{{original}}

{{original}}

'Strong emotional melodies'. That pretty much sums up the essence of what [[Boards of Canada]] is about. After various hard-to-get releases on cassettes, Skam Records (and it's enigmatic offshoot Mask) the Scottish duo has just released their debut album [[Music Has The Right To Children]] on Warp Records. The first of five on the Sheffield label!

'Strong emotional melodies'. That pretty much sums up the essence of what [[Boards of Canada]] is about. After various hard-to-get releases on cassettes, Skam Records (and it's enigmatic offshoot Mask) the Scottish duo has just released their debut album [[Music Has The Right To Children]] on Warp Records. The first of five on the Sheffield label!

Five albums. That might explain why Mike Sanderson and Marcus Eoin are extremely busy in their Hexagon Studio and reject most interview requests. So many tracks to finish, so little time. But Forcefield managed to enter the bunker which hosts the Hexagon Studio. Via E-mail. Here is what they said.

Five albums. That might explain why Mike Sanderson and Marcus Eoin are extremely busy in their Hexagon Studio and reject most interview requests. So many tracks to finish, so little time. But Forcefield managed to enter the bunker which hosts the Hexagon Studio. Via E-mail. Here is what they said.

{{boc|"Yes the NFB films were one of our influences when we were younger. I think most of their films have been socio-political, but there are animations and suchlike. The thing about the older films is that the quality of picture and soundtrack wasn't perfect, it was grainy and wobbly. We used to record compositions on cheap tapes which gave a similar rough quality, and we've always returned to that sound because it feels personal and nostalgic."}}

{{boc|"Yes the NFB films were one of our influences when we were younger. I think most of their films have been socio-political, but there are animations and suchlike. The thing about the older films is that the quality of picture and soundtrack wasn't perfect, it was grainy and wobbly. We used to record compositions on cheap tapes which gave a similar rough quality, and we've always returned to that sound because it feels personal and nostalgic."}}

{{boc|"We saw a lot of those films here in the UK during the 1970's, but we both lived in Alberta briefly in the late 70's."}}

{{boc|"We saw a lot of those films here in the UK during the 1970's, but we both lived in Alberta briefly in the late 70's."}}

{{boc|"Much of the music we like is not electronic, although we've probably been influenced by [[wikipedia:Devo|Devo]]. We love acoustic music on old recordings because they tend to have natural qualities such as tape compression and distortion. But I think Joni Mitchell's voice is so beautiful it almost sounds synthesised, so maybe there's the connection. The Incredible String Band still sound unusual today, because they changed the arrangement for every song, and their own influences were far and wide apart, and they always wrote emotional melodies which were a bit unusual, you know, with melodies which took unexpected twists. A unique band."}}

{{boc|"Much of the music we like is not electronic, although we've probably been influenced by [[wikipedia:Devo|Devo]]. We love acoustic music on old recordings because they tend to have natural qualities such as tape compression and distortion. But I think Joni Mitchell's voice is so beautiful it almost sounds synthesised, so maybe there's the connection. The Incredible String Band still sound unusual today, because they changed the arrangement for every song, and their own influences were far and wide apart, and they always wrote emotional melodies which were a bit unusual, you know, with melodies which took unexpected twists. A unique band."}}

{{boc|"Devo, [[wikipedia:Wendy Carlos|Walter/Wendy Carlos]], [[wikipedia:Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft|DAF]], television themes, corporate jingles from TV and film, [[wikipedia:Jeff Wayne|Jeff Wayne]], [[wikipedia:Julian Cope|Julian Cope]], [[wikipedia:My Bloody Valentine|My Bloody Valentine]], 80's pop music."}}

{{boc|"Devo, [[wikipedia:Wendy Carlos|Walter/Wendy Carlos]], [[wikipedia:Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft|DAF]], television themes, corporate jingles from TV and film, [[wikipedia:Jeff Wayne|Jeff Wayne]], [[wikipedia:Julian Cope|Julian Cope]], [[wikipedia:My Bloody Valentine|My Bloody Valentine]], 80's pop music."}}

