Test Shot Starfish 'self-titled' album

Music is one of the few art forms where an artist/group can create a completely different meaning to a horrific term. The name Test Shot Starfish was previously only associated with weaponry, but electronic music changed this negative word association. Consisting of Kyle Schember and Ryan Stuit, Test Shot Starfish were two sound designers / producers who are creating electronic music. They used a horrific (but unknown term) with sense of post-modernism. This free-form usage of signs & signifiers is evident throughout music. Artists like Joy Division, Trisomie 21, Noreaga, and Tragedy Khadafi have used negative terms / names for the positive music. The original Test Shot Starfish was a weapon that was detonated in 1962. This detonation was 400 kilometers high above the mid-Pacific. It emitted an electromagnetic pulse that destroyed satellite equipment and blocked high frequency radio communications across the Pacific for 30 minutes.

Test Shot Starfish is now an electronic group from California. On a Los Angeles film set during 1999, Kyle Schember & Ryan Stuit met with an instant connection. They shared an intellectual love for electronic music. Through their own label (Subtractive Records), they released their debut EP. In 2005, their first full length self-titled LP was released on Kanpai Records. Like Severed Heads, Test Shot Starfish fuses images with their music during their live performances. They have done remixes for Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Gus Gus, and Snoop Dogg. Their music will blast us into the future. Using electronic rhythm and melodies, Test Shot Starfish is now an electro-musical pulse.

T.JONES: “What goes on?”
KYLE: “Crazy stuff. We just opened a new studio in Santa Monica, and have been busy getting it up & running. We’ve been booked every day with various projects. We just mixed a DVD for Snoop Dogg (‘Boss’n Up’) and we’re putting the finishing touches on the Coachella Music Festival Documentary / Concert Movie, which will be out early 2006.”

T.JONES: “The new full-length self-titled Test Shot Starfish album was just released. Tell us about it.”
KYLE: “We spent a long time getting the album together. Longer than perhaps we should have. Over the past 4 years, we wrote about 40 songs. We picked what we felt was the best to finally release a full length album.”

T.JONES: “What is the meaning behind the name, Test Shot Starfish?”
KYLE: “It’s a historical event that has somewhat been brushed under the carpet.”

T.JONES: “The new LP was released on Kanpai Records. Why did you choose them?”
KYLE: “A friend of ours from DMX, Jean Paul introduced us to a friend of his, who was running a small label. She came to a show we did at The Knitting Factory and wanted to sign us. We had similar interests and goals. Everything fell into place for us to release the record. So far, so good.”

T.JONES: “How is this LP different from your previous EP?”
KYLE: “The EP was something we just released to get something out. We did it as a self-release on our own label, Subtractive Records. Much more time and thought went into the album than the EP, but I think both hold their own.”

T.JONES: “Favorite song on the new LP?”
KYLE: “‘Polaris.’”
RYAN: “‘Sort Of.’”

T.JONES: “Which song took you the longest to do, from conception to completion? Why?”
KYLE: “We had a song that is not on the album called, ‘Low Down’ that was cursed. The files would be corrupt, and we’d redo it. The song was strong, but was less & less as good each time we had to redo it. I think we did it from scratch about 7 times over the course of 3 years. Then, we felt it was dated, and didn’t even include it in the album.”

T.JONES: “Do you do many overdubs while recording? Do you use many first takes, or do you do multiple?”
KYLE: “Each song is different. Usually Ryan will start by making a beat, or some groove with a new piece of gear. Then, I’ll try and add a melody. We don’t do much sequencing with MIDI. We do a lot of audio editing and looping. I suppose there is a fair amount of overdubbing when trying to get different melodies right.”

T.JONES: “When creating a track, do you have a set theme or idea first, or the music first?”
KYLE: “We also do visuals to the songs. On occasion, we’ll have an idea to use some footage that we shot. Then, build the song around that. An example of this would be when Ryan went home to visit his Dad in Arizona and found a box of 8mm film. We digitized the home movies and he began to write a childlike theme. The song and visuals came together almost at the same time. Some of these can be seen on the video page of testshotstarfish.com.”

