Living up to his name, this is an earnest endeavor. Maybe it’s all the Sonic Youth he listened to as a kid, or perhaps the photographer and graphic designer in him. Anyways, this Texan beatsmith and innate emo, creative maelstrom has dedicated his new album to his wife, Devyn. And as its title suggests, this is music (and art) that conveys all that he’s “Been Meaning To Tell You.” It’s sentimental in all the best possible ways and, as well as being a beautifully crafted electronic ode to the girl, it features an extra 16 remixes and 13 exclusive pieces of art made into a hardback book–no less. Friends of Friends indeed. However, the Exponential Records label head doesn’t just do Winter blues electronica. There’s Get Busy, his (first Fridays of the month) party with DJ Jester the Filipino Fist, which has hosted the likes of Daedelus to YACHT, not to mention Gonzales’ banging, masked, electro dubstep moniker, Mexicans With Guns. Beauty and the bass.
URB: What was “Theory Of Everything”?
ERNEST GONZALES: When I first started getting into producing I was using the name Theory of Everything. That was a period when I was just experimenting, learning, and working towards developing a sound of my own. Some of the stuff I made was heavily influenced by hip-hop and turntablism while other stuff was very electronic, 8-bit sounding music. The goal of Been Meaning To Tell You was to try and take a lot of my influences and let them live in the same space.
URB: Did you always set out to create something so multi-faceted with Been Meaning To Tell You?
EG: I’ve always had it in the back of my mind to create something that was both visual and musical. The philosophy of the Friends Of Friends label is to create something very physical for the listeners to have and hold. I remember one of my most favorite things to do when I got a new album was to open the insert of the cassette and look at the art and the lyrics while listening to the album. Now that music is so accessible in a digital format, you lose that whole process. This is about getting back to delving into the music and getting lost in another world.
URB: Are you inspired by how your music takes on different forms and evolves through remixes and art collaborations?
EG: I love that the entire project has evolved from the hands of other remixers and artists. Been Meaning To Tell You has been a major growing process for me. At the beginning of the album [process] I would have wanted to do everything from production to art myself, but I let go of my control and allowed others to do what they do best. Now I am really excited about collaborating and looking forward to more projects.
URB: Who designed the cover sleeve?
EG: The cover art was created by Archan Nair from New Delhi, India. I found his portfolio on the website Deviant Art and I knew immediately that he had to be the cover artist.
URB: What other visual artists inspire you?
EG: Probably my biggest influence is Marcel Duchamp. I’ve always appreciated his attitude which was kind of like, “here’s my middle finger to your traditional art,” but, more importantly, he really emphasized the idea and concept of a piece almost more than the piece itself.
URB: How’s San Antonio doing?
EG: I think there is something in the water here. I know a good amount of kids that are really good visual artists as well as music makers and there is such a strong DIY attitude. The city kind of does its own thing without a strong influence by the trend of the moment, so in that way it’s really unique. I also think there’s a lot of sincerity here and it permeates through the music.
URB: Were you ever worried that this project was so personal yet so public?
EG: There were definitely some moments when I thought the text inside the book was too personal. You just have to let go of the reservations.
URB: Exponential Records has a sincere vibe of both struggle and optimism. It is something that everyone can relate to. Anywhere close?
EG: I think that description really hits it on the head. My friend once coined that feeling as “sad but happy.” The artists on the label are my friends and we all grew up in the same place. There’s only one artist on the label not from Texas. But yeah, sincerity and optimism is there, for sure. I hope people can relate.
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