Artist Interview: ODORBABY

Odorbaby (or maybe its ODORBABY?) is both an enigma and a phenomenon. To date, I have no idea who Odorbaby is, how many people are involved, what gender they might be or where they are. Odorbaby encourages this fact for whoever is there behind Odorbaby pulling the strings is clearly a thinker and a person of ideas. Odorbaby, as a musical act, is powered by ideas and a freeform invention. The work of Odorbaby appears to be bricolage influenced by an interest in noise. I first came across Odorbaby a while ago but I wasn't ready for it. The PR strategy is blunt and in your face and the music is no less so. But, giving it a second chance I became seduced by the complexity of it and the fact that, underneath, there is actually something there worthwhile. Odorbaby is both more and less than it appears and this is probably by design. The music is not a noise wall as it can be with some noise artists. Here a more playful and nuanced mind is at work. I appreciate Odorbaby's music as moments in time. Odorbaby is capturng life, maybe not yours or mine or even Odorbaby's, but somebody's. You could send Odorbaby's music into space as an example of human life. But enough waffle. I was lucky enough to secure an interview from the eccentric and elusive Odorbaby and what follows is Odorbaby's own cryptic answers. The caps are original to Odorbaby and, with a respectful nod towards Odorbaby, I keep them in place as Odorbaby would intend.

1. What is your history in making music? How do you come to be doing what you are doing?

ODORBABY IS ONE OF SEVERAL PROJECTS WE ENGAGE IN SOMEWHERE OVER THE MERZBOW BUT WE WILL LIMIT THIS INTERVIEW TO THE ALMIGHTY AWESOME OF THE ODORBABY DISTORTION PROTOCOL STRATEGY

ODORBABY IS THE RESULT OF TRYING TO PLAY NICE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE AMERICAN MUSIC BUSINESS AND REALIZING THAT 

PEOPLE DONT WANT MUSIC THEY WANT MUSIC FLAVORED CONSUMPTION PRODUCT 

PEOPLE DONT WANT MUSICIANS THEY WANT MANNEQUINS 

PEOPLE DONT WANT ART THEY WANT DISTRACTION AND SPECTACLE 

PEOPLE BASICALLY DONT CARE THEY JUST WANT TO SEE MONEY CHANGE HANDS AND HAVE SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT THAT MAKES THEM LOOK SPECIAL 

EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS THE MOST AWESOME THE MOST INCREDIBLE THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A MUSIC FESTIVAL THEN YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS MEANS 

ALSO HIPSTERS

EVERYBODY TRIES TO DO IT RIGHT AND EVERYBODY FAILS THEN GETS USED UP AND DISCARDED AND NOBODY REALLY CARES ANYWAY

THE WHOLE THING IS AN INTRICATELY CHOREOGRAPHED CONSUMPTION RITUAL AND LITTLE MORE THAN THAT

SO ODORBABY IS THEREFORE COMMITTED TO BEING GOOD FOR BUSINESS AND SERVICING THIS DEMOGRAPHIC IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY POSSIBLE

ODORBABY LEVERAGES EFFICIENCIES BY SKIPPING STRAIGHT TO THE FAILURE AND DISCARDING STAGE AND STARTING FROM THERE

MOST OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE ODORBABY PROJECT HAVE MUSIC MAKING OR PRODUCTION AND OR SOFTWARE BACKGROUNDS SO THE SONIC MASTERWORKS OF ODORBABY ARE A REFLECTION OF TECHNOLOGY BASED SOLUTIONS TO THINGS USUALLY

WE ASSUME THAT NOBODY CARES AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY

ITS TURNS OUT TO BE MORE FUN THAT WAY

2. Describe your music style and the aims of the music you make. What is Odorbaby about?

ODORBABY DEVOURS PROCESSES AND REGURGITATES EVERYTHING THAT CROSSES ODORBABYS PATH BLASTING THEM FORTH ALMIGHTILY 

AWESOME

THERE IS AN OVERSUPPLY IN THIS WORLD OF INFORMATION WHETHER THIS INFORMATION TAKES THE FORM OF MUSIC OR NEWS OR ESPECIALLY SOCIAL MEDIA 

ODORBABY IS THEREFORE COMMITTED TO UPCYCLING THIS INFORMATION INTO NEW FORMS OF CONSUMPTION PRODUCT IN ORDER TO RELIEVE THE PLANET OF SOME OF THE BURDEN OF THIS INFOGLUT

THIS IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE ODORBABY DISTORTION PROTOCOL STRATEGY WHICH PERMEATES EVERY ASPECT OF THE ALMIGHTY AWESOMENESS OF ODORBABY 