T.JONES: “You two met on a movie set? What movie was it? What led to the formation of the group? Was there a philosophy behind it?”
KYLE: “I was an associate producer on a movie called, ‘Tiara Tango’ that was eventually released on Showtime as ‘Forever Fabulous’. It starred Jean Smart & Robert Wagner. Ryan had just moved to LA and had gone to a seminar that an associate of mine was putting on at Universal. I asked him to see if anyone was interested in interning on the film. The next day Ryan showed up at my office and I hired him. We quickly identified our passion for electronic music & became friends. Ryan moved into my building and a few months later, we bought our first keyboard and started making beats & music. It was a natural progression and collaboration.”

T.JONES: “You were Sound Designers / Producers. How did you get into that field? What led you to music?”
KYLE: “I worked on the production side of film and Ryan worked in the Art Department. Eventually, I burned out on the long hours and decided that I would try my hand at combining my love for audio with my love for film. I have always been involved in creating and a huge fan of all types of music. It was something I eventually wanted to do full time. It wasn’t a planned path, but one that more or less presented itself over time.”
RYAN: “I went to school for photography and always wanted to be a filmmaker. I was bored being in Arizona and decided one day to up and move to Los Angeles. I met Kyle on Tiara Tango. When he moved into post-production, I came on board doing graphic design and eventually began doing sound design and composing.”

T.JONES: “What was the recording process like?”
KYLE: “It’s ongoing. We’ve recorded all over and in different ways. At one point, we bought a small digital recorder that we tried to record without using a computer. But we found that we really benefited from having software editing and effects all in the digital realm. We used several outboard keyboards and FX processors. We usually record them into the computer, and then have an editing session to find the best parts of whatever we recorded. The basic process for us is to create a ton of elements that we like. Then, we fit them together in a collage type process. We build it up, and then we strip it back down in the mix, removing things that don’t work. It’s a lot like painting.”

T.JONES: “Musically, what have you been working on? What is the next release for the group, or as solo artists?”
KYLE: “We’ve both been busy working on other projects like DVD’s, films, and some commercials. We did some sound design for the America’s Army Console game. We also have been working on the Coachella Music Festival Documentary in Dolby Digital Surround. The movie is in HD. It is a must see when it comes out in early 2006. Just this month, we’ve moved into a new studio space and we’re getting back to working on the next album. We’re not sure what label we’ll put it out on or if we will put it out on Subtractive Records ourselves.”

T.JONES: “What are some of your favorite instruments?”
KYLE: “My favorite is the piano. My second favorite would be analogue keyboards. I love the warmth & noise of the analogue sound.”
RYAN: “I like gadgets and toys. I used a modified Speak & Math on the last album. I really enjoy finding odd pieces of electronics to incorporate into the mix.”

T.JONES: “How are you two creatively different from each other? The same?”
KYLE: “I have more of a traditional background with piano lessons. I was even a piano performance major at the University of North Texas for a short while. I have classical training, but I wandered from it as I began DJ’ing and getting into the Dallas club scene during the early 90’s.”
RYAN: “I didn’t have formal training in music. I came from a more visual art background. I paint and do photography. I come from the ideology of layering sounds, like you would layer images in collage art.”

T.JONES: “Who are some artists or musicians you like to collaborate with in the future?”
KYLE: “I’d love to work with Casino Vs. Japan, Marumari, Signal Drift, and Kirsty Hawkshaw from Opus III.”
RYAN: “Daniel August and Laurie Anderson.”

T.JONES: “You have utilized the Internet and your website to display your music. What did you do? How has the Internet helped the group? How has it hurt it?”
KYLE: “I don’t think that the internet has hurt us. I think it’s helped us. We spent so much time building our own site and designing it. We really wanted to make it interesting and something for people to enjoy & discover. We wanted people to have a good time downloading quicktimes, mp3’s, and artwork. However, once Myspace came around, I think more people go to our myspace page than the site we spent so much time creating.”

T.JONES: “What’s your opinion on downloading music?”
KYLE: “Well, we are both big fans of having a physical disc, the excitement of unwrapping a CD, and unveiling the artwork. But, downloading is here to stay in our world of instant gratification. There definitely is something to be said for empowering more artists to directly put out their music to fans without having to sink a ton of money into a physical pressing. As far as illegal downloading, people who are going to steal are going to steal. We give songs away for free on our site all the time to try & appease the people who don’t value paying for music, but we are regular customers ourselves of things like iTunes & Bleep. We like to support the artists who we admire. It’s such a small amount of money for such a big payoff with a great album, when you find them.”

