It’s a bit of an honor to have Xander Harris take time out to answer questions for this blog. His record, Urban Gothic, is one of my favourites of the year. He’s also done an exclusive mix for ExploreMore too – This will be the first in a series of mixes/podcasts for the blog . It’s an absolute treat for the ears!

Xander Harris is a Buffy reference? Why did you choose that as a moniker? Are you a bit of a Sci-Fi geek?

Yes, Xander Harris is definitely a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reference. I chose the name for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that my name is Justin Sweatt and I didn’t want to be another one of the many musicians named Justin out there. Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Justin Vernon, etc, you get the idea, so I wanted to come up with a pseudonym. Totally ridiculous and OCD on my part. I remember that I wanted the music to be identified with a persons name and not a band so I was on the hunt for something. The second reason is that I think it’s a catchy sounding name when spoken. I would watch old episodes of “Buffy” and “Angel” quite a bit when I would take breaks from recording to unwind. I remember thinking that the name “Xander Harris” was pleasing when I heard it so I slapped it on the folder when I was done. The third reason is that I absolutely adore Joss Whedon and I thought it fit on a personal level. I liked the character Xander Harris in the series because he didn’t really have any special abilities and I identified with that. I liked that he was this nerdy guy who was goofy but could be serious when the proper situation arose. I found the characters traits on the show appealing.

I’m not just a bit of a Sci-Fi geek; I’m a full on Sci-Fi nerd. The funniest thing that happened during this past SXSW was when I met Dylan Ettinger; we were going back and forth about our love for “Deep Space Nine” and William Gibson. Since then, we’ve expanded that conversation to Frank Herbert’s “Dune” saga. Yep. Nerd.

We’ve spoke before about Austin, how do you think the environment there has helped or hindered you creatively? Do you think you fit in with the current Austin, it’s more renowned for it’s psych scene previously…

I think Austin helps me way more than it’s ever hindered me creatively. For a city this size, the place is pretty affordable and we have quite an art scene here. Austin is actually one of the most inspiring places to live and I’m happy here. We have fantastic festivals, good food, great record stores, and it’s easy to escape out into the desolation of Texas when you want to get away from the city. There’s an influx of people from all over the world living here that I find very interesting and inspiring. Austin has some of the nicest people in the world so I’ll be here for a while. Austin has been very good to me this year. I’ve expanded my base of friends and got engaged. It’s all been pretty wonderful, really.

I don’t think I fit in with the current Austin music scene but that’s not something that has ever been that important to me. I’ve always said that if you want to ever doing anything with the kind of music I’m making, it would probably be better to go outside of Austin. That’s not a criticism of Austin, either. Austin is a guitar town, and I’m fine with that, however I do think that the landscape is starting to change a little and mindsets are starting to shift. We have a really awesome synthesizer shop called Switched On that is inspiring people to experiment with synthesis more. Switched On brings in a lot of great bands, too. I am happy that Austin has artists like Silent Diane, Survive, Sleep Over, and Thousand Foot Whale Claw in town. There’s always been a healthy underground underneath the surface, especially with the noise scene, and I think that’s finally starting to bubble up to the surface. I’d love to do a synth festival here but I’m not sure Austin needs another festival. I think we’re starting to get festival overload here.

How did you come to work with 100% Silk and Not Not Fun? Do you feel like you fit in with their artists? What benefits do you think being on one of the coolest labels of 2011 brings? What are the disadvantages?

I came to work with Amanda and Britt by contacting Amanda through email. I saw an article about 100% SILK on Altered Zones (RIP) about The Deep 12 inch that was coming out and I was immediately enthralled. It was my mission to get on that label, really. I had been going to the NNF showcases during SXSW and I always loved all of the bands that they brought from the roster. I’ve always loved Amanda and Britt’s approach and attitude to releasing music. I was excited about the brilliant idea of someone taking the weirdo aesthetic of Not Not Fun and applying that to dance music. Amanda had mentioned on her blog that she was taking submissions so I sent her an email with a link to the tracks I had recorded that made up “Urban Gothic”. She immediately responded and said she wanted to put out a remix of the stuff on 100% SILK and release “Urban Gothic” through Not Not Fun. That was the point when I jumped around the house like a little kid and I couldn’t stop smiling. I still pinch myself every day just to make sure I’m not dreaming.

I do feel like I fit with the other artists on the label and I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to say that. I feel like I’m actually a part of something and that means a lot to me. It’s very inspirational and refreshing.

The benefit of being on the label is that the exposure that it brings and I’m just happy that people like my music. The other benefit is that I feel like I’m releasing music with people who get what I’m trying to do and really care. Amanda and Britt are very hands on and they are such great people. People that I consider my friends outside of music and that’s important to me. Music and being able to make music that people will listen to is a fickle thing so I’m just happy that I was able to get this far. I honestly don’t see any disadvantages to tell you the truth. Amanda and Britt totally rule.

Can you tell me about your creative process, how does a track come together?

