An introductory chat.
Josh Chan (asian milhouse), Thomas Manson (Delivery Buoy), Jack Seah (Medium Well), and Ryan Borrett.
at The Bird, Friday afternoon, September 18, 2020.
Ryan: How did Flickering Through Mist come about, Josh?
Josh: I was probably just having a few like, off days. I was feeling pretty shite, [thinking] I could write about this. I wrote some lyrics that were not so clearly about feeling shite, but about feeling shite laughs
This project is going to be a singing one. The melody popped into my head and I thought, might chuck that down. I don't really know how to explain to write songs, they just kind of come about. Especially this project, a lot of the tunes have been super free flowing, like no real form or anything. It's just like this thing happens, and then things happen, and ‘oh now we're here, I forgot where we started but now we're here’. I'm hoping to have an album done soon, but it’s not even halfway done.
Ryan: How do you go about starting songs?
Josh: I used to start with just drums, but now it’s melody and chords at the same time, and then everything else after.
Jack: I think that's a good way to go...melody all the way.
Josh: The songs just came out better if I do it like that, I'm not that good at drums laughs
Thomas: More recently I've been building drum tracks that have melody in them, or link in some way to the melody, or kind of lead into it
Josh: That's pretty sick! That's a good idea, I'm gonna yank it laughs
Ryan: Don't want to give away the secrets laughs
Thomas: I think also not letting any of the tracks be too complex. Letting everything be simple and letting [the songs] themselves find the complexity. If a song is going to have words, it usually comes last.
Josh: Me too.
Thomas: There's no pressure for it to actually have words. If they sound good, chuck ‘em on there. I’ve always been a big fan of if words don't actually end up there, putting them by the side of the Bandcamp release, but not actually them being on there.
Josh: That's pretty interesting! What about you Jack, what do you do?
Jack: Well for this project it's definitely all about rhythm. I think a lot of them started as house-y or techno stuff that was sort of a bit ironic maybe, like sort of cheesy but I like it. And then these ones formed into stuff I like, but it's been a long process of taking things out and putting stuff back...I couldn't tell you the chords or anything. Some of the songs, or some of the ideas, are taken from other songs I’ve done.
Josh: It’s super interesting that you can chop and change between songs.
Jack: I guess most of it is influenced by stuff I like, or a texture, and just pitch it a bit laughs It's not like a melody that only sounds good in one key or something.
Josh: Like this is a new song now okay cool!
Ryan: The chorus you thought was the chorus just becomes the verse.
Jack: Yeah there's been a lot of chopping together stuff. I think more getting into it, just making sure it really pumps as well. Lately I've been watching people DJ or something, listening to the songs, thinking this pumps so much harder than stuff I've made, not all the time, but… laughs
Josh: The music I've been writing has been getting more harmonically complex, but I was at Outer Body the other day and was just like ‘damn this goes hard!’ laughs What have I been doing this whole time?! laughs
Jack: At least with this stuff, I've been taking away stuff and bringing it up loud, and if it doesn't work then I'll take it away; if it doesn't sound good loud it shouldn't be in there.
asian milhouse - Flickering Through Mist
Ryan: How do you feel about influence and inspiration, even from outside of music? Is it something subconscious?
Josh: Some things have really fucked me up. I re-listened to Pet Sounds like a few months ago and was like ‘this is really fucked’, like really, really good. Kind of made me just abandon my jazz chords. Brian Wilson did it!
Thomas: Don't even need to think about the jazz.
Josh: It made me think like I don't really understand harmony, I need to start from the beginning again.
Thomas: I think jazz can come in handy when learning that though. It's definitely one of the most intensive ways to learn an instrument, and then you can sort of work backwards.
Josh: When I was playing more jazz stuff I was using words that were really big but I didn't really know what they meant, like just talking shit the whole time laughs Each chord sounds really good by itself; like it didn't matter what came before. Whereas now, it's the opposite, where it doesn't matter what the individual chord sounds like, it's what comes before and afterward that matters.
Ryan: I always find with influence that it's other people telling you it sounds like this or that.
Josh: Someone said the other day that my voice sounded like Mac DeMarco and I was like ‘ahhh what you serious, damn!’ laughs
Thomas: Sometimes I find myself actively seeking influence but it usually never ends up working out.
Jack: All these songs have changed so much and I think that's what I kind of wanted to do - I wanted to be really happy with them. But these have been a bit of a learning curve, that's how it’s turned out.
Ryan: How about that saying: ‘You never finish, you just walk away’?
Jack: There's definitely a point, where you’ve listened to it so many times.
Josh: I think you got to set deadlines. You set a deadline and like whatever it is at that point it’s done. That's the kinda industry we're in now, you have to just finish stuff. Like that last track I was thinking I kinda cooked the low end laughs
Ryan: But it always feels like it’s in your own head.
Thomas: And low end is so subjective.
Ryan: And it goes on radio, or goes wherever, and maybe it gets compressed...
Jack: So it only matters if your song is good. You can have a shit mix and a great song.
Josh: Or those old school funk recordings, and it's just like that's it laughs
Thomas: Or when people could only afford one microphone, instead of mixing it maybe, you had to lean in and play a bit louder, sing a bit louder...
Josh: Like those old Miles recordings laughs
Ryan: What about Exercise, Thom?
Josh: Keen for that track to come out man, next Thursday, ooooh….!
Jack: [to Josh] Have you heard it?
Josh: I played on it! laughs
Ryan: Is this the first proper collaboration you’ve done for a track?
Thomas: Collaborations have always been ideal, I've always held them very highly compared to stuff I just do myself. It branches out a bit, especially when you get people writing their own parts. You can get people to play parts but...this is the first one that’s been fully fleshed out. I'm very excited.
