idea of love.
5. Bon Iver - Woods
4. Radiohead - Videotape
3. Grandmaster Flash - Scorpio
2. Zapp & Roger - Computer Love
1. Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal
That's the top 5 this month, at least. All time is impossible and is just another question that'll be f**kin my head up from now on, so thanks.
J: Have you met any of your heros?
L: All of them are dead (Chopin, Nikola Tesla, Lao Tzu), but maybe we'll meet in the next life.
J: Any advice to people who are new to production?
L: A lot, actually... First and foremost I'd say it doesn't really matter what you use to produce with. I see a lot of newcomers who think that if they buy expensive gear and a slick DAW that they will end up making sh*t like their idols, but then you're still stuck in a quest that wasn't yours to begin with. You can make rad sh*t in anything, really... Its all about what's natural. Also, listen to music that you wouldn't necessarily like. I used to hate classical, hate metal... But until I really sat down and allowed myself to actually *LISTEN*, I was unaware of what possibilities were out there. There's no formula (or shouldn't be, at least) for genres and music. I explore on a daily basis, and am still getting my head split open. Lastly, don't try too hard. I think some of the best ideas that come out are ones that were on a whim or stumbled upon through experimentation. If you love this sh*t, making music or whatever, it'll come out naturally.
Be sure to check out his MySpace if you haven't already -
http://www.myspace.com/lornnn**If you like what you hear and want more, check out the loads of free tracks he has up from "
Self Confidence".