I usually start to write a lot of songs in my head. I’ll make a run down of all of the keys that I think will be cool and write those down. Do I want to make it a song based on a Minor Key, Major Key, or something weird that musically probably doesn’t make sense? I come up with most of my ideas in the car or on my bus ride to work. I have a notebook that is filled with rhythms and ideas of what I’m going for before I start recording. I can read and write music so it’s nice to be able to scribble down notes with a pencil and start to erase and revise. After I sort all of that a bit, I start recording. I usually start off with the bass line and the drums first. I get all of the changes worked out and then I start to tweak rhythms and sounds and effects on the rhythm tracks. Then I will start adding all of the other parts on top of it. I actually don’t sample the instrumentation which I think makes me a little different than other people in the genre. I actually play the parts straight through so that I can get the parts stuck in my head so I can translate those items into a live setting. After I get the track together, I’ll sit and think of the song title and whether or not I want to add any spoken word samples that would assist in conveying what I’m trying to present with the song.

What do you think about the digital/analog debate that has been raging for the last few years now?

I learned both analog and digital recording when I first got started a few years ago. I don’t use analog recording at all anymore. I can record and sound the way I want at a fraction of the cost using digital and I think the technology has totally caught up as far as sound quality is concerned. I honestly don’t see a difference anymore and I think most people who are “pure analog” are just saying that. It’s always been about the microphones and set up that you use as far as I’m concerned. Tape does have a certain feel and I know a lot of people who record on tape and then dump it into whatever Digital Audio Workstation software they are using for the mixing process. Personally, I think that’s a bit overboard and I don’t have the money to do that shit anyway. I think if you want to do analog, fine, but I don’t think there should be an elitism involved in the process. That just seems counterproductive. I think for the kind of music that I make, and electronic music in general, it would be strange not to record it digitally. That’s just me.

As far as the whole analog vs digital synth debate, I’m going to be easy here and say that I like both. Digital synths sound great and analog synths are always going to sound great because of the quality of parts and the craftsmanship involved with those old keyboards. I think people should not be so closed minded about either option. I’ve been using some synth apps that are on the iPad and they are totally killer. I say don’t limit yourself and always be open to all of the changing technology.

I came to your work through Spotify but recently there has been a debate about whether Spotify gives enough back to the artists. What is your opinion on Spotify and similar services?

I’m thankful that the service is there so that people can listen to my music. That’s the whole point, right? As an artist, you really want people to have the opportunity to listen to the work that you do so I’m okay with Spotify. There was a time in the beginning that I had a bit of a jaundiced eye about it but I’ve since come to the conclusion that it’s a cool service. I installed it and I’ve had fun checking out what some of my friends are listening to.

What have your favourite records of 2011 been?

Here is a list of 20 records from 2011 that I thought were great:

John Maus “We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves”.
Dirty Beaches “Badlands”
LA Vampires “LA Vampires Goes Ital”
Maria Minerva “Cabaret Cixous”
Eyes Wings & Many Other Things “Enchantment Under The Sea”
//TENSE// “Memory”
Zombi “Escape Velocity”
Clams Casino “Instrumentals”
Zola Jesus “Conatus”
Peaking Lights “936”
James Blake “James Blake”
Soft Metals “Soft Metals”
Robedoor “Too Down To Die”
Wugazi “13 Chambers”
Sneaky Snake “The Sprawl”
Pete Swanson “Man with Potential”
Co La “Daydream Repeater”
Ash Borer “Ash Borer”
The Oh Sees “Carrion Crawler/The Dream”
Soft Moon “Total Decay”

Who should we watch out for in 2012?

Group Rhoda. I had the pleasure of getting paired with her on two shows during my West Coast tour over the summer and she totally blew me away.

What are your plans for 2012 musically?

I’m working on a follow up for “Urban Gothic” that I hope to have finished and delivered to Not Not Fun by June. There will be a split single with Dylan Ettinger coming out on Moon Glyph in the not too distant future. I have a sci fi tape that should be coming out on Pour Le Corps in February and in January, I have an EP that should be coming out on Ruralfaune. I’m hoping 2012 will be a busy year. There are a couple of other things on the horizon but they are a bit tentative at the moment. I’ll definitely keep everyone posted.

ExploreMore Mix #001 – Xander Harris by exploremoreblog

Track Listing:
1. Mushy “No More (Soft Metals Remix)”
2. Walter Rizzati “Opening Titles” from the 1990: Bronx Warriors Original Soundtrack
3. Birdman Feat. Drake & Lil Wayne “Money to Blow” DJ TIG Chopped and Screwed Mix Tape
4. Zombie “DE3″ Escape Velocity
5. Seahawks “Catch a Star” Invisible Sunrise Deluxe Edition
6. Kartei “Lichtgarten”
7. Mux Mool “Raw Gore” Planet High School
8. Factory Floor “Two Different Ways”
9. Co La “Egyptian Peaches” Daydream Repeater
10. Andrew Barrymore “Blast Fighter”
11. Thrones “Manmtn”