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Chilling horizons >> Interchill's inner journeys
by RUPERT BOTTENBERG
"Over the years," explains Field, "Interchill has had two sides. The vinyl is a conscious attempt at making a vibe happen in a nightclub, with jungle breaks and trippy trance sounds. Andrew Ross-Collins was the A&R guy for that side, and I was more into focusing internally. That balance was there on Northern Circuits and Magnetic Blue." With Ross-Collins getting hitched and relocating to B.C., Interchill now has West Coast representation--and Field has the chance to crack his knuckles and do a comp tailored to his chill-at-home tastes. The theme is, as Field puts it, "Looking at the benefits of an inner evolution, rather than a stylistic, fashionable outer evolution--if that somehow makes sense." As you'd expect, inner journeys mean tablas and talking drums, electronic ethnomusicology represented by Makyo and Black Star Liner. "I told them, 'Listen, I'm doing a compilation, and I see you guys as part of this evolution I'm envisioning--youth-oriented, street-level but also ethnically-inspired.' I'm trying to find a genuine connection, because world ethnomusic has received a lot of flak." In other words, it's not a comp of world-for-world's-sake, too often an open door for mediocrity and even global village idiocy. Field's secret weapon is this: "An intuitive sense of the depth of what the song's trying to communicate. For instance, take this Swedish project Solea Amphibia--I listened to 12 tracks from this guy, and each one was so aquatic, rich, all these talkative forms of spirit communication going on in there. 'Samph' stood out because it was more open-eyed." Speaking of eye-opening, take a gander at that crazy CD booklet, designed by local multimedia artist Jean Ranger: x-rays, animals, arcane patterns and shadow theater snapshots. "I really liked these silhouettes," muses Field, "that seem to be from another dimension. We were brainstorming, asking, 'What are interior horizons? What do you see when you close your eyes and you're ascending?'" Ascending, or maybe gettin' high? Well, yeah. That's what I see--and this comp is what I hear.
CD Launch with Field, Neerav and Stef (plus visuals by Ranger & Phosphen) at Jekyll & Hyde Lounge on Friday, August 27, 10pm, $5 |
It's a busy time for Gordon Field and his Interchill label. On the heels of this summer's Om Music Festival comes three new releases, including Arkin Allen's Omniscience project and a solo outing by Transglobal Underground's Neil Sparkes. The first pony out of the gate, though, is this Interior Horizons compilation.