T.JONES: “What do you think music will be like in 20 years?”
KYLE: “We’ll probably have a flashcard implanted into our brains or someone will invent a device that just transmits endless amounts of content to your head.”

T.JONES: “What LPs have you been listening to lately?”
KYLE: “I am honestly an iPod junkie. I can’t say I even listen to entire albums all at once except when right when I buy them. I’m really into Luke Vibert, Chris Clark, Home Video, and Casino vs. Japan to name a few.”

T.JONES: “Your live shows include original compositions, video projection, lighting, and lasers. How did this begin? Was it your original intention? Can you describe it for the people who never saw you live?”
KYLE: “The intention of our live show has always been to present a multimedia experience. We do what we can with what we have for each show. We purchased a great DLP projector and Ryan has edited a lot of the footage that we shot and pinched into loops to go with each song in a theme. I’ve always been a huge fan of lasers and we bring our laser guy along whenever the budget allows. It totally makes the show. A great deal of thought & time has gone into setting the mood and tone for each song in the live show. A few years down the line, I’d hope that Test Shot Starfish is synonymous with some of the best road show production out there.”

T.JONES: “What is your favorite part of your live show?”
KYLE: “I really like ‘Level One’. It’s a good song live as it builds and builds in intensity. The visuals are really tight for that performance.”

T.JONES: “You have done remixes for Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Gus Gus, and Snoop Dogg. How do you approach a remix?”
KYLE: “Each Remix is different. We remixed the Coldplay song for an Infiniti commercial pitch and had some guidelines of what they were looking for. With Snoop, we had been doing mixes for his DVD projects. We just asked if we could have a shot at doing a mix. That one we really went way out into left field for and followed no rules. The Lenny Kravitz one was requested by the label, as they were looking for tracks to bring awareness to his album into underground scenes. Many times, we’ll just use the vocals and completely rewrite the track. We did that with Gus Gus’s ‘David’ for our ambient mix and used none of their original track elements. I think that is my favorite way to go about things, but if there is a sound that brings a great hook to a song, I feel compelled to use it in the remix. Cliché probably, but who cares? It’s fun.”

T.JONES: “How is remixing hip-hop different than remixing rock music?”
KYLE: “Hip-hop has somewhat of a lazy beat. It’s not always in perfect time. With Snoop’s vocals, he rapped around the beat instead of on it. This is a very unique style that I admire, but it’s tricky to get some verses to work around a completely new song structure. Rock has s more straightforward 4 on the floor beat that you can pretty much do anything with much easier.”

T.JONES: “Which remix are you most proud of?”
KYLE: “Gus Gus’s ‘David’ the ambient mix.”

T.JONES: “Where were you during the September 11th terrorist attack? How did you handle the situation?
KYLE: “No Comment.”

T.JONES: “What do you think about U.S. and the Middle East?”
KYLE: “No Comment.”

T.JONES: “Abortion. Pro-choice or pro-life?”
KYLE: “No Comment.”

T.JONES: “Euthanasia. For or against?”
KYLE: “Definitely For it.”
RYAN: "No Comment.”

T.JONES: “Word association. When I say a name, you say the first word that pops into your head. So, if I said, ‘The Beatles’, you may say ‘Revolution’ or ‘John Lennon’. Okay?”

T.JONES: “Severed Heads.”
KYLE: “Shine headlights on me.”

T.JONES: “Psychic T.V.”
KYLE: “Dionne Warwick.”

T.JONES: “Dead Can Dance.”
KYLE: “Hollywood Bowl.”
RYAN: “Favorite group and working in my darkroom.”

T.JONES: “Slowdive.”
KYLE: “Photo shoot.”

T.JONES: “The Telescopes.”
KYLE: “Space.”

T.JONES: “Public Enemy.”
KYLE: “N.W.A.”

T.JONES: “New Order.”
KYLE: “Angry bass player.”

T.JONES: “Joy Division.”
KYLE: “Love will tear us apart.”

T.JONES: “The Jesus And Mary Chain.”
KYLE: “9th Grade.”

T.JONES: “Primal Scream.”
KYLE: “The Edge. Ryan is simply not playing along with this game!”

T.JONES: “The Stone Roses.”
KYLE: “The Palladium.”

T.JONES: “Felt.”
KYLE: “Lesbian bar.”

T.JONES: “Happy Mondays.”
KYLE: “Drugs.”

T.JONES: “The Orb.”
KYLE: “Amazing.”
RYAN: “Why I started this music.”

