CHRISTOPHER J BROWN has been dubbed the undisputed Boorloo // Perth king of the electronic dark arts. And for good reason too.
CJB's musicianship knows no bounds — from system-pummelling industrial modular techno (solo work) to haunting ethereal soundscapes (via BLACKANTLERS) to shredding basslines (with LIFE CULT).
Ahead of supporting BUZZ KULL this Saturday at Badlands Bar, JESS WILLOUGHBY chats with the man himself about musical evolution in the void.
It’s been a minute since your solo 2020 release, Revolt. Now that this material has had time to breathe, how has it solidified itself live?
For the most part, it actually hasn't. Since that release, I had begun to move my live sets over more and more into fully improvised modular territory. This is how I came back to live performances post-pandemic. But tracks like Over and Over have been reworked live in improvised dark ambient performances, using the vocal hook as a center point. I do plan to bring some of that into my new set format also.
Has the meaning // theme behind this release changed over time?
Revolt was written around the time of the George Floyd protests. There was a combination of being in lockdown and watching these powerful, historic events unfolding and the chaotic political scenes in the States. I think the meaning of these songs is connected to that time and place, but the message and themes are certainly still as relevant now. They can definitely be applied locally to Cassius Turvey and the recent events and protests surrounding his murder.
Despite the distance between your solo releases, you’ve not been fucking around. Instead, you’ve been prolific – exploring the many different facets of your artistic persona through a diverse range of projects (Life Cult, Black Antlers and, now, Xandarko). Can you describe how each of these other projects reveals a new aspect of your artistic self?
I've always had an interest in different production styles and approaches, and can tend to fixate on certain things to try to figure out how they work. Those projects have been ways to explore those things and challenge myself but, of course, these are all things that I resonate with. I will often write quite a lot of material within a short time period when that focus is there.
More recently, and importantly, I've been using these projects as ways to facilitate collaboration — which is a really great experience. I find myself to be far less critical of collaborative work and the process a lot more enjoyable.
I tend to gravitate to certain songwriting ideas across all of these projects, whether it's certain scales, motifs or samples. I believe I've used some of the same samples/kits in my solo work and also Life Cult. One new Life Cult track started out as an idea I was writing for my solo work and ended up seeming to fit more as a post-punk song. It all tends to cross-pollinate and I see them all as stylistic variations of similar ideas.
Coming back to your solo work, have you been working on material for a new release?
I have written quite a bit in the last year. Maybe 20-30 track foundations in mind for a new release post-Revolt. For the most part, this music has been scrapped in favour of newer ideas because I feel like the sound I have is constantly evolving.
The latest iteration seems to be slightly closer to what I want and that is a combination between the elements I've been writing/performing live: Industrial, techno, EBM, death industrial and dark ambient. I want to write music to be played in clubs but also I don't want to stick to the DJ format of production. I want my music to be danceable but also undeniably physical. I'm planning to bring in more vocal elements and field recordings (I recently bought a Zoom H1n for this purpose), alongside sounds from my modular, drum machines and analog synths.
The idea for me with the project under my own name was that I wanted to stop trying to write a genre-focused style. To take all of the elements I want and write something that's myself and not a stylised alter-ego or persona under a pseudonym, because what that is is constantly shifting. I am hoping to release a more significant work that explores this, but will likely also continue to release some more specific genre (e.g. techno) releases as well.
Always a fan of the live electronics/modular side of your performances, can you delve into any aspects you have been developing for newer material?
Since I started playing sets under this moniker, I have actually never used the same set-up twice. It's a constantly evolving configuration and I'm swapping out things I own all the time. At the moment, I'm using the Elektron Analog Four or Doepfer A-111-6 for a lot of my EBM-style basslines. I regularly use the Analog Heat, Sherman Filterbank 2 and pedals to add some extra analog grit to synths and samples.
One of my favourite techniques lately has been heavily modulating/processing my Piston Honda MKIII (a wavetable synth module from Industrial Music Electronics). Frequency-modulating shifting wavetables against each other produces some really interesting digital sounds, particularly when those are run through granular processing. I have been recording sessions of this and then cutting up this audio for gritty-sounding grooves.
My other favourite production item is the DOD Death Metal pedal — which has featured in most of my sets as a vocal enhancer — but makes a really amazing instrument for feedback with a mic plugged into it. The complex tones that you can achieve from harsh feedback or a handful of chains against a metal plate make some amazing textures that I honestly believe sound better than any complex oscillator or modular patch.
As far as my live set-up goes, I've recently picked up an Akai Force to drive my sets. This is a big change for me, as it’s a step back from the completely free-style approach of my modular rig and back to sampling and more deliberate sequencing territory. I'm really keen to try and find approaches where these meet in the middle, delegating some sounds to the modular and improvising on top of more rigid structures and sounds that I know will work in a club.
Can you hint at what you are concocting for your set at BUZZ KULL this week?
This will be my first set using the Akai Force, so I will be pairing this with some analog synth and physical elements — playing a set of material from my previous two EPs and some new tracks as well. The (Akai) Force should allow me to essentially mash elements of these tracks and find some spaces in between, due to its clip-launching capability. Hopefully, this set will show the hybrid mix of genres that I want this project to be. I am really excited for this one and for Buzz Kull!
What would be your ideal contemporary Australian gig (in an ideal world) and why?
This is a tough one. I'm typically a fan of more intimate size gigs than festivals, but there are so many I could potentially include. There are some amazing bands in Perth at the moment; so many that really should be getting global recognition — Bolt Gun are a big favourite of mine.
I'd love to see Eleventh He Reaches London reunite for an event too. My favourite Australian artist is probably Uboa, who I would love to see live. There's also a few techno artists from interstate I'd like to see here: Mickey Nox and Dep Affect in a boiler room-type set would be a great time.
The festival line-ups I tend to gravitate to seem to be things like Roadburn and Dark Mofo. I like the idea of hybrid line-ups with overarching themes rather than a defined genre. Something like that would be great.
Catch CHRISTOPHER J BROWN live with BUZZ KULL on Saturday, December 10 at Badlands Bar. Tickets available now here.