Published: 19 Jun 2015
137
- CN

Sci-fi electro moods.

Norwegian electro artist Stian Gjevik delivers his first podcast under the CN alias, known best for shimmering Detroit flavoured electro EPs on Central Processing Unit and WéMè. CN is currently just one of three aliases he releases under, heavy in its Drexciyan influence, while showcasing the softer side of Gjevik, with EOD and Radio-Logg representing his more driving or experimental electro ambitions. The mix travels at pace through a dreamy electro galaxy, featuring a number of CN classics and some unreleased original material. We recommend listening on repeat.

What have you been up to?

Trying to finish tracks, calibrate CRT TVs and read.

I see you have a new CN album The Derelict due for release later this year, what can you tell us about that collection of tracks? Is there a special story behind this album and its incredible enchanted cover art?

Well, it was supposed to be the next part of The Expedition Beyond, a tape that came out on WR many years ago. I had finished The Derelict years ago too, but the intention was to put it out on vinyl when WR got the funds for it. That never really materialized, so Fred from WéMè decided to put it out finally. I’m a bit nervous about releasing stuff that’s this old, and the tracklist has gone through some changes through the years with some tracks being released elsewhere, but I’m actually really happy with how it turned out. The artwork was done by a friend of my helpful designer Eric Lee’s, a fantastic painter called Adam Burke. He also did the cover art for Nu. I had quite precise ideas about what I wanted the art to look like, and he pulled it off beyond my wildest expectations.

The electro you’ve released so far under the CN moniker has for the most part been laced with rich melancholic chords and dreamy sci-fi melodies, often reminiscent of Drexciya’s lighter efforts, and particularly those under The Other People Place alias.. Were those guys a big influence for you?

Yeah, totally. I got introduced to Drexciya via Dopplereffekt, which some crazy American guy that I used to chat with on IRC sent me over 10 years ago, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. The CN stuff was intended to have a Detroit type flavor to it, but it sort of morphed into its own thing now. I really like where I’ve taken that sound, even if it might not do as well as some of the more pumping trax. It keeps me a lot more interested in keeping going. There’s always a bit of that Drexciyan influence though, I love everything those guys ever put out.

What can you tell us about your current studio setup? Do you like to use different pieces of gear when creating music for each alias, or do you just use the same gear but to different effect?

I only have space for one studio, but I have an absolute shitload of synths and some really cool FX that I’ve bought over many years. Most of it is analogue but I’ve got a few great digital rack synths as well like the JV1080, TG500 and Wavestation SR. I mostly stick to using my 808 for drums on the CN tracks and stay away from stuff like the 303. With EOD it’s a lot more complicated, recently I’ve been using the digital synths I’ve got on quite a lot for new tracks, as well as the DR660 drum machine. I also recorded the latest CN stuff directly to cassette tape, while EOD is recorded digitally to a portable Tascam recorder. I can’t really say what the differences are at the moment since the EOD tracks I’m doing are still experimenting with all kinds of stuff, but it’ll definitely not sound much like CN. I’ve never been a fan of overdubbing or tinkering too much with my music after I’ve recorded it, so all my tracks are recorded live 2 track.

You released an interesting LP on WéMè Records last year under the name Radio-Logg, which came with an equally interesting story about how you stumbled across the tracks in a Trondheim thrift store. What more can you tell us about that record, and might there be more Radio-Logg works hiding in thrift stores waiting to be rediscovered?

Ohh yeah, hopefully. I’ve just gotta get around to it. Stuff like that doesn’t come around very often though…

I know this mix is not just your average podcast, what can you tell us about your idea behind the mix, and what is some of the material that can be found inside?

I’m absolutely shit at mixing so it’s not really a mix. I rerecorded a bunch of CN tracks and put in some versions of video game tracks I like. I’ve always been really into video game music, so I thought it would be fun to do. The sound quality on these isn’t top notch, and the tracks are fairly simple, but it turned out pretty interesting anyway and was a lot of fun to do. The “best” versions are still on the original releases, but it wouldn’t be as much fun to put together as this! Overall it’s quite chilled out so I wouldn’t put with a dance in mind.

What do you have coming up next?

I’m trying to finish up an EOD album and some other stuff, but I’m not sure how far ahead I am. Might take a lot longer than I planned since I need to pay my rent etc., but hopefully some day.

Tracklist:

Intro (super metroid)
CN – Maridia (super metroid cn recording)
CN – Naunet (rooftop mix)
CN – Maat (sun mix)
CN – Hathor (ng34 mix)
CN – Nephthys (stairwell mix)
CN – Torture chamber (super castlevania iv cn recording)
CN – Apep (wail mix)
CN – Heru-pa-phered (nu mix)
CN – Goblin (mix mix)
CN – Boa (mix^2 mix)
CN – Osiris(cord mix)
CN – Horus (no beat)
CN – Isis (bz 1616194khz mix)


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