"Libertine" has been remixed and will be released on a future work, as well as "Threadz"...they have been omitted from their original Bandcamp albums.

A new "mixtape" of the yet unreleased "Tremors" has been done and will be released on 5AM Mixcloud. I am contemplating releasing an album version of the tracks, since mp3 did not do them proper.

The Bandcamp release "Psychotropic Swingset" will be added to and become an "EP" and the cover art updated.

(interview regarding Tactil Vision's latest one-track release Dustd)

Interview

Tell me about the equipment and software that was used to create this work.

The only software was redubbing some stuff through Audiomulch; an Ensoniq sampler, some old synths and FX units....the first session i used a guitar effects unit and DJ mixer to create feedback loops...then i re-dubbed some guitar-scraping noises and such to a 1/4" reel-to-reel and pitched down. Other ambience were samples from TV and movies. Basically, live mixing stuff from CD, Minidisc, tape and sampler.

It's a live recording that has been fifteen years in the making?

I know that sounds a bit contradictory huh? basically, i mixmaster everything to 2 tracks; as with this, instruments, tapes, etc. are all going at once- in this case, drones or feedback or noise sessions that on their own didn't have context. I like doing things better on the fly, using some "chaos magick" i suppose, doing several things at once. It is really a slippery definition, especially with electronic music these days, but in this case the "sequencer" was human. I prefer to work without a computer using older stuff and improvisation: using limitations as an advantage. The challenges have for the most part been a lack of creativity or inspiration and not lack of gear. The idea is to have some sort of tension involved and being in the moment; being free to make mistakes or having surprises. I had tried a multi tape when i first started recording, but most of the instruments were MIDI anyway and i could get a better sound and less noise in one take direct to stereo than with a Portastudio. So, i call it "live" because i was using minimal material that was done in 1997, 2000 and this year: i guess it also emphasizes the way mixing was done, it was a performance in itself. So the trick was to not overdo it, to compress pieces and introduce things in a cinematic way in a specific space of time and see how they play off each other and interact. I guess like a conversation between 4 people, where if too many talk at once, they drown themselves out. So i am glad you ask about the process of it, it really is about being as much in the moment as the final product - maybe more!

What surprised you about this recording?

This recording, as well as experimental music; i am actually surprised that there is as much interest as there is and how much. But i guess it's a genre of die-hards ;)

You say the idea is "...being free to make mistakes or having surprises." Were there any "mistakes" that turned into nice surprises?

It really is hard to say at this point and something i just don't think about anymore. Since part of the reason for doing it is to get out of self for a bit...i guess it is a whole-brain experience now, beyond pleasure or disappointment or ego. Especially at the time of production, you're just analyzing the sounds with one side and getting the aesthetics with the other. You only know what the path is when you've dropped off. "Surprises" and "mistakes" really seem to me to be projections and judgments- and i am trying to get beyond those projections- which always seem to be tied to value judgments; whether something is "good" or "bad"...I think when people experience something "good", subconsciously maybe they are just saying it corresponds with "truth", while "bad", untruth. I am seeing this more now, especially in popular media where we are just being fed our own preconceptions and not being challenged. When it is all said and done (though art is never finished, it is said), i guess it is an instinctual feeling of whether it conveyed the moment or not- whether the work took me instead of me playing the control game. And i guess if it didn't yield any surprises or sense of freedom, i wouldn't do it at all....so the answer is yes. Specifically i cannot say- but going back to media, the internet, music, information and control, it all feeds back to Gysin or Burroughs. They conveyed things that deep down that connected with me at a young age and are more relevant than ever. I am not extremely well-read, but you understand the concepts, which the English language doesn't serve very well. An artists' work is like breathing- why does he do it? Because he must. I only know that living is preferable to death because it is familiar to me. Sometimes the point is to be disappointed, also...there are more flaws and disorder than order and i find these flaws actually perpetuate the work rather than satisfaction- which for myself is recently becoming rooted in my illusions, which i am trying to tear down.

Hence the name, Tactil Vision? I think it's an interesting idea that flaws perpetuate the work. Chris Ballew talked about not being afraid to "suck" in an interview I did a decade ago. And I think much new music I'm hearing embraces flaws. But I think maybe it's not really the flaws, but getting down the nature of a thing that is the real yearning.

http://tactil-vision.bandcamp.com/

the 3rd release, including live end of set dub recorded acoustically

Released Jan. 13th, the newest "bonus" track WarHeadz was included> Includes remix by RO1OR. This is the product of many years of experimentation and is yet my best collection of "electronic rock", but crosses genres: mainly influenced by industrial, punk and metal as well as electro. In the works is a CD pressing; in the meantime a LE CDr version is available thru PayPal for $5 at stevieseven@live.com

Free DL (music section) mixtape of prev. unreleased tracks, recorded live in underground fashion. Part 1 of 2- total time: 29 minutes

and perhaps listening to them again and reviewing the previous releases, there still needs to be a bit of refinement as far as direction and overall vibe. It was necessary perhaps to air out influences and experiment with limits, remaining open-ended....But perhaps this is the advantage of being DIY- that i really have no one to answer to and can work at my own pace. i see BWL being less accessible-sounding, darker, heavier and more experimental; as there is still another albums' worth of material of this sort and maybe 2 or 3 to be done.

I have found the biggest challenge is assigning visual elements, as sometimes things get too complicated so usually i go with the simplest design. Ironically, the much of the art and graphic design i do does not really "sound" like my music, though it is coming from the same person.

A recent EP of tracks that reflects the earlier days of electro influence is being assembled for promo, mostly for DJ's. But feeling i have explored enough, that i need to really define the vision more clear is occurring with a little break from production and time to reflect. Easier said than done to be uncompromising when trends raise their ugly head.

Much of the East's philosophy, history and principles continue to inspire me as well as the beauty of the people. It is a part of the world i would very much like to visit and explore further as many artists from the West before me.

This is a 10-track release with a donation- it will not be directly contributed to the many organizations involved with the crisis as i feel this is a personal decision on everyone's part and to not appear to be "capitalizing" on it.  I did and do believe this current event is perhaps a portent of things to come as a reflection of our reliance on technology, the surge in need of new energy and resources places us in a fragile position as the planet's systems struggle to maintain a balance between the natural and man-made...