Introducing: Seams

21 April 2010, 11:54 | Written by Rich Hughes

(Tracks)

On the week Seams makes his Pitchfork debut, TLOBF also get a chance to run a quick interview with the man behind it all, James Welch. You can pre-order the 12″, which is released on Monday, here.

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should…
I’ve heard my music’s good to fall asleep to…
Sleep is good…
It’ll probably keep nightmares away…

Can you recall the moment when you first decided you wanted to become a musician?
It’s always been something I’ve done, since I recorded radio show jingles on a fisher price tape recorder as a kid.

Where do your songs come from? What’s your inspiration?
My surroundings, the weather, all sorts. I try and create sounds that evoke memories or emotions, without relying on words to give them a literal meaning. Most of my tracks come from me experimenting with production ideas and processes. I make a big mess, then try and tidy it up into something listenable.

Name your Top 5 records.
Prefuse 73 – One Word Extinguisher
BT – This Binary Universe
Super Furry Animals – Radiator
!!! – Myth Takes
Bjork – Homogenic

What was the first gig you ever played and was it a success?
A friend asked me to play a show of his about 9 months ago, I hadn’t even thought about playing live before and only had a couple of weeks to try and throw something together. The gig actually went quite well, until my laptop crashed halfway through the last song. Oh, and they were projecting Pirates Of The Carrebean behind me, that was weird.

What one piece of criticism has stuck in your mind and was it justified?
Nothing really comes to mind, except people calling some stuff I’ve done dubstep, just because it’s electronic, and a bit dark. Nothing I’ve made sounds anything like dubstep.

What one thing has caused you to waste your free time in the past 6 months?
30 Rock. Good lord I love Liz Lemon.
Actually, scratch that, it wasn’t a waste of time.
I’d be Astronaut Mike Dexter any day.

If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d be doing?
Probably playing World of Warcraft or something, avoiding sunlight, living off cereal.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Shopping for people who buy from Sainsbury’s Online. Doing 30+ weekly food shops in a day is pretty soul destroying.

We’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
Compare/contrast – download here
James Holden – 10101
Low – Belarus
Shells – Nightcycles RMX
Autolux – Asleep At The Trigger
Dert – Neon Strings