TONN INTERVIEWS: NO
tonn 029 (12” LP). ‘Domestic Pulse’ by No. Image © Christopher Martin
Fabrizio Lusso of WhiteLight/WhiteHeat talks to NO about his processes and journey into making music.
Fabrizio: Can you tell us about how your attraction for synthesizers was born and what triggered your starting your minimal synth /cold wave project?
I started playing music relatively late. When I was younger, I used to draw and be quite good at it. But at some point, I lost interest, or was very uninspired. By chance, I started to play around with some synths and samplers that my room mate had. I instantly loved it and spent most of my time figuring them out. I had a few projects before No. I composed all the music and played bass in a band just before, that lasted a few years. But, I needed a change. I decided to try and sing on a project for the first time. It was quite challenging, but exciting as well.
Fabrizio: What are your earliest, most formative memories when it comes to music and sound?
I suppose my first experiments with sound would be using my parents tape deck and using headphones as a mic to record strumming on an elastic band haha. Later, I guess, listening to many albums under the influence of, lets say, mood altering substances…. was quite formative. I remember discovering Bauhaus and Fad Gadget for the first time. It blew me away.
Fabrizio: Montréal is well-known for an electrifying underground scene, especially for synth music. What is your take on it? Do you hang out in it, are you part of it, or is yours essentially a solitary bedroom project?
I’d say, a bit of both. I have my social moments and have been to many different shows, venues and scenes in Montréal throughout the years. This city, for a long time, was very good for poor artists and musicians. The rents were still pretty cheap, compared to other cities in North America and this made it easier to have a thriving underground scene.
In the last few years, gentrification has made it significantly more difficult for artists. Another interesting aspect, is the coexistence and sometimes, coming together of Francophone and Anglophone culture.
Image unsplash.com/@ocollet
Certainly, there is a lot of talent here, in all types of music. Automelodi and Police des Moeurs come to mind.
Fabrizio: How do the Canadian ice and the warmth of your origins, I guess, Lusitania, coexist in your music?
I’d say, there is a certain melancholy to Portuguese and Québécois culture. I think that probably has an effect.
The winter / summer dynamic in Montréal probably plays a part too. Long and severe hibernation, but also, an intense and short rebirth in summer.
Fabrizio: How cerebral and how instinctive is your creative process? What is your compositional process like?
I think its quite instinctive. I start many tracks and try not to overthink it. It just has to feel right. There’s always a vague idea or mood in my head, and I try to bring it to life without affecting it too much.
Fabrizio: What kind of equipment is integral to your work? Has it changed with time? Is there an instrument somehow you miss and would like to have?
I don’t have much of a gear fetish. I’ll use whatever is available to me. I like that DIY / punk approach of extracting the most out of what you have. I find myself getting lost in too many options. I prefer to keep it simple. I sometimes miss playing a live bass. I may do that in future tracks.
Fabrizio: How important are the lyrics for you? How much of your lyric writing comes from personal experience and how much do you draw from external sources? Could you talk about them?
Again, its very instinctive. There’s something almost expressionistic. I try to paint something with words and sounds. Not a direct narrative. I rarely start out with a text, it’s a feedback loop of sorts. I start with music and sounds, and then words and ideas seem to emanate from the ambiance. And, in turn, these influence how I approach the track musically and sonically. I’ve always loved the cut-up style of Burroughs, where meaning appears out of a seemingly chaotic mess.
But, yes, it all lives in my mind palace and is populated with all sorts of personal experiences. Often, the roles are constantly interchanging in an almost Lynchian dream state. At the risk of being cliché, I think I mainly want to convey truth and urgency in my lyrics, but never in clear, upfront way.
Fabrizio: I noticed persistent posts about cinema, literature and photography on your social media. Could you talk about your passion for other artistic disciplines and how they inform your music?
Yes, I think I draw as much inspiration from other artistic disciplines as I do directly from music. I almost prefer it, as it’s an indirect way of getting inspired. Less conscious. I love how you can get lost in a well crafted world. In movies, Kubrick and Haneke come to mind. So many layers of meaning and ambiance in their work. It creates an ambiguous sense of dread and anxiety and you don’t really know why.
I also love essays. When I read, say, Barthes or Baudrillard, it puts me in a state of deconstructed vertigo. Where meaning is lost, in a way, and it frees up the unconscious. I always feel inspired afterwards.
I do think that, the music that made me, say, in my teenage years, is an omnipresent undercurrent of influence. With No, I wanted to consciously go back to that state of mind. The strength with which I was impacted by Post-Punk music when I was younger. The music I would have made at 15, but, with a lot more baggage ;)
Fabrizio: Could you talk a little bit about your new release, ‘Domestic Pulse’? What have been the main sources of inspiration in both your music and lyrics? What can we expect from this new release compared to your previous ones? Can it be considered an evolution?
Well, it’s always been a dream of mine to have my music on vinyl, and this is the first time. I’m very happy and proud of it. I think it’s in line with my first EP, but, I hope, even closer to myself.
It’s a reflective and dark album, but, I think it has an urgency to it. A glimmer of nervous hope. Also, it was made in a backdrop of a global pandemic and various lockdowns and curfews. This made it even more intimate in a way. Thus, the title, Domestic Pulse.
Fabrizio: Tell us about your encounter with Mary of TONN Recordings and how has this impacted your art?
tonn020 (cassette). ‘Permanent Wound’ by No.
My first contact with Mary was on Soundcloud as well. I can’t begin to describe how important my relationship with Mary and TONN was and is to me and No. It gave me the confidence to make the best music I can. I’ll be forever grateful. There’s so much talent on TONN and it really is a tight family. It felt great to find a musical home.
Fabrizio: Do you feel comfortable performing live? What are your experiences of that so far?
I haven’t done any shows live with No. As covid hit pretty much at the same time, I put that idea aside and focused just on making records. I did a lot of live shows with my previous bands, either with synths, or playing bass live. It was a lot of fun. There is something special with live shows, when everything aligns. I’ll see what the future holds.
Fabrizio: A song you wished you had written?
Hmm… I have a hard time answering these types of questions. I mean, pretty much any David Bowie song :)
Fabrizio: A song that defines the teenage you?
‘A Forest’ by The Cure, could clearly be one.
Fabrizio: How about a dream collaboration?
I think Eno and Bowie would certainly be up there. To spend a few weeks with them, in the studio, in 1980, let’s say.
Fabrizio: Which are the treasured albums that struck and possibly defined you as musician and music lover?
So many… ‘Pornography’ by The Cure, ‘Unknown Pleasures’ by Joy Division, ‘The Sky’s Gone Out’ by Bauhaus. Those are certainly three very important ones, especially in terms of direct or indirect influences on No.
Fabrizio: What are you currently listening to?
I try to not listen to music too close to what I do, when Im composing. I’ve been listening to 90s lo-fi, like Sebadoh lately, or ambient stuff.
Fabrizio: Your final words and future plans?
Well, I want to thank you for this, and, for including my very early songs in your great WhiteLight/WhiteHeat weekly selections. It was very much appreciated.
Plans? What are those…?
NO’s superb new album ‘Domestic Pulse’ is available as a 12” LP or digital download, on TONN Bandcamp.
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