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An Interview with Jamie Blacker of ESA
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2009
By: Matthew Johnson
Features Editor

Since the release of Electronic Substance Abuse's debut album, Devotion, Discipline, and Denial, in 2006, Jamie Blacker has only grown more impressive as an artist. Blacker, who started his musical career as a black metal guitarist before turning his attention to industrial and rhythmic noise, established a distinct set of thematic interests early on; both his debut album and its 2008 follow-up, How Pure Would Your Utopia Be?, combined ominous atmospheres with aggressive beats and philosophical musings that made an in-depth, though pessimistic, examination of theological issues like original sin and the possibility of salvation.

With the project's third album, The Sea and the Silence, Blacker turns inward, taking his darkest thoughts from philosophical abstraction to personal immediacy. Though tracks like "The Devil Worships Me" and "It's Hard to Sleep, in Hell" continue ESA's more theological preoccupations, the album's centerpiece, the two-part epic title track, is a haunting meditation on the ocean that explores both its peaceful, benevolent aspects and its darker undercurrents. The Sea and the Silence is musically a step forward, as well. Though songs like "Dead Fucking Desire" and "Absolute Fury (In Its Very Fabric)" are some of the most club-ready offerings in Blacker's career to date, the album is also perhaps his most sonically diverse, incorporating not only power noise and industrial but also elements of everything from ambient to techno to world music, and guest appearances from singer Mabh Savage and voice-over artist Leslie Lafferty provide an intriguing contrast to Blacker's own guttural outbursts. Speaking to ReGen, Blacker offers insight into the creative genesis of The Sea and the Silence, the evolution of ESA's live set-up, and his future plans for the project.

You have a new album out. Tell us a little about it. How did creating The Sea and the Silence differ from the writing and recording process of your previous albums?

Blacker: In some ways, there were a lot of differences between the creation process of this and the two proceeding ESA albums, and in some ways there were lots of similarities. I again started writing The Sea and the Silence with a general theme, an unpolished concept. I only ever feel that spontaneous impulse to begin writing again once I have had something external provide me with adequate inspiration.

This time it was – surprise! – the sea which gave me the metaphoric motivation that I needed to start the third album. I then had to create a structured representation of the feelings I had towards the sea and how to communicate them. Once I had that, I had somewhere to move from, a foundation from which I could build the album, with the concept acting as a grounder, a kind of center platform. This is the main similarity between this release and How Pure; for example, I always require a focus, I have to create something which ties together rationally, which provides the listener with a real insight into what the music actually means, rather than just crapping out 11 tracks that are completely unrelated to each other and have no insurgence or synchronicity. Most of my favorite albums have always been more than just music; these are albums that have a life of their own with a story to tell, more of a piece of art than a compilation of audio files. I don’t think I am anywhere near the level of the peers I aspire to, but I can always attempt a forward-moving approach.

I think the difference between the creation process of this album and the previous ESA release was the sense of liberation. I didn’t feel harbored to write 100 percent rhythmical Industrial. This album is far more eclectic, and in my opinion, much more commercial. Releasing a slightly more ‘accessible’ album was never intentional, but song by song, the songs kind of wrote themselves. I was worried when I had to choose the track listing, as the flow wasn’t as smooth as on How Pure, but it has worked out pretty well, in my opinion.

Thematically, the album is centered around the two-part title track, 'The Sea and the Silence.' Is that the first piece you wrote for the new album?

Blacker: No, the first track that was written was the album opener, ‘Tasting Nails.’ ‘The Sea and the Silence, Parts 1 and 2’ were written next, pretty much alongside each other. After this section was written, I wrote the spoken word piece and put it to Lesley Lafferty to present it in her own unmistakable way. Both parts of this section were a total departure from my usual writing style, the first part being almost a techno track with the following part resembling Bhangra, I guess.

The new album seems to be moving from the philosophical and theological territory of How Pure Would Your Utopia Be? into more personal realms. Was this a conscious decision?

