If you're the type to sip from the rich vein that is Australian underground music, odds are you've come across Cooper Bowman's work. Aside from curating one of Australia's longest running and best cassette labels, Altered States tapes, Cooper has played in various groups spanning the gamut of electronic and experimental music.He also has various solo projects; the latest of which is twisted techno under the name Roman Nails. Roman Nails has already had releases on such prestigious (amongst a certain type of weirdo) labels such as the Melbourne's Future Archiac, Where To Now? out of the UK, and legendary American tape label Night People.Cooper is now gearing up to release a new cassette, Pseudo Watch, on Melbourne electronic imprint Rhythm Works, and we're premiering two of the tracks below.Noisey: Prior to Roman Nails, much of your solo output was on the experimental/noise end of the spectrum. What pushed you to start creating in this stricter style of electronic music?
Cooper Bowman: Yeah, some of that early shit was definitely on the spectrum. I’d always been interested in rhythms though. I guess electronic music was where my listening habits began to gravitate. My first experience playing with beats was in a trio called Orinokoflo, we did a handful of shows and some tapes. After that dissolved, I played in Flat Fix, which was basically my introduction to using CV [control voltage]-triggered synths and drum machines. I’ve been returning to recording with tape loops lately, but I keep that separate from Roman Nails.You compose and play only on analogue equipment. What effect do you think that this has on your songs?
It obviously has an effect on limiting the sound palette I work with, as I don’t have a massive studio of gear. More than other music, I am influenced by my machines, their limitations and quirks. I have never used a computer to make music and I probably never will, the tactile nature of hardware just appeals to me. I’ve considered stepping out of the stone-age of CV into the bright shiny future of MIDI, but it is yet to eventuate. Using analogue equipment also makes playing live a total hassle. RN is much more of a recording project as a result.Your past couple of releases have often had what felt like improvisational or noisy elements in the foreground of the tracks. By comparison, this tape feels like it's heading in more of a strictly rhythmic direction, with those elements subdued. Was this a conscious thing for you?
To be honest, everything about Roman Nails is pretty unconscious. All I can say about the tracks on Pseudo Watch is that they are more concise than the previous tapes. Everything I’ve recorded as RN is improvised. I normally sit down for a couple of hours, start with some drums and then build up elements of synths, record a few takes of a track and then move on. I guess it’s a pretty atypical approach to making electronic music, but I have a pretty short attention span so it’s the way it has to be.
Jan 8 - Newcastle at the Croatian Club with Nicky Crane, Gaud, and Collector
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Cooper Bowman: Yeah, some of that early shit was definitely on the spectrum. I’d always been interested in rhythms though. I guess electronic music was where my listening habits began to gravitate. My first experience playing with beats was in a trio called Orinokoflo, we did a handful of shows and some tapes. After that dissolved, I played in Flat Fix, which was basically my introduction to using CV [control voltage]-triggered synths and drum machines. I’ve been returning to recording with tape loops lately, but I keep that separate from Roman Nails.You compose and play only on analogue equipment. What effect do you think that this has on your songs?
It obviously has an effect on limiting the sound palette I work with, as I don’t have a massive studio of gear. More than other music, I am influenced by my machines, their limitations and quirks. I have never used a computer to make music and I probably never will, the tactile nature of hardware just appeals to me. I’ve considered stepping out of the stone-age of CV into the bright shiny future of MIDI, but it is yet to eventuate. Using analogue equipment also makes playing live a total hassle. RN is much more of a recording project as a result.
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To be honest, everything about Roman Nails is pretty unconscious. All I can say about the tracks on Pseudo Watch is that they are more concise than the previous tapes. Everything I’ve recorded as RN is improvised. I normally sit down for a couple of hours, start with some drums and then build up elements of synths, record a few takes of a track and then move on. I guess it’s a pretty atypical approach to making electronic music, but I have a pretty short attention span so it’s the way it has to be.
Roman Nails' 'Pseudo Watch' will be available soon through Rhythm Works.Catch Roman Nails:
Jan 8 - Newcastle at the Croatian Club with Nicky Crane, Gaud, and Collector