Once in a while, there comes an artist that will make an impact on an entire scene. Like J-Dilla before him, I believe that Vancouver’s own AstroLogical is the next step in hip-hop evolution. Within his solo works, and the 3 groups he is part of (Elekwent Folk, Potatohead People and Panther & The Supafly) there is a constant. That constant is unending creativity and an absolutely captivating style. An AstroLogical album is something that is meant to be put on and fully listened to, something that is easily done. Each song is a step in a complete journey, and by the end of each album all you can do is want more. I had the opportunity to speak with Astro about his process and his many projects. I suggest you throw on his latest EP ‘Polynesian Dream’  while you read along. (links at the bottom)

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. I spoke with Nick Wisdom last week, who is a good friend of yours, and we talked of what makes up the Vancouver sound. What would you say are largely contributing factors?

Vancouver is such a multi-cultural and modern city that it almost lacks a distinct musical personality. We have everything here, but not a lot of one thing in particular. We actually have a decent free jazz scene, but it terms of hiphop especially there is not a specific style we have here. It’s a little depressing hah. But the music I make is definitely influenced by the green landscapes and lush forest atmopsheres of the northwest.

Who or what are your main influences?

hmmm. Straight off the top..Frank Zappa … Luke Vibert….Animal Collective …. Pat Metheny… Dilla.

You have a very distinct sound. Much like when someone hears J-Dilla, they can say “that’s Dilla.”. How do you stay so consistent?

That’s dope! I just continue to make music that I want to hear, I suppose that’s what makes it consistent. Also I listen to as much new music as I can… I’m up on Pitchfork too…you heard me haha.

Your music is of a style that transcends standard hip-hop, to the point where you have almost crafted your own genre. Is there a certain point in your production where you know the song has to change?

If I get bored with it too fast, it has to change for sure. A looped sample over and over gets pretty boring after 3 minutes. I make sure the listener gets to go on a little journey when they put on one of my albums.

How difficult is it to find samples that meld into one another so well?

It’s easy. It’s just a matter of pitchshifting things around to bring them into the same key so that they blend. That’s the interesting thing about sampling… layering completely different textures together, you never know what you’ll end up with.

When sampling, do you tend to gravitate to a certain decade or era?

I’m obsessed with sampling late 60s, early 70s progressive/psychedelic music from all around the world. That era of music had my favourite recording techniques…mellotron… I love the way the drums sounded back then, the vintage mics and such. Everything was so warm and synthy.

Do you have a typical process for songwriting or do ideas just come to you and flow naturally?

Making a beat is a completely separate process from writing a song, and one of the reasons I switched to sampling from composing music was because of this. I felt bored with music, with the idea of using a usual instrument (piano, guitar) to write music. Sampling was a new way to express my melodic ideas, and it’s been a really enjoyable outlet ever since. I still write music with piano and guitar for my other bands, and I enjoy it just as much as sampling. It’s just a different thing, you know?

You have released 3 solo instrumental albums thus far, how did the titles for each come to be?

Stream of consciousness somewhat. The titles usually just come to me at random times when I hear certain combinations of words when im on the bus or reading, and I go by the sound of words and the instinctive vibe that I get. ‘Polynesian Dream’ for example came from this mystical feeling I got when I imagined this place called ‘Polynesia’. It’s hard to explain, but it’s that  untangible mysterious vibe that I try to achieve through my music. I should mention that the name ‘Living Fossils’ is a metaphor for the art of sampling; recycling history and giving new life to lost treasures.

Flux EP is definitely the happiest I’ve been with a product so far. I made the EP with inspiration from that photo. I used some thick synth basses on this one, and lots of my voice is on here too. Polynesian Dream has a lot of my singing too. Lush textures and rhodes as usual. The sound is definitely a bit heavier on Flux, but the absence of the AstroLogical logo is just because I wanted a more abstract vibe.

Finding cover art is a always tough process, just because I’m only happy with releasing something I am 100% in love with. I am not an artist myself, so I am constantly looking for artists or photographers to collab with. I’m blessed to be surrounded by many talented artists, from painters to film makers. The photo on the cover of Flux is taken by a good friend of mine, Karen Taylor Usher. I saw that photo and I instantly knew that it needed to have a musical story beneath it.

I asked Nick Wisdom about Potatohead People, do you see that collaboration as an opportunity to make music you otherwise wouldn’t put out on your own? 

Potatohead People is just me and Nick having fun in the studio really. We’re good friends, we naturally end up making music together when we chill. Sometimes I’ll bring some records over, sometimes I’ll just lay down keys on a track. We’re both on a really similar tip when it comes to picking samples and what we think is “the dope”. We like similar grooves in our drums too, so the sound isn’t too far off from what I do on my own.

You are also part of Panther & The Supafly how did that come to be?

I was in a band with some friends of Panther; they knew I made beats so it was only a matter of time before I met him. At some point in late 2009 he started compiling a band to play some hiphop songs of his, and it’s been a blast from there.

Potatohead People, Panther & The Supafly and your solo works are all very diverse. Is it difficult to go from playing a high energy Panther & The Supafly gig, back down to the mellow vibes of your instrumentals?

It’s a necessity that I play in a band; being on stage supplying grooves to the audience is a great feeling. And it’s a perfect constrast to come home after a show and get into some mellow beats.

The Supafly is also very active. Aside from playing shows nearly every weekend, I understand you also recently finished up recording your debut album?

Yes, we’re in the final mixing stages of our band LP. It’s pretty crazy….jazzy funky positive energized hiphop. Me and Panther have a separate album coming too, we got a bunch of tracks done.

How do you find the time to balance all three acts?

I feel like I have just enough time for all my projects. I’ve had to drop a couple creative projects to make time for other “more important” ones. There is just so much I want to do… but it sometimes does get mentally challenging to stay focused with so many different ideas floating around.

Do you prefer to work alone or with collaborators?

I prefer to work alone, of course. That’s when I can really dig in.

What was the first song or album you can remember that really got you into hip-hop?

Some of the first hiphop albums that really turned me on to the genre were: The Pharcyde – Labcabincalifornia … People Under The Stairs – O.S.T. … If I go even further back, I remember buying Kid Koala’s Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and being obsessed with that in grade 7. Same with The Avalanches – Since I Left You.

When you are listening to music in your free-time, do you often listen to other genres more than hip hop?

I’d say I listen to more of other genres than I do hiphop. If you take a look at my Itunes, I have everything from brutal death metal (Cryptopsy, Immolation), to ambient glitch IDM stuff (The Flashbulb, Squarepusher) to 70s dub music (King Tubby, Jah Shaka) , to progrock jazz fusion stuff (Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc.)

What albums are getting a lot of play time with you?

In the past little while: Kendrick Lamar – Section 80 … Miles Davis – Live-Evil .. Mono/Poly – Manifestions EP … The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile … Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse … BADBADNOTGOOD – S/T … Electric Wire Hustle – Every Waking Hour. Been back on a Boards of Canada kick actually… Geogaddi in particular.

If you could work with any artist living or passed on who would it be?

Tough tough question! I might have to say Bill Bruford. or Allan Holdsworth. or Madlib.

Anyone you would like to shout out or recommend?

Shouts to the whole Vantastic crew + extended family! And shout out to Eli ‘HeadSPace’ Muro and Nick Wisdom for the work they put into http://jellyfishrecordings.com/

Check out AstroLogical @ http://www.facebook.com/AstroLogical