Workflow: Joel Ford on Autre Ne Veut’s Anxiety
Anxiety, the debut LP from Brooklyn experimental R&B artist Autre Ne Veut, came out earlier this year to a great deal of applause. The record is meticulous, but there’s a warmth and sense of play that isn’t often heard in sounds that snap to the grid. Nick Sylvester spoke with producer Joel Ford about how he and his partner Daniel Lopatin, AKA Oneohtrix Point Never, recorded the album.
How did you get the Autre Ne Veut record to sound so loose and lively?
There is life inside of every synth sound.
Arthur [Ashin, AKA Autre Ne Veut] came in with most of the songs in demo form and it was our job to bring them to life. I borrowed some V-drums from a friend and we set up a full-on “MIDI band” in the live room. Dan and Arthur had analog and digital keyboard and sampler stations connected to my laptop sending and receiving only MIDI. We monitored everything through a big PA setup – but really I was only recording information. No sound. This gave us incredible sonic flexibility [and the ability] to change any sound at any time. Most importantly though was how the arrangements fell into place via our “live” jamming. After we tightened up arrangements and settled on synth and drum sounds, I would then bounce all the MIDI information to stems and create new sessions on the main studio machine. From there I would play back the entire track and record actual audio using the console and other outboard gear, room sounds, pedals, etc.
What are some specific moments on the Autre Ne Veut record that, in your opinion, couldn’t have happened without the live-jamming process?
I think it’s evident in extended instrumental moments or outros where the music cruises into the clouds.
What kind of post-processing do you do on software synthesizers to make them sit bigger or better?
Anytime something is sounding too digital or thin, we’ll run it through tape amps or tube-mic preamps. It’s all contextual though. Sometimes a harsh digital sound is desirable and makes the music unique.
On the Autre Ne Veut record and the Ford & Lopatin record from a couple of years ago [Channel Pressure], you have a very distinct sound palette – sounds that, frankly, people might avoid.
I love exploring the worlds of sound in both outdated and brand-new synthesizers. Dan is really good at staying on top of new synth tech and he keeps me informed. There is life inside of every synth sound though. I especially love when older keyboards clearly attempt to emulate real instruments and completely fail.
A version of this article appeared in The Daily Note, a free daily newspaper distributed in New York during the 2013 Red Bull Music Academy.
