Wounds of the Earth webzine's interview of Re: dux tion

Introduce yourself; who are you/what do you do?

My name is Christophe G. and I am the artist known as Re: dux tion. For now I am the only member so I do all the creation, processing and destruction that is Re: dux tion.

Can you provide us with a brief bio of Re: dux tion?

I started seriously working as Re: dux tion about two years ago. I am also a member of the band ‘Drug of Choice’ and as I was writing songs for D.o.C. I began to have songs that didn’t quite fit with D.o.C.; so
Re: dux tion was born as a way to create and most importantly express myself outside of D.o.C.

What is Re: dux tion; what does the name mean and where did it come from?

Re: dux tion literally means to reduce, to purify. Since I was working alone I had reduced the band members to one. The name also carries with it the idea of “self”. Getting to ones’ essence and creating art not commerce. Its’ about believing in yourself and not worrying about “fitting in” with someone else’s ideal. The inner strength to say this is who I am and this is what I create and I believe in both.

What do you want to accomplish with/through Re: dux tion / music in general?

I hoped to break-through the confines of a music industry that imposes labels and restrictions on artists. As an African-American musician, the music industry has defined me as a rapper or an R&B singer; I am neither. There seems to be a difficulty in “marketing” me (lol). I’ve tried to get around this “problem” for years and with the internet I have. I can now get my music out directly to people and let them judge it on one thing and one thing only, "is it any good”. These inherent needs to pigeonhole and define are absurd and never mind how destructive and crippling they can be! We need to breakdown boundaries not re-enforce them. The concept of boundary breaking is so important on many levels. As human beings we are more alike than we sometimes realize. As an artist I think it is my duty, my responsibility to push the boundaries, to provoke, to prod. Someone has to say “no”. No to the idea of being defined by someone else!

What inspires you to write music?

I’m inspired everyday by the very simplistic idea of making music. The idea of being able to create something and the satisfaction that brings inspires me everyday. Also through the internet I have come into contact with so many incredible artists. Their work pushes me to explore new things, to try different methods of working. There are just so many
talented people making music that everyday I hear something that makes me sit up and take notice. Hearing something I haven’t heard before sends me right into my studio. I am inspired by art and architecture as well. Lately I have been reading and studying architecture and have found great inspiration in the work of many architects (Sugimoto, Donald Judd, Tadao Ando and others of the “minimalist” movement). Visual artists are another source of inspiration. I tend to work very visually. I think my music has a very “cinematic” feel to it.

What does “Leaving only what is necessary” mean to you?

It means getting rid of those things around you, within you, that are holding you back from achieving what you want. I don’t mean this in a monetary sense; I mean it in a life sense. All of us have had relationships that dragged us down, held us back from being our best. We trap ourselves in our own mental prisons, afraid “to do”. We’re afraid we won’t get approval from someone, whatever the case. Once you are able to “free” yourself, everything becomes possible. The fear of failure, of disapproval disappears. What you’re left with is you and who you are. You reach a point where you are comfortable in your own skin - a rather nice feeling I might add!

Why do you choose to make dark ambient (with an industrial edge)? How do you get into dark ambient?

I didn’t really choose to make “dark-ambient”. It is what resulted from being in the studio and creating. I’ve always loved music that is heavy on the atmosphere. Whether it was dub, doom/black-metal, film, shoegaze or ambient/drone just give me an atmosphere; preferably a dark one (lol). I don’t think of myself as a “dark-ambient” artist. I’m not disavowing the genre or label, it’s just that I think of myself as a musician and my “job” as a musician is to create music; regardless of classification or genre. Art and artists should know no boundaries!

How do you keep your music fresh and innovative despite being surrounded by the ocean of dark ambient music out there?

I think the key to keeping “fresh” is to listen to other music outside of “dark-ambient”. It is true that there is a lot of music out there that falls under the heading/category of “dark-ambient” and I have my favorites (Nostalgia, Letum, Contagion, Roto Visage and John 3:16 to name a few) I really do like a lot of different music. You have to live outside of a single genre or style. There is a wealth of incredible music being made that doesn’t fall under “dark-ambient”, I would be a fool to ignore it!

'A Disordered Imagination' is one of my favorite dark ambient albums; can you explain the inspiration behind it and the process of creating it?
How were you able to solidify such a strong and otherworldly atmosphere?

