"Making this music has always been about the journey, not the destination."
Am Architect creates their music with precise, articulate use of melody and texture, but does so in a way that makes their composition's meanings ambiguous. This frees the listener to mold the music to their own emotions, allowing it to be 'anywhere' music; an adjective, describing life, not defining it.
Diego and Daniel speak with Altsounds about how the band met, beats, Hip Hop, equipment they use and their influences ...
Diego and Daniel speak with Altsounds about how the band met, beats, Hip Hop, equipment they use and their influences ...
_____________________________
[altsounds] After hours of looking all over the interweb, I couldn’t find one biography on yourselfs, can you fill us in with how you got together?
[A.M Architect]Diego - We met up when we were in another band, called The Panic Division. Daniel was playing lead guitar and I was doing synths and sequencing. We would always have discussions on electronic based music like Mum, Four Tet, Boards of Canada, and Prefuse73 to name a few. Both of us were looking to do something different. So as soon as Daniel bought his Rhodes, we started meeting up. We wanted to try out all of the ideas we had about what music should be, really reaching for something fresh. It has been so rewarding to challenge ourselves to strive for something different.
[altsounds] “The Road To The Sun” is a textual ambient work of art. How would you describe your genre for this debut?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - I think it is just about blending all of the different styles that we like. A few parts ambiance, jazz, hip-hop, IDM...a lot of melody & soul because that is something that I think there should be more of in electronica. We set out to make some music that had all the qualities of the stuff we loved. It had to have the soul and funk of the old school tunes we love, but also the immediacy and sonic qualities of more recent stuff. We wanted to incorporate all the melody that we could, trying to make some dense, really textural stuff. The challenge was putting the right amount of all the ingredients into each track; a little more live instrumentation vs. electronic loops, uptempo vs. down, etc. When we were making these tracks, we would look for whatever would make the biggest waves, and then try and make it as cinematic as possible. I would categorize it something more like Soul Noir than Ambient music.
[A.M Architect]Diego - We met up when we were in another band, called The Panic Division. Daniel was playing lead guitar and I was doing synths and sequencing. We would always have discussions on electronic based music like Mum, Four Tet, Boards of Canada, and Prefuse73 to name a few. Both of us were looking to do something different. So as soon as Daniel bought his Rhodes, we started meeting up. We wanted to try out all of the ideas we had about what music should be, really reaching for something fresh. It has been so rewarding to challenge ourselves to strive for something different.
[altsounds] “The Road To The Sun” is a textual ambient work of art. How would you describe your genre for this debut?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - I think it is just about blending all of the different styles that we like. A few parts ambiance, jazz, hip-hop, IDM...a lot of melody & soul because that is something that I think there should be more of in electronica. We set out to make some music that had all the qualities of the stuff we loved. It had to have the soul and funk of the old school tunes we love, but also the immediacy and sonic qualities of more recent stuff. We wanted to incorporate all the melody that we could, trying to make some dense, really textural stuff. The challenge was putting the right amount of all the ingredients into each track; a little more live instrumentation vs. electronic loops, uptempo vs. down, etc. When we were making these tracks, we would look for whatever would make the biggest waves, and then try and make it as cinematic as possible. I would categorize it something more like Soul Noir than Ambient music.
[altsounds] How long did it take you to write and record the whole thing?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - Some of these tracks have been floating around since we first started working on music 3 years ago, others are more recent. You know, a few of the tracks only took a few days to finish, while others have been changing for about a year and a half. At times, we would record tracks and ideas leaving them behind for months, while other times we knocked them out in a week. Making this music has always been about the journey, not the destination.
[altsounds] Did you have a set of ideas before creating it or did you just get together in a studio and see what happened?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - Whatever is going on in our lives always comes out in the music, so usually we talk about some ideas before we get started. Sometimes we would have a sketch for a certain segment of a song, whether it be piano, guitar, or drums. We'll start working with this idea, and with time the melody becomes its own world. It's always fascinating to see the interplay develop when I'm jamming on live instruments and when Diego starts flipping a sample. We'll usually stop every few minutes to organize all the thoughts we are having, making sure we are on the same page. I might be sitting at the Rhodes, and Diego at the laptop, and we are both tweaking parts. Before long, we're taking it to a whole different place than we started, and that is really exciting, but we also focus to stay on the same page and going towards the same goal. This is especially important because we write and record at the same time, only afterwords mixing all the elements and figuring out how to arrange the final composition. [altsounds] What was your favourite piece of equipment used on the record?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - The Rhodes! Its featured on ever track on the album. We also consider reverb and distortion to be important members of the band. At the end of the day, A.M. Architect is all about a piano and beats. Everything else fills in the details. It's also really interesting for us to listen to just the Rhodes and drums; like seeing a photograph in black and white vs. color.
