Interview with John Cohen (Dead Fader) by Sarah Phelan

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Dead Fader is the work of Berlin based John Cohen, creating a sound that feels like an electric world pushed into overdrive, with searing dub heavy electrics screeching in protest as every morsel is fuzzed, overdriven, distorted and destabilized. Whether you’d describe the sound as aggressive dubstep, brutalized hip hop, noise funk or lofi industrial electrics, there’ no denying the visceral ear shattering power of the music. Releasing the highly textural abrasive music on labels like Kid606′ Tigerbeat6, 3by3, and Robot Elephant, Dead Fader initially began as a collaboration with Barry Prendergast though since 2011 it’s been the sole domain of Cohen.

Cyclic caught up with Cohen late last year, just prior to the release of his blistering debut solo LP Deaf Arena (Exotic Pylon Records).

Sarah: If it were discovered that souls were recycled over many life times, is there any particular notable figure from history, who’s soul, you would guess, had made its way into your current human form?

John: Haha, I’d like to say someone genius, but its not really the case. Probably just some random dude who was just a bit OCD. I’d love it if someone like Stravinski or Morton Feldman had been magically transported into me, but I think that’s being a bit optimistic. 

Sarah: At what age did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in the Arts and was there a precise experience that you remember being a catalyst or turning point in being responsible for where you are now?

John: Literally when I was about 3 my grandfather bought me a pair of bongos, because everyone saw that I had a flare for rhythms. I was always obsessed with music. It just evolved from one thing to the other. I started drumming and playing piano very early on. When I was about 12 I started making my first tracks on Cubase and Reason, thanks to my brother who managed to copy the program discs from his university studios. I really loved making music as a kid. I would come home from school, and instead of playing video games I’d make a track in Cubase,  and get a massive buzz from it. I would play the stuff to a select few friends. But most people didn’t know i was doing it. Then I started sending my shit off to people like planet mu and warp when i was about 14 or 15 Haha.

Sarah: How important is the relationship between sound and vision to your music? Are live electronic music shows augmented or reliant on lighting and visuals? Are they merely two alphabets in the same language? 

John: For me personally, with my music, I see it as more separate actually. I don’t know, i think a lot of my tracks are very difficult to visualise, trying to capture the intensity of the tracks isn’t easy.  I think in a live sense it could work. I’m really keen on strobe lighting. and disorientation, psychedelic effects and stuff like that.  but also actually I’m a big fan of what Autechre do. total pitch blackness. as it really allows you to focus on the sounds intently. I guess that’s disorientation also. 

Sarah: If you could score any film already made, which would it be and why?

John: My favourite films have some incredible music in them, and I wouldn’t want to touch them at all. I don’t think I could improve on them in anyway. The only one I can think of might be OLDBOY, I really like that film, but the music could be darker, and better.  

Sarah: If you could score a film yet to be made, who would that film be directed by and why?

John: Katsuhiro Otomo, his vision is extraordinary. I’ve always wanted to score an animated film, cause I think there’s more scope to run wild with the soundtrack. Cause its more removed from the human world, so you can do crazy things in the soundtrack.

Sarah: Describe what to expect from your next project. 

John: I’m unsure what the next project will be. I’m putting out some music in march, (hint). But after that, I’d like to do something different. Maybe something more ambient or contemporary classical based.  

Sarah: If you weren’t a professional Artist what would you most likely have ended up doing for a living?

John: I’m a creative really. If I wasn’t making music id be painting, or film making or a photographer. Oh also I love cooking. My girlfriend tells me, if I wasn’t making music I could be a chef :)  xxx blushes. Thanks   

Sarah: What was the first instrument or item of gear that you bought or was given to you? Do you still have it? What is the one thing that you currently use that you could not do without. Your ‘secret weapon’ of sorts? 

John: Actually the first piece of serious gear I bought was a drum kit, when I was 13, me and my brother saved up, to buy a Yamaha kit, with a massive kick drum :)  My brother still has it yeah. This year I bought my first drum machine, the MachineDrum from Elektron. It’s amazing, its all over my new material. Ive started delving into the hardware world at the moment. It’s giving me a new sound palette and an extra depth of sound and texture which is really inspiring. It’s just a little hard on my wallet, which is a fictitious object anyway.   

Sarah: Would you want your child to become an artist or musician or would you discourage them from going down the same path? 

John: I’d like it if they were an artist for sure. But you have to let a child do whatever it likes and is good at. If it loves ‘pick up sticks’ then let it be a professional ‘pick up stick’ player.  I wouldn’t want to have any influence over it. I think in that respect my parents were really good at letting me pursue whatever I was passionate about. 

Sarah: Was your own creativity encouraged when you were growing up?

John: I guess I just answered that, yes definitely. My whole family is creative, which helps a lot. 

Sarah: What’s the weirdest thing that has happened to you on tour, that you would not want to relive?

John:  A few years ago I played on a hippy chillout stage in Greece, cause our stage had been shut down. it was pretty funny. Some angry hippies were really upset with me, cause their sleeping area wasn’t too far away. Hehe. 

Sarah: What is the show that you’d love to be able to relive just once more? 

John: Supersonic festival 2010  it was such an ecstatic experience playing that show, I remember being really nervous before playing. but during the set, having crazy adrenalin rushes. 

Sarah: If you could collaborate with any person living or dead, from any field, who would it be?

John:  I would have loved to work with Stanley Kubrick in some way, maybe doing some sound for one of his films. His work is astonishing. My favourite director. But also in the current music scene, maybe Mika Vainio would be really cool to work with.

Sarah: What is your funeral song?  

John:  Something by Boards of Canada. Maybe Davie Addison. Send me back into space.  

Sarah: Which author has had the most impact on how you see the world?

John: That’s a difficult one, I tend to use authors to take me to a different world, I am a bit of an escapist really.  

Sarah: What would you like to be doing in five years?

John: I’d like to score a decent animated film. Or actually any film for that matter. I’d also love to work on some more contemporary classical compositions, really push the boundaries but using acoustic instruments rather than electronic ones. 

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Bob is the features editor of Cyclic Defrost. He is also evil. You should not trust the opinions of evil people.

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