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Medic

Medic: Well, I tend to keep the literal meaning a bit of a secret, but if someone really wants to know, it isn't too hard to figure out. One reason I liked the title is simply because I felt it was sort of original and I thought it might grab the attention of the people. I'm also a big nerd and a transhumanist, so I'm all about computers and technology, and since the music contained on the album is not only made using mostly digital means but is also data in itself, I thought the title was fitting. I won't really be explaining my reasons for the literal translation of the code because I'm keeping that a secret, but I encourage those who are interested to go and do some research on binary code and transhumanism.

The album also features a collaboration with renowned bassist Charles Levi. How did you meet him and how did he come to play on the album?

Medic: I believe I first met Charles at the Thunderdome club in south Baltimore back when it was still in existence. I met a lot of great people there actually: Al Jourgensen, Sasha and Lucia (KMFDM), Jamie and Jason of Acucrack, Orgy, and quite a few others. I miss that place. Anyway, I think that's where I first met Charles. I'd already wanted to incorporate some guitar or bass on the album, and he seemed like a pretty good candidate, and he's a great guy, so I guess it just went from there. I was honored that he felt my work was good enough for him to associate his name with, and I think he did a great job; he actually did more than I even asked him to, so of course I was happy to put his work to use on the album. I intend to incorporate more guitar and vocals on the next album as well, and I'm sure there'll be quite a few guests appearing on there.

Besides your own music, you're also a DJ in the Baltimore/DC circuit. How would you say that your work as a DJ has been a benefit to you as musician? How has it affected some of the decisions you've made in the release of your own music?

Medic: Well, lately I'm starting to move outside of the Baltimore/DC circuit a bit and working on parts of the northeast, like Philly, New York, etc., but Baltimore is my home and central base of operations, and DC is her sister, and I love them both dearly. Anyway, prior to the release of my album I'd only been DJing out in the scene on a regular basis for maybe half a year or so, and much of the music on the album was written before then, so I don't know that being a DJ had a major influence on the actual writing and production that took place on the album, but it's inevitably had an effect on how I've approached the scene with a finished album in hand. While some of the material on the album is danceable, I don't know that my album was meant so much for the clubs. I have a lot of friends that DJ, and I know some of them have played my material in the clubs, and of course I've done this a bit myself, but I think in some ways my album is a bit too experimental for club play. I've probably had more airplay on FM radio than I've had in clubs since the album came out. One of the songs on the album was even used on network television, and I think that's great, but I would like more club play, and on the next album I intend to have some more club and DJ-friendly tracks, which to some extent will be the direct influence of being more familiar and experienced with being a DJ myself. Simple things like adding the right kind of intro and outro on a track can go a long way in terms of making it more DJ-friendly. Aside from having the option to play my own tracks when DJing, being a DJ has also benefited me as a musician in that I'm better able to keep my finger on the pulse of the scene and get a better idea of what people are currently into and going for musically. It's also a really great way to meet people and to share my love of music—and music in and of itself—with others, and I find that very gratifying. I want to move people and bring them joy, to give them a sanctuary where they can escape and retreat from the worries that mundane reality may plague them with. I've found that DJing and organizing and promoting parties and events can be a great way to do this.

As laptop musicians and DJs are becoming rather commonplace, what are your thoughts on the style, and what can it do to maintain interest in a scene that seems to move rather quickly through different crazes and trends?

