Following the release of Nick Muir’s remix of ‘The Road Back’ on his own Loki Recordings, we sat down with the enigmatic producer to ...]]> Russian Linesman is a Nottingham-based musician whose expansive discography, chalking up two studio albums alongside numerous singles and EPs, has picked up support from key tastemakers such as BBC 6 Music’s Nemone.

Following the release of Nick Muir’s remix of ‘The Road Back’ on his own Loki Recordings, we sat down with the enigmatic producer to ask him some questions about his approach to music making, life in lockdown and how utilises concepts in his tracks. In addition he recorded us a mix for Klubikon Podcast which you can hear below.

Thanks for recording this mix for Klubikon Podcast, could you tell us about it?

You gave me complete creative control over the mix, so I decided to just make a mix of things I liked. It turned into a mix of songs I had been listening to in lockdown to keep me sane. So there are quite a few genres in there, plus a Mac Quayle song from the Mr Robot soundtrack. It’s ultimately a promotional mix, so it had to have the Nick Muir remix of me in it and a remix I did for the band Archive last year. Hope people enjoy it.

TRACKLIST:

01. Mac Quayle – shutdown -r [Lakeshore Records]

02. Russian Linesman feat. Ben Norris – The Road Back (Nick Muir Remix) [Loki Recordings]

03. Russian Linesman feat. Ben Norris – Entering The Belly Of The Whale (Nick Warren & Nicolas Rada Remix) [Loki Recordings]

04. Phantoms – Designs For You (Will Clarke Remix) [Universal Music]

05. Russian Linesman – Refusal Of The Return [Loki Recordings]

06. Stumbleine – Supermodels [Monotreme Records]

07. Max Cooper – Aleph 2 [Mesh]

08. Disclosure – Magnets (Jon Hopkins Remix) [Island Records]

09. Archive – Nothing Else (Version / Russian Linesman Remix) [pias]

10. Jamie xx – Idontknow [Young Turks]

11. Kings Of The Rollers – You Got Me (S.P.Y Remix) [Hospital Records]

12. Goldfrapp – Pilots [Mute Records]

13. Russian Linesman – The Call To Adventure (Coda) [Loki Recordings]

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Loki Recordings [SC | FB]

Following the release of Nick Muir’s remix of ‘The Road Back’ on his own Loki Recordings, we sat down with the enigmatic producer to ...]]> Russian Linesman is a Nottingham-based musician whose expansive discography, chalking up two studio albums alongside numerous singles and EPs, has picked up support from key tastemakers such as BBC 6 Music’s Nemone.

Following the release of Nick Muir’s remix of ‘The Road Back’ on his own Loki Recordings, we sat down with the enigmatic producer to ask him some questions about his approach to music making, life in lockdown and how utilises concepts in his tracks. In addition he recorded us a mix for the 137th Klubikon Podcast which you can hear below.

Thank you for talking to us today, and congratulations on your new release, the Nick Muir remix of the ‘The Road Back’ featuring Ben Norris – could you tell us a bit about how the remix came to be?

Thanks for having me. Nick gave me some positive feedback on my ‘Monomyth’ series. I happened to be listening his and John Digweed’s remix of FC Kahaua, when I received the message. I’ve had a few of these fortuitous moments over the last year so I thought I better ask him, luckily he was well up for it. The whole process was an absolute pleasure; he is the definition of a pro. He sent me multiple versions as he worked on the remix, asking me for feedback. Having someone of his stature asking for your opinion is very humbling. He listened, made changes and put me right when I was off the mark. He sent me the final version, then decided he wasn’t happy and reworked it again. He must have spent hours on it, and it shows as he took my original to a new echelon.

Your discography is impressive, particularly the lengthy ‘Monomyth’ series, which is where the original ‘The Road Back’ track first appeared. Can you tell us a bit about the project?

This remix is the epilogue for my ‘Monomyth’ series. A project that has consumed my artistic endeavors over the last few years. I read Joseph Campbell’s ‘A Hero with a Thousand Faces’. The book is an analysis of centuries of human storytelling, based around the theories of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. It provided me with the blueprint I was looking for. The ‘Monomyth’, or the Hero’s Journey, is the common template for most storytelling, a formula we are all familiar with in modern day films and books.

It ended up being a 6 part suite of EPs. There was a remix from Nick Warren and Nicolas Rada. I managed to convince Patriks Prins to reprise his Castle Trancelott alias for a remix too. I could talk about it all day but it would be more interesting for people to listen to it!

You seem to embrace concepts heavily when making music, could you speak as to why that is?

Concepts are great for any creative field. They challenge you to try different styles and moods when making something new. In terms of this project I found writing songs about enemies or death is very different to writing about a goddess or an elixir. It puts you outside your comfort zone, with the safety net of a template that will pull it all together cohesively at the end…well you hope so. As well as a source of inspiration, concepts also give you a mechanism for actually finishing songs and projects. Which I know some artists struggle with.

How did you meet Ben Norris? Is collaboration an important part of your music?

