An Interview with recent Polaris Prize winner Caribou, printed in Time Out Istanbul, March 2008.
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Dan Snaith is a busy man. Between touring the world under the moniker “Caribou,” he’s found time to obtain his PhD in Mathematics. Though many think of mathematics as a black and white field, this doesn’t affect Snaith. “Andorra,” his latest effort is an alarmingly melodic mix of psychedelic tunes fused with pop-influenced electronica. The aesthetic is overwhelmingly apparent and serves itself upon first listen. He brings his idiosyncratic set to Babylon on March 11th. Leave your calculators at the door; it promises to be a mind-altering night. I caught up with Snaith from his home in London for his take on Istanbul, touring and the always confusing English language.
What are your hopes for Istanbul? This is your second time here, right?
My third time actually. The first time I came it was just to DJ. It must have been in late 2001. Istanbul has stuck with me as one of my absolute favourite cities in the world - being able to enjoy the depth and breadth of history and culture. It seems like no place I’ve visited before. If I could ask... what would you suggest I do on a third trip to Istanbul?
Ride the ferries back and forth between Asia and Europe. A good sunset and a cigarette means it’s a cheap thrill. But what can fans of Caribou expect from your gig at the Babylon and what can fans who haven't heard much of your music before expect?
I think people who know the music might be surprised by the physicality and visceralness of the live show. I want the show to be engulfing and moving for the audience as well us for us playing it. There are two of us banging away at drums... it's a big wall of sound and there are visuals synced to and reinforcing what's happening musically. We play new and old caribou songs so I hope both fans and people new to the music will like it.
Your music crosses back and forth will all kinds of brazen over different genres. What's the strangest thing you've ever heard (Or read) your music be labeled as?
I often forget but I think it's been called 'nu-jazz folktronica' at points. I don't know what that even means. I think psychedelic is an appropriate adjective for the music but don't think much past that.
Folks in Istanbul love history. Really, they love it. Describe your music in historical terms, if you could.
Excellent - I love history too although I am very much making up for a youth of disinterest. As far as the historical perspective of my music - I’m very much an aesthete when it comes to my music. It’s only about the way the music sounds and not intended to be autobiographical or social. that being said, listening to music from an aesthetic point of view allows me to listen to all music on an equal footing; allows me to draw from dance music of the nineties or free jazz of the 60s or Turkish psychedelic music from the late 60s and 70s (Baris Manco, Uc Hur El, Selda, Mogollar, Erkin Koray) and mix the sounds together. A lot of people only seem to be interested in music that's being made today.
You touring seems relentless and never ending. Do you view touring extensively as a means of escape or exploration?
Exploration definitely. I enjoy it but I’m not trying to escape anything. I’m very happy at home tinkering away with my recordings. I tend to have a year of recording and a year or touring. They balance each other well.How does touring influence your music? I think playing live music night after night makes me better attuned to building tension and release in music... in being aware of what the music makes me feel physically.
Likewise, how do specific cities influence the gig? Any stories of a city or circumstance that dictated process?
Gigs (at least gigs in clubs) are remarkably self-similar in many ways. a club looks like a club anywhere in the world - it's more about the people who are at the club and their enthusiasm or lack of it that dictates how we play and how the concert progresses.
I got confused yesterday with the meanings of the words visceral and cerebral. Which do you think better describes Caribou?
Well without knowing this question was coming I already used the word visceral in this interview so I think that's a clue! somehow I hope it's both though ... I like thinking about things on a conceptual level and appreciating music in that way but when I make music it's my gut that counts.
And what's a good headspace to make a Caribou record or play a live show?
I think something I love about music is that it generates that headspace for me. I can be in any mood and then playing music or recording music transports me to a state that suits the music. That is, apart from playing a concert immediately after being served with a court summons - that was a buzz kill.
Andorra sounds a little more emotional to me than MOHK. Describe the recording process.
I set out wanting to make an album that was overtly emotive. It was about trying to write music that had the 'lump in the throat' feeling of many pop songs that I love. It wasn't trying to capture how I was feeling at the time - by writing the music the idea was to create those feelings. Emotional escapism. It's the first time I've written all the songs and had them arranged in my head before I recorded them.
The progression of the sound in your records while not startling, is usually evident. Is there a direction you would like to take your music in the future? What were your original influences when you first began making music and how do they differ from your influences today?
I like not having a plan. My future records will document whatever musical ideas are inspiring me at the time. When I started making music (when I was 13 or 14) I was listening to 70s progressive rock like Yes and Genesis and 90s techno like the Orb. Now my influences are from 70s progressive rock like Can and contemporary techno like James Holden. It seems very different but maybe it's not.
Finally, what's been your favourite place to play (Or return to) not in terms of crowds or whatever, but because of the food in the city? Does Turkish cuisine interest you at all?
I love Turkish food. London (where I live at the moment) is incredible for Turkish food because of the large Turkish community here. I very much forward to coming to Istanbul from a culinary point of view but our best culinary touring experiences have been in China and Japan. Istanbul will have to top those!
