Louisville native Alex Koeing, better known by the name Nmesh, has been making a name lately in the electronic music realm with his Vaporwave inspired albums like Nu.wav Hallucinations and Dream Sequins®. Coming off the release of his latest project Welcome to the Warp Zone, inspired by the video games of his youth, Koeing took the time out of his busy schedule to talk with FAN about nostalgia, vaporwave and what inspires him the most.
Can you explain the origin and concept behind the Welcome to Warp Zone mixtape?
Tiny Mix Tapes had approached me about doing a guest mix early last fall, which I jumped on in a heartbeat, cos it’s one of my favorite music publications. They’ve always been super supportive of Nmesh, and so it was cool to give back in some form or fashion. I had originally planned on doing an hour long guest mix (something of reasonable length), and had recently gotten inspired enough to finally tackle a mix of my favorite old-school video game music after hearing a VGM segment on a friend’s program, Mythic Beat. He had a friend/co-host in the studio periodically who would throw in some old video game tunes and remixes for good measure. I thought it would be a lot of fun to do something in that department, since as a kid I was always glued to the NES and Sega. Funny enough, I had an abandoned folder in my work files entitled ‘VIDGAMDJ’ from back in 2002 when I first got the idea to do a VGM mix. Notice the truncated 8–character folder name – that’s how old it is. So I guess you could say I started where I left off 12 years ago, and then began building on my existing material. I already had a nice-sized collection of soundtracks, but after the wheels were in motion, I kept piling on more game soundtracks to re-explore, until the list was a mile long and I had acquired an additional 90+ VGM soundtracks – 99% of which were all games I loved (or at least played) as a child, all the way up to my teen years, when PC sufficed as my go-to ‘console’. I thought, there’s no way in hell I can keep this at an hour’s length, or even two at that. But more importantly, this was something so near and dear to my heart, that I wasn’t going to half-ass it, or cut out anything that I’d later regret – so I went BIG. I pieced it all together in sections, like one big puzzle, adding in extra ear candy such as old commercials, movie clips, PSA’s, the works – as well as the psychedelic elements that I normally incorporate into my own music. Eventually I was able to break it down into “worlds”, or sections embracing different vibes and covering specific scenarios. Then I took it a step further and incorporated a loose storyline into the mix (via text-to-speech narration), where Tiny Mix Tape writers would be rescued by the listener, or else meet their demise by way of classic video game death scenarios. The whole project was pretty ambitious – and silly – but my goal was to make it entertaining enough to where the listener could withstand a solid four hours of nothing but retro video game tunes, and hopeful tap into some forgotten nostalgia.
Between this and last year’s Dream Sequins, you’ve seem to have developed a motif around almost subverting our culture’s recent obsession with nostalgia. Why do you think nostalgia has become such a prevailing force in our culture and do you think that is necessarily a bad thing?
From my observation, and what I’ve read a bit about in the past, is that every 15 to 20 years, we start reviving old trends – whether it be cultural or musical, the cycle has proven itself true time and time again – things that were popular two decades ago (or considered “retro”), will become relevant and popular. This was the case with the rise of oldies radio stations and ‘50’s-themed television shows in the 1970’s for example. Same thing with the resurgence of “classic” rock and psychedelia of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s in the 1990’s, apparent in the widespread hippie mentality and fashions (I should know), and manifesting itself musically as grunge rock and jam bands. It’s interesting to think about – there are so many of these occurrences. Here we are in the 2010’s, and a number of niche genres in the underground scene are obsessed with all things 80’s and 90’s – but again, we’re putting our own spin on it, and this time its heavily influenced by internet culture – enter vaporwave, chillwave and synthwave – is this the decade of “wave” music? I guess so. Why nostalgia has always been such a prevailing force, in my opinion, is because it might recall happier, carefree times (for some) and allows us to explore our childhood all over again. That’s definitely the case with me – I’m a very nostalgic person, and find myself constantly thinking about the culture in the age I grew up in… media, toys, the works. It was a fun time, and I feel privileged to be an 80’s baby. You could say I have that fogey mentality of “everything was better back in the day”. The difference with some of these young vaporwave producers and myself is, they were born well after this time period, and the aesthetic they’re trying to recreate was learned via the internet. So you have two generations with one goal, it’s really weird. Those who’ve experienced the nostalgia first-hand, and those who have immersed themselves in this surreal utopian version of it.
