Heathen Harvest: So, first of all let's get the boring stuff out of the way. How long has D/A A/D been active, and isn't it finally time to come clean about the bizarre name? I seem to remember your name being slightly different when you first started out?
 
Alex Pearson: D/A A/D is just over 2 years old. The name?.. Well originally it was D/A/D, and stood for Digital / Analog / Digital. I know how fucking geeky is that shit??? Then I received a Cease and Desist from Disneyland After Dark, and I changed the name to D/A A/D. So basically it means whatever the fuck you want it to mean. I have had people who loved it, and I have had people who despise it. I had this one hipster dude in Montreal go all freaky over it, he said he came to the show just because he thought the name was awesome. He said if it was a joke, that he was going to steal the name...
 

HH: What got you into experimental music to start you on your way down this path of doom?
 
AP: My musical upbringing had a lot to do with it; A heavy dose of prog, psychedelic and kraut rock along with some weirdo shit like Nash The Slash and The Stranglers. I was heavy into industrial in the early 90's, and around 95-96 I was introduced to Merzbow - like we all were. After that the rest is history.
 

HH: Were there any projects that pre-dated D/A A/D? What about any "normal" bands that you played in? Any current side-projects or collaborations?
 
AP: As for noise I used to make harsh noise under my own name around 10 years ago, before that I was in a myriad of awful punk/industrial bands. Around 7 years ago I gave up noise and I started making triphop and ambient music, and 4 years ago I got back into noise. As for other projects there is In Negatives which is my tape loop project, its very ambient and textural. I also make minimal synth drones under A.S. Pearson, which is my 100% analog project - analog synth straight to tape. As for collaborations there is H/B A/D which is Headboggle from San Francisco and myself, and there may be a reed and synth colab in the works with Food from Brantford Ontario.
 

HH: One constant in your music has always been the deep as a grave, gut-busting bass. Why do you think you feel such a fondness to the low end of sound? Have you found the "brown note" as of this interview?
 
AP: I love dub music, I have always loved dub music. It has influenced all the music I have played over the years, from the punk right through to my current dirge doom excursions. As for the brown note, I am positive that it doesn't exist. I have made my cat Gilmore piss himself however, my dream is to make someone pass out like at a Damion Romero or Techno Animal show. I have also done some sound art instillations dealing with bass, one of which was a 15 minute composition comprised of 40hz and below with a sound pressure of 120db that the person "viewed" in a metal shower. One person felt like there blood was boiling, another said it was like the best cup of green tea, one woman had an orgasm... It was a good time.
 

HH: I never knew that you had done instillations before. How well did these go over and where were they shown? Did you approach these differently than you would your own music?
 
AP: When I was doing them, I was rather well know for them. Most of my showings were at alternative gallery's, and I approached my sounds art from a different mind set - but both effect each other.
 

HH: This also brings to mind the question I wanted ask you about how experimental goes over in general in Canada? Do you think it compares to other parts of the world? Better, or worse? How do your shows generally go over? Ever done the dirty and played an open mic night for the "uninitiated"?
 
AP: I wouldn't say its any better or worse than anywhere in the west, for true acceptance I think the place to be is eastern Europe - Belgium seems hip to it. My shows are hit or miss on the east coast, but I always have a good time in Ontario. As for crashing open mic's, I have never done that but I have harshed some buzzes at house parties.


HH: One thing I've noticed going through some of your releases, is that you tend to stay away from the clichés that so many darker synth driven projects tend to be obsessed with. Often times your song and album titles seem much more personal in nature rather then focusing on "dark" subject matter. Is there an overall theme to your music, or is it just more based on what you happen to be going through at the time?
 
AP: First off, thank you - that is one of the nicest things anyone has ever told me. My album titles and track names are either incredibly personal or completely ridiculous, one of the only rules I set for myself with D/A A/D is to not let it get to serious and to be able to have fun with it. If shit is going well for me, my subject matter tends to be a bit more tongue-in-cheek. When stuff is on the down slope, its gets a bit more dark - ok a lot more dark... But that’s who I am. I can be a funny motherfucker, or a depressing son of a bitch (no offense to my mother, she is a saint).
 



HH: I didn't mean to say you never go into dark territory, just that you seem to do it without going into the horror movie/Nazi/rape type of subjects that a lot of people are doing lately. Sometimes I feel like those artist are trying to hard to be "shocking" without putting a enough of their own personality into the music.

AP: Ah yes, well thank you. The only thing I want people to be shocked about with regards to my music is the immense sub frequencies coming out of their speakers.
 

HH: Speaking of the sense of humor in your music, care to explain the meaning behind song titles like "again, why don't you fuck off?", or "die hipster scum"? What about "FUCK MONTREAL"?
 
AP: "again why don't you fuck off?" - this title came to be because I was being constantly bothered while recording that track. "die hipster scum" - I fucking hate hipster culture... Seriously, every time I see a skinny jean wearing / baby food eating / nu-rave listening fucko I want to KILL KILL KILL.
"FUCK MONTREAL" - this title had to do with last years tour and how much fucking bullshit there was with getting a show locked down, the funny/pathetic thing is that same fucking thing happened this year...


HH: For an artist that has been around for a few years, you have a very small discography compared to most of your peers. Is this a personal choice to take more time on your recordings, or maybe do you turn down offers to maintain some quality control? Is there a wealth of tracks you deemed unworthy of release?
 
