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Twilight Circus Dub Sound System


    INTERVIEW BY RICHARD MOULE
    OCTOBER 1998 FOR ID MAGAZINE - CANADA


    Richard: Where does the name, Twilight Circus Dub Sound System come from?

    Ryan: I came up with the "Dub Sound System" modification to the original "Twilight Circus" moniker when I was asked to perform at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in 1997. This was because I had already done about 100 shows in the year before as "Twilight Circus" and, based on my experiences , I thought it'd be a good idea to add "Dub Sound System" in order to eliminate any chance of possible misunderstandings on the part of the concertgoers. You know, so people weren't showing up expecting to see someone lifting railway cars with their nipples or something like that. I actually am thinking about adding some nipple lifters for next year though, so any of your readers adept in the arcane art of nipple lifteage are corditially invited to send in their resumes. The tap-dancing hippopotamus troupe has already signed on.

    The original "Twilight Circus" name came about when I was mixing rythmn tracks late at night at the Miller Block studios in Vancouver in a control room with almost no oxygen - after a while, I'd reach a semi-hallucinatory stage of oxygen deprivation and echo-induced cerebral cortex malfunction, and would hear voices out in the hall. The place was probably haunted I guess. So "Twilight Circus" referred to this warped state I'd reach - kind of a twilight circus in the mind.


    Richard : How old were you when you discovered reggae music?

    Ryan: I was lucky enough to have lived in a multicultural area when I was growing up so, I was going to Jamaican house parties all the time at an impressionable young age which, undoubtedly sowed the seeds for my future dub excursions. Its hard to say when I first actually heard reggae because back then, Jamaican music was still in the rock steady era and hadn't quite morphed into the reggae sound as we know it. When you think of how small the population is there, its really incredible to think of how much great, world-influencing music has emanated from Jamaica - its been such a hotbed of recording activity for more than 30 years!


    Richard: You have cited Natty Dread as a primary influence, what was it about that record that floored you?

    Ryan: Well, I first heard Bob Marley's Natty Dread Album right at the crucial, influential point when I first picked up the bass guitar. Actually, some of my mother's friends gave it to me and it took quite a while before I put it on the record player and had a listen - but when I did, I completely went bananas on the sound. I immediately became a disciple of Aston 'Family Man' Barret and played the record non-stop to learn all the bass parts. It was really a reaction like: "ahhh this is my music!". A classic record - I think I've worn out three or four copies of that one! Everything about it is absolutely perfect.

    You know, one thing that really appealed to me was the atmosphere of smouldering tension in the songs, its not a 'happy' sounding record by a long shot. I think that the record must truly reflect the vibe of Kingston at that time in the mid 70's. I've never been much of a fan of happy 'pop' reggae sounds but have always been more attracted to the tunes that are filled with a sense of melancholy. I guess you could say the more "dread' sounds.

    I got a copy of the Bob Marley remix cd that came out a while back and I was blown away at hearing how amazing those tracks from Natty Dread sounded when "deconstructed". Upon hearing all those stripped down versions, I was struck by how every single musician on the record is playing fantastic musical parts with great feel and tone. What an incredibly lucky occurrence that all those talented and creative players could end up together playing those excellent songs - really one of those magical things!


    Richard: When did discover dub? What was the first dub record that moved you? What is it about dub that appeals to you? Is the primal rhythms of the drum and bass? The multiple delays and effects?

    Ryan: Around this same point in time when I was starting to learn the bass, I hooked up with some other kids from my neighbourhood who were also into reggae. One guy had a bunch of killer dub stuff from Augustus Pablo and Israel Vibration which caught my interest straight away. I had also taped a whole show featuring dub tracks from a local college radio show which I can now hear was like the whole "dub rosetta stone" for me. When I listen to this tape now I hear pretty much the first seeds of what I'm doing now. As far as dub goes, it was, once again , the &qquot;this is my music" reaction!

    As bass and drums are my two favorite instruments, I guess its no small wonder that a musical genre which pretty much exclusively features those two instruments would be appealing to me. I also absolutely love the classic dub effects too: repeating echoes, cavernous reverbs, the tension of instruments dropping in and out of the mix. I just love tape echo trails and can't get enough - I'm an echo addict!


