Alien Chatter is one of my current favourite bands. The duo, comprised
of Rodney Lee (piano, synths and programming) and Satnam Ramgotra
(tablas, drums, percussion, vocals and programming), describe their
music as "pioneering the Indo-Jazztronica movement". That's a pretty
good description, but I prefer to think of their music as simply great!
Started in 2001, Alien Chatter draws on the vast musical experience
of
both Rodney and Satnam. Between the two of them, (and this is just
a
partial list) they've performed and/or recorded with: Beck, Sting,
Seal,
Nikka Costa, Lili Haydn, Macy Gray, Hans Zimmer, Anastacia, Jody
Watley, Chris Standring, Marc Antoine, Terence Trent D'Arby, The
B-Sharp Jazz Quartet, Freddie Hubbard, and the Jazz Crusaders.
When you add in all of the film and television work they've done,
Satnam's teaching experiences and Rodney's M.S. in Electrical
Engineering, you know you have a project with more than a little
depth.
If you'd like to learn more about Alien Chatter, please visit their
website.
Jamie:
Unique is a word that often gets overused describing music, but
in the case of Music For Aliens I can't think of a
more apt description.
I hear all sorts of different sounds and textures combining to create
the
diverse Alien Chatter "sound". Were there any specific albums or
artists
that you drew inspiration from when you were recording this album?
Rodney: When Satnam and I began
to compose music for this project
we didn't allow ourselves to have any preconceived notions about
what
the end result should be. We didn't say things like let's
make a jazz
album or an instrumental pop album or an Indian/world album. In fact,
we didn't even say let's make an album at all! We simply agreed
to get
together to try to write some songs that featured Indian tablas
and
acoustic piano. We knew from hanging out together in other
musical
situations and talking that we both shared a love for some of the
electronic music that was being created by artists like Massive
Attack,
Radiohead, Bjork and Portishead. So we at least had a common source
of inspiration and setting in mind in which we wanted to place the
piano
and tablas. From there we allowed our individual influences
as players
to come through, and our "sound" began to take shape. As far as
my
piano playing in Alien Chatter is concerned, I am continually inspired
by Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Joe Zawinul, and Wayne
Shorter.
Satnam: Yes, and no. As
musicians and humans, I think we are
influenced by the music, and arts we are exposed, and expose
ourselves to. Musically, I am definitely inspired by artists
like:
Massive Attack, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Hendrix,
Indian Classical Music, as well as all the Jazz greats, including
the 70's jazz-fusion movement, and all types of modern-electronica
& Trip-hop. Also, the 80's Alternative, and New Wave music
had a
huge influence on me, especially since I began playing then. There
are so many artists and genres of music that have shaped me and
my playing... that it would be a farce to say that I did not draw
influence from them. As Rodney mentioned, we really wanted
to
just explore the musical possibility and collaboration of the Piano
and Tabla, with the music that we are most presently drawn to.
Jamie: And
I think that's one of the reasons why I enjoy Alien Chatter
so much. It's the collaboration of piano and tabla -- there's a
real sense
of performance on Music For Aliens.
I'm listening to your record again right now (probably for the 30th
time!)
and I'm trying figure out how you guys collaborate. The percussive
and melodic/harmonic elements seem extremely well integrated. Do
you
start with a piano and tabla duet and build the track/composition
from
there? How/when do you combine the more electronic sounds with the
more acoustics ones?
Rodney: Each
composition came together in a different way.
Sometimes we would start from a bass line or a rhythmic idea that
Satnam would bring in and we would build the track from there. This
happened on tunes like "Deep Space Six" and "Rhythms". On "Leo 1",
I had a melody and chord structure in mind and Satnam added the
tabla
and rhythm arrangement to that. All the while we were conscious
of the
fact that we wanted to later add electronics so we had to be careful
to
leave some space. Often we found ourselves removing melody elements
to make room for the electronics. I believe that is what happened
on
"AC 7". I seem to remember a verse melody that got trimmed down
to
the simple piano motif that remains. On "Persistence of Memory",
we
definitely came up with that while just 'jamming' one day on piano
and
tablas. "Cosmos Expanded" was actually an interesting journey because
we wrestled with the arrangement/composition for quite a while.
Almost to
the point that we were going to completely scrap the track. But
then we
began dissecting the elements and cutting and pasting them back
together again almost in a DJ fashion. We ran the left hand piano
part
through a distortion pedal and really tripped out the tablas and
melody
through a space echo and all of sudden the track came to life...now
it's
one of my favorite songs on the CD!
