Interview: Arswain Hypnotizes Us with New Album, Partitioning

Arswain Hypnotizes Us with New Album, "Partitioning"

Arswain has created a truly memorable album (LISTEN HERE) that we are excited to feature today at Kurrent Music. The experimental music alter ego conceived by composer and producer Freddy Avis, Arswain delivers. Replete with dark undertones that work for the album's heavy subject matter (climate change), Arswain layers in upbeat rhythms and funkworthy moments to make this the type of ear candy that is enjoyable in a few different ways. The album works best as one extended and quite expressive musical performance, but our favorite track was "With Ease" which features a great vocal performance and a hypnotic and mesmerizing package.

Our interview with Arswain should give you an insight into the creative yet controlled chaos of Arswain's work. Be sure to check out the album, on all streaming platforms now.

Can you tell us a bit about your musical background, especially at Stanford and Remote Control?

Stanford has a really amazing computer music department called the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), where I spent most of my time. It’s a crazy place with a ton of history and gear and studios, and honestly it was a refuge from the Silicon Valley-centric culture on campus. After graduating, I moved to LA and worked at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions, which was like an intense form of grad school. I was able to develop my writing and work on an array of TV shows that inevitably shaped my approach today.  

What are your 2 favorite tracks from your album?

“Albedo | No Solace” I think best captures the thematic and emotional material of the album. The back half in particular is by far the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever written. As for the second, it would have to be “The Great Derangement.” It’s titled after a book of the same name by Amitav Ghosh, and there’s a killer live drum solo at the end by my good friend Jacob Lauing.  

Does your family ancestor have influence on your artistic approach beyond your name?

R. Swain Gifford was primarily a landscape painter, and much of my music is inspired by natural landscapes. For example, I wrote the bulk of “Albedo | No Solace” while visiting Montana in winter.

When you are experiencing writers block, how do you overcome it?

I try to let go of forcing myself to create and instead notice happy accidents when they occur - which is often if you’re paying attention. One time my dishwasher made this crazy sound when I opened it, so I took out my field recorder and sampled it on the spot.  

Who are some of your musical influences?

Nicolas Jaar and Apparat are two heroes of mine, especially from a production standpoint. Been really into Skee Mask recently, too.   

Who are some of your dream collaborators?

Trent Reznor for sure. And Bjork. And Bobby Krlic.   

Will you be performing this album live?

Putting some shows on the calendar for 2020 but dates are still TBD. All dates can be found at arswainofficial.com

Listen to the album , and follow Arswain at the links below:here via Spotify

Instagram: @arswain_