SPILL FEATURE: WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR MIND AND YOU THINK YOU’RE FINE – A CONVERSATION WITH RHYS FULBER

WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR MIND AND YOU THINK YOU’RE FINE

A CONVERSATION WITH RHYS FULBER

In 1987, Rhys Fulber burst on the scene with the hard electronic sound of Front Line Assembly. He was one member, but the band quickly developed a very loyal (and large) following around the world. His career has included work with Delerium, Conjure One, Noise Unit, Intermix and other offshoot bands. But he has also recorded solo albums under his own name. Memory Impulse Autonomy, his first solo offering since last year’s Balance Of Fear. Memory Impulse Autonomy is his first with the record label, Artoffact Records.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Fulber some questions via email, and it gave me some insight into his album, creative process and his solo work. In some ways, Memory Impulse Autonomy feels like you are revisiting your older music and influences. “It seemed more and more people were asking me about older records over the newer records so it just shone a light on the way we used to do things, and it felt right to try something more in that vein but also taking into account it needs a modern element to be vital and fresh. That and the fact that over the years you pick up so many new things that it is impossible to have the same outlook you had when you were 18, so you have to embrace the current form.”

Fulber has worked in many bands and in many collaborations. Working solo must have some pros and cons. “The autonomy of solo work is great, but it comes at a cost. You miss the outside perspective you get when working with others which makes the solo work more exhausting. Working with others will inevitably lead to the odd compromises you may not always agree with, but it comes with more efficiency.”

MEMORY IMPULSE AUTONOMY ALBUM REVIEW

While the new album is certainly electronic, and in some areas very heavy, there are also moments of relative calm and more melodic tunes. The album is fascinating in many ways, and it was his intention to make an album with many layers. “The inspirations were mostly the ones I put in the bank when I was a teenager, like Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control and Tangerine Dream, and also being fortunate enough to be around the Skinny Puppy scene in Vancouver and taking a lot of that in. The one modern act that did inspire a few things was Ancient Methods – one of his remixes of Konstantin Unwohl was how I was exposed to his vocals and sought him out after.”

In terms of his creative process, there is no recipe for Fulber. “Some of my music I think about before I make it, but in this case it was more just studio jams I would make with older equipment then come back to later to arrange and add depth to. The vocals were then recorded to pretty finished demos, with the exception of the Konstantin Unwohl song which was sort of distilled down to something more simple than what we started with.”

The first single, “The Abyss”, which features a guest vocalist is a great choice for fans and radio. It serves as a great taster for Memory Impulse Autonomy. “It was the first real uptempo track I had worked on for the record, and I had just done some mixing for William Maybelline’s Qual project and thought his voice might be a good fit. I guess because it has a beat and you can dance to it!”

Even though it is a solo project, Fulber has had some help with the album. “I did all the music myself and then had vocal contributions from William Maybelline, Barkosina [Hanusova] from Years of Denial and Konstantin Unwohl. I also had my friend Bradley Wells who is a flamenco guitarist, replace a juxtaposing sample in the intro of “Only Love Will Save Us” and he made it his own. Long time FLA engineer Greg Reely then added a bit of mixing polish.”

If there is an overarching Fulber is looking at the world at large with a very personal investment.

“A record made on impulses from the past, without worrying about any current big picture, where it may fit in, or if it’s properly “retro” enough as well.”

Fulber does hope the album is enjoyed and that it conjures up certain emotional feelings with the heavy EDM album. “I hope it’s like being at a club in Berlin looking at old souvenir postcards of Expo 86 in Vancouver.”

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