People may be surprised to find out that you got your start drumming for metal bands, how did you make the transition from metal to electronic and do you think there’s much overlap in those styles of music?
I’ve always had a fascination with electronic-based music, since I was a wee lad. I think it stemmed from afterhours programming on public radio. I vaguely remember listening to what might have been minimal synthesizer / space music once I hit the hay, probably around the time I was 5 or 6 years old. And then there was my obsession with the new jack sound of the late 80’s, early 90’s, which is primarily electronic-based production-wise (there lies the nostalgic aspect of my vaporwave dabbling in recent years). The music I was fed by my parents spanned everything from the Beach Boys, Black Sabbath and Michael Jackson to The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and Enya – so needless to say my musical upbringing was all over the map, and my tastes were pretty eclectic at a young age. In the mid-nineties, alternative rock was at its peak, and I imagine that in turn paved the way into metal. I was constantly bouncing around from one extreme to the next, and then all extremes at the same time. I started drumming when I was 12, and joined my first band when I was 13. Collectively, we were inspired by the likes of Metallica and rock bands of that nature – all the while I started getting into heavier bands while everyone else safely sticking to the mainstream. Eventually I was buying up Cannibal Corpse CDs and exploring the Victory roster. I always felt musically two-faced, cos here I am putting on this hard persona at shows and band practice, but then I’m taking vacays to Tampa and taping house music off the radio. I’m incapable of sticking to one style of music, which is fairly evident to those who are familiar with my back catalog. I just know what I like, always have. I’d say the overlap lies in the percussive and atmospheric areas,… you could almost meet in the middle and call it industrial. There’s no shortage of electronic-based metal projects, or vice versa (i.e. breakcore, some grindcore). But you’ll find throughout the history of metal, there’s an emphasis on symphonic and ambient textures, which really speaks to people like me.
Sampling is a major part of your aesthetic, what prospects initially drew you into sampling? Do you feel like copyright laws have hindered your ability to work in any capacity or do you think the Internet has allowed for artists to work around that potential roadblock?
I’ll give credit where credit is due – my musical idols have always been The Future Sound Of London, and they’re somewhat infamous for sampling, especially early on in their career. Their “rock-star” attitude in justifying their sample usage had a huge impact on me in the early 2000’s when I was at a very impressionable age. Garry Cobain said it better than I ever could: “The whole authorship of sounds changes. We carry on sound that we’re receiving. I wasn’t the girl screaming in the park, that wasn’t me. There’s a performance there – she did it; thanks a lot, I took it. Maybe that’s why electronic music is around – if you look at the nature of the sounds that we collect, it’s basically a very, very cheap way of making yourself look anything but the truth. It’s a very clever way of making yourself look like the most cosmopolitan, traveled, interesting, multi-headed individual.” That cocky statement, amongst others, defined my attitude about sampling from there on. Albums like Lifeforms and ISDN, as well as their broadcast transmissions for Kiss FM and BBC’s Essential Mixes were awe-inspiring. In particular, they put out a mix in ’93 that sounded like an acid-induced trip up the Saigon River, with a plethora of Apocalypse Now and Predator samples. This was what I wanted to do, and so that’s what I did, right from the start. It’s funny how the tables turn though – In the past couple years I’ve been fortunate to do some work for FSOL, and Brian actually had me cut back on some of the movie clips I used in a remix for them. I guess they’re a little more careful these days, but when you’re that famous you kind of have to be. I imagine they’ve learned the hard way a couple times, same with plenty of other well-known acts (Stardust aka Daft Punk and the fiasco that ensued for sampling Chaka Khan without permission, for example). I like to think that I’m gliding just below the radar *knock on wood*. There hasn’t seemed to be much of an issue with vaporwave from what I can tell, considering the massive amount of producers and albums that are out there now. Either the sample sources don’t know about them, or they don’t care. I’m sure it also helps that tracks are masked with original song titles instead of being credited as remixes, in addition to the fact that the pitch is usually dropped – which effectively takes songs off the scope of copyright trackers. So have copyright laws hindered my ability to work in any capacity? Yes and no. The more popular my music gets, the more it concerns me. But at the same time, with the rise in popularity of vaporwave (a primarily sample-based genre) I’m less concerned. Safety in numbers, I suppose. The idea was never to “steal” artists’ tracks and throw your own credits on it, but to take something forgotten and give it new meaning. I don’t need to rehash the ideology behind it, most get the gist by now – the point is, where we are now in the internet age, reappropriation in music is all too common, and here to stay – and I don’t think any amount of artists or labels threatening to sue is going to change that. History has proven that when individuals or companies try to slap a restriction on what you can and can’t do creatively, the artists are going to rebel. That’s why this movement has been dubbed the “new punk” by many.