While thinking about conveying the idea of the ‘Monomyth’ I decided music alone would not be enough, it needed a spoken word element. I started writing poems about each stage of the Hero’s Journey but they were turning out either crass or just plain bad. I then heard about Dave Isay’s StoryCorps booth in New York. He was collecting stories from random people and I think it has now become the largest collection of human voices ever recorded. I thought that was a wonderful idea as everyone has a good story or ten in them. As my Mum says “you could write a book about it!” So I set about magpie-ing his idea and collecting stories from close friends, poets and people I hadn’t spoken to in years.

The project quickly developed a life of its own and all the individual stories twisted into a patchwork of yarns that tell an even greater story than I could have ever told on my own. In ‘Star Wars’, the droids make all the space opera weirdness accessible. My droids are my storytellers, my narrators. Placing some of the stranger musical moments within reach of the more casual listener. Some songs were written before and some after I collected the stories. Some didn’t go with the song I had in mind. So songs were completely destroyed and rewritten as a result, this sort of collaborative approach would not have happened with my obtuse poems!

Ben came to my attention when I saw him reading his poem ‘Rebel Heart’ on YouTube. It was commissioned as part of Nottingham’s bid to become a European Capital of Culture. Which I don’t think we got….which is a travesty as the poem is so funny and clever. For my ‘Monomyth’ he told heart-shredding stories that truly expressed ‘Entering The Belly Of The Whale’ and ‘The Road Back’. All of this while recording his parts for BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Archers’.

Does Nottingham, your hometown, impact your work at all? If so, how?

I have had a lot of fun and have lots of friends here. Before lockdown I sometimes saw great bands and went to loads of great nights such as Wigflex. There are a lot of people doing creative things, and the city doesn’t take itself too seriously. Everything we experience can filter into what we create. So Nottingham must have an impact. Be it the sound of tree rustling in the wind, or the glare of the sun through the smog while stuck in a traffic jam on the ring road!

Could you share your approach to production with us? What is your studio set up like?

It’s a pair of Fostex audio monitors and an M-Audio controller hooked up to a laptop. For a DAW I use the archaic software Jeskola Buzz. Everything takes ten times longer to do on it and you have to program automations in using hexadecimal numbers. However, it is so flexible and it works round your ideas almost ergonomically. If you ask it do something, you know it will. Just in its own time and down the road least travelled. This gives you a bit of space to consider your ideas as you go along, weed out the bad ones. It doesn’t let me rush things, which is good because that’s when I make mistakes. Plus you can pretend you are Mr Robot, sat there coding in the dark. My wife describes it as my mistress!

Do you have any equipment you couldn’t live without?

My acoustic guitar. I use it for writing my music. It is easier for me to get an idea out of my head organically rather than sat staring at a DAW on a screen. You can have all the kit in the world but you need some inspiration first. Unlike my golf setup which my friend Mike describes as “all the gear, no idea.” He has a lot to answer for though as he got me into drum and bass.

What initially drew to you music as a career path?

Career? It’s 2021 is anybody making a career from music…nobody told me!

With festivals and gigs still out of the picture for the time being, what have you been doing do to fill the time over the past year?

Well since becoming a father to my son Harald I haven’t really played out. 5am graveyard shifts down in Bristol don’t really fit with being a Dad. So I am a studio musician mainly now, like a B&M Bargains Beach Boys. The last year has given me lots of time to labor over my next project. Funnily enough one of the things that has kept me sane are the virtual listening parties I have been doing with the friends I met through my son’s baby group. Taking turns to share our favourite music. We affectionately call them our ‘Zoom Raves’. It’s forced me to listen to genres I normally don’t and I have learned so much, but tell them that!

Thanks for recording this mix for Klubikon Podcast, could you tell us about it?

You gave me complete creative control over the mix, so I decided to just make a mix of things I liked. It turned into a mix of songs I had been listening to in lockdown to keep me sane. So there are quite a few genres in there, plus a Mac Quayle song from the Mr Robot soundtrack. It’s ultimately a promotional mix, so it had to have the Nick Muir remix of me in it and a remix I did for the band Archive last year. Hope people enjoy it.

And finally, what’s on the horizon for Russian Linesman in 2021 and beyond?

As I mentioned earlier I have been working on a new album over the last year. I wanted to avoid making a lockdown album, as there are certainly going to be plenty of those about when this is all over. So while writing I have tried to escape into those moments of wonder from the past. When we were easily able to care for others and be cared for. I grew up in a Lancashire village which I miss dearly, a big chunk of my heart never left. My new project explores this. I have been working remotely with female vocalists to try and make it as collaborative as possible. Some wonderful singers from the Faroe Islands, Germany, Norway, Denmark, England and Seattle. I will not exist in isolation, it will an anti lockdown album. It’s going really well. Lyric writing comes to me much easier than the poetry did. I have played demos to some friends and they say it is a real change of direction and a great lockdown album ha!

