The music world has be left scratching (and nodding) its collective head since the remarkable and unexpected debut of Princeton, New Jersey “Chillwave” producer Com Truise (aka Seth Haley) — who seems to have hit the music industry like an 80’s scud. One of the most blogged about artists is recent months, his self described “slow motion 32-bit synth” sound has caught the attention of numerous record labels and artists alike — spawning several remix projects. But Com Truise isn’t jumping around on couches with excitement quite yet. As the hype continues to build around this suddenly mythical producer, I sat down with the still unsigned virtuoso to talk about his new “Cyanide Sisters” EP (available FREE at: comtruise.com), his goals, and where he fits in today’s electronic music scene.
URB: Where did Com Truise come from?
COM TRUISE: To be honest, it’s been a slow evolution. Where I grew up, (in upstate New York) nobody was into electronic music in high school. One day I remember hearing Boards of Canada, and I was like — whoa. I’d been into Chemical Brothers and Nine Inch Nails and stuff, but when I heard Boards of Canada I thought to myself — this is what I’ve been looking for. After DJing throughout college I turned to production around 2002.
URB: What’s your take on today’s music scene?
CT: It’s rediculous out there. There are new artists and bands popping up everyday so it’s hard to keep track. My i-Pod is a mess, you know? Sometimes I feel overloaded. Now you have sub-genres of sub-genres. I’ve seen bloggers write that I sound like ‘this band’ or ‘that band’ — a lot of times I have no idea who they’re talking about, so I’ll go look-up the band and be like, “do I sound like that”?… It’s crazy.
“SUNDRIPED”
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URB: You said that you’ve been approached by several record labels, but you want to finish your album before you listen to offers. Why?
CT: I’m all about keeping music and money seperate. I don’t want music to feel like a job. I want to finish the album how I want to finish it, then I’ll worry about shopping it. Basically, I look at it as a full-time hobby. I don’t want the pressure of doing a “Com Truise” album with all (the) expectations. I want it to take its own form. I make music that I want to listen to and try not to think about it too much. Even if I was the only one listening to it on my i-Pod. That’s fine with me. Some artists hate their own music. I love mine. I drive around bumpin’ that shit.
URB: How do you feel about people labeling your music “Chillwave”?
CT: I know a lot of artists don’t like it, but I don’t mind. I always get lumped into the “chillwave” sound — but I’m into a more aggressive, darker sound. People will always want to put things in a box. Personally, I like the more human element of electronic music. Warm synths, 80’s brass… things like that.
URB: Have you considered working with other artists or a vocalist?
CT: I actually find it more musically challenging to try and make a statement without a vocalist. You have to work harder as a producer. I’m picky about lyrics and a music snob in that way, I guess. But it might be cool. I’d like to combine my sound with their voice and their ideas. I can see me and Alan (Alan Palomo, from Neon Indian) nerding out on some synthesizers for a while. But I’m really open for anything. I would love to hit the studio with someone who is equally inspired and see what we could create.
“DREAMBENDER”
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URB: Where do you think you fit in today’s electronic music scene?
CT: I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it before. I don’t really have a plan. It’s not my goal to be rich and famous. I have a great job as an Art director that I love. I mean, it would be nice to make some extra money to buy more synthesizers. I just want to make sweet jams that I enjoy. That’s about all I care about right now.
TO STREAM MORE OF COM TRUISE’S MUSIC (over 20 tracks worth) GO TO:
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