Sonic Uprising Archives #9: Decent Exposure #7: Adam Beckley
Photography: Katja Ogrin
Posted 14/01/2013 by Paul Chave on Sonic Uprising
Based in: Stourbridge, West Midlands
Past Projects: Solo Material, Opium Lord, History of the Hawk
Label/Management status: New Solo tape ‘Blank Screens of Hope’ released by Norwegian Label Koppklys. New Opium Lord EP being released by Thirty Days of Night
I’ve never really cared for Biology. My band mate holds a degree in Conservation Biology and it fascinates me how he has such a passion for this area of science. Personally, I’m more of a physics man myself. Yet I respect the work of Darwin. Especially that notion of the species that survive are ones that adapt and all that. I think that it’s a notion that can be applied within all areas of life and it’s damn well useful to follow if you want to be a successful and respected musician. Therefore, adaption for me doesn’t mean crying over the split of Stourbridge based math hardcore giants ‘History of the Hawk’, a band capable of rivalling Architects or at a push early Cave In, with their excellent blend of complex hardcore. Instead it means moving on to look at the fruits that have fallen from the withering tree of ‘T’ Hawk’.
From the ashes of the band’s departure surfaces the calming ambient soundscapes of ex Hawk member Adam Beckley’s music. Cynics and hipsters will simplify his music to the tag of post rock (the genre where nothing happens for most of a constructed song), yet I feel that Adam’s music is worth more than this tag. For Adam uses nature itself as his instrument, recording natural sound effects ranging from field noises and including the more urban sounds of busking musicians and bands. From these effects, he creates stunning musical tapestries, almost transporting the listener to an actual location or time of when the piece was actually recorded.
So without further diversion. I present an interview with Adam Beckley a man who humbly talks about his craft, the reception he has received from his previous fan base and his delight at playing a set alongside Esmerine (Godspeed You Black Emperor, Silver Mount Zion) within St Paul’s Church in Birmingham.
- I’ve spoken previous to members of the Danish noise rock band Hand of Dust about the choice to record their material onto tape. It seems to be a medium that is regaining popularity with underground bands in terms of releasing their material. What attracted yourself to releasing your latest offering ‘Blank Screens of Hope’ on tape and does it bother you that the format is currently quite an alienated medium despite its resurgence?
I buy a lot of tapes myself and the attraction of putting it out in this way was that I’ve really been excited by some of the things I’ve bought. It’s also a way to create a physical media which is affordable but can look great and correspond with the music. In regards to the medium seeming alienating, I think it’s also important to offer people downloads where possible, but offer that physical media as well, for anyone who wants it. I prefer to buy physical media so it’s important to me to offer that sort of package.
- So considering your last musical role was with math core giants History of the Hawk, you are now making music within the extremely contrasting genre of ambient music. What attracted you to this genre and what was the catalyst to encourage you to get involved?
I think I started making ambient stuff around the time I joined Hawk, maybe a bit earlier, but couldn’t really give it much focus. In 2012 I decided that I wanted to do more with it so played shows around doing Hawk ones and with any spare time I had worked on the music. Although busy, it was awesome to do, I remember in April going to Groningen in the Netherlands where I did a really cool show for this group called Wishful Music, and then getting back and having to start a Hawk Euro tour within a day, so it was a lot of fun.
What attracts me to ambient stuff is that when I listen to music I get really excited about cool textures of sound, and ambient music for me has a focus on that, there also doesn’t really feel as though there are any time constraints you can spend a lot of time expanding a sound or just creating a mantra out of it.
- Have you received any feedback from old ‘HOTH’ fans in regards to your recent material?
Most of the people I’ve talked to about it who were more familiar with HOTH have been really positive about the stuff. HOTH fans have been really supportive throughout the time the band were together and have been really interested in what we are all up to now so a big cheers to them!
- I have noticed that you played St Paul’s Church in Birmingham and have released the recording of the performance on your band camp page. I was listening to the performance and I found it to be extremely ethereal. How did you manage to earn the chance to play at this location?
That show was particularly awesome. The Birmingham promoters Capsule, asked me to play. It was in support of the band Esmerine (Godspeed You Black Emperor, Silver Mount Zion), who are an ace band. It was a really special show, and the kind of thing where I’d feel really lucky if I get the opportunity to play a show like that again. I was really pleased with how that recording came out to as you can hear the natural reverb from the room, it was great.
- To help someone understand who has not seen you perform. How would you go about crafting a live performance? Would you use extra performers to help in creating the textures or do you strictly believe in just keeping it solo as an ‘Adam Beckley show’?
I’m open to the idea of playing with others, but at the moment it’s just me. Playing on your own has the advantage that you can be quite loose, and take the sounds where you want to, obviously though it’s also nice to play off people. Usually live I take the raw samples that I use and build on them. So I like to use those samples as a kind of base so I can improve with the different textures. I use delays and distortions live to, so I imagine in a live setting it can sometimes have a bit more of an intense sound.
- How do you create your pieces? Are they all based on arrangements you have constructed or is sampling involved to a certain degree?
Usually the main bulk of my stuff is made using field recordings. Including the more melodic bits. For example, with ‘Groningen City Band’ (on Blank Screens of Hope) I recorded a band who were playing in the city centre for some cultural event, I was standing about 500 metre’s away and used about 5 seconds of it to create a looped synthetic sound. So basically I just deconstruct sounds that I find when I’m out somewhere, so I take my recorder wherever I go just in case I hear something cool.
- So what will 2013 hold for you? Will you be performing any more shows and do you have any more additional material ready to release?
I’m hoping that I can do another release this year, which I just started to put together in the Christmas holiday. Once that is done I’ll be hopefully doing more shows. Also due to now playing in the band Opium Lord (with Nath and Luke from History of the Hawk) we will be putting out an EP on Thirty Days of Night and will be doing some shows around that so hopefully it will be as busy as 2012!
Adam’s Plug Deck
http://www.adambeckley.tumblr.com
http://www.adambeckley.bandcamp.com
I
http://www.koppklys.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/adambeckleymusic
http://www.facebook.com/opiumlord
http://www.facebook.com/historyofthehawk
