This is one of our "noise masters
series" interviews, where we attempt to explore the inner workings of noise musicians
- how they perform their craft and why. Today, we have dogproofracoonbubble on the seat.
In case you are not aware, dogproof... is a very small noise outfit from Indiana.
While he probably isn't considered much of a "master" by most, he has
helped pioneer a very enjoyable style of "junk noise" and is a major contender
in the diy scene. He's also notorious for stuffing every single package he sends out
with tons of useful junk. Onwards. 1) How do you make your noise?
I mostly use the insides of electronic toys and radios, synths, vocal samples
(typically always of family, friends or someone somehow connected), bass, field
recordings, etc... then recorded and mixed onto various cheap tape decks.
2) What inspires you?
Well, I thought I originally started out being inspired by the hypocrisy of religion,
drug abuse, and weirdness in general. Then, as I grew older, I realized alot of it had to
do with the reevaluation of my childhood and wondering how I came to be the person I am
today. Now I'm pretty much inspired by my past and/or various personal experiences I've
had. Really just everyday life. The county I live in, Pike Co. Indiana, has had alot to do
with it as well. It may be the strangest place on earth. Oh yeah, sleep
deprivation/insomnia has also played a rather large role.
3) How did you collect the sounds for "noire" and what type of sounds are
contained?
It's pretty simple actually. Imagine an opened up radio or kids keyboard with the
circuit board showing. Then run a chord from the headphone jack into a tape deck with a
mic input, place various screwdrivers, guitar strings or whatever on the board in
different positions until you find a desired sound. the sounds range from almost rythmic
pops and clicks to loud rumbles and drones. the field recordings were either recorded at
the coal mine located behind my house, my yard in the early morning, or from various home
videos from my childhood.
4) How did you get started in the whole diy noise scene?
It all started when my friend brandon/glitch and I started to make these weird split
tapes to listen to when we were high. I'd say I was probably 15 or 16 yrs old. Then
somewhere along the lines I received a Relapse Records mail-order catalog in the mail
filled with all kinds of crazy Merzbow, Aube, Nurse With Wound, and other stuff for sale.
Once we realized that there were other people out there doing stuff similar to ours, who
had been doing it for alot longer than we had been, we than became more
"serious" about it.
5) What are the goodies you speak of included in the "cut up yr world of
sound" boxes?
Each cassette comes wrapped in magnetic tape and placed on a bed of lint with an
ancient negative from the '40's placed beneath. The "goodies" will always vary
from box to box, but, for example, in one box I included a miniature toy gun, a cut up
page from the bible (Aube throwback, eh? -Ed), a valium, a man made from metal
wiring, a fortune from a fortune cookie, etc.... I'm sort of a pack rat, so i always have
little things lying around. |