“When you work on a computer in the studio, it's almost like fossilizing on the spot, you know, the idea of getting solidified on the spot, like a snowflake might create branches by accumulation.” KnowsIdeasMightComputerStudiosSpotsBranchesAccumulationSnowflake Author:Rob Brown
“When Depeche Mode put out a single you knew that a week later you could go and buy the 12" and it would have six versions and they were all better.” WeekSixVersionsDepeche Mode Author:Rob Brown
“You can't go back and edit during the live set in the club. In the studio it's different.” DifferentClubsStudiosEdits Author:Rob Brown
“You can sit in front of a computer and have a blank slate and be completely overwhelmed by the possibilities and not get anywhere.” FrontsPossibilityComputerBlankOverwhelmedSlateBlank Slates Author:Rob Brown
“You can get the oldest drum machine out and whack out four sounds like a kick, snare, and two types of high-hat, and try and come up with the freshest thing on the spot. The gear can guide you - you can choose one bit of gear and it's obviously got its restrictions and its limitations, but at the same time, you've got to exploit what it's capable of and what it's best used for.” TryingTwoUsedBitsSoundFourTypeCapableMachinesCome UpGuidesSpotsLimitationKicksHatsExploitsRestrictionGearsSnares Author:Rob Brown
“When you're in the studio, you've got a narrative for what goes on, you might switch on a bit of gear and it might not work as you intended or come out a bit wrong, and you try and exploit it.” TryingMightBitsGoes OnStudiosNarrativeExploitsGears Author:Rob Brown
“Let's face it, we're all clones nowadays. We've all got the same archives, we've all got the same Hyundai, we've all got the same Mac or PC components, and we're all being told the same news stories globally.” StoriesFacesNewsComponentsMacsArchivesNews Stories Author:Rob Brown
“There's not much room for deviation, yet if you manage to crack it, there then you can express things that actually do sound unique and genuinely original.” IfsSoundRoomsUniqueOriginalsManageCracksDeviation Author:Rob Brown
“I get nostalgic for things that didn't really exist. I might have a cassette from the first time a Melle Mel track, say, got played on radio in Manchester. And it might be a copy of a copy of a copy of a tape and there's all these weird nuances and distortions that have affected what I know as the truth, if you like, of that track.” IfsKnowsFirstsMightFirst TimeTrackRadioCopiesAffectedTapeDistortionNostalgicManchesterNuanceCassettes Author:Rob Brown
“I know that there's a lot of room to maneuver in those kind of ghostly musical spheres.” KnowsKindRoomsMusicalSpheres Author:Rob Brown