[altsounds] Your ‘sound’ could be described as Zero 7 / Morcheeba / Boards Of Canada. Do you listen to any of these artists? If so who is your favourite…
[A.M Architect] Diego - Hands down, Boards of Canada. We have both been fans of their beats for a long, long time. I was a sophomore in highschool, when I first started making beats on my home computer so musicians like Boards of Canada, Portishead, Dj Shadow, Biggie and Wu Tang were a huge part of my life then and still have hints of influence in my work today.
[altsounds] For the budding producers and music makers out there, could you let us know the secret to your musical formula in the context of what music production software you used to make “The Road To The Sun? I’m going to take a stab at guessing Pro Tools?
[A.M Architect] Diego - We have tracked parts in Pro Tools, and Logic at times, but end up FL Studio. We used FL Studio for almost all the recording and sequencing with a handful of random VST's. FL was the 1st piece of software that I ever figured out and learned like the back of my hand. The limitations in FL Studio lends to our sound. For our live sets, we use Abelton because it works well with live instrumentation. For the budding producer I recommend to stop geeking out on hardware & software and just start making music on what ever you can. The ideas are whats important!. If you understand one piece of software, rock it!
[altsounds] You have put together a live band for the release of the album. Whats your set-up? Live drums?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - Currently, we are playing shows with a band that includes live drums, bass, Rhodes, two guitars, and 2 laptops, though as long as we have a piano and laptop, we are capable of making it all happen. It is fun with all the different set-ups anyway, different parts of the music stand out.
[altsounds] How have your tour dates gone down with the crowd?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - They have gone great, people really enjoy the vibe of all of this music being played live, the energy of 6 people on stage putting it all together. That, combined with visuals, I think it makes for a really fun show. Plus there is something awesome about the loud amps, drums, and spectacle of a full on stage production.
[altsounds] We would love to see you perform in the UK, is this something to happen in the near future?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - We would love to make it to the UK for some dates, that would be incredible. We are looking into some options to get across the pond, but nothing concrete so far. Hook it up!
[altsounds] Hip Hop is a big part in your lives, which way do you feel the genre is going? Is it a dieing breed? “Is Hip Hop Dead”?
[A.M Architect] Diego - Hip hop was the biggest influence in my music from the get go. The main reason I made beats was for my MC friends to have something to flow over. I have always been a fan of the golden era, indie & abstract hip hop. There are only a handful of hip hop artists keeping my attention now, mainly it's instrumental hip hop and MC's like Lil' Sci along with Cyne & Jay Electronica that's keeping the movement fresh for me. Overall, I think mainstream hip hop is in a recession getting played out like Jerry curls in the eighties.
[altsounds] If you could be one Hip Hop artist, who would it be and why?
[A.M Architect] Diego - Wow, that's so hard. It would be J Dilla because how influential he has been to the production of beats world wide.
[altsounds] Would you like to collaborate with another artist? Maybe doing a track with a female vocalist?
[A.M Architect] Diego - Definitely. We are actually looking into working with a few female vocalist for our next project.
[altsounds] What about remixing other artists, any in the limelight?
[A.M Architect] Diego - We are all ways open to remix other artists. Please send us tracks at soundcloud.com/a-m-architect/dropbox
[altsounds] Anything else you would like to add?
[A.M Architect]Thank you very much for this opportunity.
AM Architect are currently working on some new material, in the mean time get your hands on their stunningly beautiful debut album "The Road To The Sun". This album is an altsounds recommendation, so you wont be disappointed.
[A.M Architect] Daniel - Some of these tracks have been floating around since we first started working on music 3 years ago, others are more recent. You know, a few of the tracks only took a few days to finish, while others have been changing for about a year and a half. At times, we would record tracks and ideas leaving them behind for months, while other times we knocked them out in a week. Making this music has always been about the journey, not the destination.
