10 tracks (40:30)
Arranged & performed by Stephen Reese
Guitar on 5, 6 & 8 by Rudy Nurse
Art by Brian Brasher
I made a lot of electronic music during high school and shortly after. Most of it would be called 'chiptune' today, because it was composed and arranged by pushing obsolete PC soundcards to their limits. Some was performed on electric pianos, and the more soundtracky stuff, with nice keyboards and sequencing software. As a teen I lucked into usage of this equipment (I didn't own it), and it wasn't until the end of my 20s I could afford to get some decent gear of my own. By then the hardware and software was way cheaper, and much more powerful. So what used to require a synthesizer, sampler, drum machine, mixer, sequencer, two turntables and a microphone could now be accomplished in a tenth the physical space with only my laptop. That said, I wanted as much of a natural feel as possible for the electronic material on Hypnopopic. I set rules: no quantization (matching of beats and rhythms to an internal metronome), only live performance of parts, and I'd leave my mistakes in. A friend told me nothing has a soul unless it includes imperfection.
I wanted to avoid what I saw as cliches of 'electronica' (excessive length, too much repetition, clockwork precision in arrangement, preference for continuous dancefloor beats). So most of these ditties are short. Some have beats; some are beatless. I structured a few around samples; others, only instruments. I wanted to play with genres that'd been important to me over the years without trying to duplicate their successes. For example, I kept planning a long, slow-build dance number - but those have been done so well already, by so many others. Instead, why not make stuff only my particular brand of weirdness could do justice, while paying homage to the shoulders I was trying to stand on? Listeners who know me well will hear European synthpop, Chicago & Detroit house, 80s MOR & hair metal, and industrial EBM as the most obvious influences, but lately I'm getting into blues and folk music. So while there's my attempt at crunchy static as early as "Dear Agnes" in the track order, there's also a banjo one track later in "To This Day". There'll be more in my future, I'm sure. My favorite Christmas gift was a harmonica.
Each track on Hypnopopic should be different from the ones before, I decided, but carry forward elements from the track(s) prior. So melodies, harmonies, sound effects and rhythmic ideas jump across time and through styles. The album took me five years, and it tells the story of that half-decade, with all its twists and turns (most of them on what's been a bumpy road of romantic confusion). Why Giant Robots In Love? Cuz the best songs are love songs, even if they're made with computers. G.R.I.L. is an anagram for GIRL: every track is inspired by, written for, or dedicated to a gal. In this way, Hypnopopic (named for the half-awake/half-asleep muddle of early morning called the hypnopompic state, where the melodies and harmonies came to me), is a catalog of 10 experiments - not only in sound, to help me learn new tools and try things I hadn't before, but also in relationships!
From "The Rains" to "The Hindrances" to "The Rewards", I'd like to thank the girls who made this process possible. The latter, final track incorporates bits from earlier pieces inspired by them dames, the way they appeared in original form (as vocals). And surrounding the tribute are new notes triggered by the latest lady to arrive on the scene: my baby daughter.
Peace,
Stephen
