The13th AÑO: 3
|
NÚMERO 28
UNA R E VISTA IMA GINARIA
KAS PRODUCT | INTROFLIRT ALAN COURTIS | LIGHTS THAT CHANGE | MICHEL LEROY THE CULT OF FREE LOVE | THE SWAGGER | TAN FRÍO EL VERANO
[ Interview with Ben Benjamin of Introflirt by Diego Centurión. Translation: Bernardo Jimenez Mesa. ]
A MOOD RING
"Shameless Promotion" bring bands with great diversity of sounds, but all with excellent quality. Our pages have passed several of his bands and probably will continue appearing bands. Now we meet another excellent band, Introflirt, via cyberspace. From Oakland (California), they bring us elegant and, at times, dark synth pop that amalgamates structures of other decades with new technologies, and a taste that is unholy. With their brand new second album to be released in August this year. "Temporary Heaven" will be the successor of the debut "Introflirt" album one year ago.
On your website, you say you are "a soundtrack to insecurity". Why? Introflirt developed out of my own social anxiety and was very influential in helping me realize my own preferences as an introvert. In accepting and becoming comfortable with my own insecurity, I found much freedom - and hope to show others that being insecure is okay. So we strive to be ourselves on stage, in the studio, and in speaking with people, and not compensating to fulfill some image. We hope that encourages others to feel the way they feel and realize it’s okay. Everybody is so unique and perfect, and society often influences how people think they should act or how they should socialize. Everyone just wants to feel comfortable. And I’ve realized that
if I feel uncomfortable around people, letting myself feel that way - and making moves to take care of myself - is always the best option. Even if I don’t come across as “cool,” or do or say things to make myself fit in. I’m not interested in that; I’m only interested in being myself. When and how did the band come into being? Introflirt music began on a night where I was feeling frustrated with what I perceived as my social ineptitude, as well as, my lack of creative output. I decided to learn how to use the sequencer on a synth I’d had forever, and it developed into a song. Following this excitement, an entire album came out of this process, and I eventually met Vafa at a mutual friend’s performance. Her energy and musical skill was perfect for the project, so she began joining me onstage. We met Brendan at one of our shows - his first experience with the Flirt was running sound for us! Did it take two years to compose the first album? Yes, just about. That process involved me really feeling out what Introflirt wanted to be. I was also learning how to sing at the time, so once the musical tracks were finished, it took a while to get the vocals finalized because I was trying so many different things. What distinguishes "Introflirt" from "Temporary Heaven"?
3
The debut album is the sound of Introflirt discovering itself. It’s sound is expansive, and the lyrics balance between extreme darkness and blinding light. Temporary Heaven arrives at a place where the Introflirt sound is very self-actualized. The tempos are faster, there is more clarity in the songwriting, and the arrangements are tighter.
Do you think your sound has changed now that you are a trio? The sound has certainly changed. Brendan has been a huge influence on our sound, crisping up our production and adding heavier low end. After being on stage with Vafa for the past two years, and seeing how crowds react to our live sound, we’ve increased the tempos to make it more dance-friendly. Everything occupies so much more of an organized space. How do you explain the term "croonwave"? I learned to sing in piano bars, exploring mid-century jazz standards. So I developed a crooning style just by being in that atmosphere and singing that music. It was a natural fit for my voice, and while it wasn’t intentional, it’s the technique & approach that makes the most sense for me. I applied it to Introflirt to see if it worked, and it did. As far as the term croonwave, instead of placing ourselves in a genre that doesn’t really describe us, and since there is so much emphasis on the vocals being the lead instrument in this project, we think “croonwave” gets the point across. Your music is a blend of elegance and rhythms that are never lost in darkness, without resorting to the cliche of the typical dance rhythm. How do you contain your temptation? The method of recording the music dictates much of the feel of Introflirt. Much of what you hear on the albums is hand-played. Some of the faster, more intricate parts are sequenced, but even those parts are played before being looped. So there is an element
of humanity that results from our approach to making the music. How important are social networks? How do you feel using them? They seem to be super important to reach potential listeners in all areas of the globe. Building fans by playing local shows is fun, but it takes A LOT of time and energy. As an introvert, I enjoy the ability to sit at home with a coffee and interact with people from wherever, at anytime of day! I start to feel depressed if I spend too much time on the networks, though and have to give myself breaks to stay healthy. Do you have any songs that didn’t fit on "Temporary Heaven"? Maybe ;) What lies ahead for Introflirt? We’re focusing on promoting Temporary Heaven, playing select local shows, and crafting our live sound to create an expansive atmosphere in any venue. We love networking, helping to promote other bands, and just getting better at living. We learn so much from each other and about ourselves through working in Introflirt, and we would love for that to continue. To finish, why should people listen to "Introflirt"? We don’t think anyone “should” do anything. But, we feel Introflirt offers something new. An alternative to artists trying to fit into a slot or appeal to a certain crowd. We just want to appeal to real people. We’ve heard from our fans that Introflirt reflects the emotions of the person listening to it - like a mood ring. And we would like people to feel comfortable with their own emotions and be able to explore them. Thank you for chatting with me. I appreciate the opportunity for this interview. Thank you! We appreciate the opportunity to share our thoughts.
5
7
The13th U NA R EVISTA IMA GINA RIA