1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
In Arcadia started off as a recording project that I could do at home, away from what I was doing in my other band Upcdownc. I wanted to try something different and thought it would be interesting to explore writing with synthesizers instead of using guitar as the lead instrument like I normally would. I would describe it as Dark Ambient Soundscapes.
2.You have a new album coming out in December, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
"Phon" is definitely the direction I had in mind when I started In Arcadia. My first album "From the Dark" was more about getting to grips with recording and writing songs using synths/keys which was relatively new to me. Quite a lot of "Phon" came from experimenting and improvising straight to tape which definitely made it a lot more free flowing. The album itself is divided into 3 main sections and each section builds around a lead instrument but it's supposed to be listened to as a whole, all in one sitting rather than separate songs.
3.In 2020 you have released a good amount of material, do you spend a great amount of your time writing and creating music?
I am definitely one of those people that is always with a guitar or an instrument in their hands. I'm lucky that a lot of my equipment is set up at all times so during any free moment I can plug something in and start playing around and then quickly throw a microphone in front of it and record it.
4.A lot of your music is sci-fi themed, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
I'm a big fan of movie soundtracks be it Sci-Fi or Horror and their use of synthesizer sounds. I was really fascinated by the War of the Worlds art work and soundtrack as a kid and the 2 original Terminator movies had a big influence on me. The sounds within those films are so important to the narrative and you can pretty much follow the story without the need for dialogue.
5.With this project you record everything by yourself but also have experience playing with a full band, how would you compare the two?
I think the main difference is that you don't really have anyone else to bounce your ideas off, but at the same time you are free to take any direction you want without worrying if everyone else is in to it. I guess you just have to trust your instincts more.
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'In Arcadia'?
The name came from an episode of the X-files which sounds a bit geeky but I think I was watching the box set when I first started recording and thought it sounded like a good fit.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
When listening back to the album it had this other-worldly feel which conjured up different images and narratives depending on which part you listened to. I saw some images that my friend Yasmin El-Amery had drawn and thought the style would really work. She basically listened to the whole album and then drew three images that came to mind for each section. We spoke about certain colours that I thought might work but the images/design are all her ideas and I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I think it will be interesting to see how people interpret the images with the music when they sit and listen to it.
8.So far you have recorded a Zoom performance, are there any plans for live performances once the pandemic is over with?
I've not really thought much about live performances as of yet. The Zoom recording was part of a local event called Minimus which encourages people to improvise and everyone involved takes a turn to ad lib a small sound composition. It was fun to do so I'm hoping to do some more things like that once life gets back to some sort of normality. I did do another short improvisation for a project connected to Minimus where I recorded myself performing in a local fort which was quite fun, despite the rain. I used old tape players which I recorded loops onto along with a live guitar and the rain kind of added to the sounds and atmosphere which was cool.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of ambient, drone and noise?
People seem to be reacting positively. I don't really think it's on much of a worldwide scale quite yet, but I did sell a few of my last cassette in Canada, the US and Greece, as well as the UK which was nice. I'm just happy it's out there and people can access it.
10.What is going on with 'Upcdownc' these days?
We released our new album "Score" in September, also via Trepanation Recordings and sales and reviews have been positive. We started rehearsing again, mainly with the hope to get out and play some shows but have also recently started writing some new music for our next release so watch this space I guess.
11.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
As well as working on some new stuff with Upcdownc, I also have another band called Dead Mammals that will be releasing a full album next year. It's something I've been working on with a friend (who does the vocals) throughout 2020 and it explores a more Noise Rock/Post Punk direction that I've always wanted to do, which is very guitar and bass driven. I've also finished another In Arcadia project which will hopefully come out in 2021. It's definitely been a productive year.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I think the biggest influences on "Phon" have been the early Tangerine Dream albums like "Phaedra" and the album "Celestite" by Wolves in the Throne Room. Throughout the year I've been listening to quite a lot of albums from bands like Thou, Unwound and the new Metz album. I also recently heard the new Liturgy album called "Origin of the Alimonies" which I'm really getting into.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the taking the time to do this interview and to anyone who reads it. Also a big thank you to Dan at Trepanation Recordings for the continued support. I hope people enjoy the album. Please also check out my other projects. Let's hope 2021 is a great year for everyone!
https://deadmammals.bandcamp.com/
https://upcdownc.bandcamp.com/
https://inarcadia1.bandcamp.com/
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