Interview: Dustin Wong

Dustin Wong just might have an indie rock resume to kill for: Born in Hawaii, raised in Japan, of Chinese and American Heritage, ex-member of Ponytail, solo artist with a million pedals. And to top it off, he was cool enough to talk to us. Makes it hard to hate him, don't you think?

Currently touring with Beach House for his album "Dreams Say View Create Shadow Leads" which dropped in February, he chats about the sounds of youth and making stripped down noise rock. Check more out about Dustin here.

love/hate: How has your creative process changed since going solo?

Dustin: It feels like working on a painting. The length of the loop determines the size of the canvas and my octave pedal and distortion determines the color and textures. The delay pedal kind of works as a straight edge and grid.  It feels a lot more intuitive to me then ever before.

love/hate: Growing up overseas, do you feel you had access to different sounds that most Americans don't get?

Dustin: The cicadas sound different in Japan and even the trains sound different too.  They sound almost like modular synthesizers. The inside of the train is fairly quiet, people are very quiet and keep to themselves, to the point that you could start feeling their thoughts... The pachinko parlors and arcades have extraordinary noises too.

love/hate: "Dreams Say..."was a different creation process for you. What inspired you to go with a different approach?

Dustin: I wanted to document the piece as close to the way my live performances are. So I went directly from my pedals into my laptop input. But now I'm realizing that there are more efficient ways of recording purely from a direct input. The way electricity is used the sound itself can change foe the better or for the worse. I'm still learning and refining this process.

love/hate: What, if anything, are you listening to and loving these days?

Dustin: I've been really enjoying music made by William Eaton. He made his own guitars with harps and zithers integrated into the instrument.  He gets these very beautiful harmonic overtones and undertones.

love/hate: What are you plan for 2013? More music? Touring?

Dustin: I'm working on the next record at the moment, the structure is about 95% done, I just need one more song! I'm going to try and record this at an actual space. Not much planned for 2013 but I'll be playing with Zs in January in Tokyo. Will be taking things step by step!

Interview with Resa Blatman

Boston based artist Resa Blatman was kind enough to share about her crazy intense and surreal-y natural art. Here is what she says about her newest works, a tremedously cool blend of rich painting and cut edged canvases to expand the idea of hangable art:


"My current work is about fertility, abundance, sensuality, and an over-the-top beauty. The paintings combine decorative patterns with flora and fauna. The cut-edge surfaces are an extension of the painting itself, allowing the work to feel as if it is growing out of control."


Resa: "If you look at my “gallery” on MyArtSpace or check out my website at http://www.resablatman.com/ you can see the cut-edge panel paintings. This is my newest work and the direction I plan to pursue for now. I’ve completed two triptych cut-edge panels (the third, “Lemon Spray,” is nearly complete), and I’m in the process of starting a fourth in this series, which will be approximately 20-30 feet wide and include six or eight panels.
My plan is to keep the cut edges elaborate and have each of the panels integrate more often with one another. As for what I plan to paint, well, that’s my secret for now. Only my husband knows what I’m thinking about putting on the surface, and that may change."

You like them, don't you? I thought so. Resa's words come from a fabulously intensive interview with Brian Sherwin from MyArtSpace and can be read in full here: http://www.myartspace.com/blog/2009/05/art-space-talk-resa-blatman-part-1.html
Resa's work can be ogled at her website: www.resablatman.com

Interview: Rene Cigler

Hi y'all.
Portland artist/creator Rene Cigler passed away early in August of 2008. In July I had contacted her about an interview and she was kind enough to respond. The news of her death saddens me to this day, but I feel now is a good time to post her interview. Do visit strangemonsters.com to see and purchase her delightful arts. Even though I didn't personally know Rene, I miss her and thank her for her work and spirit.

