Sound is the Drug

Posted on 22nd Jul 06 by Contributor | 0

Artist: Purist Productions
Author: Paul Mc Connell

The evolution of electronica has been a long and arduous trek into our mainstream. From the 60"s" when Robert Moog decided he wanted to hear something more" through the minefields of musical snobbery" the birth of house on the streets of Chicago" the illegality of the M25 Orbital motorway raves "where the Hartnoll brothers got their outfits name from"" and the sheer dementia of the Hacienda days" which in turn bled over to Spain and the beaches of Ibiza" bringing the advent of the super"star DJ. Now every second song we hear on the radio is some factory line photocopy of a photocopy.

In the midst of this are leading lights that refuse to adhere to the notion that original electronic music need be simplistic and unchallenging. The Prodigy have consistently battled against type" creating album after album of brute tech"rock" Underworld still continue to soundtrack dark nights as well as summer afternoons" and genre crossovers such as The Streets or The Rapture dictate that its ok to dance to rock music with the aid of electronica thrown into the mix.

Ireland has" perhaps" taken longer than most countries in Europe to catch on" but now we have a veritable wealth of talent utilising the electronic medium to further their sound. Channel One" Humanzi" 8Ball" Aleko and Automata are all making waves due to their unique balance of rock and electro sensibilities.

But that"s not to say that it"s all movin" and shakin" exclusively in our nations capital" Galway producer Purist is set to show this city exactly what is possible.

Starting out when he was merely 8 years old" playing around with keyboards" Purist "a.k.a. Ross Walsh" began creating his own particular brand of sound when he was 12 years of age" running drum beats and synths directly into a built"in mic on his stereo. Today" with the command of up to 8 modules at a time" he is creating a distinct brand of music taking in techno" trance" indie and ambient stylings" one that brings the polar opposites of said genres together as a cohesive whole.

"I could write a song that"s hard and fast" that has a specific meaning"" he begins" "but then I could write another song with a completely different tempo" that has the same meaning. It"s like having different ways of looking at things".

Maybe one of the main queries as regards electronic music " due to the lack of lyrics and therefore direct interpretation " is how does someone find inspiration to create a piece"

"Everywhere really"I could be walking through town and something would pop into my head" like a tune or something. Then I"d see where I am at that time" what I"m looking at because "the idea" would have to make some sense"" Walsh articulates" "basically what you hear in the music is what my head would sound like".

Another question that begs an answer is whether or not there is any distinct meaning to the music" is it purely a case of what sounds good or are there deeper meanings to these sonic barrages"

"Each set has a theme" each song has a meaning"" he explains" "For the first festival performance I"ve created a set titled "Phases of the Moon" which describes the lunar cycle" as a lot of the artwork for the Project '06 festival features the moon in the design. Then for the second performance" I"ve got a set called "Focused Tones Pt. 1 and 2" which describes the growth of an idea" the inventor taking the idea and making a machine to do something" ya know" The basic message is a positive one" it"s the same as Purist Productions" slogan: "Sound is the Drug"" you can better your mind with sound".

When listening to a set by Purist" one thing becomes immediately apparent and that is that this auteur is not confined to the sound consoles when absorbing influences. So was it a constant leaning towards electronica that brought about the inspiration to make music" or was it something more intangible"

"Well you have to be around your work. I grew up listening to The Prodigy and 808 State" and some hard techno. I really liked what Liam Howlett was doing" because it was all live and not on computer. My dad was in a band for years "playing lead guitar"" and I remember watching him and the band and loving that gel" the way all the parts fitted together".

Surely" to create such a textured and layered sound" there must be a range of influences drawn from"

"Its sort of organic" originally it came from being into electronica but then I thought: if I want to expand my way of thinking as a musician I have to look at other styles of music too"" admits Walsh" "all music to me is brilliant because there"s something going on there"people trying to express something".

One of the main problems facing electronic music here in Galway" or further abroad even" is the immediate denouncement of it as a purely rave culture utility" a way to get people to move. Does he see this as a hindrance when trying to put his music out there to the general public"

"If you"re trying to get a message to people you don"t want to just say it to one type of person"you want to say everything to everyone"" he remarks""but it"s up to the crowd I guess. They hear the music so they either leave the room or stay and find out what it"s about".

The music Purist produces comes" simultaneously" from the dance floors of a German techno rave and the stage of an ambient" guitar"based set. It doesn"t so much consist of song after song" more so his sets are like tech"orchestrations. One last niggling issue: how does one describe this particular mesh of audio carnage/euphoria"

"It sounds like the left and right sides of my brain are arguing and the guy in the middle is trying to sort them out"make them work together".

Purist plays the Town Hall Theatre as part of the Project 06 Arts Festival on Thursday 27th and Saturday 29th of July" with support from Positive Pixie and guests on Thursday and The Galway Gospel Choir on the Saturday. Proceedings kick of at 11:45pm and 9:00pm respectively.
Check out: http://www.myspace.com/puristtones for more info.