{{boc|"We sometimes make a tune metamorphose as it plays. An example is "[[Nlogax]]" from the "[[Hi Scores]]" EP on Skam, which begins like an old electro or disco track but halfway through it suddenly becomes something nightmarish, like your brain is starting to malfunction in the middle of the tune. Psychedelics make music sound entirely different. Tiny details become massive, a five-minute track can feel like it's five hours long on psychedelics. You know when you're on a ride at a fairground, the pitch of the music rises and falls because of the [[wikipedia:Doppler effect|Doppler-Effect]]? That's another thing we love to do in our tracks, and it's a fairly psychedelic-sounding effect too."}}

{{boc|"We sometimes make a tune metamorphose as it plays. An example is "[[Nlogax]]" from the "[[Hi Scores]]" EP on Skam, which begins like an old electro or disco track but halfway through it suddenly becomes something nightmarish, like your brain is starting to malfunction in the middle of the tune. Psychedelics make music sound entirely different. Tiny details become massive, a five-minute track can feel like it's five hours long on psychedelics. You know when you're on a ride at a fairground, the pitch of the music rises and falls because of the [[wikipedia:Doppler effect|Doppler-Effect]]? That's another thing we love to do in our tracks, and it's a fairly psychedelic-sounding effect too."}}

{{boc|"It's a team effort. Usually the starting point is a melody. We write hundreds of little melodies, and the most attractive ones last in our minds. We go back to them and pick the ones that really stand out, then we start piecing together rhythms. Both of us write the tunes and rhythms. On the album "[[Music Has The Right To Children]]" 50% was by Marcus, 50% by me (Mike, rp). Not one of the tracks was totally written by one person."}}

{{boc|"It's a team effort. Usually the starting point is a melody. We write hundreds of little melodies, and the most attractive ones last in our minds. We go back to them and pick the ones that really stand out, then we start piecing together rhythms. Both of us write the tunes and rhythms. On the album "[[Music Has The Right To Children]]" 50% was by Marcus, 50% by me (Mike, rp). Not one of the tracks was totally written by one person."}}

{{boc|"We began work on the album at the beginning of 1997 and it was meant to be for Skam, but in the summer Warp came to us and said "we'd like this album", so the labels decided to co-release it."}}

{{boc|"We began work on the album at the beginning of 1997 and it was meant to be for Skam, but in the summer Warp came to us and said "we'd like this album", so the labels decided to co-release it."}}

{{boc|"Skam is truly underground, truly independent. I'm sure that if we asked Skam to release only one copy of a new release, they would do it."}}

{{boc|"Skam is truly underground, truly independent. I'm sure that if we asked Skam to release only one copy of a new release, they would do it."}}

{{boc|"We've been making music since we were at school in the early 80's, and nobody will ever hear most of it, so it doesn't bother us to do a really limited release. Our friends and families hear all the music we write, and that's all that matters really. You wouldn't believe how much music we have on tape."}}

{{boc|"We've been making music since we were at school in the early 80's, and nobody will ever hear most of it, so it doesn't bother us to do a really limited release. Our friends and families hear all the music we write, and that's all that matters really. You wouldn't believe how much music we have on tape."}}

{{boc|"Of course, it's lovely to hear that people we've never met are really enjoying our music, because it feels as though we must have something in common, I mean psychologically, with those listeners. So it is satisfying, and fascinating."}}

{{boc|"Of course, it's lovely to hear that people we've never met are really enjoying our music, because it feels as though we must have something in common, I mean psychologically, with those listeners. So it is satisfying, and fascinating."}}

{{boc|"Yes, that's part of what you accept when you sign to a bigger label."}}

{{boc|"Yes, that's part of what you accept when you sign to a bigger label."}}

{{boc|"We're much more interested in melody than rhythm, and we appreciate the emotional power of a melody. Maybe that's too uncool for a lot of electronic artists."}}