-It's important to start off by saying you aren't some flash in the pan trendy artist. Share with us a bit how you grew up and how art became
such a huge part of your life.
(RENE) I grew up just outside Cleveland Ohio had a pretty average life just kickin it with the kids in my neighborhood playing around the woods
building forts and playing in nature.
I always loved creatures, character art and drawing and had a thing for
Snoopy and Dr. Seuss characters as most kids did. I excelled in art classes
and got a few mini scholarships and studied communication arts and Illustration.
Just after art school went back to Cleveland to pound the pavement for a job and happen to get a lead about a designer position at Those Characters From Cleveland a Division of American Greetings. After a few years I started moonlighting and working with my hands to create art pieces from found objects, electrical parts, kitchen utensils and doo-dads. I started a lil jewelry line called BOBELINK on the side. I sold to shops (famed "Patricia Fields" NYC), boutiques the art museum & galleries.
I love music and nightlife and I was a club kid hanging out dancing and drinking. Went to a fashion performance show at a club and thought how cool it would be for me to have a fashion show. I brainstormed a line of fashion looks that was an expansion of my jewelry line ...full body wear and almost costume like.
I got the hottest club in town to let me put on fashion show performance, it was a success and things just grew from there it was like a spark was lit. This lead to featuring my work on stage at Lollapalooza with Red hot chilly peppers, Ministry and MTV. Trendy fashion shows at the famed
Limelight in New York City. I was gaining a pretty nice portfolio working in 3-dimsionional objects making fashion and sculptures that were in several gallery shows and featured in magazines.
I happen to go to LA to exhibit my work at the Cyber Arts Convention and met with a X- Clevelander who owned a very propionate feature film prop shop in Hollywood. As I was in the shop a production designer from Warner Brothers stopped by, My friend said “you should see this girl’s work, it would be perfect for your film.” It turned out they were preparing Demolition Man starring Sylvester Stallone. I got on the project and my work was in the film and I was able to work on set. I moved to LA full time to see what I could make of this crazy new career.
Once in LA I got involved in Films like Tank Girl that featured my body
armor, jewelry. Also became a stylist for music videos to keep busy.
After a year of be bopping around the film industry I wanted something a lil more steady and called up Mattel Toys to see about a position as a Designer. I landed the job. Worked at Mattel for 2 years and then moved to San Francisco to work for Oddzon/ Hasbro Toys managing and designing licensed toys & development for films like Stars wars, Harry Potter, Toy story, Pokemon and many more.. It keep me busy for about 3 yrs but left to start a
company with my boyfriend and partner Cameron Smith. We started Strange Monster (apparel company) and Inkmonster (Licensing) I have been in business for about 8 yrs now, It's a lot of work but fun and rewarding.

-Describe your style to someone that may have never seen your work.

(RENE) I work in several mediums and styles and so it's hard to describe. When it comes to my drawing style I love to create imaginary characters somewhat cute with a misfit quality. I have an obsession with tentacles and cephalopods. I just cant draw them enough. When it comes to my 3-dimeional art I am inspired by history and cultural costumes from Africa with a dash a futurism.
I never really consciously think about what I going to create I let the
elements and materials come to together and it just all works out.

-Your work has some very delicate nature themes but also can be considered gothic. What inspires you currently?

(RENE) I enjoy the juxtaposition of the dark and light mischievous cute things. I am drawn to Victorian& Edwardian era all the detail and decoration inspires me.

-What medium do you prefer to work in?

(RENE) I am currently into drawing and silk screening, we have a 8 color silkscreen press. Cameron my partner has master the art of silk-screening so we are equal partners in the creation of our line.
have several half baked paintings on wood laying around the house that I work on occasionally.

-What do you like about living in the northwest?

I am soo happy I move up to Portland 3 yrs ago.
I love the quality of life, trees and nature, the people the quirkiness of this place makes me smile everyday. I feel at home here. I walk to Alberta as it's close to my house and enjoy the many local spots for food drink and yummy Stumptown coffee!

I would love to find more time to paint and create one of kind pieces, but I don't have tentacles.. So it will have to wait..

