Lawrence English: "hey marc - finally my interview - hope it makes sense :-) + two pics from my recent tour in japan - the other musicians in the photo are KK Null and Haruna Ito...lemme know if you need more...I miss sicily! and good pasta...cheers".

SA: Please introduce yourself to us…

LE: howdy, lawrence english from room40 in Brisbane, Oz here.

SA: How do you started to be involved in electronic music? Who was an influence for you?

LE: actually to start with I was an acoustic player - on the drums of all things. and of late I've come back to the kit again. I'll be playing with Damo Suzuki in a few days as part of his 'Network' of players. In terms of electronic music, I first got involved about 12 years ago. I was working then with alot of noise and industrial sound - using contact mics on metal drums and triggers etc. I was also working on production for some bands - helping them with their overall sound and focus, as well a remixing alot of Australian rock bands. I guess that all led to me getting more interested in the potentials of sound as a tool, both for the creation of music and art.

SA: What about your research… Can you tell us something about your room40 (www.room40.org)?

LE: room40 started as a way for me to release music that I heard and wasn't being released at the time. I still am lucky enough to hear records, whether I come across them or perhaps friends play them to me, that may not be released otherwise, so I feel privileged to have the chance to issue such wonderful and evocative music. Room40 also acts as a base for a range of concerts, festivals, exhibitions and performance series I curate. It's a way of expanding the sonic culture here in Australia and linking in with all the interesting work that is going on outside of Oz.

SA: Tujiko Noriko? other friends?

LE: I've been lucky to meet some really wonderful people and to work with them. The first time I heard Noriko's music for instance, I was just swept away in the rawness of her songs. They were completely heartfelt and free and that really excited me. That's one of the really exciting things about music is finding those records and artists out there that create their genuinely personal sound. People like DJ Olive for instance, the first time I heard Sleep, which we're releasing on room40 this year, it was just such a deeply personal record - a real journey and passage of time transformed into sound.
I count myself lucky to have been able to meet and work with some many wonderful players and musicians across the globe - that's one of the very special things about this musical community - it's an open environment and one that for the most part is very much about connection and sharing of ideas and possibilities.

SA: coming to your music…

LE: For the most part I can honestly say I'm interested primarily in the potentials of sound in all its varied forms. I think that shows if you look through the records and projects I've been involved in. Something like the Melatonin project for instance, what interested at first about that was this idea of how certain sound waves when modulated correctly can create particular states of sleep and bring the body in and out of rest. As I started to work more deeply on that project, the ideas of sound as an agent of agitation or change in dreams became something that I was very interested in, as we all have moments of 'half-sleep' where the outside sound influences our dreams in some way - even if it's just the alarm infiltrating our dreams and waking us up....
Likewise the field recordings or the work with guitar - all those projects are primarily focused on finding a sonic aspect and exploring it - sometimes subverting the obvious qualities of that sound and hopefully in the process creating something unexpected and rewarding - both for me and the listener.

SA: coming to your video and images…

LE: I have to admit I'm becoming increasingly interested in the possibilities of visual media and sound. I've also enjoyed photography and have exhibited a few times in various exhibitions, as well as using some of the images for cd artwork or other design projects. I guess what I enjoy about the visual culture is the fact that it works so very differently to the sonic culture in that we as people are taught to engage with each of those forms in such different ways. Working with vision I think is very hard as to break free of the codes that define our understanding of visual languages is difficult and full of pitfalls. So there's an inherent challenge in that which is exciting I think.

SA: what about electronic music interaction with other forms of art…

LE: I think there's a great amount of connection between electronic music and other forms of art. There's so much incredible installation work being done that intersects a variety of forms of visual and sonic information. I think this is perhaps where some of the most interesting work in the future will occur.

SA: what about impro in your works…

LE: There's something quite special about improvising I must say. Even when it goes less than well, the experience of having to work in those sonic situations is exciting and it feeds your abilities and challenges you as a player. I look at some players and am constantly amazed by how versatile they are in those situations.
Over the years I've been lucky enough to play with some really great musicians - and some of these have really provided me with some really great lessons - for me I think the most important thing I've realised about improvisation is simply listening. I find this very commonly in people who I feel are strong improvisers - they know how to listen and how to work in a given group situation.

SA: what about your next projects…

LE: this year is looking pretty busy already. I've got the second in my series of guitar focused records due out in a little bit - it's called It's up to us to live and will be out on the excellent Hong Kong based label Noise Asia. I've just completed a split 7" with Richard Francis - we're also collaborating on an installation for the next wave festival in march 2006. Then in a week I'm recording with Philip Samartzis for our turntable duo project, which we've been working on for a few years. I also have a collaboration underway with Francisco Lopez, which I'm working on and also a record with KK Null later this year.
On top of that I have another solo disc underway and will be producing records for Tennsicoats and The Rational Academy....and that's just the next few months....

SA: Could you suggest us any album or musician to let us listen the music you love?

LE: just recently I have been enjoying Tenniscoats from Tokyo - they are quite an amazing psychedelic folk/pop group - excellent improvisors and some of the best song writers I have heard in a very long time. I'm currently working on a new record with them - should be out later in 2006.

SA: Would you like to say anything in particular or speak of someone you love to SuccoAcido readers?

LE: just a general word of thanks to you Marc for letting me borrow that wonderful guitar of yours! keep up the good work...