Satnam: The
Tabla, was the only instrument that would get added after
the body of the song had been completed, except for "Kervah Swings",
that was written around the Tabla groove. So, I put a pass of the
Tabla
tracks down, and away we went. Rodney's acoustic grand piano solos
were also all improvised in the studio. We then added all the live
auxiliary
percussion, which added a lot of ambience. So, to me...It wasn't
like a
conscious effort to add electronics, or acoustic sounds, or adding
electronic effects to acoustic instruments. They would blend automatically!
For me, it was just having a semblance of a tune together. In that,
we
could hear where sound sculpting would take form and shape. Kind
of like
laying the foundation down, then building upon that...How many times
do
you hear that one? (LOL) In my humble opinion sound is sound...
whether
it's electronically derived, or acoustically derived. They may have
different
timbres, and certain timbres will not mix. However, they are both
sounds,
acoustic and electronic. Having these particular electronic, and
acoustic
sounds and instruments on the same palette, allows you freedoms
that
we never had before. It's totally a learning process too. By having
so
many "colours" to choose from, we were able to discern, as to what
works and what does not.
Jamie: I
have a sort of related question to my last one... You are both
obviously top notch players and I would imagine you could play brilliantly
for days. But being a great player doesn't always translate into
making a
great record -- which is what I feel Music For Aliens is. How did you
avoid the "trap" of making a player/musician's album and instead
create
a record which is listenable on many levels and by a diverse audience?
Satnam: First
of all. Thanks for the praise for this CD Jamie! It's always
hard to put into words how those kind words, and thoughts elevate
ones
spirit!
Music For Aliens, that name is inspired from the US
INS (immigration
naturalization service) classification of all us humans! whether
you are an
ILLEGAL ALIEN, LEGAL ALIEN, CITIZEN ALIEN, or a NON-RESIDENT
ALIEN. We are classified as ALIENS. The ALIEN theme tied in very
well,
with myself and Rodney's fascination with the outer worlds!! With
that
being said, the whole goal was to produce a CD that could reach
everyone, and that it would be based around our true passions, both
musically, sonically, and unattached to the idea of "trying be different,
for different sake" type of recording. In several of our meetings
prior to
the actual composing, and recording of the CD, we had conversations
about how we did not want this to be a "player/musician's" recording...
we would save that for the live show! ;) Rodney, had to tone me
down
a bit when it came to drum solos. The Billy Cobham, Vinnie Colaiuta,
and Omar Hakim, in me was really wanting to get out! But, for what?
In the end, to us, it is about the song...And if the song as a whole,
is
not the focal point...then, what is the point? At least, for this
recording
project.
Rodney: I
would also say that we got a little lucky and hit the nail on
the head on our first recording. As Satnam said, we did make a conscious
effort to avoid the "trap". We tried to make sure that we had a
compelling
piece of music BEFORE we added the improvisations. However, we also
agreed that while in the improvisational moments we would not hold
back.
We did not want to venture into the lite smooth jazz arena. So much
of
jazz music is only about the improvisation, but we actually wrestled
with
the concept of what type of improvisation the particular piece was
demanding from us. We really let the music dictate where the
improv should go.
Even though this was our approach, there were no guarantees as to
what the end result would be. As you know, when you enter the recording
studio it is a little like entering a vacuum. The rest of the world
disappears
and time sort of gets suspended. As in you start recording sometime
in
the afternoon, and you can't believe that it's already 1 am!
Once we had finished the record, we really had no idea whether anyone
would dig it. We only knew that we liked it. Only after we began
playing
it for people did we realize that the music was communicating across
borders and genres. We would give it to people and only say, "Check
this out and let me know what you think". And they would always
ask,
"Well what is it"? And we would say, "Well, we actually don't know".
Just listen to it and tell us what YOU think. We were actually surprised
that no one really felt like it was a world/jazz album!! It's a
real boost to
have people hear our music and simply appreciate it on an
emotional/artistic level. For me, that's what the creative process
is
all about .. when technique transcends the intellectual and touches
people on a deeper level.
Jamie: My
favourite records have all had at least a little of: "What is it?".
For me, many of the "best" records out there don't fit easily into
any one
category. I have to say I would have a hard time defining
Music For Aliens too...
I've never seen your live show -- you've got to make a trek to Toronto!
How do you play Alien Chatter pieces in a live setting? I would
imagine,
in addition to the both of you, you would have either a band, laptop/tracks
or a combination of the two, but I could be completely wrong...
