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Today, I’m pleased to post up Vintage Romance, the Moodgadget debut of , a record that has had me mesmerized since the first play. 18 Carat Affair (18K) is the image enterprise of Kansas City-based artist/musician Denys Parker. His music explores a range of genres through lenses of lo-fi, goth, and r&b, wrought with a unique artistic quality that sounds like the soundtrack of a sunset from an old Betamax videocassette. A central idea of Blog.H34, and within my own work, is that analog and lo-fi are becoming fleeting sparks in the grand continuum of artistic expression; as we see digital reproductions of old plastic film cameras, super 8 and 16, and of course, music and music sampling, the genuine material becomes infinitely more valuable. I’ve chosen a bunch of picks from 18 Carat Affair’s catalogue (most of which can be found and downloaded for free on last.fm for now) and asked him a few questions about his music, his process, and his opinions on the new wave of music and technology.

18 Carat Affair – The Crying Game – Gorgeous/Fantasy

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H34: What was your very first favorite song you can remember?

18K: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory – Pure Imagination

H34: When do you make music the most‐‐ in the morning, during the day, or at night?

18K: During the morning/day I’m a corporate warrior and engineer in Kansas City. I make music at sunset and night. A nocturne setting seems to compliment sounds and ideas.

18 Carat Affair – Programmed – 60/40

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H34: Tell us more about the space you use to create and record your music? (Location, neighborhood, size, how long have you been using it.)

18K: I record in a medium size wooden shack located in south KC. It’s located in the forest of my backyard. I’ve been there since 2007 operating as “The Wax Factory”. It’s a nice isolation. Secluded, haunting, full of great keyboards.

H34: Have you ever lived in a major coastal city (ie. NYC, LA, Miami)? If not could you see yourself moving there? Why or why not?

18K: Yes, I was in L.A. for a couple years. Moved to Ft. Myers, Florida which isn’t a major city but a nice one on the Midwest coast. I’ve never lived in NYC, visited though. I like the people, variety and beauty that coastal cities offer. My academic debts make them hard to remain in. Kansas City is a nice place, small scale, unsaturated, incredibly cheap living.

18 Carat Affair – 4U – Cassette Fantasy

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H34: It seems like some newer listeners would lump your sound in with trendier genres like chill wave or witch house, are these associations accurate? How about public‐access‐cable‐wave? Or goth fi?

18K: “Goth‐fi” (laughter) I have no association with these genres. Genres are great tools for categorizing the plethora of wonderful sounds. However, I approach recording with a “sound painting” ideal. When categorized the music can be misinterpreted. Genres can sometimes bring politics into creativity.

H34: There are definitely aspects of goth and glam in your music, both of which have been around for much longer than the above‐mentioned genres, but how do you channel those influences in an authentic way that doesn’t sound unoriginal? How do you live these influences, beyond citing them in your liner notes?

18K: I channel them through a nostalgic collage of experiences, pessimism, and discontent with the modern world. The 70’s‐80’s post‐punk styles of music always had more emotion, theatrics, and style than most. The sounds I make come from the instruments of those eras. My tape machines saturate and keep sounds inconsistent, which provide a gloomy dropped pitch connection to the listener.

18 Carat Affair – South Beach – N. Cruise Blvd

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H34: What percentage of your music is recorded using your input (eg. keyboards, beats, vocals) versus that of others (eg. band mates, collaborators, samples)?

18K: I’d say 85% of the songs have my input. My Linn, TOM, DX machines takes care of the drums. I have a couple hardware samplers that have acted as extra members of the group. I usually record hooks, chords, or manipulate textures and sequence through the sampler. Out of the habit of doing this for quite sometime, I haven’t utilized computers with any recording. Then again there are those samples that don’t need much but tape manipulation. I try to drift through mindsets, moods, and tragedy with a hazy outlook.

H34: Your catalog thus far explores a fairly wide range of grooves and genres, all projected through a consistent lo‐fi recording and engineering mantra. What accounts for your ability to traverse styles like you do? Is it inappropriate to compare a track like Bitter Turns to Sugar to Programmed, or Desire to The Crying Game?

18K: The entire recording is done on spot to cassette with my machines. I run through the tapes and put 18k fingerprints all over it. The nature of recording that way is inconsistent. However, the songs are recorded with structure, chords/melodies learned from influence, and thick drum machines. Difficult textures. Passive rhythms.

H34: What are your plans for 18 Carat Affair?

18K: To continue sharing my tone poems and sound collages. .. I’m currently re‐mastering 60/40 & Gorgeous Fantasy to sell as one; it should be available next month on cassette/CD via “The Wax Factory”. I’ve also been working on sets for live shows, production, and some soundtracking.

Posted in Music Posted by on Jul 26 2011 02:32 pm

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