Thank you very much! It didn’t quite start out as a focused work. Charles from sleepy:verse records heard a few songs that I had previously completed and wanted to release them. As some of them had already appeared on compilations and splits; I wanted to write some new songs to make it a more complete work not just a collection of previously released songs. In addition to writing new songs I remixed all of the previously released songs as well. The inspiration as a whole came from the idea of trying to express concepts like war, dystopia, desolation, futurism and death sonically. I really was trying to make an auditory representation of these somewhat abstract concepts. I think the key to its’ strong atmosphere is it is focused around an idea/theme. It is not just some songs thrown together. I tried to treat it as a film-maker would treat a movie. The best movies are usually the ones’ that work as a whole not just a collection of unrelated scenes.

Tell me about your latest release, “The Death Posture”. What can we expect; how was it created; how was the process of creating it different from older works?

‘The Death Posture’ is definitely “dark-electronic”. It is a mash-up of the music that I like e.g. doom/black-metal, IDM, breakcore, industrial and ambient/drone. It isn’t made for easy classification. I wanted to make something that pushed at the definition of “industrial”. Industrial in many minds has come to mean “trance with distorted vocals”, that has to change! Industrial music is greater than that. I need to experiment with my music, not repeat it and certainly not copy what is already out there. The main creative difference between this and ‘A Disordered Imagination’ is that I started with “guitar” based performances.

What happens after “The Death Posture”?

Next up for me are several split releases and collaborations. Forthcoming is a three-way split CD with ‘True Colour of Blood’ and ‘Migra’, a split CD with ‘Surrain’, a split CD with ‘Machine Debaser’, a split release with ‘John 3:16 (this will be a return to the “dark-ambient” music of ‘A Disordered Imagination’), and a remix EP entitled ‘Un:mxd & Manipulated’. There are also a couple of compilation releases due out soon. I am also working with Virginia MC/Poet - Black Saturn. We’re probably going to release a full-length later this year.

What do you think the future of dark electronic music is? Is there any uncharted territory left to explore?

I think the future of “dark – electronic” music lies in its’ ability to absorb other influences and not become incestuous; it needs’ to evolve. Of course this depends on your definition of “dark-electronic” music. For me it includes dubstep (a newly found pleasure), darkstep, IDM, downtempo, ambient, doom/black-metal (a personal fav), goth, breakcore, gabber, noise and industrial. I think the uncharted territory is the mixing and matching, the crossing and blurring of genres. There needs to be less defining of music based on fashion and dress codes. The way someone dresses or looks shouldn’t be the reason for how we define their music. Let the artist define it or not!

What are the top albums that inspire you?

NIN – ‘The Fragile’, maybe the single most influential/inspirational album for me

Pink Floyd – ‘The Wall’, enough said!

Godflesh – ‘Streetcleaner’, the first time I heard this I was awestruck. Justin Broadrick and all his various “projects” (Techno Animal, Ice, Jesu) have had and continue to have enormous influence on me.

Skinny Puppy – ‘Too Dark Park’, simply an amazing record that embodies all that is “industrial music”.

Public Enemy – ‘Yo Bum Rush The Show’, talk about revolutionary. There is/was nothing like them!

Killing Joke – ‘Killing Joke’, a totally new sound at the time.

David Bowie – ‘Low’, a landmark and influential release that is still spreading its’ influence. What would music be like without it?

My Bloody Valentine – ‘Loveless’ spawned an entire genre and countless imitators. Kevin Shields is a true artist!

What is the top writings/books/etc that inspires you?

The non-music related inspiration includes – Bruce Sterling, Philip K. Dick, Nietzsche, Eastern philosophy, minimalism, Andy Warhol, modernism, Robert Williams, Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, Malcolm X, H.R. Giger, Basquiat and Jeff Chang .

What can we expect from Re: dux tion in the future?

I hope the future holds more collaborative efforts. I would really like to work with film-makers, video artists, photographers, painters and multi-media artists. I’d like to contribute to the “pushing of boundaries”. I want to explore new things. Keep evolving as a person and as an artist. I think, no I know that there is revolution to be had and I want to be a part of that revolution. I would also like to setup a tour where I play at art galleries only. I like the idea of juxtaposition. An art gallery is a totally different headspace. It’s a different dynamic at work. Am I the background or the foreground? How does my music affect your viewing of the art? How does the art affect my performance?

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. Wounds of the Earth wishes you much success in the future!

I would like to thank you for this opportunity. I’d also like to thank those who listened/listen to Re: dux tion – I cannot thank you enough!! Also thanks to Charles@’sleepy:verse records’ for releasing ‘A Disordered Imagination’. Also many thanks to Daniel@’Brain Sodomy Recordings’ for releasing ‘The Death Posture’, I truly cannot thank you enough!

Christophe…