Who the Hell is Frank Butters?

Frank Butters is a mystery. He burst onto the UK electronic music scene earlier this year with a record ( Frank Butters Presents: Cult of Glamour) and a label (Too Many Squares) of his own. But what else do we know about Frank Butters?

We know he has some connection to Man Power—an equally mysterious artist who released Cult of Glamour on his label Me Me Me and called Frank Butters one of his favorite new artists. But is Frank Butters a new artist? Or is he the anonymous moniker of one of the United Kingdom's established musicians? VICE Indonesia's Renaldo Gabriel got ahold of him to try to figure it out.

Scroll below to download "Body Burn," an exclusive track by Frank Butters presented by VICE Indonesia.

VICE Indonesia: Frank Butters seemingly sprung out of nowhere. Who are you?
Frank Butters: The bastard child of a lorry driver [truck driver] from England scared to death that one day he might have to grow up and face reality.

What are you currently busy with, music-wise?
Finding the time to make some.

What was the creative process like on Cult of Glamour?
Very slow. The project was started a long time ago and simply got set aside for one reason or another. Once I came across the archived files again, it was finished off quickly, but from the start to end it was almost Biblical [in length].

In terms of production, it's pretty basic. Linn drum clocking a Juno 60 arpeggio and a Prophet 5 doing the rest. Obviously, [there's] a little patch programming and such, but nothing out of the ordinary.

'Art' and 'music' are pretty separate things in today's commercialized world. Dance music was one of the first genres to be sacrificed on the alter of commerce. How does this all affect your work as an artist?
Art is self-expression and nothing more. Personally, I find music to be the true representation of a creative endeavor. The combination of spoken word/ song and manufactured sound can truly capture the spirit of humanity. Sadly, this is not the mainstream view of what art is, so music as a a whole becomes a devalued commodity, especially combined with corporate greed and public ignorance.

How did you end up working with Man Power?
Who?

What are your thoughts on the current state of the independent music industry? Is there much of a future here?
Pretty grim if you're looking to earn a decent living from it, but in all honesty, I don't think about it much. Just get your art out and be happy with that. If folk dig it, you'll see some kickbacks. If not, so be it. There's far easier ways to get the money you need for your music than from making music.

Social media plays a huge role in getting new electronic artists exposure. How do you see yourself in this environment?
Lost.

Haha. OK, so what are you into now?
I'm not consciously influenced in terms of music making. I never have a plan of action, for instance, when starting a project. I just turn the kit on and see where I end up. My record buying taste is another thing altogether though. I'm blown away by the current electronic music that's out there these days and just how much of it there is. There is so much amazing material, it's overwhelming. Far too many artists and labels to list in a one paragraph answer, that's for sure.

What's your plan from here? You're still relatively new.
I've not actually been in the studio creatively for two years now. I'm currently in the process of putting things in place so I can have a lot more time to myself and my music. Hopefully next year I'll see the benefits of this…

Listen to "Make It Right," off Frank Butters Presents: Cult of Glamour below. And click here to download "Body Burn," an exclusive track offered by VICE Indonesia.

Buy the complete album here.