AP: It's funny you say that because I sometimes feel like I am releasing too much material, I am always afraid of that. I look up to dudes like Clay Ruby with regards to that, Burial Hex's releases are as stellar as the wait for them is long. As for unreleased tracks, there really isn't many at all - I delete a lot of stuff. Catholic Bed Death for example was finished for 7 months before I sent it to you, it felt right at that point. If I hadn't of sent it to you, it may have been deleted.
 

HH: Choosing the right gear for the job seems to be very important to you. I know you have recently been building a modular synth, and making your set-up 100% analog. Why is it important to you to stay away from digital equipment, and does building your own synths make you feel "closer" to the sounds you create in some way?
 
AP: Gear is life, my life is gear. I am a total slut when it comes to equipment. But lets get the story straight, as for D/A A/D there is digital equipment. I use a digital looper and a few digital delays in D/A A/D, as well as mastering and recording a lot of it digitally. A.S. Pearson material is 100% analog as stated above however. As for my modular synth, the whole reason for me building it is that it is the shortest distance from inspiration to action. It is really easy to get sounds out of my head, and on to tape.
 

HH: It seems to be a great way to cover the full range of sound with a minimal amount of equipment. Have you ever thought about including other types of sounds into your music, like acoustic sounds, or that piece of pricey gear that is just out of range? How do you see your sound evolving over the next few years?
 
AP: I did a D/A A/D gig a few years ago that was a tribute to John Fahey that was primarily acoustic guitar tape loops, there was even an early D/A A/D track with a banjo intro. As for a piece of unattainable gear, for me it would be a duo of a Buchla 200 and a MPC5000. With regards to what the D/A A/D sound is evolving into: denser creepy drones, heavier pummeling dirge rhythms, and enough sub frequencies to scare a blue whale...


HH: I know you have a tour coming up soon. How are you looking forward to it? Is it brutal traveling the large distances in between city's throughout Canada? How is playing Canada overall?
 
AP: So brutal that I had to cancel my tour this summer... I would have had to drive 15 hours to my first gig... Certain cities are fabulous, Hamilton Ontario is the BOMB! My heart belongs in Hammer Town.
 

HH: You might be doing a short tour of the U.S. in the fall as well?
 
AP: Hopefully I will be in Oregon in November for the Eugene Noise Fest.
 

HH: Speaking of playing live, I wanted to ask you why you chose to do vocals live, but have yet to record them on any of your albums? I like the idea of a live show being a different beast than what's on tape.
 
AP: Vocals for me are very personal and intense, they are usually improvised and have something to do with my mental state at the time. For that reason it would be wrong to try and record them. I will say that the better the audience, the better the vocals / performance.
 


HH: You've also run the label Snapped In Half for the past few years. In what different ways is this more satisfying/creative than doing music? The label seems to be getting more and more popular over time, how doe's that feel? I know you have your first few vinyl releases coming out, how fucking cool is that?
 
AP: Snapped In Half was born out of necessity - I needed an output, now it survives on love. I am very lucky in that I have been blessed to work with the caliber of artists that I have, they have validated all my hard work. As for what the label gives me that my music doesn't is a true sense of accomplishment, I get to see a release from the planning stage to when I ship the last copy to a customer - that shit is extremely satisfying. Over the last few months there has been a boost in business, but I really owe that to the awesome artists that entrust me to release their hard work. But I will say again, that its satisfying I feel validated. As for vinyl, there is a lot in the works. I will say that there will be a 7" coming out from a power electronics legend by the end of the year.
 

HH: Your releases always look so nice, with a really clean unique design. I know you do graphic arts as a part time job. How important is the imagery that is included with your albums, and how do you decide what to use when releasing other peoples work?
 
AP: Good question! As for the D/A A/D look, I try to not pigeonhole myself with regards to imagery. I am sure everyone who is familiar with my work that I do enjoy a dig at Jesus every once and a while. I enjoy high contrast images, and I am a huge fan of old school halftone and offset printing, both those elements influence my work. I also find  inspiration in black metal and crust punk releases. As for the design I do for other people, I usually like to work with the artists on the art. Most of the time however I work based on the title of the release.


HH: Who's been in your top ten rotation lately? Get any good trades that surprised you?
 
AP: These are in no order:

1. Prurient - still wanting
2. Oneohtrix Point Never - betrayed in the octagon
3. Portishead - Third
4. Demons / Hatred split 12"
5. David Scott Stone - plays the modular synthesizer
6. Pig Heart Transplant / BSBC split 7"
7. Emeralds - solar bridge
8. Pulse Emitter - Nakamichi
9. Morton Subotnick - sidewinder
10. Ezra Buchla - s/t c80

 
As for trades I receive so many, I wouldn't know where to begin. But I was pleased as punch with the Mind Gunk tape I got from Midori.


HH: So what's the deal with walls these days? Love 'em, or hate 'em?
 
AP: I am done with walls, I really feel the genre is played out. With the exception of Seagull from Vancouver, Grizzlor from Philadelphia and of course The Rita.
 

HH: Any final comments?
 
AP: Thanks for the pleasant interview Andy, it was a good way to pass my day at work.
 

HH: Thanks you for your time Alex!
 
AP: No, thank you!