Do you
make any changes to the compositions -- longer solo sections, different
intros, etc?
Satnam: Uniqueness,
in my opinion, is something on the rise, and fall.
One of our goals as a recording duo, is to perform live as a duo.
Currently,
we run tracks on a Roland VS 1680, then depending on the song, I'll
either
predominantly play Drums or Tabla, sometimes switching in the middle
of
a song to do a Tabla solo, then back to the drum kit. For the most
part, the
songs are the same as they are on the CD. A few live changes here
and
there. For example, on "Sagittarius A", the track actually doesn't
start
until half way through the Tabla Solo, and the intro to the entire
show
begins with the poem on "Sagittarius A" right into "Kervah Swings".
We
are limited in being able to free form, because of the way the VS
1680
operates.
However, we just signed on with M-Audio, and they have a program
called
"Ableton Live" that (if you're not familiar with it), can run on
a laptop, and
can give you all the freedom you could want from running loops,
to taking
extended solos, to creating live loops -- on the fly! This is something
that
is very exciting to me, and I can't wait to do our next show!!
Being that we are a duo, we are also aware of the visual aspect
to the
show. We have been experimenting with different things. Full on
light
shows, with & without 'intelligent' lights, to projections,
and now trying
to find the right balance of all those elements that still remains
cost
efficient.
M-Audio also has a program that lets you program a whole video
projection show, as well as project live images and tweak those
on
the fly! Can you tell I'm excited about our M-Audio union!! Anyway...
watch out, because we're comin'!! Jamie, we'd love to do a show
in
Toronto! Can you make that happen? ;)
Jamie: If
I had a venue, I'd have booked you yesterday! Still, I'd love to
someday start up a great-music-that's-not-really-categorizable-but-lots-of-
people-would-dig festival and Alien Chatter would definitely be
on the bill.
Might have to do a bit of work on the name of the festival though
: )
I can see why you're so pumped up about the M_Audio stuff. I've
heard
great things about Ableton Live, but I didn't know they had a program
that could do so much with video. I think one of the many advantages
of modern technology is that it allows a project to retain a small
band
"feel" with a large textural palette.
One subject that's come up lately in this artist-to-artist conversation
series is the state of the music industry. After your last answer,
I went
back to take a look at your web site, and I noticed that you guys
were
in the Top Ten for sales for the month of March on CD Baby (congrats!).
So what do you say to the people saying that no one is buying CD's
anymore? And as a secondary question, how do you feel the industry
will look in 2010?
Rodney: I
don't think that anyone can dispute that CD sales are down
and that free downloads are up. And I also think that we can all
agree
that the homogenous sound that the major record companies are trying
to sell is at an all time high. I see the major labels now in the
same light
as I see McDonalds. Sure they sell a lot of burgers, but that does
not
mean that they are the best and only burgers. And this is true for
the
music industry as well. There will always be a sort of "fast food"
aspect
to the pop charts. There is nothing wrong with that, and we find
ourselves
secretly liking a pop song from time to time. ( i.e. I hate to admit
it, but
the new Britney Spear's song "Toxic" is quite catchy! ) The problem
now
is that this is the only thing being served by the major labels.
Gone are
the days of artist development and music that serves a greater purpose
than just stuffing the pockets of shareholders. In addition, I believe
that
the average consumer is more likely to download the latest pop star's
hit because they are constantly bombarded with info on how rich
the
stars are. We always see reports of how the top pop stars are just
raking it in.
That being said, I think that the true music fan is still out there.
And they search for their music not on the pop charts or pop radio,
but
on-line, at live venues, internet radio, and a host of alternative
sources.
Our sales received a boost in March simply because we were featured
on an NPR program called "The Savvy Traveler", and listeners actually
visited our site and bought our record!! This is very encouraging
to me....
some folks are just not satisfied with a Big Mac ;) The true music
fan
does not have a problem supporting artists. The trick is in how
to
reach them. This is the battle ground for all independent artists.....
finding your audience!! There are no short cuts for this. Just years
and years of hard work. That's why Ani DiFranco is my hero. She
exists and PROSPERS entirely outside of the music industry with
complete control of her creative output!!
It will be very interesting to see what the business will be like
in 2010
and no one really knows for sure. As long as the majors are owned
by
shareholders, they will only be concerned with quarterly results.
This
is no way to manage creative people, and as the majors are finding
out
it is very difficult to make money with that mindset because you
are only
focused on the current quarter with little concern for the future.
