It may be full of dark, brooding beats, but Jon Gaiser’s newest LP has us seeing the light. The Detroit native describes it with words like “introspective,” “dynamic,” and “emotional,” and it is: "False Light," which debuted under Minus in early November is filled with contemplative, soulful sounds — a stand-out from your typical techno. Working with visuals artist Ahmet Said Kaplan, Gaiser has developed "False Light" into a complete sensory experience: “I like to leave the listener with goosebumps.” We caught up with Gaiser to discuss the creation of his new LP, his longstanding relationship with Richie Hawtin’s Minus, and choosing darkness over light.
Congratulations on the release of your latest album, False Light, under Minus. Have you ever been painted in a false light? The name “False Light” is actually more of a reference to experiencing things that aren’t there. I’ve always preferred to title my works with names that are open to interpretation, so that the audience can make up their own idea of the meaning.
Either way, the album is fantastic, and plays with the boundary between minimal and contemporary techno. You’ve said that your mission with this release was to tell a story – what kind of narrative do you feel you accomplished? My main idea while working on this album was to go into the studio everyday and have as much fun as possible! If you put pressure on it and try to force it to sound a certain way, it’s not going to work. When you have that pressure in your head, you get stressed and you don’t feel inspired, and you aren’t as open for creative flexibility.
So, in the end, what went into the creation of this album? Working this way allowed for the album to come together naturally, and be a direct reflection of having complete freedom and positive energy. Of course you will never have the same feeling everyday, and so some of the tracks have a playful feeling, while others came out as being deeper and more introspective. This way all of the tracks complement each other to create a more dynamic story.
What about the visuals, which will be provided by Ahmet Said Kaplan? Why do you think the merging of visual and audio is so important, particularly where dance music is concerned? The objective is to create a living, breathing visual experience that will flow together with the audio in a way that represents to your eyes what your ears are hearing. It’s really important to have a proper visual representation that fits well, and has the same feeling of the music to create an atmosphere that is greater than the sum of its parts. I’ve been looking to develop a live visual aspect of the show for a long time and I’m happy that with Ahmet we are able to achieve this. A properly executed visual representation of the audio can take the entire experience to the next level of the senses. At least we have two of the senses covered. And for a live show it’s not really possible to attempt taste, touch, and smell.
It sounds amazing. So, Minus has been your home label since the very beginning. Do you ever feel pressure to live up to the success of the label? Better yet, do you ever feel pressure to live up to the success of yourself? If you want to continue to progress and develop as an artist, it’s really important to keep your mind as free as possible from this type of pressure. For this exact reason, it was my main point to have a clear mind and positive attitude while working on the "False Light" album. When I go into the studio, I don’t think about styles or genres or what people will think about what I’m going to write. That would be counter-effective. What comes out of my studio sessions is a direct reflection of what I feel like doing at the moment. To me this is the main point. Letting yourself do what you do best. For me the best ideas are those that happen naturally.
You’ve been involved in a lot of different music scenes from classical to punk. How has that background influenced or affected the way you approach electronic music production? I believe that the understanding of all music, no matter what the genre, can only enrich the production experience altogether. Studying classical music and learning scales and chords early in life has definitely helped me later on, when it came time to work with MIDI and sequencers in the studio. And studying percussion and playing drums has helped me to balance out the non-melodic side of production with programming drums and percussion.
Did your diverse background ever make you feel like you were having an identity crisis? I think my involvement with so many types of music has helped me to define my own take on each individual style. Enjoying different styles of music is like food – you wouldn’t want to eat the same thing everyday.
You’ve been involved in electronic music since you were quite young, both as an avid listener and as an artist. How old do you feel? Do you feel like the same person you were when you released Blank Fade, for example? Since Blank Fade, I feel like I have progressed in some ways and changed quite a bit as a producer. I wouldn’t say that I’ve “gotten better,” but I’ve further developed my sound. In the beginning when I first started to release my creations, my productions were more focused on subtleties and developing a focal point that was not going to slap you in the face. The majority of the melodic structure was in the bass line. Back then, it was my intention to construct a more unified piece with all of the parts coming together to create the focal point, instead of just a loud hook or catchy melody. But the point of the "False Light" album is to not take anything too seriously, and so I wanted to use a different approach and just have fun with it.
Gaiser's "False Light" is out now on Minus.