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An Interview with Aidan Casserly of Empire State Human
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2008
By: Michael Wozny

Dublin, Ireland electro-pop act Empire State Human has had an amazingly prolific career. Forming in 1999, they released their first North American release in 2002. Since then, the band, whose name is derived from an early Human League single has released five CDs, even spawning a number one hit on iTunes' dance charts with a cover of "Theme from Halloween." But after such a rigorous schedule, a temporary breather was necessary before preparing their next release. Singer and co-writer Aidan Casserly took the much-needed break to record four new CDs, two with fellow Empire State Human member Lar Kiernan under the campy guise The Garland Cult, plus an electro solo album under the name Figaro and an acoustic album under his own name. During this time, Empire State Human's North American label Ninthwave Records kept fans happy with digital releases Popularity?, Rarity?, and Digital City. This onslaught of creativity and collaboration only made Casserly reinvigorated to create more music with Empire State Human. As the new Empire State Human album Audio Gothic is being completed, ReGen takes a few moments to talk with the congenial gentleman himself about this unique time in his career.

Both within and without Empire State Human you are a very prolific musician. Try to describe your need to write and record, how it feels and what fulfilling that need feels like.

Casserly: Well, I guess it's always been a massive drive and need in me to express myself. Music is my method, and I've always sought to be creative through music. There's always a song or lyric in my head, which can be as annoying as it is a pleasure, sometimes. There is complete satisfaction when a new song is written and then recorded. It makes me feel very happy and emotional when the results match the inspirations. I'm sure it may sound somewhat pretentious—excuse me if it does—but I couldn't live without music or indeed being part of it somewhere. With Empire State Human and working with Seán Barron, we feel we've both found a wonderful music and creative partnership and are also great friends, too. Things couldn't feel more positive then they do at present.

You've mentioned a need for everyone in Empire State Human to recharge their batteries after Cycles. What were your mood and feelings after completing Cycles?

Casserly: We were really happy, proud and excited when we completed the last Empire State Human studio album. We had a negative experience after we completed the album before that, Urbanism, for Ninthwave Records, as unfortunately money dried up and the label wasn't in a position to release it in the end. We hadn't the vision to accept digital-only in 2004, so we refused it being released as a digital album only. We decided we needed to work on a brand new album instead, and took another year to do that, hoping the money would be found by Ninthwave for that one instead. We did just that with our Cycles album. Ninthwave couldn't commit to releasing it in the time frame we had in mind in the end, so we decided to go to a new label, Kiss My Asterix Records. That was a big mistake, as the label's owners lacked the vision and ability to make a brand new label work. We were gutted we'd made a mistake with Kiss My Asterix.

Thankfully, Section 44 Records stepped in to distribute all the Kiss My Asterix releases when they went belly-up. However, the album proved not to make the impression it should have, and we were downbeat over what to do next. You must understand that between 2002 and 2005, we released an incredible amount of material as Empire State Human: five CDs, a film soundtrack, a Dead or Alive tribute album, a lyrics and poetry book, and music for advertisements. Our philosophy has always been to make each album better than the last one, and we did that with Cycles. So we weren't crazy about the idea of going straight back into the process of doing a new album until we were feeling positive and recharged to do so. It makes good sense to be thinking of what's best for the band and the direction to take the next album towards. Many bands make such mistakes by not really thinking out the next step, especially when problems occur with labels and releases.

Is The Garland Cult's campy and overt emphasis on fun a reaction to the amount of work done in Empire State Human?

Casserly: I think you've hit the nail on the head there. It's a positive vision and based on fun and pop music and glamor, even if some of The Garland Cult's songs are somewhat sad, 'All Good Things,' for example. Myself and Lar had the idea that it would be experimental and pop as much as it would be fun and dance-based music in its core. The album we did as The Garland Cult for Ninthwave, Protect Yourself from Hollywood, had some brilliant things said about it; some called it a work of genius! It's of course not that, but it was a fantastic compliment to read, having gone through a rotten time with the last two Empire State Human albums.

What are the differences (if any) in writing for The Garland Cult and Empire State Human?

Casserly: When writing for The Garland Cult, it's always with the end result of who is going to produce this track or that. Most of The Garland Cult material is done with outside producers, Steve Bronski of Bronski Beat being the biggest one. The themes are left of field, 'Talking with Aliens' and 'BoyGeorgeICON' as examples. It's more colourful, too. With Empire State Human, we understand we've been around since 1999, and we've built upon good reviews and built a small fan-base that really likes what we do. When writing new Empire State Human material, we're conscious that we are in this for the long run and not for a few albums, as with The Garland Cult. Empire State Human has worked in many themes, from sci-fi to futurism to digital pop and electro/synth areas. We always made concept albums with Empire State Human, up until Cycles. For the next album. Audio Gothic, we are again keeping clear of concepts and instead letting each song stand by itself. That's our challenge for it and for the future of Empire State Human.

