[Interview] Brian Aneurysm exclusive for MNML.nl

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Daniel Logikal
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[Interview] Brian Aneurysm exclusive for MNML.nl

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Bernard Pucher, better known as Brian Aneurysm, is label owner of Iron Box Music & has had releases on well respected labels such as Traum Schallplatten, Substatic, Morris Audio, Onitor, Poker Flat & now Ai Records, as well as his own Iron Box imprint. He also hosts the Iron Box Sessions monthly on www.protonradio.com, featuring DJ & live sets from Iron Box producers & DJ’s.

With an imminent move to London on the cards after 7 years residing in Dallas, Texas, we take some time out with Bernhard to find out what he has been up to & what he is planning for the future, both as an artist & as label head of Iron Box Music.


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You have been running a record label & releasing music on various labels for a couple of years now. How has your sound & music progressed from the early days, both technically & musically?

There are two major differences between then and now.

1. I used all hardware, and honestly didn't know what the hell i was doing. I had access to a really nice studio, which remained from my father's musical years, and i first tried myself at them in 1996, and kept using the same gear until about 2000. Then I, like many others, fell victim to the love of Software-based production.... i.e. Cubase, Reason, etc... Which i'm very thankful for, because my production has increased immensely ever since that happened to me. I felt a lot more comfortable using software etc, and in turn learned a lot about hardware synths in the process. :)

2. The other main difference is that i used to produce Trance, and over time (also had to do with the switch to software) moved into techno, tech-house, minimal, and electro.

What does your production set-up comprise of?

As mentioned above, 99% of the time I use Cubase and Reason. Never either one or the other individually. I think Cubase is cool, but much better with reason, and vice versa. I think its a match made in heaven... or at least in the minds of Propellerhead and Steinberg. :)

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Your production work & label have been carved out what seems an anonymous underground techno scene in Dallas, Texas. With plans to move to London in the near future, where do you see yourself going as an artist & individual, & Iron Box Music as a whole?

Actually, I honestly don't know where its going to take me. Dallas and London have about as much in common as a pencil does with a shoe. They are very very very different. And “anonymous” is definitely the right word. :) ... Also, though I love music dearly, my intent of moving to London has less to do with music, than my real passion... movies. I'm a filmmaker by heart, and the decision to move to London came out of that interest.

Your latest release is on well-renowned UK electro label Ai. This production sees you introduce a new pseudonym in Confutatis. What is the meaning behind the name & the more electro-influenced sounds of this release?

Well, Confutatis is a chapter in Mozart's “Requiem for a King” which I became very familiar with due to one of my all-time favourite movies “Amadeus” ... In that movie, Mozart, while sitting in his deathbed, dictates to Salieri what music he sees in his mind. And the first line of the lyrics in that song is: “Confutatis maledictis” which is Latin for “When the wicked are confounded” ... That by itself was a big inspiration to me. And since Ai Records wanted a new name, instead of using Brian Aneurysm or EchoPilot, I decided to go with that one, especially since the name reflects the kind of sinisterness of the tracks they chose for the “Light Reflects Sound EP” ...

Some of your productions have featured the impressive vocals of Cristy Jordan, particularly on Dear Father (Iron Box) & Emptiness (as Echopilot on Morris Audio). How did you guys hook up, & do you plan to work together again in the future?

Thanks, i'll let her know you said that about her vocals. Cristy is my beloved wife, and I'm sure the opportunity will arise again for another collaboration. We actually hooked up because of her singing. A mutual friend of ours called me up one day and said that he knows this cool vocalist. And he knew that I had a microphone setup... so when he brought her over, she thought I was cute, I thought she was hot, and the rest is history... that was 3 years ago in 2002.

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Your other passion in life is the visual arts. You have been studying Radio, Television & Film Production at the University of North Texas for the past few years. What role, if any, does visual creativity play in your creative musical development?

I mentioned earlier that my true love is making movies, which have a tremendous effect on my life. I'm also a graphic designer, which I've been doing freelance for a while now. Visual Arts I don't think have a direct effect on my music. At least I don't notice it. Only once have I made a record because I came up with the artwork first, and then built the music around the artwork... but that record is yet to come out... its IBOX0014 and is called Propaganda... due out in March 05. I guess I'll see if a 'concept record' as such comes across the same way as my previous work.

Other than Iron Box Music & its artists, what other labels & artists have been doing it for you recently?

Uhm... cant really say. I mean, there are a bunch of dope artists out there, and I respect all of them and their quality work when I get a chance to buy it. Some of them are Bitstream, Gregory Shiff, Lusine, Geoff White, Robag Whrume, etc ... all dope producers... but I've never been fond of making charts, because many times, I like tracks for different reasons at different times. I'm not saying I like em' all ... thats cheesy political correctness. Thats not true... but I have a hard time picking a favourite when it comes to artists. I don't have that problem with comparing songs from the same artist... like i'll compare songs from the same artist on the same album, or different releases. But comparing different artists and their songs... dunno why i can't really do that. ... sorry, I'm mumbling.

Mumbling aside ;-), which artists would you love to have releasing an EP, or LP for that matter, on Iron Box Music?

Haha. Trying to trick me eh :) Well, put it this way, the artists I love to release are the ones that nobody knows of, but are unbelievably talented. People like Kalle-M, Rasmus Hedlund, Motoyuki, Carsten Fietz (though he's been around forever, he definitely deserves more recognition!) ... etc! ... Thats who I love to put out. Of course i'd love to release stuff from 2 Dollar Egg, or Robag or Riccardo Villalobos etc ... but people already know they're good... I've been lucky enough to start a label myself as an unknown at the time, and I consider myself lucky to be able to keep it going for so long! Many labels don't last 3 years. I always thought that Labels should be happy that Artists come to them and offer them music. And if the music is amazing, its my privilege to release it. And the more unknown the artist is, the more worth it I think it is! ... make sense?

What upcoming releases can we expect on Iron Box Music?

IBOX0013 – Sean Byrd – Chop Shop EP (FEB .7 05)
IBOX0014 – Brian Aneurysm – Propaganda (March)

Name your five all-time non-electronic releases.

(In no order)
Metallica – Master Of Puppets
Tool - Lateralus
Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
Fugees – The Score
Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Out

(At least those are some of the CDs I listen to the most when I don't listen to techno)

Useful Links:

http://www.ironboxmusic.com/

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Last edited by Daniel Logikal on Fri May 23, 2008 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by mymtokyo »

interesting stuff... nice one.
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-ix
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Post by -ix »

Nice one Daniel!
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Harm Rhebergen
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Post by Harm Rhebergen »

Nice one... Nice musical taste also... Tool - Lateralus album is awesome...
*I support southern fruits*
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Post by briananeurysm »

Harm Rhebergen wrote:Nice one... Nice musical taste also... Tool - Lateralus album is awesome...
thanks! I aboslutely love Tool ... there was i time when it hought heavy metal could not be innovative anymore... and then Tool came along! ... amazing record! Truly!
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Post by Burnski »

IronBox is a great label, really deserves more recognition. Great work, please do continue to bring us such quality.
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Post by digitalbunny »

I miss ironbox!
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