Brainwave Entrainment: A Conversation with Ryan Page (Cutty Strange Records)
For all the ISIS Twitter accounts and white supremacist websites, the Internet actually does have an occasional positive contribution. The Decibel magazine message boards (RIP) brought together a small and painfully unfunny group of weirdos that had strikingly similar, Juggalo-related musical tastes. One of those unfortunate souls I happened to interact with was Ryan Page, a young guy from Maine who was working on his one-man cybergrind outfit Body Hammer. His first album, Jigoku, ended up being the first review I wrote for Invisible Oranges, the website I've been contributing to for just over seven years now. Since then we've bonded over Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath and sleazy exploitation films you can only find on VHS (or if you're lucky, Betamax). When Ryan announced he had a new musical venture, I decided it was time we had a rambling conversation about it, and whatever else came to mind.
BLOOD & SPIRIT: So, seen anything good lately, movie-wise?
Ryan Page: Just watched this German film Goodnight Mommy, I'm not sure if I was just slow to catch on, because it was one of those films with a twist ending (which I usually hate), but I thought it was very effective. It's starts out as the classic "parent comes home and something is wrong" Invaders From Mars, The New Mommy, set up, and progresses in an interesting way. Again, I'm a bit surprised I liked it because it's component parts aren't very interesting to me.
I also liked Phantasm V for what it was worth. But I can see where people would see that and in no way find that to be an objectively good movie.
B&S: The trailer for Goodnight Mommy made it look like it was at least competently made, so that is always a plus. Still haven't seen Ravager yet, but several people told me it looks like it was shot on an iPhone.
RP: Yeah it honestly does. It's similar to why I enjoy Troma movies, it's more interesting to think of the process of making it and the people involved than to be fully immersed. It probably should have been the web series they planned, because it's not exactly the film we've been waiting 20 years for (realistically 30 since we haven't had a full movie since 3).
B&S: So you're out in California now. What's the scene out there (Oakland/SF) like, as far as heavier music?
RP: Sadly, I barely get to see metal/hardcore shows. I think it's really strong out here, but at the same time is a bit less inviting for smaller groups that aren't connected. Generally I get booked at art galleries, or smaller noise venues, occasionally I'll play one of the bigger shows. I showed a video at Noise Pop, which, at the time, I thought was a series of noise shows, but turned out to be mostly pop. The reaction was kind of amazing.
I'm sure you can picture how well a bunch of San Francisco 20 somethings took to it. That's actually happened with a few shows out here. I think people like to talk about "experimental" and what they mean is pop music with a lot of reverb. It's a problem when sheltered people like to dress and act like they've seen everything.
B&S: My interactions with music fans in person has dropped off hard, but when I do end up at non-metal shows in New York, I get the feeling that people need to feel like they know/have seen/lived through everything, if that makes sense. Like there's a fear of not being aware of everything related to what they're watching.
RP: Yeah, I get that sense as well, but it's odd because in no way do I feel like there's anyone moving things forward. On the one hand people claim to know everything, but it's seem a bit dubious once you realize their favorite band is a Tangerine Dream knock off. The problem of nostalgia culture has yet to be addressed properly.
B&S: I can see that. I mean it might be getting older or burnt out or whatever, but I get promo after promo of stuff labeled avant-garde or whatever, and it all sounds the same. Like mediocre black metal filtered through a Playskool keyboard. And that's when it's good!
RP: I mean, it's probably preferable to when everyone dressed like Marilyn Manson and wanted to talk about Queen Of The Damned, but yeah, the alternative is to rip off John Carpenter.
B&S: Some of it I like, but then again I get mad when there are groups that have been doing it for decades and people have no idea who they are. It goes back to the whole zombie revival, which I think is less me clinging to nostalgia than it is wanting no relation to a lot of those dorks.
RP: Right. Yeah, I mean, it's part of the reason I defend Stranger Things, it's aiming at all the right things, but on the other hand, that is step one. I mean, it's the same thing with the "synth revival" or what have you. I like the aesthetic they are inspired by, but why would I want to listen to some 30 year old metal dude who realized one day that it's a lot easier to buy an SH-101 and a loop pedal than to play in an Old School Death Metal band or what have you. It's the kind of consumerist mind set where you trade in one purchase identity for another. I mean, your Boss HM-2 and your SH-101 are literally made by the same company.
B&S: I'm kind of surprised that this stuff of all things made its way into a revival, but some of it is cool.
RP: Yeah, I'm attacking it sight unseen, which probably isn't fair. This new release is also synth based. And I've been slowly building synths and handmade noise instruments over the past 5 years so I'm not opposed to the idea in abstract. But I'm much more inspired by Man Is The Bastard's transition into The Bastard Noise than I am by, actually I'm not sure I even know the relevant points of comparison in "synthwave" or whatever the fuck it's called.
B&S: It leaves a lot open to interpretation, more so than most styles, so there's literally a million different ways to approach it, which I like.
RP: Yeah, I think there is a lot that can be done with it. I've literally recorded dozen of hours of music with it. I started using a lot of the modular synth I've been building on the last Slavestate EP.
Slavestate Bandcamp
B&S: So tell me about the new label.
RP: I started (Cutty Strange Records) with my friend Dan Steffey. We wanted to do a split together, and found that all the labels have either dried up or the people behind them had been gentrified and we wanted to create a label for releasing things on media which a lot of labels wouldn't touch. So the first release is a split cassette/VHS. The video portions were created by both of us separately as well. So it's a music/video split. I wanted to take the attitude and organizing principles that have developed in punk/metal/hardcore and use it for something more "experimental".
We've got several releases lined up, but this split is the first one, and will be what we're testing the waters with. The idea is to expand that and we have other people that will be contributing releases, artwork, cash etc. We will release via Bandcamp, iTunes, and eventually the app store. We want to release albums, or something like albums, where the sound will change over time. So apps, analog and digital electronics, etc.
B&S: Whoa, so you mean the app would have the ability to alter the music itself?
RP: Yeah, that's the idea. I am working on a album right now with Nicholas Wang which will consist of loops of various length and a program to arrange them on top of each other. There will probably be works for multichannel surround sound where you can just download an application and it performs a different piece every time you play it. I've written software that does this already, but I had never thought to release these as albums.
B&S: Wow, that's pretty nuts, but in a good way. It makes sense though, given the current musical climate.
RP: Yeah, I think the idea is that this kind of technology is really accessible, and it shouldn't just be happening for rich people in galleries. A lot of people respond to the elitism of art by making really low brow art for galleries, or "humbling" themselves in a genre. We're essentially aiming from the opposite: we come from punk rock and metal, and we really believe that the model of DIY/small shows/open admission, etc. is a good one. And we're trying to take the things we've learned in art school to bring some potentially new ideas to the scene rather than sticking our nose up at it.
B&S: Only death is real.
RP: LOL! Yeah, we're hoping this will be a decent start to getting people excited and for things to only get weirder from there.
You can find Cutty Strange Records on Bandcamp HERE and Vimeo HERE.
Right now, Ryan is donating any profits from his recording output to relief efforts for the Oakland Ghost Ship fire. You can make a direct contribution to the relief fund via the official YouCaring page HERE.