COUNT ON ODORBABY FOR ALL OF YOUR AWESOMENESS NEEDS

ODORBABY IS ALSO ABOUT IGNORING THE PRETENSE THAT SUFFUSES MUCH OF HUMAN ACTIVITY AND INSTEAD LAYS BARE THE SIMPLE AND SOMETIMES HUMOROUS FUTILITY OF HUMAN HUBRIS AND FOLLY 

WHY PRETEND WHEN LIFE IS WEIRD ENOUGH AS IT IS

3. What do you use to make music? What would you like to use?

EACH ODORBABY SONIC MASTERWORK HAS A SPECIFIC MEANS OF AWESOMENESS PRODUCTION

HERE IS A BRIEF LIST OF WHICH MASTERWORK IS CREATED HOW

- GOOD FOR BUSINESS

RECORDINGS FROM ODORBABY PERFORMANCES AND COLLABORATIONS IN AUSTIN TEXAS ARE EITHER PRESENTED AS THEY ARE OR ARE EDITED FOR A SPECIFIC TYPE OF SONIC EXPERIENCE NOTHING FANCY NO TRICKS JUST STRAIGHT UP NOISE AWESOMENESS

AT THIS POINT IN THE ODORBABY EPIC SAGA A LOT OF PERFORMANCES INVOLVED MICROPHONE AND SOUND SYSTEM ABUSE PLUS SMOKE MACHINES AND OTHER DANGEROUS UNCOMFORTABLE DEVICES

NOT MUCH OF THE LIVE DAMAGE SHOWED UP ON THIS RECORDING

- AMERICAN STANDARD

ODORBABYS POP MUSIC MASTERWORK EVERYTHING IS EDITED AND ASSEMBLED ACCORDING TO POP MUSIC STANDARDS SOMETIMES WITH BEATS OTHER TIMES WITH JUST AUTOTUNE BECAUSE AUTOTUNE IS AWESOME 

PLUS SOME BITS DONE WITH A SMALL MODULAR SYSTEM ODORBABY ACQUIRED IN BERLIN

- CONSUMPTION PRODUCT

YOUR DAILY MINUTES OF NOISE WERE CREATED USING THE SUPERCOLLIDER SOFTWARE PLATFORM AS A MULTICHANNEL NOISE SOURCE 

THEN THE NOISE SOURCES WERE ROUTED THROUGH THE SMALL MODULAR SYSTEM USED ON AMERICAN STANDARD TO CREATE AN AWESOME BLEND OF NOISE 

WHICH WAS THEN CUT INTO ONE MINUTE SEGMENTS AND LOVINGLY GIFTED TO THE INTERNET

- RELAX IT GETS WORSE

THIS HAS A VARIETY OF SOUND SOURCES MOSTLY DATABENT AUDIO FILES CREATED IN AUDACITY FROM AN IPHONE PICTURE OF A TREE OUTSIDE OF THE APARTMENT 

THE AUDIO FILE IS PROCESSED IN AUDACITY USING SPECTRAL MODULATION AU PLUGINS TO MAKE A PILE OF  PITCH AND TIMBRE SEGMENTS 

WHICH ARE THEN PLAYED IN TRAKTOR PRO AND MANIPULATED USING  STANDARD TRAKTOR PRO FX AND SEVERLY TWEAKING SETTINGS

- AVIATION CRAB ORCHESTRA (AN EPIC SAGA)

THIS SONIC MASTERWORK IS BASED ON THE IDEA THAT THE CREATION OF SOUND AND THE RECORDING AND PROCESSING OF SOUND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER 

THE POINT IS THAT THE MIX IS THE COMPOSITION AND THE SOUND MATERIAL EXISTS ONLY TO GIVE SUBSTANCE TO THIS MIX

RANDOMLY ACQUIRED AUDIO FILES ARE CHOPPED UP AND REASSEMBLED LIKE YOU WOULD DO FOR A WILLIAM BURROUGHS TYPE CUT UP OPERATION INTO A SOURCE FILE NO LONGER THAN AROUND THREE AND A HALF MINUTES 

THEN THE SOURCE FILE IS SIMPLY LAID INTO A PROTOOLS SESSION WITH THE MIX ALREADY AUTOMATED AND THEN RENDERED INTO A FINAL TWO MIX

TWO MIX IS STUDIOSPEAK FOR A STEREO REDUCTION MIX

- NUL FUXGEBEN

THIS IS ALL DONE IN REALTIME WITH MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE GENDY INSTRUMENT IN SUPERCOLLIDER 