T.JONES: “Moby.”
KYLE: “Next to the E.”

T.JONES: “The Mountaineers.”
KYLE: “Canyonaro.”

T.JONES: “The Wolfgang Press.”
KYLE: “Books.”

T.JONES: “George Bush.”
KYLE: “Boring.”

T.JONES: “Who have been the biggest influences?”
KYLE: “Orbital, Aphex Twin, The Orb, Neil Diamond, Underworld, OMD, and Radiohead.”
RYAN: “Plaid, Laurie Anderson, early Mouse on Mars, Boards of Canada, and Warp records, in general.”

T.JONES: “You are doing work on a film too. Tell us about it.”
KYLE: “We do a lot of sound design & mixing for various films. We do everything from documentaries to narrative features. We also have done some composing. We are currently searching for a project that fits our style of music. Something like, ‘Pi’, or another fantasy or science fiction script that our music really lends itself perfectly to.”

T.JONES: “When did you first begin making music? How old were you? How did it all begin?”
KYLE: “I started taking piano lessons in first grade, and have been involved in music in some fashion since then. My first band was called Stained Glass Rain when I was in junior high school. There have been many others between now and then.”

T.JONES: “How have your grown or evolved as an artist?”
KYLE: “Everyday, we find something new. Learning a new piece of gear, new software, and new plug-ins. It’s definitely a journey. Now that we are out doing live shows, we are meeting other artists and starting to want to do collaborations. For example, this weekend we’re doing a show in downtown LA and we are collaborating with a trumpet player who is going to play over our tracks.”

T.JONES: “Do you have any regrets?”
KYLE: “Musically, no.”

T.JONES: “The Beatles or The Stones?”
KYLE: “The Beatles.”

T.JONES: “Spectrum or Spiritualized?”
KYLE: “Spiritualized.”

T.JONES: “What are some of your favorite films?”
KYLE: “The Conformist, La Dolce Vita, Raising Arizona, LA Story.”

T.JONES: “These days, what is a typical day like for you?”
KYLE: “I wake up at 6. Sometimes, I exercise. Sometimes, I just get going. I head to the studio, answer email & get ready for a session. Then, later in the day, I usually try and do something creative or work on something in the studio. I leave the studio around 8 or 9 and either head out to a show or event, or head home to play a video game, have dinner, and watch a movie.”

T.JONES: “What are some major misconceptions do you think people have of you or the group?”
KYLE: “I think a lot of people have a hard time with the name. We had a very hard time coming up with a name. We wanted something with meaning that also was something all its own that people would not associate with another band or thing. It’s hard to pronounce. People also think that we are DJ’s and we’re really not. We can DJ, but there are so many other DJ’s that blow us away. That it’s hard to compare either of us to them. We’re producers & artists first and foremost.”

T.JONES: “Do you get along with your parents? What do they think about your music?”
KYLE: “I get along very well with my parents, and while they are supportive, I know they don’t have a firm understanding of underground music or why anyone does it.”

T.JONES: “Where are you from? Where do you live now?”
KYLE: “We live in Los Angeles, California. I am originally from Dallas, Texas.”

T.JONES: “What are some future releases fans should look out for?”
KYLE: “The second album will definitely be out in 2006. Watch for that!”

T.JONES: “Any final words?”
RYAN: “Thanks for checking us out!”
KYLE: “Thank you, Todd, for taking the time to write us up. We are so happy that even one person gets enjoyment out of our creations and we hope that we can continue to grow musically and produce things of consequence that add to the collective of artistic creation. Remember to love what you do day to day and be passionate in your own life and what you create with it.”

THANK YOU!

Todd E. Jones
toddejones@yahoo.com

NOTICE: This interview is property of Todd E. Jones and cannot be duplicated or posted without written permission.

OFFICIAL SITES:
http://www.testshotstarfish.com/
http://www.myspace.com/testshotstarfish
http://www.subtractiverecords.com/

MP3:
“Polaris”
http://www.kanpairecords.com/mp3s/TSS/12%20Polaris.mp3

“New Minutes”
http://www.subtractiverecords.com/newminutes.mp3

“Sort Of”
http://www.kanpairecords.com/mp3s/TSS/03%20Sort%20of.mp3

Do you also would like to share your opinion? If so, please register or login here.

Tags

Details

Tracklisting

Test Shot Starfish - self-titled