Updated Interview with ElectroZone, dated 18 March 2003.
Translated into Czech and posted at: http://ezone.techno.cz/public.php?id=4

EZ- How many members are there in the band?

BB-Burning Babylon is a one-man project.

EZ- How long does the band/project exist? How and why did you start it?

BB- Burning Babylon was started in 1998. It started with my wanting to investigate other kinds of music outside of guitar-based rock and punk, which I'd been playing since I was a teenager. One of the first types of music that really grabbed my attention was reggae, and that came from it's connection with The Clash, who are one of my favorites. Over the years I'd become more and more interested in thier incorporation of reggae. Stuff like "Guns of Brixton", Willie Williams' "Armagideon Time" and "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" are amazing. After a year of furious reggae record-collecting, I decided to try to create my own reggae songs. I struggled with the rhythms at first as they were so different from what I was used to playing but, eventually it all came together. I discovered that dub appealed to me because of the experimental, free-form aspect of it.

EZ- Were there any public appearances of the band?

BB- No, at this point it's purely a studio project, but I've had requests from Norway and Japan to come and Dj. So, I've been thinking about investigating that idea.

EZ- Do you have some kind of home studio or room for practicing and making the songs?

BB- Yes. I have one room of my house dedicated to music and my art (painting, mixed media).

EZ- Reggae & Dub music is connected to a kind of philosophy and belief (or religion). Do they apply to you as well? If so, was it the music that brought you to the idea of being Rastafarian or vice versa? Or is it the music itself that you are interested in?

BB- Although I'm not a Rasta, I've investigated the Rastafari culture quite a bit and have developed a deep respect and admiration for the rastas, particularly for their natural, holistic way of living that's in harmony with all the earth. Initially it was the music that intrigued me, but I've found myself buying book after book about the culture and religion, and have actually incorporated many images from the Rastafari and reggae culture into my visual art too.

EZ- What is your current audio setup? What instruments do you use? How about your sequencer? Do you have a mixing console?

BB- My recording gear has been fairly lo-fi since the beginning, mainly due to the expense of the equipment, and my impatience with marathon recording sessions. Initially I was recording on a Tascam 4-track that I'd bought in the late 80s. I quickly discovered that 4 tracks weren't going to be enough, so I invested in a Tascam 488 Mark II 8-track which I've used until recently, when I decided to go digital and upgraded to a Boss BR-1180 hard disk recorder. My recording process is pretty simple. Essentially, the tunes are written as I go. It all springs from a bass line that I create and a very loosely formed idea of what I want from a song. That loose idea usually changes as the song is built, sort of taking on a life of its own and showing me where it wants to go. With the bass line in mind, I find or create a drum pattern via a drum machine or sampled loops (Boss SP202 sampler). Once I've got those reasonably set, I record them and the rest of the song is built around that. Next to go down is usually guitar, piano or organ melodies/riffs. Then come whatever melodies or sounds I feel it needs (snatches of vocals, odd sounds echoing into the distance, horns and various ethnic musical tidbits). I got interested in the ethnic stuff mostly because I thought it added an element of mystery to the tracks, and since dub is basically just drum and bass, that leaves a lot of room to play around so why limit yourself to just guitars and keyboards? Once I've recorded all the tracks, that's when the disassembling takes place. Now that I've built the song, I go in and take it all apart. Much of the time, it's listening to the song over and over and playing with the mix, dropping tracks in and out and experimenting with different mixes til I feel everything flows together nicely. Then, once I'm satisfied with the reassembled song, I do a final mix-down straight to CD. Basically I think of myself as more of a musical collagist than anything. Instead of making a collage of pictures and images I use sounds.

EZ- Dub and reggae's essential effects are without doubt reverb and echo. Which ones do you use and why this particular ones?

BB- Tons of echo and reverb! Just as you said, they're essential. I also use a lot of phase because of its swirling, pulsating and generally trippy effect. Especially on the piano or organ.

EZ- Which part of the music-making process do you prefer doing in Hardware and which in Software gear?

BB- I prefer hardware. Although, recently I've been using software for creating drum loops and some of the ethnic sounds. Basically, I prefer the hands on approach where I can actually work the faders with my hands as opposed to a using a mouse. Plus, when computers crash, things get lost and I'd hate to lose songs that were in the process of being recorded.

EZ- What audio gear would you like to see in your setup in the future?

BB- Better monitors definitely, a Mutron Bi-Phase like the one Scratch uses. Vintage echo chambers are always cool too! A really nice acoustic bass would be a plus. But really, I'm pretty happy with what I have at the moment.

EZ- Are there any bands/projects in the USA that you respect and like their music?

BB- I'm a big fan of Phase Selector Sound from Nashville, although I'm not sure if they're still active. Solomon Jabby too. He's got a great classic sound. I also listen to a fair amount of Thievery Corporation and Massive Attack. I've been influenced by Dry and Heavy from Japan as well as Twilight Circus. And the spirits of King Tubby, Scientist and Lee Scratch loom large in my studio.

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