Ellen Allien

She’d probably never admit it, but this 20-something Berliner is making more of an impact on the face of music than the superfamous with an extraordinary idea: being positive, having fun, and taking as much of the world in as she can. (Photos by Michael Mann)

How did growing up in West Berlin shape your early years?

I grew up feeling surrounded by the Wall, that separated East- and West Berlin. I lived on the small island of West Berlin, what meant: border controls on Sunday excursions, the rummaging through bags, the military. It was scary for me as a child. Nevertheless, the island of West Berlin has been a destination for creative minds in search of alternatives. In the 80ies, for the first time people were singing in the language, you could hear out on the streets of Berlin: Ideal, Grauzone, Nina Hagen pop meets punk. Things happened so fast. My side of Berlin provided a home for the curious, those who were going against the flow. However, it was only when the Wall came down that I was immediately fascinated by East Berlin, by this atmosphere of curiosity and get-up-and-go. There was room for experiments. Electronic music united East and West.

During Berlin's renaissance and electronic music explosion you submersed yourself in the world-by mixing tapes, dabbling in art, and you also trained to be an acrobat...what sort of arts other than music currently inspire you?

Before the wall came down, I was living for 6 years in a squart. There I found myself as an artist. I was hanging around in studios, doing jam sessions in cellars, I took saxophone lessons, I painted, I did everything that I could have done with art. I started my life as an artist there, because everyone was living the same way around me. Money was not important at all, jobs neither. I just did what I wanted to, doing music, painting, dancing and doing acrobatic. Among my friends were artists only. Later it became more techno, because techno became more commercial, had success. And the need for the label “Ellen Allien” developed in these days. Today I earn my money only with music: djing and producing on my own. Nevertheless all kinds of art influence me, especially those who crosses borders like I do: Björk, David Bowie, Charlotte Gainsbourg, David Lynch, Michel Gondy, Karl Lagerfeld..

With your crazy schedule how do you find about new music? Who are you listening to right now?

At the moment I do some vinyl cus for SOOL, my new album, and I listen to the remixes that were made for it. And I also love to listen to the new BPitch Control releases, Telefon Telaviv, or the movie soundtrack from Paul Kalkbrenner or the new Moderat album. There is not so much time left at the moment for something else, I will have clean ears again in 2 month when I am finished with my promotion and remix process for SOOL. BUT!!! – last week I have been on such an amazing concert by (Chilly) Gonzales in Berlin!!! I had so much fun!!! He is an amazing entertainer! And I will go to a Radiohead concert soon, Modeselektor will be the preband..



You've returned to Berlin and said it was the 'city that let's you breath.' What the scene there currently?

The scene is quite refreshing here, and it changed a lot within the last years. Many people moved to Berlin, from France, Italy, Spain, USA.. And those people really improve that air of being globalized. The clubs, galleries and everything cultural is quite well visited. Many young people live here who want to see and experience something. That creates a very vivid ambiance! And I like it! Because German people tend to see everything so depressed and dark. They miss to see, that we create the life style we want to live on! But nevertheless, I have to admit that Berlin still leaves so much void and space for creativity like nowhere else on this world.

What equipment do you use for your live mixes and shows?

Live: Max MSP and vocals with some effects; as DJ still vinyl, but I am preparing to switch to digital, or at least I will try it.

What inspired you during the making of your new album, Sool?

I produce my albums mainly in winter, and at this time I am always thinking about the summer. And my last summer has been sooooooooo good. I felt many abstract tracks and minimal stuff around me, and I tried to catch it with my own productions. And of course, I felt a need to produce exactly the tracks I need for my sets or if I want to listen to at home. In sum, it is electronic music with smart and abstract melodies, not too cheesy, just something refreshing for your brain..

If you were to make a mix tape right now, what would you put on it?

I would put over the tracks stories in a language nobody could understand.. The allien languages.. ;) Haha.. Bubbling over minimal music.. Something like this..