Labels
use to have a certain part of their roster that was dedicated to
important
music that might not necessarily result in huge sales, but would
add to
a label's prestige and would in turn attract up and coming talent.
In addition, these albums and artists would usually have a long
shelf
life that would generate income for years to come long after the
financial
books had been closed (i.e. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the
Moon or
Miles Davis' Kind of Blue). It used to be that every
label had the
equivalent of a Pink Floyd or a Radiohead, but that is no longer
the
norm, and I hardly think that Britney's records are going to hold
any
catalog value when her run is over. And the trend is to attract
similar
artists ala "American Idol". I'm hoping that in 2010 we will see
something
similar to what was going on in the seventies: A lot of smaller
labels that
are more concerned with the music. The majors will still be around
to pick
up those artists from the indie labels who show financial promise,
but the
heart of the music business will return to the music and the music
fan ....
perhaps I'm dreaming ;)
One other possibility will be that the shareholders will dump their
music
divisions in the way that Time/Warner sold Warner Brothers Records
to
private investors. This would definitely return us to a seventies
music
business environment. However, it is just too soon to tell whether
Warner Brothers Records will figure out how to survive before the
money runs out.
As you can see, I could go on and on about this topic, and I hope
that
I am not sounding bitter because I'm not. I'm actually very optimistic
about the future. I just think that artists should know what they
are
up against so they know how to plan and work the system.
Jamie: You
don't sound bitter at all and I think you make a number
of really excellent points! Obviously, there are huge changes going
on in the industry and how those changes are going to play out isn't,
at least at this point, totally clear. I'm not sure the executives
at the
majors have a solution to the current malaise, but if I was in their
shoes, I don't know if I'd have one either. As you say, it would
be
a difficult challenge to create something of lasting quality if
you
were focused (and maybe in some cases solely focused) on
quarterly results.
I also think your comment that for independents there really are
no
short cuts -- just years of hard work -- sounds right to me. Does
Alien Chatter have a particular marketing/business "path"? Are
you primarily concentrating on alternative marketing/business
(i.e. net, on-line radio, on-line CD/download sales) to get the
word out about your music?
Rodney: Initially,
yes. Those outlets are certainly the ones that are
the easiest to get to. We also hired a PR firm that worked our CD
from
November through February. They were instrumental in getting our
internet presence way up. They also helped us get quite a few college
radio interviews here in the LA area. I learned from releasing a
previous
CD on my own that you should focus on your home city/state first
before trying to reach the world. So we specifically instructed
our PR
company to focus on LA. We are still trying to obtain press coverage
in the major LA news outlets such as The LA Times and The LA Weekly,
but that is a much harder nut to crack. This is where the perseverance
comes in.
In addition, the Holy Grail of indie radio promotion in LA is the
college
radio station KCRW. Since Satnam and I had performed many times
on-air at the station with other acts, we assumed that it would
be easy
to get airplay for our own project. Boy were we wrong!! But I feel
a break
through is coming as long as we keep playing and inviting the DJ's
out
to our shows. We also keep them up to date with a short news brief
on
our successes from time to time. So we feel that the ball is rolling,
but
we're also finding that it quickly comes to a dead stop as soon
as we
turn our heads.
The next step for us is to get to San Francisco and try to get the
same things in place there. We're working on getting a date booked
now. And finally, we are constantly searching for managers/booking
agents/recording deals. We could use as much help as we can get
and by getting the ball rolling on our own, we're hoping that we'll
be
able to attract a powerful manager and booking agent that can get
us to the next level.
Jamie: I
think it's interesting (and a bit depressing) that you've run
into the same challenges for hometown artists that Canadians musicians
(and actors, directors, etc.) have to face. I've had more than a
few people
tell me that to develop a career inside of Canada, I should first
develop a
career outside of Canada. Maybe getting things going in San Francisco
will help you guys out in LA.
Your last answer sort of "stole" my next question: What's up next
for
Alien Chatter? I hope, although it's selfish on my part, that you're
working on some new material!
Rodney: We
are in the brainstorming phase of working on new material ..
tossing ideas around about where to go next. We will seriously start
working on new material late this summer and through the fall with
a
spring of 2005 release date. Satnam will be playing with Nikka Costa
this fall so we will be getting together in between our busy schedules.
One thing is for sure and that is we are really excited about making
a new record. And we'll continue to make records as long as that
excitement prevails.
Jamie: That
sounds great -- can't wait to hear some new Alien Chatter
tunes! Thanks to both of you for taking the time to do this conversation
and please stay in touch!
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