Some really good musicians have shit names. AC/DC, The Beach Boys, DJ Sprinkles. Electric Sea Spider might not be the worst name you've ever heard, but it's certainly in that group. This is something Jim Sellar—the guy behind that not so great moniker—will freely admit to. We sat down to talk about his name and what he's been up to lately. He also shared a mix, which will give you a way better indication of what he's aboutthan Electric Sea Spider for crying out loud.THUMP: Hey Jim, so what's with the name?
Jim Sellar: It's a little embarrassing. I've had it since I was maybe 15 or 16. I was listening to Aphex Twin and a lot of other artists from WARP records. It was a name that fitted into that weird kind of ambient, you have to name your band after an animal kind of thing. I wasn't meant to use it for so long, it just stuck. I kind of regret picking it.Was Electric Sea Spider the only option though?
I can't remember. At the time I think had a few projects going, I was still in high school and I was in a few bands, making a lot of music under a million different names. I honestly can't remember.Have you thought about changing it?
Yeah, I have but so many things have changed since I started using it. It's kind of been with me for so long now. I'm making a bunch of music now that's pretty different, I might as well just put it under the same thing.I did a bit of research on sea spiders, apparently they're a constantly debated and disputed creature among the animal kingdom. Did you choose the name because you felt your music was similar to the Sea Spider? Unclassifiable?
No… I think at the time I was fully aware I was just ripping of Aphex Twin and other WARP artists.What was the 15 or 16-year-old Sea Spider like as an artist?
I guess at that time I was just messing around with friends and making music.
We were more creating electronic music as a joke, we were trying to make horrible music. It was probably like that from 12 to 15. From then I started taking music seriously and creating things that were half decent. That's when I decided to pick a name to credit my music.I've got an email address from when I was in grade 5 which is cows_go_moo_333@hotmail.com. Pretty lame, even for a kid. Is Electric Sea Spider, as a name, the lamest things you did in your youth?
Umm yeah… It's definitely un-cool. I just don't feel that it has a nice ring to it, it doesn't roll off the tongue very well. Speaking of old email addresses, my old one was 60Calypso. Which are two Spiderbait songs spliced together.Do you ever worry that your name is so bad that people won't even listen to your music, and never hear that it's actually pretty good?Yeah possibly. I'm always conscious that when I put out a track which I think is decent that people think Electric Sea Spider is a lazy name, he probably makes lazy music.
The same can be said about gig flyers, I worry that people might see my name on a flyer and think of me as a joker.What would it take for you to stop calling yourself Electric Sea Spider?
Probably quite a lot to be honest, my music has changed so much under Electric Sea Spider. If I were to form a band, or a group then I'd probably choose a new name but for my solo projects, it will always be under Electric Sea Spider.You've never once thought of another name and wished you were called that instead?
Not even once. I'm stuck with it.You haven't released anything for a while. What have you been doing?
After my last couple of releases I've taken a pretty long break, I'm pretty easily burnt out. I wanted to think about my next step, and what kind of music I want to make. I find it kind of frustrating to turn out album after album each year. I'm always tempted to do different things, and my label is always good at setting that up. So just to take a break, to absorb different things then just sit in my room and make beats forever. But I do have different music coming out.Cool. Thanks Jim.
Cheers.You can call on Electric Sea Spider anytime here
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Jim Sellar: It's a little embarrassing. I've had it since I was maybe 15 or 16. I was listening to Aphex Twin and a lot of other artists from WARP records. It was a name that fitted into that weird kind of ambient, you have to name your band after an animal kind of thing. I wasn't meant to use it for so long, it just stuck. I kind of regret picking it.Was Electric Sea Spider the only option though?
I can't remember. At the time I think had a few projects going, I was still in high school and I was in a few bands, making a lot of music under a million different names. I honestly can't remember.Have you thought about changing it?
Yeah, I have but so many things have changed since I started using it. It's kind of been with me for so long now. I'm making a bunch of music now that's pretty different, I might as well just put it under the same thing.I did a bit of research on sea spiders, apparently they're a constantly debated and disputed creature among the animal kingdom. Did you choose the name because you felt your music was similar to the Sea Spider? Unclassifiable?
No… I think at the time I was fully aware I was just ripping of Aphex Twin and other WARP artists.What was the 15 or 16-year-old Sea Spider like as an artist?
I guess at that time I was just messing around with friends and making music.
We were more creating electronic music as a joke, we were trying to make horrible music. It was probably like that from 12 to 15. From then I started taking music seriously and creating things that were half decent. That's when I decided to pick a name to credit my music.
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Umm yeah… It's definitely un-cool. I just don't feel that it has a nice ring to it, it doesn't roll off the tongue very well. Speaking of old email addresses, my old one was 60Calypso. Which are two Spiderbait songs spliced together.Do you ever worry that your name is so bad that people won't even listen to your music, and never hear that it's actually pretty good?Yeah possibly. I'm always conscious that when I put out a track which I think is decent that people think Electric Sea Spider is a lazy name, he probably makes lazy music.
The same can be said about gig flyers, I worry that people might see my name on a flyer and think of me as a joker.What would it take for you to stop calling yourself Electric Sea Spider?
Probably quite a lot to be honest, my music has changed so much under Electric Sea Spider. If I were to form a band, or a group then I'd probably choose a new name but for my solo projects, it will always be under Electric Sea Spider.You've never once thought of another name and wished you were called that instead?
Not even once. I'm stuck with it.You haven't released anything for a while. What have you been doing?
After my last couple of releases I've taken a pretty long break, I'm pretty easily burnt out. I wanted to think about my next step, and what kind of music I want to make. I find it kind of frustrating to turn out album after album each year. I'm always tempted to do different things, and my label is always good at setting that up. So just to take a break, to absorb different things then just sit in my room and make beats forever. But I do have different music coming out.Cool. Thanks Jim.
Cheers.You can call on Electric Sea Spider anytime here