NIGHTWAVES - March 1999
RE.FLEXION - March 1999
OING MAGAZINE - Spring 1998
Yes, I guess you could say I am. I'm a big believer that it's the songwriting that makes the song... more so than say the mix, or the instruments used, or even the performance itself. So I focus on writing songs that are melodic and interesting.
The synthesized musical history of a serial monogamist and closet liberal.
Hmm... tricky one. I think I'll just say I'm glad there is at least small and healthy synthpop scene! It helps to have an audience. On the other hand, I'm confident that the "scene" is growing and synth-based music will continue its return to a more mainstream audience.
Hmm. I don't think I could honestly say that I detest an entire genre. It's not fair... there's always someone doing something brilliant in every style. My least favorite genres are Contemporary Jazz and Young Country - but again, I still reserve the right to like songs from any genre!
My primary influences are all the main synthpop champions: Erasure, Depeche Mode, OMD, Pet Shop Boys, New Order... you get the idea. :-)
I think that the market in Europe has just evolved under different circumstances. Americans went through a whole process in the late 80s and early 90s that made synthesizers taboo... Milli Vanilli giving pop a "fake" reputation... Nirvana bringing grundge and alternative to the mainstream... stuff like that. Europe experienced things in an entirely different way, so instead of rejecting synth music, it has evolved naturally. As for my 2 cents, 3 cheers for Europe!
A bit of both. I have a degree from the University of Michigan School of Music, but much of my songwriting and synth-programming knowledge is self- attained. I broke down the classics from Erasure and DM and learned how they put songs and sounds together. I've tried to take my music to a new place based on that solid foundation of knowledge.
That's pretty much impossible to answer. One of my all-time favorites is "To Face The Truth" by Pet Shop Boys.
Well, I don't hate 90's music, but it has hardly been a musical renaissance. I think artists have been spinning their wheels a lot this decade, doing the same old stuff with a "90s" flavor. I hope somebody (anyone!) shakes things up musically for the beginning of the 21st century.
I don't perform live a lot, but I do a handful of shows every year. I get a really good reaction in cities where there's a stronger synthpop following. A couple that jump to mind are Salt Lake City, UT and Champaign, IL. But doing a show in my home town (Detroit) is practically a joke. Between the rap and the noise-rock people are used to, there's essentially no venues for a synthpop artist here. So, I travel, and it looks like this summer will bring some exciting shows for Cosmicity in LA, Philadelphia and St. Louis (all subject to confirmation, of course.)
A: Well, in 1994 at the age of 21, I independently released my first CD as Cosmicity. It sold out relatively quickly, and I just kept going from there!
A: I think the reason I've stayed a one man band for so long is basically because I'm a control freak. Once I've written a song, I want to be able to make everything sound exactly as I think it should be. With other band members, I would surrender that kind of control and the songs wouldn't come out as I want them too. But still, every so often I manage a collaboration. I have a couple of side projects with other people.
A: Well, the first release "The Vision" was tricky. When the CD first hit store shelves, no one bought it. I sold about 50 copies. But then some people started talking about it on the synthpop newsgroup and places like that, and suddenly the album was sold out! It was pretty exciting, and I dove right into the next album from there. I guess I'm pretty lucky people started talking about it, otherwise I might not be working on my 7th album right now!
A: That's kind of it, yeah. I've always believed that if you have a vision of what you want and you stay focused, you can achieve anything. My vision has always been to successfully bring my music to wide audience, so I thought the title was appropriate for my first public release.
A: I've considered that. Right now there's an album out called "In Perspective" which includes the best songs from both of those early albums. I think that should satisfy most people's thirst for the early stuff for the time being. Will those albums be re-released sometime in the future? Probably.
A: When I released "Syn", I was in a stange state of mind. It's weird to explain, but I didn't want to have to do music just the way my fans were used to. So I thought it would be interesting to go a little more techno... a little more dance with the sound. Hence, "Syn". A lot of synthpop fans didn't care for it, but on the other hand, it got a lot of American DJs playing my stuff, so that was cool.
A: Well, like most songwriters, I think my music is maturing as I get older. I'm writing lyrics with a lot more depth, the songs have a more diverse texture... things like that. I'm actually very excited with direction I'm going in right now and I think the audience will be too.
A: Well, as I mentioned before, we knew there was demand for some of the early material that is now sold out, so we thought a "best-of" type collection would be the best way to re-release it. It's as simple as that.
A: Of course! I can't help it, I keep writing songs so... there will be a new Cosmicity album called "Renaissance" released in June of 1999. For a preview, there are MP3 samples on the web site at www.cosmicity.com.
A: The actual physical state I live in? I live in the state of Michigan in a suburb of the city of Detroit. It's a cool place, but I could do without the cold weather!
A: I hate this question... it's very tricky. My all-time favorite bands are the big synth bands that survived the 80's like Erasure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, OMD, etc. Of course, I listen to tons of other music, but that's the stuff that really inspires me.
A: Occasionally, yes. I did a dance version of "When I Needed You" by Erasure for a concert in 1996. And last year I did a version of Anything Box's "A Moment's Shifting" for a compilation that never happened. I'll probably include that as a b-side on a single this summer.
