Feature
Circuit-bending with Otem Rellik
TF: How's it going down there, Toby?
Otem Rellik: It's going well. How are things with you?
TF: You know, living the life... so we're here to talk about some of your mad scientist creations... some of your circuit bending projects. There's some really lovely stuff going on there with old forgotten toys and electronics and whatnot... I guess for starters, how did you get into bending?
Otem Rellik: Thanks Tom. Yeah, to be honest I don't really remember how I really got into it. It was about three years ago, as I remember I think I just came across a youtube video of a bent casio and was like, "woah", I want to make something like that. I borrowed a few tools from my brother and started opening up cheap keyboard and testing wires where they weren't supposed to go.
TF: It's a really fun sort of art form... almost instantly gratifying... or at least instantly life affirming when you touch the wrong wires together and get a little zap. So do you have any sort of approach you follow when you sit down with a project? Where do you run into toys and other stuff to bend?
Otem Rellik: I've definitely got my share of zaps, cuts and solder burns for sure. I actually felt my hair start to raise while working on this little casio once. It kind of depends from project to project. Most of the time I just go out and search thrift stores for toys that look semi-well made and have some sort of digital voice. I also usually check if they are going to have room on the casing for knobs/switches or whatever else I could possibly need to mount. It's pretty rare that I have something in mind before getting the toy, I never know what I'm going to find. So yeah, once I get something home I usually just start testing wires across the board, no real plan. I sometimes find really cool sounds, sometimes I burn the board. Thats the case with most projects except these atari punk consoles I've been making lately.
TF: Nice, tell me a bit more about those. I've been trying to talk myself into buying those. Sole-Tim has been talking those up like what. Do you often find yourself making custom cases for projects, or is it something you just do on occasion?
Otem Rellik: If you have a keyboard with a vocoder they are rad to run through. I have mine through my micro korg and it has a really grimy tone. It took many attempts to complete my first one. It was the first project I had actually had a schematic for. The first few I did were made entirely out of components from old burnt keyboards and toys. But yeah, once I actually ordered all the right parts and followed the schematic to the tee I finally got one working perfectly. I've made so many since then I can build them now by memory. I'm glad Tim likes his, that was the second working one I made. I want to do more custom cases. I like housing projects like the apc in weird shit. I have a 3 foot doll named gretchen that has some boards in her. But yeah, dolls, baby heads, I kind of like to weird people out with stuff like that. Most people find it entertaining as I do.
TF: That's definitely part of your art... it's funny seeing people's reactions when you start shredding on the baby head when you play live. What kind of influence has the bending had on your music? I guess from both the studio and live perspective.
Otem Rellik: Way more live then studio. It's really hard to work in circuit bent instruments into a melody because of how out of tune and strange sounding they usually are. They are perfect for adding some dissonance and texture though. I've been thinking of making an album with purely circuit bent stuff just for fun and to see what would come out of it. It's probably something I'll explore after my current album is out.
TF: Well, I'd definitely look forward to that. So you're working on a new album right now?
Otem Rellik: Yeah, for about the last year-year and a half. I'm really excited about it actually, I think it's turning out much better then any of my old stuff.
TF: So is there something different in the approach you're taking to it? As far as writing, production, instrumentation, etc?
Otem Rellik: yeah. The writing is much less journal entry and more story. At least thats been my goal, there is still a lot of personal stuff in it. It's also a lot more organic sounding. With my last album I was really trying juxtapose machiney sounds with more natural sounds. I think this next record will be much smother and have lots more natural instrumentation. It also has really big choruses and lots of layered vocals. One song has 8 layered trumpet parts.
TF: Nice, sounds epic. Any plans to tour in the near future? Or are you going to wait until this is under wraps?
Otem Rellik: No plans right now. I'm hoping to have this record out by the end of the year, so I'd like to do a tour when it's out.
TF: Awesome, keep me posted. Is the album going to come out on Ponowai Flora? Or still up in the air?
Otem Rellik: It will be Ponowai Flora/dead space volume like the last one unless something drastically changes in the coming months.
TF: Excellent... well, looking forward to it... So anything else good/exciting on the horizon?
Otem Rellik: Yeah, I'm playing a house show on the 31st with Astronautalis and Bleubird here in Fort Collins. The last time Astro came through and played a house show it was epic.
TF: I bet, I played with him at a house up in Seattle. It was grand. I'll be interested to see if I can keep up with them in April.
Otem Rellik: Yeah, good luck with that tour, it sounds awesome, I wish you were on the whole thing.
TF: Me too, next time! Alright well, thanks so much for sitting down and talking, man... one last thing and then I'm gonna dip. Where does "Otem Rellik" come from?
Otem Rellik: Haha the question with the longest answer you ask last....
Otem Rellik: I'll try to give you the short story.
TF: I like it.
Otem Rellik: I came up with it long before I started doing music at all. It never really meant anything, I just liked the sound of it. I also like the ambiguity it allows. I never wanted to be "mc ____" you know? I don't want to be put in the hip hop category necessarily. With a strange name I feel like the music has to speak for itself and people won't have any associations when they hear it the first time. I like cars and trains in the same vein.
TF: Yeah, it's innocuous, avoids being witty, and paints different imagery for different people. Wit is overrated.
TF: And on that note, thanks again Toby. Looking forward to your new album.
Otem Rellik: Thanks Tom, nice talking to you. Hopefully we will meet again soon.
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