R-Massive conducted an interview with 4 Times Insane….
Other than “electronic”, how would you classify 4 Times Insane? There are many, many sub-genres in the electronic music scene. Do you feel that this fragmentation causes stagnation, or does each different style need its own personality and scene to surround it?
I always describe 4 Times Insane as industrial, that’s the quick answer, hahah!! But I feel like there is a lot of industrial noise in the tracks Feelings of a Psychokiller, and H.A.L., even Broken Bones. I’m sure people will be surprised with those tracks. When I need to clarify genres I usually say experimental rock industrial / noise, with hints of IDM. But I don’t like labels. Labels are language and language cannot explain music, just as nature cannot be explained by words. Language is an artificial tool made by humans (very useful, but artificial). Normally, I don’t like to listen to generic things rigidly confined to one specific genre. I like bands with full personality.
Barcelona is a “world city”, meaning it is high profile and has a global influence, yet most electronic genres tend to be quite insular. Are there many outlets available for electronic acts, or many collaborators available for your style of music locally? Is the Internet your primary source of fans?
Well, in Barcelona there’s not much market for industrial. If you can get a real cool live show then things get easier, but that’s it. Right now I’m thinking of formulas of how to bring 4 Times Insane to a live settings, but currently live shows are postponed as I have a broken leg, and unfortunately my ideas are not very cheap. I need to think of how to make it financially viable. As far as fans go, I have some local and international, though I suppose when I start playing live the balance will tip more towards local ones.
Your website is very well-designed. Who did the layout and the artwork? The music video for The Healing on your site is also very high-quality. Do you do the animation or did you collaborate with someone? What is the video supposed to mean, or what is its meaning to you?
The website is a four way collaboration. There are two webmasters working on their free time: Chus Lanzarote, who has an amazing band called The Great Destroyer X, and Juan Jose Carmona Vilas, a very good childhood friend. The artwork is made by TALONABRAXAS, an awesome artist that I think fits perfectly with 4 Times Insane, and I just keep bringing up ideas.
About The Healing: I’ve been browsing local artists, some very good, but I finally decided with Nutjt from Thailand. I thought her art was a bit different from the rest, so I offered her to make a collaboration with 4 Times Insane doing a specific track for the project and Nutjt doing the visuals for the project. The result is The Healing. I usually don’t like to explain my interpretation, or Nutjt’s interpretation of the video clip because that influences the viewer’s interpretation.
Is it important for people to step away from the material world and develop a rich inner self, or is that simply your own preferred approach to life? Do you think people are missing something by being pragmatic, practical, and results oriented?
Well, capitalism is built that way. You are IN the game or you are OUT the game!!! Sometimes being practical and pragmatic is necessary to survive. But I think the more revolutionary one person can do is to think and meditate about his life and what is really important and then, act in consequence.
What is the ultimate goal of 4 Times Insane? Where are you trying to take it right now, and does that differ from where you think you’ll take it in the future?
I had always admiration for Bjork, not for her music but for her career. She does what the fuck she wants, how she wants, and she does it well. That’s all I want for 4 Times Insane.
Software, hardware, or both? What are some of your favorite VSTs? Do you like to use and abuse presets, or do you find yourself primarily creating patches from scratch?
I normally create my own sounds and then twitch them, hahah!!
What will the new album Broken Bones be like, and just how close to completion is it?
I like to consider Broken Bones as an industrial trip, a travel into the darker parts of the mind. Right now I’m doing mixdowns. All Broken Bones tracks are finished, but maybe I’ll come up with a new track as I find it much more fun to create music than to engineer it, hahah!! Who knows?
Lastly, who is Kira?
Kira is my niece. I made Kira’s Revolt when my sister was pregnant with her. The track is about a girl who changes the world, and I will be right there following her steps if she needs something. She likes the track a lot. Usually she dances when she listens to it, well, dances in a baby way, hahah!!