    Richard: Tell me about the importance of people like King Tubby, the Scientist, Prince Jammy, Lee "Scratch"Perry and Adrian Sherwood on your arrangements and your methods of studio production. All those performers are/were studio improvisers and engineering geniuses. What did you take from them to create your own sound? And what makes your dub different than theirs?

    Ryan: All these names you mention are the great innovators in dub who invented their own distinct voice over countless mixes and who also influenced each other to reach new heights of experimentation.

    What I'm doing with the Twilight Circus is to improvise while mixing and use the studio as an instrument so, in that sense the working methods are similar. The major difference is that I'm also recording all the instrumental parts myself and mixing them whereas the original dub pioneers were working solely as engineers thus, they were mixing instrumental parts already played by other musicians.

    Dub is really the orginal remix music in which the actual mixing is as important as being an instrumentalist - the desk and the studio become an instrument in the hands of the engineer through which the individual tracks on a master tape are brought in and out of the mix or altered in order to create an entirely new version of the song.


    Richard: When did you first meet Cevin Key and what was the first project that worked on with him and the other members of Skinny Puppy?

    Ryan: That would be the "Orange Pony&qquot; E.P. from Hilt. We had met at a New Years party a few months before and bonded on the Jamaica theme so, when they were needing someone to lay down some slinky bass rumble for Hilt they called me up.


    Richard: What did you learn from them in terms of music?

    Ryan: To work fast in the studio! Lots of that stuff is all first take. With the "Journey To The Center Of The Bowl" record - some of those tracks were recorded and mixed in the same day. When the studio time is costing over a dollar a minute, you have move fast. Those days at Mushroom Studios were such a gas! Mushroom is this great studio in Vancouver where Heart and other classic 70's rockers recorded and is still like a museum from the 70's, complete with requisite coke-snorting table - its my favorite studio ever. I think they had the studio booked up for much of the year in 91' with Hilt, Skinny Puppy, and the Tear Garden sessions. Those were fun times.


    Richard: Was that your first encounter with sampling?

    Ryan: I'd already seen Greg Reely (engineer, producer - Skinny Puppy, 54-40, Animal Slaves etc..) working with samples before then, in the days of the Animal Slaves. The first time I really encountered the possibilities of creative sampling was when I started in the Legendary Pink Dots which was kind of like, "wow, you got that bicycle spoke sample to sound like a choir of schoolboys! neat!". I've had a sampler for a few years now and I still absolutely love messing around with sounds, making crazy loops and noises - hours of fun and enjoyment!


    Richard: As the in-house bassist for Nettwerk Records, I am wondering how you were able to reconcile the funky basslines you learned with the Animal Slaves to the more abrasive, linear electro beats of acts like Skinny Puppy and Hilt?

    Ryan: That's because I'm a musical chameleon. I listen with an open mind to all kinds of music and worked hard at being able to play authentically in various styles - which is essential for any kind of studio work. I love all types of music and don't feel locked into any particular groove or style.


    Richard: You joined Legendary Pink Dots in 1991. Were you fan of their music before you joined?

    Ryan: Funnily enough, I'd never heard the music at all - I just had a great time with those guys during the "Last Man To Fly" sessions in Vancouver, and was interested in travelling around Europe playing freaky music. They called me up out of the blue one day after they'd gone back to Holland to invite me over for a jam session - so, I went over thinking I'd come back in 3 weeks and its been 7 years now already! making loads of records with the Dots and travelling around the world making freaky music has been an amazing experience so far. Its worked out well in terms of the chemistry and the group method of collaboration.


    Richard: In 1995 you started Twilight Circus. What was the impetus behind starting your own sound system and how much of an adjustment is there between moving between the introspective music of the Pink Dots and the more dance-oriented dub of Twilight Circus? It seems to me that both projects are essentially about some sort of space travel?

    Ryan: I was already working on dub ideas in the early 80's - for various reasons it just took a long time to get to this current stage of releasing records and touring. This is all basically the result of about 15 years of work, learning, and planning - I'm a dub obsessive! What's great in my current situation is that I can work in the studio of the Pink Dots so, I have a lot of freedom to work on ideas without the dreaded ticking clock.