[altsounds] Did you have a set of ideas before creating it or did you just get together in a studio and see what happened?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - Whatever is going on in our lives always comes out in the music, so usually we talk about some ideas before we get started. Sometimes we would have a sketch for a certain segment of a song, whether it be piano, guitar, or drums. We'll start working with this idea, and with time the melody becomes its own world. It's always fascinating to see the interplay develop when I'm jamming on live instruments and when Diego starts flipping a sample. We'll usually stop every few minutes to organize all the thoughts we are having, making sure we are on the same page. I might be sitting at the Rhodes, and Diego at the laptop, and we are both tweaking parts. Before long, we're taking it to a whole different place than we started, and that is really exciting, but we also focus to stay on the same page and going towards the same goal. This is especially important because we write and record at the same time, only afterwords mixing all the elements and figuring out how to arrange the final composition. [altsounds] What was your favourite piece of equipment used on the record?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - The Rhodes! Its featured on ever track on the album. We also consider reverb and distortion to be important members of the band. At the end of the day, A.M. Architect is all about a piano and beats. Everything else fills in the details. It's also really interesting for us to listen to just the Rhodes and drums; like seeing a photograph in black and white vs. color.
[altsounds] Your ‘sound’ could be described as Zero 7 / Morcheeba / Boards Of Canada. Do you listen to any of these artists? If so who is your favourite…
[A.M Architect] Diego - Hands down, Boards of Canada. We have both been fans of their beats for a long, long time. I was a sophomore in highschool, when I first started making beats on my home computer so musicians like Boards of Canada, Portishead, Dj Shadow, Biggie and Wu Tang were a huge part of my life then and still have hints of influence in my work today.
[altsounds] For the budding producers and music makers out there, could you let us know the secret to your musical formula in the context of what music production software you used to make “The Road To The Sun? I’m going to take a stab at guessing Pro Tools?
[A.M Architect] Diego - We have tracked parts in Pro Tools, and Logic at times, but end up FL Studio. We used FL Studio for almost all the recording and sequencing with a handful of random VST's. FL was the 1st piece of software that I ever figured out and learned like the back of my hand. The limitations in FL Studio lends to our sound. For our live sets, we use Abelton because it works well with live instrumentation. For the budding producer I recommend to stop geeking out on hardware & software and just start making music on what ever you can. The ideas are whats important!. If you understand one piece of software, rock it!
[altsounds] You have put together a live band for the release of the album. Whats your set-up? Live drums?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - Currently, we are playing shows with a band that includes live drums, bass, Rhodes, two guitars, and 2 laptops, though as long as we have a piano and laptop, we are capable of making it all happen. It is fun with all the different set-ups anyway, different parts of the music stand out.
[altsounds] How have your tour dates gone down with the crowd?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - They have gone great, people really enjoy the vibe of all of this music being played live, the energy of 6 people on stage putting it all together. That, combined with visuals, I think it makes for a really fun show. Plus there is something awesome about the loud amps, drums, and spectacle of a full on stage production.
[altsounds] We would love to see you perform in the UK, is this something to happen in the near future?
[A.M Architect] Daniel - We would love to make it to the UK for some dates, that would be incredible. We are looking into some options to get across the pond, but nothing concrete so far. Hook it up!
[altsounds] Hip Hop is a big part in your lives, which way do you feel the genre is going? Is it a dieing breed? “Is Hip Hop Dead”?
[A.M Architect] Diego - Hip hop was the biggest influence in my music from the get go. The main reason I made beats was for my MC friends to have something to flow over. I have always been a fan of the golden era, indie & abstract hip hop. There are only a handful of hip hop artists keeping my attention now, mainly it's instrumental hip hop and MC's like Lil' Sci along with Cyne & Jay Electronica that's keeping the movement fresh for me. Overall, I think mainstream hip hop is in a recession getting played out like Jerry curls in the eighties.
[altsounds] If you could be one Hip Hop artist, who would it be and why?
[A.M Architect] Diego - Wow, that's so hard. It would be J Dilla because how influential he has been to the production of beats world wide.
[altsounds] Would you like to collaborate with another artist? Maybe doing a track with a female vocalist?
[A.M Architect] Diego - Definitely. We are actually looking into working with a few female vocalist for our next project.
[altsounds] What about remixing other artists, any in the limelight?
[A.M Architect] Diego - We are all ways open to remix other artists. Please send us tracks at soundcloud.com/a-m-architect/dropbox
[altsounds] Anything else you would like to add?
[A.M Architect]Thank you very much for this opportunity.
_____________________________
AM Architect are currently working on some new material, in the mean time get your hands on their stunningly beautiful debut album "The Road To The Sun". This album is an altsounds recommendation, so you wont be disappointed.