Medic: To be honest, I'm not too concerned with whether or not the way of the laptop maintains interest in any scene really. If people find a new and different way to go about things, then I'm sure I'll be just as excited about that. I'm a tech geek and a transhumanist, like I said before, so I think new methods and new machines are interesting and sometimes exciting. I've always done most of my work on computers simply because that's what feels most natural and comfortable to me and because I haven't been able to afford a lot of other expensive gear, but I say whatever works for the individual is what they should go with. Some people give me a lot of shit for being a laptop punk and for going about things the way I have, but I don't give a fuck. I don't give anyone shit for how they go about things, and I think the end product and result is what's most important in the whole process. I don't do it nearly as much these days, but I used to pre-mix most of my DJ sets ahead of time. This wasn't due to an inability to mix on the fly, it was simply a choice I made, because I knew I could make my sets sound better if I mixed them in advance, and I didn't always feel like being confined to a DJ booth at a gig. I'd finally gotten to the point that I was more comfortable mixing my sets in real time at the venue, and then the smoking ban kicks in for Baltimore city. I smoke a lot, and I'd smoke even more when I was DJing, so now I'm finding I want to go back to mixing more of my sets ahead of time just so I can be outside to smoke when I want to. In New York, they've had a smoking ban for years, but they still let DJs and bands smoke inside at the clubs I DJ at up there. I hope that with time this is how things turn out in Baltimore; either that or I hope I quit smoking, and obviously the latter is better. Anyway, I have a tendency to avoid doing things live. I don't like it. I recently saw a major act in DC and Philly, and they weren't doing most of their performance live; they were pretending. Other acts do the same thing. I don't know if I care too much. They still sound great and look good on stage. For myself, though, I'm doing more things live nowadays because it does add a different element to performance, and it can be really fun and exciting.

It states on your MySpace bio that you are planning to launch a tour in the near future. What can you tell us about your tour plans? Is it close to becoming a reality? What would a tour for Medic entail? Would it be just you on stage, or would you have backing musicians? What sorts of visuals would you have, and how would they relate to the concept of Medic's music?

Medic: I don't know that I could say the tour is close to becoming a reality. There are solid plans to tour with Red This Ever in the Midwest and up and down the east coast, probably as far south as Florida. We don't have any official 'tour' dates booked, but all of us are doing gigs all over the place right now as it is. We're about to go back up to New York City for more gigs up there. Right now, I'm waiting for Red This Ever to wrap up production on their full-length, Selfless, and then we'll all be hitting the road together to promote our respective works. I've already gone on the road with Red This Ever, and they're very dear friends of mine, and every time we take to the roads we raise all hell and have a fucking blast. We have the connections we need to book this tour, so it's only a matter of time before we take half the nation, and I can't fucking wait. For this tour, I'll probably just be DJing during the shows, doing sets before, between, and after bands. Who knows, I may end up joining Red This Ever on stage for some action.

I have lots of ideas for a live incarnation of Medic outside of just DJing, but I don't intend to develop that until I go to tour for the second album. Even then, I'm not sure if I'll do it or not, because the kind of live act I'd like to have would probably be quite costly, and I take starving artist to the Nth degree. While I'm a laptop kind of guy, I'm not going to just go up in front of a crowd and stand behind a laptop and call that a performance. Some people do that, and that's fine, but I feel like I may as well just stick to DJing if that's all I have to offer as a live act. At the very least, I'd like to incorporate some nice lighting and video. I do video production in addition to music, and I have lots of great material to work with already. I'd like to release some of it on a DVD with surround sound in the future, but we'll see. I have lots of finished video that I developed for Sonar in Baltimore years ago, and I'd probably use some of that on the road along with some other things. I've provided VJ Umbris with some of this material so that he can use it when he and I are doing gigs together where I'm DJing and he's doing visuals (I love the work he does, by the way). As for what the visuals are like, a lot of the video I've already done is sort of your stock industrial stuff; I've done some bondage with myself and a female model, I shot on location at Three Mile Island, sampled video from anti-terrorism documentaries, used some satellite imagery (I love satellite imagery), stuff like that. Not all of it follows your typical industrial aesthetic, though. I've done some shooting in nature, some work with smoke and liquids, and some pretty neat looking CG too, among other things.