What led the Garland Cult to the conclusion that Glitterazzi would be the last album? And did the rise of MP3s influence the decision to release singles from here forward?

Casserly: In retrospect, and taking into account that whilst Empire State Human had a break after Cycles, I personally went into even more of a busy and crazy workload. I've done a solo electro album under the name of Figaro and I'm currently completing a solo Aidan Casserly acoustic one, too. It was a clear case of necessity that I had to choose a reduced musical output path to stick with, so I would not mentally explode! Glitterazzi is the last album as The Garland Cult; we'll certainly consider the odd single from then on. A new Garland Cult track, 'How Cool...Pet Shop Boys' may be out as a single with a Mexican label this summer. The solo electro Figaro album, I Am Figaro, is most definitely a one-off, and from then on I will focus on Empire State Human and solo acoustic pop material under my own Aidan Casserly name, with The Garland Cult popping up at the odd time. It's healthy to rethink the process. I've some guest vocal slots I'm committed to completing in 2008, also, for People Theatre. Then it's a step back to normality and a more focused output. The rise of MP3s has merely shown that the marketplace and the releasing of CDs only is gone. We've had to accept that, and whilst I never buy MP3s myself, small independent labels can't be expected to fork out money for every release to be on CD as well as digital.

In 'BoyGeorgeICON' you call Madonna and Elton John 'vile.' Have you had any negative comments from Boy George fans about those lyrics?

Casserly: They are actually comments George made about them, so I'm quoting Boy George himself there. That's why I say at the end of that passage, 'Boy George, you know,' i.e. George, you know you need to grow up and show more respect for yourself and others and stop bitching all the time. Some fans were a little peeved, saying it wasn't a fully complimentary song about him. The lyrics are very good and sharp and are not meant as a simple 'We love you" lyric, but they are a 'We love you, warts and all' lyric, most definitely. Funnily enough, George has done interviews recently—since our single was released—saying he was wrong to be bitching and moaning all the time about Elton John and Madonna. George was given our single and the DVD video of it, so you make up your mind on who is right.

You have covered or worked with many late '70s and early '80s icons. What attracts you to the songwriting and artists of that era?

Casserly: I honestly think that the pop writing was at its highest in the '70s and '80s. Clearly there are landmark songs of the '60s, but I see a big difference between landmark 'serious' and landmark 'pop.' Of course, we were in our teens in the early '80s, and it's also a trip down memory lane, too. Pop icons are so plastic and afraid to offend these days. Look at the colorful and amazing icons from the '70s and '80s that we have to find influence in! Also, I feel pop in particular has been watered down from the '90s onward, so it's not as inspiring to me as the classic two decades before. Production is the only area that has grown and grown since the '80s. Creativity and ability have reduced in so many ways.

Besides working with The Garland Cult and Empire State Human, you are completing two solo albums. Between the four outlets, do you believe listeners get a complete view of your personality, or are there other dimensions you would like to introduce to your audience?

Casserly: If people are interested enough to want to listen to all the output with the various guises, then I guess they would most certainly get a fuller picture of me. I do feel they can as easily just listen to Empire State Human or The Garland Cult and get a really good concentrated version, too. With Empire State Human, the band is going to wider song areas than at any other stage so far, so it's very exciting to be able to release the next album and have opinion come in on it. Time will tell everything.

When you listen to The Garland Cult or 'Cautious' by Figaro or even 'Hi Fi' by Empire State Human, you get the impression that clubs are a big part of your existence, but when you consider the time it takes to work a full-time job, record four albums consecutively, and have a family life, do you still have time to go to the clubs? And if so, what tracks get you out on the dance floor?

Casserly: Funnily enough, I rarely go to clubs. My writing is based on culture and pop, so as the music behind those themes is club-based, then the package is what it appears as: that we're always in nightclubs. To be expressive as I am, I must say that 'the characters I sing about in the songs' would be way too hard to live with in real life. I escape into them in songs when thinking of themes. They, to me, are like films, in that I rarely sing about me in them. I do in my solo acoustic songs, but not in those songs you've mentioned.

The acoustic music posted under your name is beautiful music that approaches standards or piano jazz. How much of this music is inspired by the music you've been exposed to as deputy stage manager for the National Concert Hall in Dublin?

Casserly: Thank you for the compliment on the solo stuff. I've been re-listening to it on a recent trip to Carcasonne in France, and I really loved listening to it, which is probably a little self-obsessed, isn't it? I would say that my work, coupled with my own personal music tastes, dictates the acoustic music. It's always me with a piano keyboard, or playing a grand piano at work when it's a downtime period. I compose in the shower, so it is easy then to run into my keyboard to expand on the ideas. Hearing great singers and orchestras and various genres really does have an impact, so I'm very lucky to be able to be surrounded by so much quality all the time.

