No Canada - Moduli TV Is The Best Channel On The Internet

My buddy Francesco De Gallo delivers an absurd amount of freaky goodness into the world. When he’s not wailing on the sax like Bill Pullman for Dirty Beaches, he runs Hobo Cult, a label which seems to have a new release each week from his tripper-synth solo project Hobo Cubes (seriously, have you ever seen a Bandcamp page like this?). On top of other side-projects and team-ups with likeminded lunatics in Montreal, he somehow finds time to make beautifully twisted music videos as Moduli TV. That’s the branch of his mega-corporation I want to focus on today, so we’ve spread five faves throughout this interview and followed it with five more NSFW clips. Bump this shit on full screen and get gone.

GIANT CLAW – "Big Crush"

NOISEY: How did you first get into making videos? I know you started making music pretty early on, but were you making movies as a teenager too?

Francesco De Gallo: The oldest video I remember making is with some high school friends of mine. I think it had something to do with a murder and some cops… haha! Besides that we would skate around and film tricks. I still have a VHS copy of it somewhere.

A lot of the source material you use looks like it comes from home movies, old commercials and other forgotten relics from the scummy realms of TV. Where do you find this stuff?

Mostly on YouTube… there is so much shit on there but the thing is trying to find the raw material no one has used yet. It becomes a challenge but at the same time it’s better like that. Also, I use a bunch of cheap sex / horror VHS videos that I have in my collection… some really cheap B-movie stuff. I even pick up random videos in the garbage sometimes. They tend to have a lot of great fuzzy visuals that I just film right off the TV.

L'OEIL NU - "Trance Oedipienne"

I know Sundrips asked you to make a video out of Yo-Yo competition footage, but has anyone else ever approached you with a concept in mind?

It's pretty rare. I usually just use whatever imagery I have in mind for the music. The Sundrips video was just an inside joke that came about by hittin’ that haze with the blaze bros.

How do you try to match up the music with the visuals? Are you trying to create new contexts for these songs or artists?

Depending on the music and visuals, I try to create a new context, a new storyline… Sometimes it's just pure colors and effects so it doesn't matter as much. But yeah, I love editing the music to precise actions or movements in the video.

KLONDIKE - "Shrimps With Shells"

Any other video artists you take inspiration from?

As of late, I've been heavily into Pat O'Neill's videos from the ’70s, Ron Rice's Chumlum, Toshio Matsumoto's glitch videos, Henri-Georges Clouzot's visual experiments and Sabrina Ratté's stunning atmospheres and colors.

How many videos have you made now? Do you keep track at this point?

I've made about 130 in the past few years. Most of them are just video collage. I've started to film more of my own videos but it's hard when you only have a shitty camera.

CODE: SUITE 104 - "Exit Area"

You've dropped a few VHS compilations, and I understand you're collaborating with Meat Parade on an upcoming video release as well. Can you tell me about that?

Yeah, we both filmed, collaged, glitched videos and integrated music from our various projects into them. The main idea is that when we both have our 15 minutes of visuals ready, I will glue everything together in a fucked up manner… trying to make it look like a computer's brain glitching information. A lot of jump-cuts, colors and sounds… a pop culture explosion.

What else do you have on the go, or coming up in the future?

I'm always working on music projects… been diving into acid-techno territory with the new Escapists recordings (collab with Meat Parade) + experimental baroque psych pop with Dozens (collab with Ryan of Sundrips and Trailing) + a lot of Hobo Cubes recordings (a lot of cool surprises planned).

MARK BRADLEY - "Drifting, Dreamless"

Why is Montreal the best city in Canada? Besides Chez Claudette…

Haha! I just ate there this morning… well, I would have to say that the music scene is really incredible right now and I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by likeminded artists that share the same vision as me. I love walking around the train tracks and chilling out in parks + we recently found a new apartment for cheap! Stoked that summer is coming up… Suoni Per Il Popolo and Mutek have some great bands playing this year… and yeah, great beer and food everywhere.

Bonus: Five NSFW videos from Moduli TV

ASSS - "White Eyed"

NOCOW - "Moonlight Flit"

BELARISK - "Ophiuchus Bleeding"

WONDER WHEEL - "Purple (Pradada Remix)"

LUNAR MIASMA - "Expanded Dimension"

Previously - Fist City Is Growing Up Twisted

Follow Jesse at @wipeoutbeat