Are there any artists or bands out there that you have been listening to lately that have had an effect on your work?
Definitely – I’ve really been getting into Ferraro’s older stuff the past year or so – I think when I say that, one might jump to the conclusion that I’m a huge fan of “Far Side Virtual” seeing as how its considered a catalyst for the vaporwave movement, but that’s really not the case – I’m more of a fan of the before and after period. I think his experimental CDr’s from 2008-2009 have had a major effect on what I’ve been working on lately. I’ve been tackling a good number of grittier, noisier tracks – stuff that I might not have considered throwing on the past couple albums, cos in all honestly they’d be a difficult listen to most ears. Same thing with Dean Blunt, and in particular, Hype Williams – Something about the harsh, lo-fi quality of all those older records has really resonated with me. I’m not even sure if it’s intentional or not on their end! I recently went back through the majority of John Oswald’s discography (Mystery Tapes and all) and found a new appreciation in the original plunderphonic sound… Makes me wish I had the capability of working with tapes, instead of just trying to mimic the sound. Regardless, one can expect a lot more A.M. radio experimentation and noise-based tracks next time around.
Dream Sequins has been seen by many over the past year as the definitive statement in the vaporwave movement, what is your opinion on vaporwave on the whole and do you see yourself continuing to work within that realm?
I do still see myself working in that realm, not exclusively by any means (it’s never been like that..) The whole plan on the new album was to put out something that’s about 50% experimental electronic / 50% vaporwave – or ‘post’ vaporwave, you might even call it. Kind of like a cross-over record… Not sure if there will be any more straightforward vaporwave releases in the near future, as my tastes are really too varied to be tied down to any one particular genre for more than a couple albums. “Nu.wav Hallucinations” was my first foray into the field, cos I was majorly enthralled upon my discovery of it – my fascination with the sound carried into “Dream Sequins” where I tried to take it out of its comfort zone, and add a little more depth and experimentation. I’ve seen it described as “ambient-gaze”, “cyberpunk” and “post-internet”… So even that one, is a little hard to classify, although I suppose it’s still a vaporwave record at the root of it. It’s still something I’m very much into, and I can’t see myself completely cutting the cord just yet. There’s still much more to explore, or fun to be had with re-interpreting the sounds of decades past. It’s evident that the genre is stronger than it ever has been nowadays, despite it being three years after its initial “death” according to some journalists. I think, just like all types of music, it’s going to go through phases and change with time. It’ll be interesting to see where we take in the next several years, and interesting to see how the aesthetic influence continues to bleed over into the mainstream.
What sort of projects should we expect from Nmesh in the coming future?
Mainly, I’m trying to finish up the next record, which is slated for release on Orange Milk Records later in the year – although at the rate I’m going, and all the collabs and compilation tracks I’m taking on, it might be early 2016 – but we’ll see. The tentative title is “Shop For Thought”. Really pumped about being taken on by OM… they’re a highly respected experimental tape label, and really awesome guys too. One of the label heads, Keith Rankin (aka Giant Claw) is one of my favorite visual artists, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for the cover. I think this album will be right at home on Orange Milk. Aside from that, I did a mix for FACT Magazine that’s coming out in July, doing a mix for Kastle’s SYMBOLS label, as well as a bunch of collaborations – did a track with my Terminal Radio colleague Ross Baker (International Debris), did a track with Gameshark, just finished up two remixes for death’s dynamic shroud.wmv, a remix for Karass (some local buddies), also several compilation tracks – a few of which are top secret, but people are going to freak when they find out what it is. I’ve been juggling all this with a full-time job and a family, so despite the fact that I’ve already accomplished a fair amount this year, I still feel like I’m moving at a snail’s pace! I’m doing what I can though, and I can safely say there’s plenty to look forward to.
For more from Nmesh, check out his bandcamp and soundcloud pages.