What is it like to be an electronic musician in Dublin?

Casserly: Very lonely! Hot Press, the world-famous rock magazine, has written a feature in the current edition on Empire State Human, mentioning our working with Kraftwerk legend Wolfgang Flur. We are in fact the first Irish band to ever work with an original member of the legendary outfit. I hope little breakthroughs like this will help us get more opportunities and exposure here at home and in other parts of Europe. Even though we've a number of albums out (iTunes has around 130 Empire State Human tracks on offer) and had a number one on the U.S. iTunes dance charts with our version of 'Theme To Halloween,' we're completely unknown here in Ireland and the UK.

Are there any plans to get Empire State Human or The Garland Cult introduced to European audiences?

Casserly: There are plans for Empire State Human, and hopefully they will all work out. We had an offer from a leading German label which they never followed through with, and we had offers before which weren't to our liking. The Garland Cult is actually signed in Europe with the Swedish label Electric Fantastic Sound. It's a digital label and not a CD-releasing one, whereas Ninthwave Records have CD and digital. We firmly believe Empire State Human is good enough to be signed here in Europe as well as North America, so it's amazing to us that the right label for us hasn't materialized. We haven't given up hope yet that we will be successful with the right kind of label for Empire State Human.

Empire State Human is working on a new album, entitled Audio Gothic; how was the title chosen, and what does it represent to you?

Casserly: Empire State Human has always had interest in and from gothic sources. Goth fans and sites seem to like us as well as electro/synthpop ones, too. The album title always comes first, before we start writing and recording. I came across the title when reading, and it struck me as exactly right for the next Empire State Human album. The darker themes and the audio word aspect seemed to gel, and the new songs flowed from then on. New titles such as 'Ghosts in America,' 'Audio Gothic,' 'Melancholic Afro,' 'No Wire,' 'The Drive (Galaxy and Stars),' 'Camera,' 'Seeing Stars' and also new recordings of 'Leap of Faith' and 'I Work for the Government' really seem to shine under the Audio Gothic banner. I guess we're slowly creating a new album that to us is a definite rebirth and relaunch of the band in many ways. Last year we had two digital albums out in North America with Ninthwave Media: Popularity? (an Empire State Human best of) and Rarity? (a rare tracks set). Both were 17-track albums, and we released a single called Digital City with two unreleased B-sides to promote the best of. We approached Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) about singing on a song with me on Audio Gothic after he e-mailed us with really complimentary words about 'Wait Until the Night' (from Popularity?), but unfortunately it wasn't to be with Holly.

Wolfgang Flur is working on a track on Audio Gothic. How did he get involved? Is he familiar with Pop Robot and the heavy influence Kraftwerk had on that album? What is the track like that Wolfgang is working on?

Casserly: Seán Barron was asked to video record Wolfgang's DJ set here in Dublin in February. Dave Ball from Soft Cell and also Anni Hogan (Marc and the Mambas and ex-Marc Almond keyboard player) were all on the bill, so we mixed in great circles that night. Seán really hit if off well with 'Wolf,' and over a period of time, he talked of Empire State Human with him and sent him Cycles, which he really loved the pop side of. He hadn't heard of us or Pop Robot but seemed to really appreciate what we are trying to do. Wolf agreed to feature on a track, 'Melancholic Afro,' as a direct result of Seán networking and making new friends. The track sounds nothing like Kraftwerk; it's in fact more T-Rex or The Prodigy-sounding, if I'm being totally honest, very big hard sound, and somewhat rock-oriented, too. But it's an amazing thing for a band like us to work with Wolf. Anni has agreed to play on another track now, so that will be another fantastic achievement if it all comes together.

Empire State Human is to share the stage with The Grid, featuring Dave Ball. Tell us what that will be like for you?

Casserly: Well, we make no secret in loving what Dave Ball has done with Soft Cell or indeed The Grid. The original Irish date had to be rescheduled, so we're hoping there's no issue with the next date in May. Fingers crossed, we can update everyone with positive news really soon. So when it happens it will be another feather in our caps, to have Empire State Human share the bill with Dave Ball. He's a great composer and to us helped bring synth music to another level.

How has working with outside producers and music outlets influenced your songwriting in Empire State Human?

Casserly: Realistically, it must have influenced me. I tend not to think of who I've worked with when writing a song, though; only after the songwriting part is complete do I know where the song is to feature and do I think of producers. With Empire State Human, Seán Barron produces. Certainly The Garland Cult's debut album, Protect Yourself from Hollywood is what it is because of producers like QUBIQ, John Giacobello, and Baxendale, to name a few. My understanding of sound and programming has increased with the experience of working with others. Seán Barron is producing Audio Gothic, and I assist. My solo stuff I do alone, with the musicians I'm working with and with the help of the engineers, a crucial part of it.