published by Marge, Looney Moon at 29.08.2008

Hallucinogen

Simon Posford about dreams, real life, reincarnation, drugs and his new album...

Simon Posford aka Hallucinogen met Marge from Looney Moon on May 3rd 2008, when he came to play at Looney Moon\Maitake Production Space Distortion party at Ranch, in Torino, Italy.

Since Shpongle's first album, chill out music and culture have gone a long way...In what do you feel they have changed?

I don‘t know if Chill out music and culture have changed, it depends where you are, who is playing, what kind of party it is. But I suppose it is true that there are more and more Chill out artists getting bigger and bigger. In fact, the first time we did Younger Brother, we did our gig at Brixton Academy in London, a very big venue. That was more of a show, a concert rather than a set in a chill-out room. I suppose ten-fifteen years ago, people just wanted Trance and just wanted to dance to it. Now people are more opened to a bit of everything, as long as it is psychedelic and interesting. Of course it depends what you mean by Chill Out music; for instance, Brian Eno‘s music is very ambient and he does art installations as well. His work is far away from a psychedelic trance party.

You‘ve been travelling a lot, what is your favourite crowd?

I always love Japan, Japan is fantastic. I love the culture, the people, the parties, the food, everything about it really. They are so technically brilliant as well, the sound is always good, the equipment is always great. Many artists will tell you the same thing, people love Japan.

Your solo project: Hallucinogen. Is there ever going to be another album?

There will be another album. I am not consciously working towards an album, for the last few years my other projects have taken up my time, Shpongle and Younger Brother particularly. As an artist, what I want is to challenge myself creatively and that has been the most exciting challenge for me, collaborating with people. When I made the first two albums I was much younger and I was much more of a control freak and I did not necessarily want other people involved. I enjoyed making music on my own, whereas now I enjoy the chemistry of working with someone else. I enjoy someone persuading me not to do what I would naturally do. How-ever, after a few years doing that, now I swing the another way. Firstly because I feel there is a gap in the Trance market, all the Trance music that is coming out lately sounds very similar to me. I have only ever made music to excite myself and I think I am ready now to go back to Hallucinogen.

If you had to choose a movie to make a soundtrack to, what would it be?

My music is very visual so I guess a very visual kind of movie, the one that immediately springs to mind is Baraka. Maybe something with not so much plot to really explore the sonic and the visual soundscapes together. That would be pretty interesting to do. I would also like to make music for a proper movie, with a plot and everything, because it would be just a challenge to try, it would be different, something I have never done. For sure I would be interested in doing any movies.

What are your favourite synths and plugins?

I am a big fan of the 101, I use it in all my live sets. It is a great synth because it has a knob slide for every control and this is great. I can look at the 101 and instantly see what sound is going to come out, as long as it is in tune.

Is your music influenced by the dreams you have when you sleep?

A dream can really stay with you, it does affect daily things, of course. It affects your making music, but actually anything affects your making music. Your music will be affected also if someone calls you on the telephone while you are working.

Dreams, real life and fear of death. Have you ever felt scared because you were in a powerless position that you could not control?

Every time you take LSD you feel that you have to “abandon” yourself to it. You don't know what is going to happen and you really have to give yourself up to the universe. As for facing death, I went to hospital last year to have my gallbladder removed. Before the doctors understood what those spots shown in the scan meant, I had to wait for hours in the hospital waiting room next to a guy who would not stop vomitting. My mind started thinking about all sorts of things...I am not afraid of death, but when you suddenly get confronted with your own mortality, it does make a change...I am not scared of dying because we don't know what happens when you die, but I don't want pain or a long suffering. This is what scares me.

Let's talk about life now. What are the three things you like best in life?

The first two have to be music and sex, for sure, and drugs...(laughs). I love food, I love wine, I love pleasure. Creating or hearing a really good tune gives me a lot of pleasure. I also like sleeping, I sleep a lot, as Bill Hincks said “I need at least eight hours of sleep a day and also ten hours at night”. Can I have pleasure as one of the things? So music and sex are pleasure. So, my three favourite things are pleasure, happiness and fun!

If you were reincarnated into someone or something, who would that be?

My life is pretty good, I would not mind living my life again but better! If I reincarnated into an animal it would be a bird, because birds have the flying thing, which is pretty cool. Or dolphins have the swimming in the ocean thing, so both of these animals I guess. If I reincarnated as a plant, it would be cannabis, because...I am so familiar with it! A lot of people get cremated in the end anyways...

www.myspace.com/therealhallucinogen



Interview conducted and edited by Marge, Looney Moon:
marge.and.co@gmail.com
Pictures by twisted.co.uk, Davide Gomba aka Allume myspace.com/vj_alume, Jacopo Looney Moon and Webgrrl.

You can read the complete text and watch the video of the interview on www.looney-moon.com and on www.purplehexagon.com

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