Recant

Chain D.L.K.: How did Recant start? What’s your story?
Recant: Recant began as an experiment in sound between myself and David Hurtt. The story is quite long, despite our 3 ½ year existence. Soon I began creating artwork and videos for our live performances, and now we are a growing group of experimental artists dedicated to the pursuit of new territory in every single art form. We’ve toured the West Coast, received almost nothing but positive reviews in more than a dozen publications, and are bringing the strings that bind our presence in the world wide underground closer and closer together each day. Now Recant is comprised of a rotating group of artists, musicians, and writers. To get the current line up, read our 1st magazine, which is linked from recant. net. Or you can e-mail us to request a printed copy mailed to you if you live in the US and we aren’t broke at the time (or you can always send money for post and it’ll get there lickety split). The core of Recant is myself and Jumpcut Love, who contributes photography, writing, tapes, sound manipulations, vocals, artwork, and general fucking good natured insanity.

Chain D.L.K.: What are Recant’s inspirations?
Recant: We are all inspired by artists who push the boundaries, so to speak. Personally, I enjoy films by Lynch, Svankmeyer, Korine, etc. An early inspiration has been the music and bizarre live show of Skinny Puppy. Drugs are also a large influence: we seek new forms of consciousness and shy away from no experience. While drugs do not make up the entire interest of my work, I certainly find the altered states of mind to be inspirational.

Chain D.L.K.: A big part of the Recant experience is the video with your live show. Tell us about this…who does the video (s)? what are the concepts, inspirations, and so on for the videos?
Recant: I personally write, film, and edit all Recant videos. These began like most experimental projects as a process in appropriation. I started using things like faces of death, news footage, pornography, and strange films. Now I stick to original material only. So far I’ve done everything from Black and White stylized films documenting street kid/junkie life, stories about the relations between man and machine, and tripped out full blown pyschedlia color explosions bent on hitting that very special sweet spot in your mind. The films are synchronized with the sounds of our songs. The design is such that a maximum of stimulation reaches the audience. We’ve received many different comments on the visuals, such as “disturbing”, “spectacular”, “reminiscent of an acid trip”, etc. I believe we’ve even been an indirect factor in one viewer’s seizure, and some have been unable to withstand the barrage of stimulation we put out at a show. I’m always trying to find the boundary between over stimulation and positive influence for as many people as possible. Two Recant films can be viewed on triggerstreet. com, and several more short clips are available on Recant. net

Chain D.L.K.: What are your plans for shows, touring, future projects, etc. ? Any newrecords coming out?
Recant: We’re not playing too many shows right now, as each Recant show takes a lot of planning and work to produce. However, we’ll be playing at least one show this year in San Diego. We also have an entire installation planned that will include a live performance at INR NRG art and piercing space in San Diego. The title of the even will be “Erotic Psychedelic”. We are going to absolutely fill the venue for this one time only event with anything and everything dealing with sex and drugs. Televisions, paintings, photographs, performance art, improvised sound, and possibly an S&M/erotic/exhibitionist booth where audience members can take erotic pictures of themselves, their friends, or themselves with there friends. Recant has several hours of material recorded that is now in the mixing phase. An 11 minute release entitled “Cocaine Machine Bop” is going to be released this summer by ourselves on yellow cassettes limited to 100 copies. The sound is somewhere in between noise, pop, industrial, and just bizarre music. It’s generally upbeat sound wise, dark/hallucination theme wise, and very original and drug induced. A Full length release which has yet to be named is also in the mixing phase. We do not know where we shall release this yet (interested labels get in touch! ). This is a collaboration between Recant + Fluffy Bunny. The release spans everything from ambient, to children’s music, dark jazz, industrial, and unclassifiable. We’re really running the gamut on this one people. Say you took Cabaret Voltaire, Current 93, Throbbing Gristle, the Legendary Pink Dots, and Skinny Puppy and threw them in a blender with Recant’s style and a good amount of marijuana and you have a bit of the picture. We have other releases planned as well, but I fear to mention them lest I strain your attention. Also, the last release from my solo project, abandoned child, is now available in a nice looking full color jewel pack that can be ordered directly from the Recant distro at Recant. net

Chain D.L.K.: Tell us more about your live performances. One time when we saw you, you used some kind of mysterious red Jello-looking substance that youwere manipulating during the set. What’s this about? Do you do differentthings like this for every show? What are the ideas in your performances?
Recant: That indeed was jell-o. I used it to store two altered life sized baby dolls and paint with during the CD release party of our CD “subject to affliction”. So far I’ve used chains, home made instruments, paint, fire, spinning babies in large black tubes, cans, propaganda fliers, a ceramic head of William Blake, knifes, fake blood, several altered dolls, altered American flags, alka seltzer spit from my mouth onto a canvas, candy hearts and candy necklaces, and of course, jell-o live. These things are designed to fit with the videos and sounds, and overall theme of a given show. The performance art is a part of the waves of stimulation we’re putting out into the crowd. To put it simply I want to give everyone in the audience something interesting to look at and hear that is almost completely different for every show. Recant is constantly evolving, and if you miss a single performance, you’re likely to miss a good chunk of Recant’s history.

