Romanian artist Liar has been a massive force in the electronic force, and we’re excited to have caught up with the brilliant artist recently. We talk album influences, amazing experiences in Mumbai, and upcoming work!
Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?
Hi The Playground, Today I spent way too much on new clothes and PSN purchases, smoked way too many menthols, had a lot of fun with some ladyfriends, then an ulcers outbreak, then a panic attack. Now I’m good, got some Klonopin in me and am all jovial and moist.
To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?
Aural technomancy.
What are the 5 most influential albums that have influenced you the most?
In no particular order: Tiga – Ciao!, Venetian Snares – Doll Doll Doll, The Cure – Disintegration, Jam City – Classical Curves, Meshuggah – Nothing.
Which other artists are you into at the moment and why? Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?
Too many to list.
Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?
My ears, my Adams, my powerhouse gaming laptop, my acoustically-odd attic.
What would you say some of the challenges artists face today in the music industry?
Making a living without catering to the lowest common denominator and/or without moving to a clubbing epicenter/Mecca.
Where do you gather song writing inspiration?
Love, loss, death, fear, sex, anger, hatred, ancestry, knowledge.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when put music together?
Step 1: Allow myself to be fully inhabited by Liar.
Step 2: Spend 2-to-14 hours in a systemic trance, acting as a conduit to advanced sonic arrangement heuristics.
Step 3: Export and title audio.
Step 4: Wait a couple weeks, then master said audio.
What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?
This one. I was really skeptical going in. The initial offer seemed a bit too good to be true, for my self-perceived “tier” at the time. I was flying halfway across the world to headline what seemed to be one in a series of rather EDM-centric events. I had no idea what scene(s) Mumbai (or India for that matter) harbored, and if I was at all on-topic. I was not vaccinated. But it seemed too cool an adventure to pass up.
Fast-forward to the gig: I had the best, most responsive, most energetic, most mutable and genuinely experientially-hungry crowd of my life; said crowd had done their homework and were singing along in unison to tunes of mine that were devoid of vocals or anything really singalong-friendly; club go razed mid-Ramadan and it was awesome; I met some of the most instantly-lovable individuals; the legit Indian food, despite my initial trepidation, ended up cauterizing my ulcers – a cure which lasted me for a couple of years afterwards; I was housed in the most above-and-beyond posh hotel of my life (personalized rooms, amazing AC, amazing room service and lit marble everything); a street urchin tried to sell me a baby for 5000 rupees; I befriended rats; I was instructed in the ways of Nrsimhadeva and was made amulets which never leave my person to this day; I rode around around in motorized rickshaws through pure chaos; I was paid a very substantial and humbling amount.
If Kenneth D’souza ever e-mails your booking agent, you’re in for the time of your life.
And the worst?
Local gig. OHA Beach. Closing for Nightmares on Wax. Very odd line-up otherwise (brostep, cringy Romanian rap), but I liked the venue and was like “”eh, how bad could it be?””.
It was doomed from the start – the organizer was not there, and his hired hands (all of them absolutely mashed and barely coherent or conscious) had no idea who I was… there were at least 5 awkward minutes of them thinking I was an interloper. I started the set with Phuture’s “”Your Only Friend”” and one of them asked me to “”take it easy””, when that was maybe the most “”accessible”” track in my repertoire, it was 3am, everyone was rolling and a good 90% of the crowd was feeling it immensely. Then the power went out 2 times within 10 times. I proceeded to pack up my gear in complete silence and walk off into the dark without a word.
If you weren’t a musician what would you be?
A speculative fiction writer. If not that, a multimedia artist. If not that, a stay-at-home husband. If not that, low-ranking muscle in an organized crime syndicate.
If neither of the above, probs a serial killer. I sound like a bit of an edgelord, I know, but my psychiatrist can confirm.
Do you have any particular gigs or festivals that you dream about playing?
Boiler Room. Holy Ship. Dekmantel. That one magical illegal oldskool rave where everything supposedly comes together, that many of us are farcically nostalgic about (i.e. the Human Traffic peak experience), but with updated music.
If you could perform alongside any other band or artist, who would it be?
Mumdance, Pinch, Bloom, L-Vis 1990, Girl Unit, Tiga, Venetian Snares, Meshuggah, Akercocke.
Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
[TAR014 – Liar & Mutual Friend – Sidewinder w/ Kamikaze Space Programme remix] drops July 8th 2016.
Debut of New Romancer sideproject almost finalized – will be shopping it around soon.
Second collaborative outing with Wolf 25% complete.
Samplephonics’ “”Liar Presents Xenofunk”” sample pack is a current WIP.
After which I’ll begin work on my third full-length, “”Primal Fantasy””.
This is all, of course, in parallel to me running Tessier-Ashpool Recordings, where we have forthcoming sophomore material from Cassini and Dual Shaman, and TAR debuts of Chlorine, Night Dives, La Vie C’est Facile, Yak – to mention only a few.