Outside of the concepts that went into the album art for 01101100011011110111011001100101 and other promotional content that I developed specifically for Medic, the visual work I've done was not made to specifically relate to the concept of Medic's music. My visual aesthetic is inevitably going to be represented in anything that I do visually, and that's good enough for me. Themes and patterns will emerge and people will make relations between my visual work and what I do with audio. I grew up as a visual artist from a very young age and then started working with audio in high school, so I definitely appreciate visual elements and enjoy working with them as well. Anyway, I have lots of great ideas for a live act for Medic both in terms of video and lighting but also in other performance-oriented ways, but we'll see what happens. For now, I'm just really excited about hitting the road with Red This Ever to promote my current album and to gain some memorable experiences.

Some tracks on 01101100011011110111011001100101 distinctly sample Coil's Precursor mix of Nine Inch Nails' 'Closer.' How much of an influence would you say either of these two bands have had on the way you approach your own music? What other influences do you draw from and how do you think your music compares to or complements those influences?

Medic: I think you're the first person to actually notice this. I've got give you props for being so observant! Those sounds were actually designed by Keith Hillebrandt. He's done lots of work with Nine Inch Nails, and I have a fair amount of his sounds that I'm allowed to work with (he makes them available for sale). He also seems like a pretty nice guy from my experience talking to him, but we haven't talked much. Anyway, I can't say that Coil has been a huge influence because I'm only so familiar with their work (although I should probably change that). Nine Inch Nails, on the other hand, is a completely different story altogether. I'm a huge Nine Inch Nails fan and I have been for a long time. Like many people, I can't say I'm as into the newer stuff, but I do dig some of it. As for how Trent Reznor's work influences my approach to music, well, I've always really appreciated Trent's ability to create a very thick, rich, and well-textured mix. You have the surface of the mix, but there's almost always a lot more involved, particularly during The Downward Spiral and The Fragile eras. I could easily point out at least five subliminal messages in his work, so if you have the ear and the interest, there's much in his work to explore. I try to achieve the same thing in some of my work, but creating a thick mix with a solid surface isn't always so easy in my experience. I also like that Trent Reznor is able to be so personal and to put so much feeling into his work. That's something I strive for and something I hope to do a lot more of on my next album.

I can also relate to Trent's desire to avoid being pigeonholed as an industrial act. While I'm currently most embedded in the industrial scene, I think my work is influenced by and reflects many other genres as well. I'm a big fan of electronic music as a whole, and anyone who comes to Cabal, where I'm able to play whatever I like knows, this. I was initially turned onto lots of different types of electronic music back in the early '90s, and then I started going to rave parties in the mid to late '90s, back when I was in high school, and I discovered a lot of great trance, house, drum 'n bass, breaks, stuff like that. I also really like some ambient and IDM, too. My early work sounds more like Autechre, Panasonic, or perhaps some of Richard D. James' work: very glitchy, experimental, ambient noise kind of stuff. At the time when I was creating this music and noise, I didn't know of anything like it being made, and I was self-conscious about my work because I didn't know of anything that sounded like it. It wasn't very accessible and it wasn't at all danceable. So I decided to move in a different direction, and that's where you have me today; I'm trying to make music that people can move to but that doesn't always follow typical structures or formats and that hopefully has some more interesting sounds to listen to. As far as that goes, I will say that I've always really appreciated Trent Reznor's ability to incorporate some very interesting sounds, noise, and instrumentation into his music and still have it be quite accessible or follow a more pop-oriented structure. Usually you have just one or the other, but I think he does a great job of bridging interesting and unconventional sounds with solid hooks and surface structure. It challenges you as a listener, but at the same time it's not hard to get into. Anyway, my point was that I don't think I should just be labeled as an industrial or EBM act, and I know Trent Reznor has felt the same way. I love industrial music, but I'm also into a lot of other things too. Right now, I'm really into electro and breaks and I'm trying to explore psy-trance a bit more. As a DJ, I'm always looking for new stuff to play in the clubs, too.