Last Saturday I watched the film Bohemian Rhapsody (yes another Rami Malek reference). I was blown away. No one told me Queen were so amazing! I had dismissed them my entire life. How have I been making music over 20 years without understanding Queen, it’s embarrassing. So I decided I cannot write another note of music on this project until I have listened to every single second of their music, watched every clip and read every interview. This one’s going to be for you Freddie!

Russian Linesman [SC | BC | IG | FB]

Loki Recordings [SC | FB]

As we turn a corner and begin to approach the finale of the Russian Linesman’s intriguing six part series of ‘Monomyth’ EPs, exploring the art of storytelling, this fifth instalment, ‘Monomyth ...]]> “…the labour of bringing back the runes of wisdom… He rises, returns to them, and dwells with them as an egoless centre…” – Joseph Campbell

As we turn a corner and begin to approach the finale of the Russian Linesman’s intriguing six part series of ‘Monomyth’ EPs, exploring the art of storytelling, this fifth instalment, ‘Monomyth V – The Return’ EP, reveals that the enigmatic producer has donned his dancing shoes to take us onto the floor. These four evocative electronic compositions reference his love of experimenting within the broad creative fields of techno and house music.

As one of the electronic scene’s true mavericks, the Russian Linesman is currently ensconced in a unique examination of psychological theory in the creation of his enthralling musical collages within the epic ‘Monomyth’ project – the digital equivalent of a musical boxset and well worth a binge listening session to get the complete experience

“This is the epiphany leg of the ‘Monomyth’ – about learning, acceptance and allowing ourselves to be who we can be. This is by far the most upbeat and dance floor friendly music I have ever created!” – Russian Linesman

The Linesman’s unique, complex compositions combine a multitude of diverse collected instrumentation and field recordings to fit the mood of the storytelling. Most of the storytellers in this series remain anonymous, as is the case with three of the four compositions here, retaining an abstract element to the process and allowing the listener’s curiosity to be uniquely aroused and drawn into each different story as it unfolds.

We are presenting ‘Refusal Of The Return’, on which one of the Linesman’s long-lost musical soulmates returns to a place where the song has remained the same, refusing to leave as an incredible feeling of youthfulness descends upon him.

‘Monomyth V – The Return’ EP will be available after the 4th of September HERE.

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Loki Recordings [SC | FB]

The Russian Linesman kicks off 2020 with ‘Monomyth II – The Road of Trials’ EP, the second instalment of his remarkable new six part series of ‘Monomyth’ EPs focused on the art of storytelling. As one of the electronic scene’s ...]]> “You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path.” – Joseph Campbell

The Russian Linesman kicks off 2020 with ‘Monomyth II – The Road of Trials’ EP, the second instalment of his remarkable new six part series of ‘Monomyth’ EPs focused on the art of storytelling. As one of the electronic scene’s true mavericks, this “modern day composer” continues to explore psychological theory in the creation of his enthralling musical collages published under the label Loki Recordings.

“I stumbled across Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’. How? Nothing terribly academic… it was after watching documentary about the mythology of Star Wars! I had found my blueprint. Each song in this six part series has been composed with the relevant stage of the Hero’s Journey (the Monomyth) in mind and accompanied by one of these fascinating collected stories. I always like to have a theme for my recordings and I also love a good yarn, so this is the perfect marriage.” – Russian Linesman

Joseph Campbell’s ‘A Hero with a Thousand Faces’ is an analysis of centuries of human storytelling, based around the anthropological theories of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, and this fascinating book provided the blueprint for this new Russian Linesman project – an artistic abstraction of the concept of the Monomyth – a formula we are all familiar with in modern day films and books.

In narratology and comparative mythology, the Monomyth, or the Hero’s Journey, is the common template of a broad category of storytelling that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, then comes home changed or transformed.

Each song within the Russian Linesman’s ‘Monomyth’ EP series (the project will be unveiled in its entirety throughout 2020 at bi-monthly intervals) is named after the relevant part of the Hero’s Journey and has been accompanied by unique, complex compositions that combine a multitude of diverse collected instrumentation and field recordings to fit the mood of the storytelling.

Most storytellers in this series remain anonymous, retaining an abstract element to the process and allowing the listener’s curiosity to be uniquely aroused and drawn into each different story as it unfolds. However, as the Russian Linesman explains, there are always exceptions:

“This EP features poetry from two of my favourite poets. Malaika Kegode provided the perfect story to accompany the idea of ‘Enemies’ and incorporated some lines I had also written. She carried us both over a creative brick wall. Ben told a heart-shredding story that truly expresses ‘Entering The Belly Of The Whale’. All of this while recording his parts for BBC R4 ‘The Archers’. Last time I worked with a poet was in year 11 at school when my English teacher got beat poet Adrian Henri into class!”

We are presenting the first track ‘Entering The Belly Of The Whale’, a storytelling cut with vocals from Ben Norris.

‘Monomyth II – The Road of Trials’ EP will be available after the 24th of January HERE.

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Loki Recordings [SC | FB]