Blacker: I agree; however, I would have to say that I did not make this album more ‘personal’ on an intentional basis. It truly took hold of its own reigns. During the nine months that this took to write, I had a reasonably consistent run of bad times. A lot was going on for me personally, and I do believe that subconsciously a lot of the stress that I was under reared its ugly head in the lyrics. Music is a vent, and whatever you write about, I think a certain percentage is always the mind using this creative tool as an outlet.

The new album features a follow-up to 'Selected Drawbacks of the Human Condition.' What made you decide to rework that particular song? How do you feel that it fits with the themes of The Sea and the Silence?

Blacker: This is not a re-working of 'Randomly Selected Drawbacks of the Human Condition.' I have to make that point. It is a track that stands on its own. However, the reason I have labeled it as a follow-up is pretty much down to the recurring ‘feel’ and ‘tone’ of the song. The first 'Selected Drawbacks of the Human Condition' (included on How Pure) was one of my more satisfying tracks from that album, so it was always in my mind to create a sister track, if you like. I wanted to push that feeling that the first part induced further, I wanted to write something that had the slow groove rhythmic power of a band such as Converter with the angelic and heavenly sincere female touch only bands like Enigma or Delirium can offer. I’m really happy with the result, and Mabh and I will be working together in the future.

How does it fit in the album? The song is about loss and attempting to make others understand certain things, if you read the spoken word piece. I hope it successfully communicates itself to that end, also.

Sonically speaking, the new album is perhaps less dance-oriented, and more focused on atmospheric depth. What were the biggest influences on the album, musically or otherwise?

Blacker: Now that is an opinion which differs from all those I have heard so far. I have to say that I feel that although this album is steeped in a very meaningful atmosphere – there’s a reason for the ambient sounds – I think it displays a much more danceable set of tracks than proceeding albums. I am happy that you feel differently, as this has prevented my guilt at the notion of ‘selling out’ from spiraling. [Laughs.]

You worked with quite a few different guest vocalists on the new album. How did those collaborations come about? In particular, how did you come to work with Leslie Lafferty, who is a voice-over artist rather than a singer and who comes from outside the industrial scene?

Blacker: Lesley contacted me through one of the more commonly used networking sites. She said that she enjoyed the music and should I want to call her up to contribute, then she would be more than happy to. Lesley is someone who likes to work; it's that simple. She is interested in so many different types of music and wants to get involved as much as possible, and I totally respect that. I think what we did together could not have been committed any better with anyone else.

With your last album, you filmed a video to use during live performances. Is there, or will there be, something similar for The Sea and the Silence? How has your live show evolved since your previous album?

Blacker: The video and indeed the projections that tied in with the last album were a special situation. I had resources at the time which meant that I was able to provide real and original imagery with the live set and album. This time it hasn’t been possible, which is a disappointment but not a catastrophe. In all honesty, I am still using the projections that were created alongside How Pure as there are still a lot of songs included in the set from the second album. I have come to realize that however much effort you put into creating a more artistic and deeper performance live, 90 percent of the crowd just wants a beat. Therefore, that’s what I will give: lots and lots of very horrible beats! The only real difference is the inclusion of live vocals this time around. I have always employed the services of external vocalists to do this in the past; now I am providing the oral venom myself, or at least trying to.

Are there tour plans in the works? What other plans are in the works now that the new album is out?

Blacker: Tours? It never really seems to work out as a tour; however it sounds nice, and one day, maybe, I will play more than two nights in a row. [Laughs.]

I have a show in Berlin in August at the Schlagstrom festival along Asche and Synapscape, which I am seriously looking forward to. Other than that, nothing is concrete. The next release will be a remix/collaboration album and will be released in autumn this year. It will again be through Tympanik and will concentrate mostly on artists of my own personal handpicking carefully fucking up tracks from The Sea. There will also be a couple of new tracks and some surprises for good measure. I am then planning on taking the next two years to write the next and probably last ESA album. It will be a concept double-album and will again be released through Tympanik.