Chain D.L.K.: We hear you are also an actor, in horror movies, for example. Tell usabout your acting experiences. What else would you like to do, in actingand otherwise, outside of playing music?
Recant: Well, I’ve starred in a couple Recant films, as well as a film by Mala Ouita-Vanville, a good friend of mine, which is called “Apartmental”. I’d definitely like more acting opportunities, although I don’t have that much time to devote to this particular field. I like playing characters with some sort of neurosis or that are otherwise disturbed in some way. I like roles that allow me to express a wide array of emotions and states of mind, as that’s generally what I enjoy doing in reality anyway. I’m also very involved as a write. I have a book written called “Visions of a Dying Mind” which I hop to publish in the not too distant future. I’ve also written short stories for several zines around the world, and am continuing to write more. I’d really love to travel around the country/world and write for magazines or publish books. Sometimes I prefer to sit down with some beer and write rather than perform live or create music. It just depends on my mood. I also have at least one DJ event planned which will involve films, and of course dancing as well. I like to keep busy with as many art forms as possible. I also recently participated as a model in Los Angeles for an exhibit called “Rock Fans of LA” (silly title yes, especially for me haha).

Chain D.L.K.: What is your dream for recant? Where do you see recant heading?
Recant: I have a vision of a large house, filled with bizarre art, friends, and collaborators for Recant. We all work together and pool resources so we can live as we choose. We’ll do drugs if we want to and no one living there will care. I think at this point in my life I’m slightly exhausted from delving into the darker side of life and experiences frantic and negative vibrations from people. I need to meet more people tuned in to the same wavelength as me that bring a positive feel to the group. This is why David left the band and has been replaced by several more open minded and dedicated individuals. I want to build a place where every form of art can be practiced, even science and experimental philosophy. If it has a use for mankind Recant wants it. Speaking of which, those interested in participating in Recant are urged to get in touch, You see, we wish very much to branch out into every walk of life. Recant does not end with the music, art, and films. Rather we are a global movement that is intended to create a new way of perceiving reality. In short a new way of life. I believe we all have the power to construct our own reality Why hint at it? Get the money, the resources, the talent – and do it! This is how I see true freedom. And I want us all to experience it.

Chain D.L.K.: Why the name change?
Recant: Well, I had been known as the desolate one for a while now, mostly in connection with short stories and the early Recant material. As a large part of that material represented things like child molestation, street life, just dark parts of life, and was comprised by a large amount of noise, I felt we were starting to get pigeon holed. People were saying things like we were the “future of power electronics” and were comparing us to long standing underground industrial/noise acts like Napalmed and Einsturzende Neubauten. Which was flattering, but not where I wanted to be. In short I didn’t want to be stuck in the PE/noise scene, so I thought a change of name was in order now that we are dealing more with bizarre experimental music with a healthy dose of beat, trance- like hallucinations, and psychedlia. However, Trancemaster teehedesone is but one name that I am using now for certain Recant projects and DJ events. I will continue to use the moniker “the desolate one” for all of my writings, as they definitely fall into the category of dark fiction (see a bastard child of Hunter S. Thompson and Burroughs but with more hallucinations).

Chain D.L.K.: Any last thoughts?
Recant: Yes. Thank you to everyone who has helped/supported Recant the last 3 years. I feel we’re developing a strong underground following and getting better with each project. That being said, buy our damn CDs! Look at it this way: If you’re into industrial, experimental, noise, or even just dark electronic music, you’ll will enjoy our first two CDs. We’ve received almost nothing but positive reviews from more than a baker’s dozen magazines the world round. Besides, they’re cheap! Don’t believe me? Just go to Recant. net for the press, prices, artwork, and mp3 samples. We cannot continue to produce without income from the fans. Thank You. Ps: Buy AntiQuark’s music as well (www. antiquark. net) nice people and very good music. Ta!

[interviewed by Ant & Maren proofreading by Li G.B.] [proofreading by Li G.B.]