SF: What was one of the first musical experiences that touched you?

There are so many, but the one that helped shift my perspective was seeing The Art of Noise at Chestnut Cabaret in Philadelphia. I had been a huge fan of theirs and Trevor Horn, who was responsible for all my fave 80s bands, including ABC (whom I had the honor of working with), Propaganda, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and YES. They came to Philly for a rare tour of all the members plus Dwane Eddy on guitar. Hardly anyone at the show but it absolutely floored me to see the Fairlight and Synclavier on stage next to a grand piano with Anne Dudley, one of my favorite composers. They did “Moments in Love” full version! I was with my dad too, which made it that much sweeter.

SF: Who are your creative influences or what have been your most influential or impactful collaborations?

There are too many influences to name just one but I can do maybe top three. Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock and Larry Heard. As far as collaborations, all of them are special but top three, Alison Moyet, Martin Fry from ABC and Kathy Sledge.

SF: What does your compositional process look like? What are the main challenges of composing music for you? What are the parts that feel easy, if any?

The process is in constant change. I like to keep it fresh, so I can keep learning new ways of getting places. I recently did a sample pack for Splice, which explores various ‘systems’ within my studio. I am a huge fan of IG (Synthdactyl Program is my fave curator of artists) and Youtube, so I have been learning so many exciting things just with things I already have. So, I pick a system as the basis for the experiment and then go from there. This also tends to define the sound for whatever the project turns out to be. At the moment, Moksha Black project is my fave unexpected project that is now turning into an album! Just having fun originally taking it sonically elsewhere and winding up with a nice dirty field recording esqu sound. If it is a specific project, like how I’m producing and writing two songs for Moor Mother’s new album, I have a direction of where I want to go before hand. She is so open and free that it is easier than say Jill Scott (whom I am also working with), because she has a certain aesthetic that allows for some boundary pushing but is rooted in R&B. As far as easy vs hard, it’s all fun. I don’t look at it like that!

SF: Can you talk more about how you pick systems as the basis for experiments? What sorts of constraints do you set for yourself? What sorts of freedoms do you give yourself within a system?

Well, I look around the studio and see what haven’t I used together. Like, what results will happen with Roland System500, running through the Moog Sonic Six into an amp. My favorite thing is the iPad. What apps can I use together to get weird results? Like FieldScaper into Borderlands into SpaceCraft. When I’m on airplanes this is like my savior. I try to stay with the number 3 in regard to items used.

SF: When and why did you start to use different aliases? How do you conceptualize the difference between your aliases? Do you have a favorite alias?