NEWS
EVENTS
Having Words With: Dan Friel
Tuesday 16th October 2012 | James
No not the Scottish centre half, the Brooklyn noise-monger took five minutes away from his effects pedals to talk to the Guestlist.
So this is your first release on Thrill Jockey. Have you been a fan for a while?
Yeah. I first became aware of Thrill Jockey around 1999, when I was just getting into Oval, Mouse on Mars, OOIOO and Tortoise. Thrill Jockey's electronic music generally made more sense to me because it felt so loose and alive.
What’s in store for your next EP?
It takes a lot of the ideas from my last album, Ghost Town, and stretches them pretty far in a lot of directions. It starts with a 13 minute track, which is something I don't usually do. The whole thing reflects where I live (Brooklyn), pretty heavily, in that it is dense and messy and ecstatic, and there are lo-fi field recordings made with my phone while walking around the city (I do a lot of walking).
Can you tell me a little more about your collaborations with Glenn Branca and Tyondai Braxton?
Sure. Tyondai and I were roommates in college. After that we toured our solo projects together and later our bands. There's a Tyondai Braxton/Parts & Labor split album where I play some guitar on his songs, and recently I've been playing guitar and bass in the live performances of his album Central Market.
The Branca thing was his Symphony 13 for 100 guitars. I played in the summer 2001 performance at the World Trade Center, and one more recording session after that which never got used. It was amazing just to sit in the middle of that piece and just absorb all the sound.
Dumb question: Is there a synth or a piece of vintage equipment you wished you owned?
I would take one of Luigi Russolo's 1910's noise boxes if someone offered.
Dan Friel’s Valedictorian/Exeoskeleton is out now on Thrill Jockey Records.
Dan Friel - Exoskeleton (Live at Thrill Jockey 20th Anniversary) from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.
By JDF
