"Better then any drug"

Rod Modell is one of the central figures on the loosely defined genre of dubtechno. An amalgam of sound consisting of influences of ambient, dub and techno. Modell was recently featured on Nowamuzyka, where  he answered a couple of questions by Pawel Gzyl, some of the answers which might be of interest to the readers of this blog. He talks about influences and production techniques, but also about musicianship and how he would rather consider himself a sound-designer.

Recalling a period of being part of the Hare krishna, he was took by the impact of repetition and variences in sound. Repetition being a figurative aspect of what we know as techno. Stating the experience of the krishnas as a "major influence". After being part of a chant they employed, he explains that he entered a different state of mind:

"Something in my head just snapped after about 15 minutes, and I could feel a flood of endorphins rushing. It was euphoric. Better than any drug. Some kind of kundalini awakening. [...] These repeating patterns and percussion continued for an hour. Modulating and building speed. And the euphoria kept building. This was my first exposure to anything like that, and was definitely a major influence."

You can read the entire interview here, maybe while listening to his album The coldest season, which happens to be one of my personal favorites.

Deep Chord Presents Echospace - The Coldest Season by modernlove