What are the themes that inspire you most in your music?
I think I would say that "themes" don't so much "inspire" my music. I'm often inspired by a challenge: a new medium to work in, a technical restraint, a new sonic territory to explore. Then as I struggle with the materials, they take a life of their own and start to suggest themes to me. I've found that often the themes have something to do with attempting to understand and situate oneself in a chaotic world: the sense of loss of cultural grounding, the feeling that time and historical processes are moving too fast, the uncanny feeling that unconscious drives are dictating our lives...
Was there a particular moment or experience that set you firmly on the path to becoming a composer?
When I was a kid, there was a drummer who lived down the street. He would write drum parts to a song in the software Guitar Pro, then send them to me, and I would write a guitar part. Our first song was called "Frozen Grapes". The lyrics went like this: "FROZEN GRAPES, FROZEN GRAPES, FROZEN GRAPES" (repeat ad nauseam)... I've been composing ever since!
If you had a mantra/philosophy/phrase for where you are right now, what would it be?
When I think of what I want to do with a new piece, instead of thinking, "what would result in the best piece", I try to think, "what would be the most interesting challenge that I could grow the most from?"