THERE ARE USUALLY FOUR LAYERS OF AWESOMENESS THAT ARE CONTROLLED FROM AN INTERFACE BUILT WITH LEMUR 

ALL OF THE TITLES ARE IN GERMAN BECAUSE THATS WHAT WE SPEAK HERE

FOR YOUR NONGERMAN SPEAKING READERS THE TITLE ROUGHLY TRANSLATES TO 

THE GIVING OF ZERO FUCKS

THE COVER IS A PHOTO OF THE BACK OF A FOOTBALL JERSEY THAT ODORBABY NEVER HAD MADE

- GET KILLING

GET MEANS GOAT IN SWEDISH AND 

KILLING MEANS KID ALSO IN SWEDISH 

HAHAHA ODORBABY MAKES ANOTHER AWESOME LANGUAGE JOKE

THIS MASTERWORK STARTED OUT AS A RESPONSE TO ALL OF THE GUN VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES BUT HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A COLLECTION OF TRACKS MADE FOR COMPILATIONS

MAYBE ITS LIKE AN REMIX EP OR SOMETHING

MOST OF ITS DONE IN PROTOOLS USING STUFF FROM OTHER SONIC MASTERWORKS WITH SOME RANDOM INTERNET AUDIO BLENDED IN

ODORBABY WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THE ODORTRON WHICH IS A SOFTWARE BASED THING THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER TO CREATE AWESOME ODOR IN PUBLIC PERFORMANCE 

SOMEDAY IT WILL GET BUILT BUT RIGHT NOW THERE ARE OTHER MUSIC THINGS THAT TAKE TIME AWAY FROM ODORBABY

ALSO WORKING WITH MICROPHONES AND PEDALS IN THE OLD SCHOOL HANDS ON METHOD OF NOISE PRODUCTION WOULD BE FUN

4. You have quite a unique image. Is this just your personality or is there more to it?

ODORBABY IS NOT A PERSON 

ODORBABY IS SIMPLY ALL OF THE HYPE YOU CRAVE WITHOUT THE BURDEN OF AN ACTUAL PRODUCT TO SLOW YOU DOWN

THERE IS NEVER AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE ODORBABY BE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE OR HAVE A PERSONALITY 

BUT RATHER ALWAYS AN ATTEMPT TO REMOVE ANYTHING REMOTELY RESEMBLING PERSONALITY OR HUMANITY FROM ODORBABY 

EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS THE MOST AWESOME THE MOST INCREDIBLE THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER

ODORBABY IS PURE UNADULTERATED AWESOMENESS PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE

HOW EASY IS THAT

PEOPLE DONT WANT MUSIC THEY WANT MUSIC FLAVORED CONSUMPTION PRODUCT 

PEOPLE DONT WANT MUSICIANS THEY WANT MANNEQUINS 

PEOPLE DONT WANT ART THEY WANT DISTRACTION AND SPECTACLE

THE MUSIC BUSINESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MUSIC AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH BUSINESS HOW EASY IS THAT

ODORBABY EXISTS TO FILL THAT DEMOGRAPHIC BY REDUCING PRODUCTION COSTS IMPROVING SUPPLY CHAIN EFFICIENCIES AND PASSING THE AWESOME DIRECTLY ONTO THE CONSUMER

5. What are your musical influences?

ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING

MERZBOW OBVIOUSLY IS A REFERENCE POINT BUT ALSO 

AUNTS ANALOG 

DROMEZ 

PEASANT

POWERMONSTER

BREAKDANCING RONALD REAGAN

^^^ THOSE GUYS ARE FROM THE US

IN EUROPE TRY vvv

BEATSZ 2.0

RPT

AMMERORHEA STRAUSS

SUDDEN INFANT

ANYTHING THAT MULTIVERSAL IS CURRENTLY PROMOTING

ODORBABY ENJOYS SITTING NEAR THE TRAIN TRACKS AND LISTENING THE THE TRAINS GO BY ITS LIKE A NOISE SHOW BUT WITHOUT THE NOISE SHOW

ALSO NATURE ITSELF IS AN INCREDIBLY GIFTED MUSICIAN IF YOU CAN LEARN TO SIT STILL AND LISTEN TO IT

6. Where do you see yourself going musically in the future? Any ambitions?

ODORBABY WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP INTO A MORE PERFORMANCE EFFECTIVE ENTITY 

AND ALSO COLLABORATE WITH OTHERS PARTICULARLY IN A BAND SORT OF CONTEXT

ALSO DOING COLLABS WITH AV/VIDEO PROJECTION ARTISTS WOULD BE AWESOME

FILM AND VIDEO WORK IS VERY ATTRACTIVE 

ALREADY SOME PEOPLE HAVE USED ODORBABY SONIC MASTERWORKS IN SMALL INDIE FILM PROJECTS

BUT WORKING WITH OTHERS SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF FUN SO YEAH MORE OF THAT

THANK YOU FROM ODORBABY

Thanks to Odorbaby for the interview. Merzbow is the performing name of Masami Akita, a famous Japanese noise artist. 

You can hear the awesome of Odorbaby at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/ODOR_BABY/ 

                                 How Awesome Is That?