QA: Gutnose


photo credit : Nathaniel Young 

Excerpts from our discussion with Gutnose:

|This interview was conducted in person|

‘I always try to make a special performance, I never play the same show twice’


What does ‘gutnose’ mean?


So basically when you perform and make music it’s more random, with intuition?

Yeah it should be that way. The music is by your soul.
You have to put the soul into the machine, not let the machine just control the thing.

What are your  music influences?

RZA from Wutang, Yuzo Korshiro ( ->), Masters at work, Beatnuts , Dj shadow etc..

How would you describe your music, personally I see it as ‘sound’, no?

I like to look it up that way too. I don’t like to be put in a box of genres.

I like it to be just music period. To me, I just see a difference in tempo.

In your performance at transpecos, we felt that the atmosphere you created was magically mystical.. are you influenced by magic, ‘black magic’?

I definitely think magic plays a part.. It is magical sometimes, you play music sometimes you don’t even know how you made that track, so you’re like omg how this track comes together its like magic.
You just have to lay it down, even the way you play sometimes you don’t know how it is going to go down, you just play in the moment and sometimes you get ‘magic’ you know..

During your live performance, was your set already programmed? When performing do you usually play tracks from other producers? Or only your own?

I make my own tracks, like a collage.. I play my collage.
I never use a straight track like a big piece. I don’t like to do that.
I might take a section of the music, let’s say for example this music is playing, at a certain point you just hit the drums, I might take that part and then chop that up maybe do a little thing to it so it doesn’t sound like ..puts some effects..

What softwares do you use?

Reaper to record.
My setup is hardware.

Are all of your lives setup  always hardware?

Yes hardware for life.

We liked the simplicity and honesty of your performance, you didn’t need visual projections to deliver the vibes..

Thanks I appreciate it.

I played at transpecos once, I was on the stage, there was the projector on me, it was great but it’s not a necessity. When I’m not on the stage, on the ground level with the audience, we get to feedback each other a lot more intimately than if I was on the stage..

Do you encounter some challenges when you are performing?

I guess to not screw it up so bad. Sometimes you screw up a little bit and you try to fix it and act like it never happened.. But sometimes the ‘screw ups’ turned into happy accidents and it just works out at the end..

What are you listening on a daily basis?

Ok, I guess I’m always listening to my music on my headphone. I listen to a lot of stuff that I’m going to sample.. A lot of this guy Mr G he is great.. I would say his live sets are definitely an inspiration for my live sets..

When you create something do you put some limitations, boundaries..

Yeah you just hook up a certain piece a certain way. There’s so many ways to hook up your equipment. A few pieces you hook them up a certain way then you completely take it a part and hook it up a different way..there’s limitations..your own creative limitations, your own mind, actually your skill set is your biggest limitation..

What’s your life philosophy?

To keep on growing.
Never stop learning what else..treat people the way you want to be treated so forth..

Would you like to explore other mediums like painting..

Sure why not.
I explored screen printing that was pretty fun, I will probably get back to it..

Are you pessimistic or optimistic?


Do you have a specific spot in NewYork that you like, a cafe or a bar… place?

I like my studio. That’s where I create, I’m there a lot.

Do you share music with your family or it is something private?

Well if they ask me I’ll tell them!
They don’t ask that much, they only know a little..

We liked how your set was full of surprises, we felt as if you were santa delivering gifts to your audience.. It was like christmas we continually wanted more and more..

Thanks. Haha sometimes actually when people ask me what my name is when ordering stuff, I tell them it’s santa clause because it puts a smile on their face and mine too..

Yeah you know my live set should be like a roller coaster.. I go from one mood to the next mood just like that. It should be like a roller different feelings not just one straight line.

Getting a straight line that’s good I guess for dancing.. But I put enough times when you can dance and have another experience. I don’t want the audience to be super comfortable, they should be a little worried, have a frightening moment and then have surprises..

Just keep it unpredictable.

As life.. In a way music allows us to know more about ourselves and grow..

Yes. Grow from a little seed to a big plant than you bloom like a flower.

..And then you die.

You die oh man – but you have your seed to propagate the next generation, so actually you never die.

Yeah that’s true. Maybe you get reincarnated..

Into a frog or something , into a mountain lion or space alien..

Sometimes we think we know..

Oh we don’t know anything. More you know more you don’t know..