    The creative processes of both bands are pretty much similar - to be creative and improvise - pulling the song out of thin air and using the studio as a songwriting tool. We're on a mission to send the listener's brain on an intergalactic voyage!


    Richard: Dub Plate Selection is a collection of new tracks and dub plates that played out various sound systems. With these dub plates, it seems to a throwback to the days of King Tubby and other producers of the '70s. Explain to me the advantages of dub plates in terms of the sound quality and their importance to the history of dub. Also how important is it for your music to be played out in clubs?

    Ryan: Dub plates were originally one-off lacquer acetate copies of tunes that sound system operators in Jamaica would get made in order to have exclusive cuts for their sound - thus ensuring a loyal following. What started to happen was that the 'versions' - the b-sides without vocals made for the resident toaster - often became more popular than the original track so, producers and engineers started to experiment more and more with these vocal-less versions.

    Dub plate culture still exists in all forms of club music these days - techno, jungle, dub and so on. People will cut a special version of a tune to acetate, cd-r , or dat tape and then give it to a select dj or sound system for club play. Its a way of working fast to get the music directly to the dancefloor and to make the young kids prance and twirl.

    That's all I want to do - make people dance and relax! Bass is the place and Twilight Circus has got plenty of it!


    Richard: Were some of the dub plates created specifically for certain artists to play out?

    Ryan: Until recently, most Twilight Circus dub plates were made for my own use at live shows but, I did do some specifically as specials for certain sound systems and dj's. These days when I'm mixing tracks, I'm doing more in terms of laying down extra ultra-dub mixes that I'll send around to various people who will play them out to make the young kids and hippos dance.


    Richard: Your music is recorded live in the studio. Why the decision to avoid programming and sequencing?

    Ryan: That's pretty much due to the fact that I'm "computer challenged" - so, rather than spend ages trying to program or sequence something, I can just go and play the idea on a regular instrument in a fraction of the time. I have nothing against programming and sequencing - its just that I have a method that works for me which doesn't involve the use of those tools.

    I find there's quite a huge tactile, mental, and physical difference between playing drums on an actual kit, for example, and pressing keys on a midi controller in order to trigger drum sounds - Its kind of like the difference between playing baseball for real as compared to a nintendo game. One of the great things about sequencers and samplers is that you can make music without having to spend all the practice time needed to play a regular instrument - and, it has the added benefit of not driving your neighbours crazy with the ensuing noise. I think the rise of samplers and midi sequencing is very empowering - electronic punk rock!


    Richard: How are the songs built?

    Ryan: I almost always begin with a drum track or loop and pretty much build it from there - adding bass, chords, melodies. I never have any preconceived notion of where to go - I work more like a painter: adding a bit of this here, taking a bit away there..its sound collage really. The idea is to get enough elements together to work with in the mixing stage - which is where the true fun begins. The mix is it!


    Richard: In the days of King Tubby, Bunny Lee would stand over Tubby's head, forcing him to crank out the mixes as fast as possible. How much of your dub is improvised?

    Ryan: Poor Tubby - that must've hurt his neck! I'd say my stuff is pretty much improvised already from the very beginning stages of coming up with the musical parts. In the mixing stage I just go with the flow and see what happens - then choose the mix that had the most magic in it. I'm always surprised at what happens when the tape starts rolling and the faders go up - its as if the tracks simply make themselves.


    Richard: Despite your decision not to use programming and sequencing, it seems to me, at least judging by the track "808 Dub Plate", that you see dub not as some of sort of fossilized art form that is stuck in time, but as one that is connected to the techno world and is still open to experimentation.

    Ryan: Dub is, by nature, about experimentation and change. I'm definitely always into trying out new ideas in the dub context. Funnily enough, the track you mention, "808 Dub Plate" stemmed from playing around with a very classic old drum machine - the Roland 808. Its the classic drum machine of all time - the one with the famous 'BOOM' kick drum that you've heard on almost every rap and dance record in the last 10 years. There's one in the LPD studio and I love it - its the most intuitive electronic instrument I've ever encountered - you pretty much turn it on and within a few minutes its a rockin'. What a clever little beat beast it is.