{{boc|"We're much more interested in melody than rhythm, and we appreciate the emotional power of a melody. Maybe that's too uncool for a lot of electronic artists."}}

{{boc|"We're very optimistic. We might sound melancholy, but that's just the way we write music."}}

{{boc|"We're very optimistic. We might sound melancholy, but that's just the way we write music."}}

{{boc|"If I told you what the secret weapon is, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. We have more than one really. We use a mixture of old and new equipment. We don't have lots of synths, we use hi-fi gear and other tricks to achieve our sound."}}

{{boc|"If I told you what the secret weapon is, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. We have more than one really. We use a mixture of old and new equipment. We don't have lots of synths, we use hi-fi gear and other tricks to achieve our sound."}}

{{boc|"Music70 makes short films and creates images, paintings and other art. It's done purely for ourselves and our friends, and it has no commercial aims at all. Most Music70 work is like D.I.Y., but it's always emotional."}}

{{boc|"Music70 makes short films and creates images, paintings and other art. It's done purely for ourselves and our friends, and it has no commercial aims at all. Most Music70 work is like D.I.Y., but it's always emotional."}}

{{boc|"That film will start shooting in summer."}}

{{boc|"That film will start shooting in summer."}}

{{boc|"We don't have an urban lifestyle, so that might make us unusual in electronic music. The things we do with friends are more rural or organic, like outdoor gatherings and so on."}}

{{boc|"We don't have an urban lifestyle, so that might make us unusual in electronic music. The things we do with friends are more rural or organic, like outdoor gatherings and so on."}}

{{boc|"Our titles are always cryptic references which the listener might understand or might not. Some of them are personal, so the listener is unlikely to know what it refers to. "Music Has The Right To Children" is a statement of our intention to affect the audience using sound. "[[The Color Of The Fire]]" was a reference to a friend's psychedelic experience. "[[Kaini Industries]]" is a company that was set up in Canada ( by coincidence in the month Mike was born), to create employment for a settlement of Cree Indians. "[[Olson]]" is the surname of a family we know, and "[[Smokes Quantity]]" is the nickname of a friend of ours."}}

{{boc|"Our titles are always cryptic references which the listener might understand or might not. Some of them are personal, so the listener is unlikely to know what it refers to. "Music Has The Right To Children" is a statement of our intention to affect the audience using sound. "[[The Color Of The Fire]]" was a reference to a friend's psychedelic experience. "[[Kaini Industries]]" is a company that was set up in Canada ( by coincidence in the month Mike was born), to create employment for a settlement of Cree Indians. "[[Olson]]" is the surname of a family we know, and "[[Smokes Quantity]]" is the nickname of a friend of ours."}}

{{boc|"Sorry, I'm afraid not... It's an abbreviation/crossover of [[BOC Maxima]] and Documa, an obscure reference to 80's video culture."}}

{{boc|"Sorry, I'm afraid not... It's an abbreviation/crossover of [[BOC Maxima]] and Documa, an obscure reference to 80's video culture."}}

interview by René Passet, April 1998.

interview by René Passet, April 1998.

The album Music Has The Right To Children is out now on Warp/Skam, as is their remix of Mira Calix' Sandsings. WAP100 will contain an exclusive track by Boards of Canada, called [[Orange Romeda]]. Soon the Turquise [[Hexagon Sun]] website will open it's gates.

The album Music Has The Right To Children is out now on Warp/Skam, as is their remix of Mira Calix' Sandsings. WAP100 will contain an exclusive track by Boards of Canada, called [[Orange Romeda]]. Soon the Turquise [[Hexagon Sun]] website will open it's gates.

:: Various Artists - Mask EP - 12" - Mask<br>

:: Various Artists - Mask EP - 12" - Mask<br>

:: Boards of Canada - [[Hi Scores|High Scores]] - 12" - Skam<br>

:: Boards of Canada - [[Hi Scores|High Scores]] - 12" - Skam<br>

[[Category: Interviews]]

[[Category: Interviews]]