Fuck Buttons claim to have never successfully melted anyones face off during a live performance. What a testament to the changing times. Could it be that no one wants to melt faces anymore?
Fuck Buttons' Tarot Sport is pure sonic anarchy. The record fuses chaotic noise, drum and bass influenced prog and enough droning, ambient trance to send a master warlock off running with his wand between his legs. And yet, there's still a rift in the space time continuum.
People who make loud, unrelenting music are less concerned than ever with melting faces off. Maybe yoga did it, you know? Because yoga has always got its limber hands in everything. Look at Dhalsim from the Street Fighter series. A yogi who melts faces! Coincidence? I think not.
My guess is when Fuck Buttons members Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Powers said they haven't melted any faces off they just mean they haven't melted any faces off yet. Check out this interview with Fuck Buttons to learn even less on melting faces.
What's the most used piece of gear in the Fuck Buttons rig?
Andrew Hung: Mmm… probably the mixer? Our instrumentation is always changing so we don't really have any consistent favorites or anything like that.
Do you think you've ever successfully melted anyone's face off during a live performance?
Benjamin Power: Errr, no. Not that we're aware of.
AH: We've melted a few PAs in the past.
Bright Tomorrow and Street Horrrsing showcased a more raw sounding cacophony of unrelenting and yet somehow contained noise, Tarot Sport plays with more complex and intertwined songwriting that sounds freer to unhinge in a beautifully new-sounding way. Now that you have a better grasp of your style and instrumentation, what do you do to challenge yourselves?
AH: It's not routine or formula that we're striving for and I think if we were ever in danger of approaching those things, we would probably back away. Interest and fun are the fundamental elements that need to be present in the song writing process.
You spent time in Bristol? It's such a huge umbrella of dub and drum and bass to live under.
AH: We didn't grow up in Bristol, we were there for university. With us personally, we've never really had a geographical attachment to Bristol or any other place for that matter, at least not consciously. But I think of course, geographical location can have impacts on certain ways people work. Scenes are really only groups of friends who happen to make music, that's all they are. We however, have no friends so…
What is the most viable strategy to conquer the world in a game of Risk?
AH: Don't try and hold onto Russia.
Have you ever seen thisman.org?
AH: I like that. I like ideas of collective consciousness. That doesn't make me a hippy though, okay?
Give our readers a little insight into the recording process with Andrew Wetherall. If it's appropriate to say that Fuck Buttons combine elements drawing succinctly from Warp records-released electronic music such as Plone and Autechre to Shoegaze icons like My Bloody Valentine and Mogwai then it's safe to say that Weatherall, who has associated himself with all of these acts would be best at gluing these elements together. What sort of truth, if any, is there to the madness I have just spoken?
AH: I think there is some truth, at least with regard to Weatherall's understanding of different textural aesthetics and being able to work with them. It's certainly one of the reasons why we wanted to work with him, because we wanted someone who wasn't afraid of ideas.
North American tour. Soon. Any plans for collaborations while you're over? Any food or culture you're especially looking forward to returning to?
BP: We're going to be over with our friends Growing. So that's going to be a lot of fun.
AH: Actually the food in North America is the best for sure. I'm looking forward to ginseng green tea in massive cans from truck stops.
Pick up Tarot Sport if you haven't yet. Yoga Flame!