As for other specific influences in terms of bands or artists, I guess some of the biggest ones would have to be Front 242, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Meat Beat Manifesto/Jack Dangers, KMFDM, Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Front Line Assembly, Kraftwerk, Plastikman/Richie Hawtin, Orbital, The Chemical Brothers, and Underworld, but again, I love all different kinds of music and I try to keep a very open mind when it comes to art as a whole. As for how my music compares to or compliments my influences, I'm not totally sure. Perhaps I'll leave that up to the audience. I've said in the past that only nothing is original, for it is from that which all things come. I'm not necessarily trying to do anything new here. As an artist, my integrity means a lot to me, so I'm not going to compromise that for anything, but I try to meet the audience in the middle, and I do want to make music that people can get into and that moves them, either physically or emotionally. I'm very critical of my work, and I always feel like it could be better, so I'm really looking forward to showing people what I'm really capable of as I grow and improve on a technical level. Again, I'm also looking to put more and more feeling into my work, so I look forward to developing more of an emotional connection with fans in time. I'm also not just trying to create music that's dark. I want some of my work to be able to make people happy, and I want to be able to include positive elements as well, which is yet another reason why I don't think I should just be labeled as 'industrial.' industrial music is often quite dark and at times rather unfeeling. I'd like my work to be a little more all-encompassing and personal.

As a DJ in Baltimore, you're a regular at Cabal on Wednesday nights. What are your thoughts on the underground music scene in Baltimore and your place in it?

Medic: Yeah, Cabal is my baby. Cabal is my first experience as a resident DJ and manager/promoter of a weekly event. We just celebrated our one-year anniversary, and I couldn't be happier with the way things have gone so far, thanks to our supporters and all the people who've helped make it possible. For more on this, people should visit www.myspace.com/medixcabal and check out our blog. Add us while you're there. Anyway, I think we have a pretty healthy scene in Baltimore. I say this because I go to other cities on the east coast, and I hear a little bit of complaining about the lack of a scene in those cities from the people who live there, and it does seem like maybe they have slightly less options in those cities. By visiting those cities, DJing at their clubs, and promoting what they have to offer, I'm hoping to do a small part to add to those scenes. Right now, I genuinely love every city I've gone to so far, though. I'm not just saying this to be a good politician, because I'm no fucking politician; I mean what I say. I always have a great time when I travel outside of the Baltimore area, and the people are very friendly.

Anyway, I've always said that if there isn't a scene, then you make one, perhaps because that's the business I'm in and what I do. I don't hear too much complaining from those in Baltimore and DC, which is nice. I do hear some, and I'll admit that I've grown quite tired of it, really, so I'm going to be a total hypocrite here and complain about people complaining. Again, if there isn't a scene, stop complaining and get off your ass and do something about it! I hear more complaining from artists in the scene than anyone else, really. I try and do my part, though; aside from doing Cabal every week, I book live acts for one-off events and live shows several times a year, and I try and promote as many artists and DJs as I can. I also promote and attend other events and club nights in my local scene. These things are important. Even if you don't 'work' in the scene, you can still show your support simply by going out or posting a bulletin online to let people know where you're going, little things like that. I know many people who do things like this, and it means so much to me, and I think it's vital if you want to be able to have a better time when you go out. I may be making it sound like work, but it's really not, at least to me. It's just the business of fun, and I'll love it 'till I die. Most people like bigger crowds when they go out; you showing up and bringing a friend creates this. The more people who show up, the more we who put on these events and nights are able to do, because we gain more capital and clout to work with. Quite simply, you get out what you put in. I have some ideas on a couple of things that Baltimore is missing in terms of club nights right now, but I don't want to give 'em away because I'd like to be the one to bring them back to Baltimore right now, so shhhhhhh. Anyway, I don't have much to complain about really in terms of my local scene. I'm proud to be a contributor in this scene, and I love all the people I get to work with and patrons I get to party with. I really look forward to what's to come. Join us, won't you?