A: How could I ever choose? I suppose I'd probably pick the Pet Shop Boys, primarily because they seem more receptive to working with others than some of my other favorite bands. They've done some nice work on other projects in the past too... like "Boys and Girls" with Blur.
A: I listen to all kinds of electronic music to see what kind of innovations are coming about. Sometimes I'll hear a sound or a way of arranging things that will strike me, and I'll try and expand on that idea. Mostly, though, I'm inspired by events in my life. I usually write lyrics first and then do the music from there.
A: No, I wouldn't say it's some kind of art. I would say that it IS an art. I have this debate with people often, but the bottom line is, synthpop artists have to be twice as creative as regular Rock and Pop acts... even Jazz and Classical artists... because they have to build their sounds as well as their songs. We don't have the luxury of just picking up the same guitar we used last time and playing chords in a new order. We have to build new sounds, new drums, new everything... and that's what makes it great, too. You know you'll get something that's like nothing you've ever heard before when you buy a synth album. It's clearly art.
A: Yes, I do try to do at least a handful of shows when I release a new album. I hope to get around the USA a bit this summer to promote my new release. I'd love to make it out to Europe for some shows sometime... but so far it's been cost prohibitive.
A: To be perfectly honest, I haven't thought about it yet! I've been doing many remixes as I record songs for my new album, though, so I'll probably contribute a remix of one of those songs for you. :-) Don't worry, I'll come up with something fun and wonderful!
Well, I always liked synth music. I had a synthesizer on my Christmas list when I was 10 years old. (I didn't get one.) In high school I started writing music on the piano, then got accepted to music school (the University of Michigan) based on a demo I recorded when I was 17 and that was that! Been doing it ever since.
Hmmm... not sure how to answer that one. I guess you're probably looking for quirky trivia. Here's some stuff. My favorite food is Nacho Cheese Doritos, I don't like major holidays (I only like the little 1 day holidays like Labor Day) and I consider myself a serial monogomist. :-)
Well, we had some technical difficulties with that particular chat, but an improptu chat on America Online took place instead, and it was a blast. It was a great experience to connect with people from around the country and talk about synth music for an hour or two. I'd definetely encourage other bands to use the internet for these types of forums.
Well, let's see. I started writing it back in fall of 1996. I wanted an album that brought my music to the next level sonically speaking, as well as lyrics that reflected the wonderful experience of falling in love, as I was in '96. So, I wrote lots of romantic lyrics, named the album "Isabella" after my girlfriend (it's her nickname) and tried to modernize my music a bit by using more creatively placed drum loops and synthetic noises.
Live shows. The inarguably most frustrating thing about doing electronic music! I'll spare you my feelings on the matter and say simply that, yes, I hope to do some shows. I'm working on scraping together a couple venues that'll have me (for the moment, just in Detroit.)
Wow. Big question. To be honest, I think electronic music is doing pretty well elsewhere in the world. The problem remains the United States. What can we do? We can fight. We can get as many people interested in what we're doing as possible. We can stick together and create the buzz electronic music deserves. And we're doing it! We've just gotta keep it up.
To be honest, not too many "new" bands have caught my interest recently. I do enjoy "Extra Virgin" by Olive, and I'm enjoying an import I just got called "Girl" by Dannii Minogue. (She goes by Dannii these days.) Also, "Life In Mono" by Mono from the Great Expectations soundtrack is a great song. I haven't checked to see if Mono has an album yet. Outside of that, old standbys like Pet Shop Boys and Yaz are providing the soundtrack in my car at present.
I only get one person? Guess I have to go with Martin Gore then. Martin is just such a great song writer, and I really love what he does with sound. Brilliant. Not to mention he has the kind of devoted fans and global influence I dream about. He's the man. Subtly influencing global opinion and changing the face of popular music at the same time.
Well, right now I'm trying to alter the "texture" of what I do more. Less drums and more synth driven counter melodies and stuff like that. It's great to have a modern sound and everything, but I was starting to forget why I liked synthesizers so much when I was 10. So many undiscovered possibilities with sound. I also think you'll also be hearing more instrumentals from me in the future. But hip instrumentals. No Yanni stuff, I promise.
It's hard to plan the future when so much about my career is out of my control. If I have my way, a few years down the road and I'll be on my way to being the next Martin Gore! But in a more realistic manner of speaking, I plan to start sneaking my music into the public eye in more round about ways. I'd tell you more about my secret plan, but that's classified.
Well, since my first two albums are out of print and the third is on the way to extinction, I'm releasing an album called "In Perspective" that has the best songs from my first three releases. It'll also have a couple unreleased mixes on it, so keep an eye out for that late in March or early in April.
Hear me! Give me a chance! Seriously, I know it's a bit much to expect people to shell out a bunch of cash for an album they've never actually heard, so surf over to my web site (www.xmission.com/~brwiser/cosmicity.html) and listen to some sound samples. If you like what you hear, you can call 1-888-88SYNTH and order yourself a copy. Oh, and thanks for taking the time to interview me, Meg! You're the best! OING's the best! I'm gonna go buy an airline ticket now so I can get out there and give you a hug.
