Lapalux versus Wikipedia
As Lapalux, Stuart Howard builds up disjointed scraps of noise, which then twist and converge into sparkling, skewed, patterns of beats. It’s a fragile sound, interesting because everything stays tensely woven together, while feeling like it all might crumble away at any moment. He is set to release an EP on Pictures Music in March. In the mean time, he explains something of himself and goes wikipedia browsing for us.
Who are you?
I’m Stuart Howard, 22, from Essex.
What do you want?
“I want people to listen to me. And I want to go up in a hot air balloon. And I want to Jump out and land on a circus tent. And I want to join the circus. And I want to be dressed as a lion. And be put in a cage with the clowns. And I want to hear the sound of giant reptiles belching….” David Shrigley.
How do you record?
I like to work very linearly, I like to fluidly move between sections, like water moves between pebbles. I collect sounds from just about everywhere with my portable recorder. I like to use the recordings to add some texture and organics into the mix as well as actually using them in the foreground. I have a distaste towards music that is too clean-cut and formulaic so I like to add organic touches to make it feel less sequential. I spend most of my time sifting and auditioning sounds that i think might fit together in a quest to make something fresh and unique. On top of all that, I add pinches of pads and bung bits and pieces here and there to fill out the sound. All of my music is based around experimentation so I tend to approach each song differently, but thats the main creative process. I like to keep the interest alive by using different techniques every time I’m working on a new track. Whenever I make a new song I like to learn something new, I like to keep it fresh and interesting.
What do you sound like?
Like a continually drifting mood swing. IDM, Experimental, Hip-hop, Mood Music ??? I dont know really, I don’t like to pigeon hole myself. Its up to the listener to decide.
What are your current favourite wikipedia links?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganguro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delia_Derbyshire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanophilia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Ciani
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_hexafluoride
Pictures Music will release Lapalux’s EP ‘Many Faces Out Of Focus’ in March on limited cassette and as a download