Thanks for your time Dan.
Thanks!
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Dan Snaith is a busy man. Between touring the world under the moniker “Caribou,” he’s found time to obtain his PhD in Mathematics. Though many think of mathematics as a black and white field, this doesn’t affect Snaith. “Andorra,” his latest effort is an alarmingly melodic mix of psychedelic tunes fused with pop-influenced electronica. The aesthetic is overwhelmingly apparent and serves itself upon first listen. He brings his idiosyncratic set to Babylon on March 11th. Leave your calculators at the door; it promises to be a mind-altering night. I caught up with Snaith from his home in London for his take on Istanbul, touring and the always confusing English language.
What are your hopes for Istanbul? This is your second time here, right?
My third time actually. The first time I came it was just to DJ. It must have been in late 2001. Istanbul has stuck with me as one of my absolute favourite cities in the world - being able to enjoy the depth and breadth of history and culture. It seems like no place I’ve visited before. If I could ask... what would you suggest I do on a third trip to Istanbul?
Ride the ferries back and forth between Asia and Europe. A good sunset and a cigarette means it’s a cheap thrill. But what can fans of Caribou expect from your gig at the Babylon and what can fans who haven't heard much of your music before expect?
I think people who know the music might be surprised by the physicality and visceralness of the live show. I want the show to be engulfing and moving for the audience as well us for us playing it. There are two of us banging away at drums... it's a big wall of sound and there are visuals synced to and reinforcing what's happening musically. We play new and old caribou songs so I hope both fans and people new to the music will like it.
Your music crosses back and forth will all kinds of brazen over different genres. What's the strangest thing you've ever heard (Or read) your music be labeled as?
I often forget but I think it's been called 'nu-jazz folktronica' at points. I don't know what that even means. I think psychedelic is an appropriate adjective for the music but don't think much past that.
Folks in Istanbul love history. Really, they love it. Describe your music in historical terms, if you could.
Excellent - I love history too although I am very much making up for a youth of disinterest. As far as the historical perspective of my music - I’m very much an aesthete when it comes to my music. It’s only about the way the music sounds and not intended to be autobiographical or social. that being said, listening to music from an aesthetic point of view allows me to listen to all music on an equal footing; allows me to draw from dance music of the nineties or free jazz of the 60s or Turkish psychedelic music from the late 60s and 70s (Baris Manco, Uc Hur El, Selda, Mogollar, Erkin Koray) and mix the sounds together. A lot of people only seem to be interested in music that's being made today.
You touring seems relentless and never ending. Do you view touring extensively as a means of escape or exploration?
Exploration definitely. I enjoy it but I’m not trying to escape anything. I’m very happy at home tinkering away with my recordings. I tend to have a year of recording and a year or touring. They balance each other well.How does touring influence your music? I think playing live music night after night makes me better attuned to building tension and release in music... in being aware of what the music makes me feel physically.
Likewise, how do specific cities influence the gig? Any stories of a city or circumstance that dictated process?
Gigs (at least gigs in clubs) are remarkably self-similar in many ways. a club looks like a club anywhere in the world - it's more about the people who are at the club and their enthusiasm or lack of it that dictates how we play and how the concert progresses.
I got confused yesterday with the meanings of the words visceral and cerebral. Which do you think better describes Caribou?
Well without knowing this question was coming I already used the word visceral in this interview so I think that's a clue! somehow I hope it's both though ... I like thinking about things on a conceptual level and appreciating music in that way but when I make music it's my gut that counts.
And what's a good headspace to make a Caribou record or play a live show?
I think something I love about music is that it generates that headspace for me. I can be in any mood and then playing music or recording music transports me to a state that suits the music. That is, apart from playing a concert immediately after being served with a court summons - that was a buzz kill.
Andorra sounds a little more emotional to me than MOHK. Describe the recording process.
I set out wanting to make an album that was overtly emotive. It was about trying to write music that had the 'lump in the throat' feeling of many pop songs that I love. It wasn't trying to capture how I was feeling at the time - by writing the music the idea was to create those feelings. Emotional escapism. It's the first time I've written all the songs and had them arranged in my head before I recorded them.
The progression of the sound in your records while not startling, is usually evident. Is there a direction you would like to take your music in the future? What were your original influences when you first began making music and how do they differ from your influences today?
I like not having a plan. My future records will document whatever musical ideas are inspiring me at the time. When I started making music (when I was 13 or 14) I was listening to 70s progressive rock like Yes and Genesis and 90s techno like the Orb. Now my influences are from 70s progressive rock like Can and contemporary techno like James Holden. It seems very different but maybe it's not.
Finally, what's been your favourite place to play (Or return to) not in terms of crowds or whatever, but because of the food in the city? Does Turkish cuisine interest you at all?
I love Turkish food. London (where I live at the moment) is incredible for Turkish food because of the large Turkish community here. I very much forward to coming to Istanbul from a culinary point of view but our best culinary touring experiences have been in China and Japan. Istanbul will have to top those!
Thanks for your time Dan.
Thanks!
