MARK SPYBEY: "Radio waves do not die. They just become inaudible"

You worked with a plethora of artists over the years. What collaborations were/are the most interesting and important to You and why?

It’s the one I tend to be working on at the time. I get immersed. I tend to forget about my own music pretty much as soon as I have made it but with collaborations, I tend to develop a stronger attachment. I can look at it more objectively. I also feel the connection to the person I work with, it’s more of an emotional relationship than the one I have with my own music. So I have avoided answering your question! I enjoyed working with cEvin Key and Phil Western, at the moment I am recording an album with Phil. I was deeply honoured to be part of Michael Karoli’s band as Can were and probably still are my favourite band. I also love working with Robin Storey, my old pal from Zoviet-France days. He’s a special guy but I could go on and on. I genuinely love and respect most of the people I have worked with.

Can You tell me, in short the main ideas are behind Your music? Could You name Your favorite Your compositions / albums / collaborations? What about the new album?

I have no conceptual base, only the desire to make art. I’m not a musician, I would have imagined that’s pretty obvious by now. So the prospect of playing with instruments or sounds that are unfamiliar to me is exciting because I don’t have technical mastery of anything in particular. I believe in the power of accidents. So I literally play with sounds, or words and piece them together. To me it’s almost like creating a collage. I believe that the listener has the power to take whatever they want from what I do. I find that idea liberating, because I tend to find music designed to include a message pretty limiting. I loathe music that is gratuitous, that tries too hard to shock or that is about assaulting anyone deliberately. I have always been attracted to the abstract. It’s why Wire, for example, were absolute masters of the pop song, the lyrics were obtuse and poetic but their songs were traditionally structured. The most dangerous or scariest music, is made by people who have no interest whatsoever in making scary or dangerous music.

The sound is magic. You‘ve proved it. But, what ends, when there‘s no sound?

Silence. Blissful, ecstatic silence. I talk a lot but when I am by myself, I crave silence. I long for a world that respects the benefits of silence.

What is and what is not a Sound Art?

Philosophical question! When commerce get’s its greedy fingers on art, it becomes disposable. I could counter that by saying all art is disposable, or it should be. It’s in the eyes of the listener and the ears of those who wish to see. Is that philosophical enough?!

What do You think about relations between the old art and computer art? Are they compatible?

Absolutely. Computers are as adaptable and flexible as charcoal on paper. In the right hands. In the wrong hands, at the wrong time they are pocket calculators. I like to embrace possibilities and computers have revolutionised music. They have by and large made studios redundant and that's generally a good thing.

What do You think about thousands of neofolk/industrial/ambient/tribal/electroacoustic/avangarde etc. bands/projects? Is it a kind of trend, o just a tendency forwards better music?

I don’t really connect with most of these titles or genres, especially ‘neofolk.’ Makes me want to run away and hide. I also have a bit of an allergic reaction generally to the word ‘industrial.’ The word ‘industrial’ might have meant something 35 years ago. Not sure what it means now. I see a lot of people who dress the same and sound the same. I find it very worrying. I can relate more to the words ‘avant-garde.’ I think this still says something, given that there will always be a need for artists to create work that is challenging of tradition. A lot of the stuff that I hear under the tag ‘industrial’ or whatever sounds like meaningless, pail, limp revisions of eminently forgettable 80’s bands with angular haircuts. It challenges nothing and nobody, it might irritate some parents but Elvis did that in the 50’s, with a lot more soul and class.

What do You know about Lithuania? What Lithuanian and foreign musicians do You value most?

It’s known here as one of the Baltic states. I have heard of the Vilnius jazz festival and the footballer Jankauskas. Apart from that I’ll be honest, I don’t know a great deal! I used to breakfast at a Lithuanian diner in Chicago with the folks from Invisible Records but I gather it has closed now.

What inspires You most?

The prospect of failure or of failing a little better.

What are You working on right now?

I’m working on the third Beehatch record, Reformed Faction and more Dead Voices on Air. I’m also working on hosting events and experiences around the world. I’m hosting Main in Wroclaw, Poland, in a synagogue in November.

My next release is a cassette tape, it's a limited edition handmade sleeve. with some original artwork included. Should be out soon.

What does Your band name mean to You?

Same as it ever was…I took it from a writer called Gregory Whitehead who spoke of ‘dead voices on air’ referring to the fact that the radio broadcasts of people who have died continue to exist, somewhere out there in the ether, because according to Marconi, radio waves do not die. They just become inaudible.

Thank You.

Link:

deadvoicesonair.bandcamp.com