Your New Favourite Band: Hunter-Gatherer

In the first of a new series where we speak to those responsible for the newest sounds that are making our ears prick up, Hunter-Gatherer tells us about making music for watching Ceefax to. The Dubliner’s debut album I Dreamed I Was A Footstep In The Trail Of A Murderer - full of icy bleeps and haunting beats – is right up there with any electronica record released this year and has deservedly been garnering rave reviews (with one to follow on these pages very shortly)

Did your mother never tell you December was the worst month to release a record!?

Well, there were delays along the way but I told myself that the album had to be released in 2009 no matter what. I had to wrestle it to the floor and throw it out the window. It's lived with me for too long and it's hard not to become bored with it. I have other projects to work on and a life to reclaim, somehow. And planning for the second album is underway already, so it's time to move on. The next album is going to be much darker and more intense and I have to focus. It has to be much better than this album - otherwise there's no point in making it. As for December, I don't really get the fuss - why would someone care about when my album is released? It's a standard calendar month, not a wormhole.

From the eerie front cover to the chilling beats, it's an album that feels best suited to the night time. Was it recorded in the small hours? Or at least with the blinds down during the day…

Always. It's just the way I operate. The hours of light just seem incompatible. And daylight can be distracting. I'm rarely more content than when I'm watching Pages From Ceefax - there's a lighting setup I can relate to.

How long does it take to record an average H-G song? We assume it varies but were any songs particularly painstaking?

The last track on the album was finished in 3 hours. Some were begun in 2006, abandoned or forgotten and then finished this year. The hardest thing is knowing when to leave a track alone and move on to something else. Even now, all I see in the album is flaws. Of course, the music is undoubtedly an extension of me, so make of that what you will.

For all the electro nerds in the house, what types of equipment did you use to record the album?

A laptop. A basic sequencer, nothing exciting. Sorry to disappoint! When I'm onstage, I also use a Kaoss Pad, a circuit bent keyboard or two, two mics and one or two other things.

When did you start recording electronic music and how did you get into it?

I first played around with it in 2005. Electronic music meant a lot to me and the potential of my laptop became clear to me; there are only so many times you can play Dungeon Keeper before you have to re-evaluate your priorities and decide to create something of your own. It wasn't anything serious back then, just a long period of trial and error. I started compiling free EPs about 2 years ago, got a good response and decided to release an album.

And in terms of influences, we're assuming Aphex Twin, Portishead, Four Tet, Boards Of Canada etc but what stuff were you listening to most while writing and recording?

Well, my favourite electronic album is Phaedra by Tangerine Dream, so that would always be there, looming in the background. Other than that, things like To Record Only Water For Ten Days by John Frusciante, So This Is Goodbye by Junior Boys, Rabbid by Spectac, Snap Hands by Herv, The Eraser by Thom Yorke, Koyaanisqatsi by Philip Glass, Silent Shout by The Knife and Fever Ray by Fever Ray. This year, while I was finishing the album, I became obsessed with the track Dark/Light from The Empyrean by John Frusciante; it burrowed into my heart in January and hasn't left since. I could write a book on Frusciante's music, but this is almost certainly not the place. And I often go back to the moment at the end of The Snowman, as he discovers the melted snowman, when the strings hang in the air and bleed into the piano version of the theme. One of the most perfect moments in recorded music.

Despite the late release, the album already looks like it's topping many local taste makers lists and to our ears is an album that deserves to be heard far beyond Ireland. Any rough plans to try make this happen? You're sending a copy Warp's way, right?

Well, I wouldn't go that far. I'd probably be embarrassed to send a copy to Warp. It'd be like building a tiny Lego pyramid at the base of Everest. I'll get in touch with Boomkat early in the new year and see if they'll stock it. I might sort out UK distribution if there's a demand for it. We'll see what happens. It's all happened very quickly so far. Some peace and quiet might be nice for a while.