Ryan: You gotta bring your A game [when collaborating]
Jack: It means you don't have to write the bassline laughs
Thomas: Especially with Mr. Donnan-Cook
Josh: The Professor laughs
Thomas: I think I’ve got like an hour of Marley just doing different things, it was a bit of a shuffle just picking the right things laughs
Delivery Buoy - Exercise
Ryan: What do you think of the Perth scene at the moment?
Josh: I think it’s like really strong. I just want everyone to get their shit together and just so we can show everyone that Perth is strong! I've spoken to people who feel like they have to go to Melbourne, it’s like yeah you might have a better shot, but if we just make really good music in Perth...
Ryan: That's what’s always going to ring true at the end of the day.
Josh: We live in the internet age, it doesn't really matter where you are.
Thomas: Especially here, you're not really forced into any scene. All the scenes do blend a lot. Here you can get four different bands to play doing different shit, all on one lineup, which is cool in a way.
Josh: It’s better!
Ryan: I reckon it lets people define their own thing a bit better, you don't have to fall back on anything.
Josh: yeah fuck Melbourne! laughs
Ryan: That's the headline - “Fuck Melbourne” - Josh Chan laughs
Josh: Especially people like Noah Dillon, like I think he’s one of the best songwriters I’ve seen in my life. His songs are so weird but so accessible, you can’t really tell they're weird, but if you listen intently it’s like...that’s fucked!
Ryan: I think there’s a quirkiness to a lot of Perth music, like some weirdness. Like you were saying Thom, a weird blend of things.
Josh: There’s less emphasis on genre.
Ryan: It’s not strict. There’s not as many barriers or boxes to put stuff in. But sometimes it feels like the opportunities are fewer there.
Josh: But there’s no way gigs matter as much as they used to. We can play them in Perth now, but like nowhere else.
Thomas: You can’t be spotted and asked to play this festival.
Josh: Things are changing…
Thomas: The online platform has become so important. Every third thing is on Instagram is an ad for a music producer, I guess it’s my own thing because my microphone is always on laughs But yeah people are really taking to this now.
Josh: I think it would be nice if people in Perth had more recording literacy. I wish everyone could record their own projects. That’s the only way you can get it sounding exactly how you want.
Thomas: You can really shape them the way you want them to be.
Josh: Put Jack out of a job laughs
Jack: That might be everywhere though, there’s just better studios in other places.
Josh: But I wish it didn't have to be like that, like everyone could record, like how we can record stuff and get it to a point where you can release that. To have some idea of knowing what you want it to sound like and tell someone who knows what they're doing who can make it really sound like that.
Jack: I think it’s just experience though, like I've learnt so much.
Josh: Some people don't know how much control they have over their own recording.
Ryan: High schoolers will just go and do shit, such a can do attitude, people with the internet can just go and learn, and then do it.
Jack: I think that’s where I learnt everything.
Josh: Me too.
Thomas: Me too.
Josh: You’ll get something, maybe not the right answer, but at least trying stuff.
Jack: I feel kinda weird about the whole territorial thing. There's great music everywhere, and just do whatever to make yours better.
Thomas: Such a thing, like ‘this band’s cool...where are they from?’ laughs
Josh: Brisbane is killing at the moment.
Ryan: What do you reckon it is that’s making Brisbane sick at the moment? Like is it a few bands, or a radio station, or a person?
Thomas: I think a lot of it would link back to the infrastructure, where they can support so many venues, compared to Perth where you can only have so many venues. But it’s so nice to have new venues open. It links back to the live show thing, will they still be important? Places without shows will have to look to online platforms.
Josh: What it means to do music is different now.
Jack: Shows are still the best way to make money in music I think.
Josh: It was...there’s no money!
Thomas: I think there’s always the mindset as well when writing music, like putting it together, your end game is performing it.
Josh: Fuck that.
Thomas: Yeah laughs but I think convincing yourself that it’s not the end game. For so long now, I’ve been like ‘yeah this music is cool, I’m so happy to put this out, but what would I do if I were to perform this?’
Ryan: [to Josh] Say when the album is put together, is it just like no live shows?
Josh: I wouldn’t even know how to do a live show without making it a boring show to watch. Maybe a new kind of show that’s not to do with performing the music, but more of a visual thing. I could see that being a thing, but not in the same capacity of having a band.
Thomas: I love the concept of improvised music, and that being specific for a live setting, because not a lot of people go out of their way to listen to an improvised thing. But if you go see musicians you really like recorded and they’re doing an improvised thing, so it’s them, but nothing like you’ve heard before, that’s fucking sick. I think there’s plenty of room for that, or there should be more of it.
Josh: There's nothing that will get an improv set going than people watching you do it. You can’t hang on a progression too long, you’ve got to go somewhere.
Medium Well - Catch a Break
[the conversation arrived at Floating Points]
Thomas: That Printworks show...
Josh: I went to his Byron Bay show...thinking ‘I’ll just quit music that night!’ laughs
Thomas: He’s one of those people that puts that thought in my head, but also, massive influence.
Josh: And such a strong visual element to it too.
Ryan: Anything coming up?
Josh: [to Thomas] Keen to pick up that project we were doing
Thomas: Yeah I'm so down, when the time comes.
Josh: You’re a busy boy.
Thomas: No rushing.
Josh: And we definitely gotta play Terraria, you boys played Terraria?
Thomas: We're gonna start a server up.
Josh: It’s like Minecraft but 2D
Thomas: But there’s a lot more going on.
Ryan: And the soundtrack is pretty dope
Josh: We were talking about this! So good! laughs
