name: Troupe

homepage: troupe.actionsketch.com

occupation: student

Intro: He's a man from Texas... Austin, Texas. Goes by the name of Troupe. Netlabel scene's very own yellow rose of Texas, better to say. It very odd thing. Such nice sounds he produces, but he's very young. I wonder what shall become of him later. Maybe his style will evolve even more to some ethereal soundscape... Or maybe he will release something on some major label. The future will show the difference. For now, I wanted you to meet this talented youngster whose name you better remember. T as tracker, R as Renoise, O as original, U as unique, P as percussions and E as euphoric. This interview was delayed so many times. First, there was the busy schedule on both parties involved in this. Then , it was the time difference that bothered us (9 hours is a lot, mind you). Then it was a New year, after that some busy days here and there... But now, we're finally done. Are you ready to rumble? He's not a Fred Flinstone, but he can sure make your bed rock!

Hi, Troupe! If you'd be kind enough to introduce yourself.

I'm Troupe Gammage IV, 17 years old, from Austin, TX, USA. :)

Your music surprised me a lot when I heard it for the first time... For such young person you have a unique style. Tell us more about your influences, techniques (so compose sober or pissed like Janis Joplin) and equipment you use (if there is any).

I've never really thought my style was very unique... I'm really influenced by certain artists (at the time I made Crepuscular I was listening to a lot of Xerxes, Nifflas, Andrew Sega) and I think my music reflects whoever I'm really into at the time. Musically I come from the demoscene, even though the scene itself was mostly dead by the time I arrived. But I learned about production and melodies and such from the greats... WAVE, Norfair, Xerxes, Necros, Radix... the list goes on. Listening to modules with the source right there in front of me was the best learning experience possible, and I've been doing it for about 6 years so I'd say I'm pretty comfortable in a tracker.

I use Renoise currently, and I can't say I have many special techniques. I really enjoy ripping samples from modules and manipulating them until they sound professional. There's a lot of power in a tracker, even when you're using unsophisticated sound sources.

I don't have any equipment except a Roland Jupiter 4 which I don't use much, and a MIDI keyboard.

I was a member of a demoscene for many years... Some of your tracks but me back in those good old days. Has anyone told you that about your songs?

Yeah, I got that a lot... Crepuscular was really a through back to the good ol' days with a bit of modern flair. I liked the results more than I thought I would, but I don't think that's the direction I'm going to continue going musically. There's a lot to explore, so while I enjoy honoring the past, I'm heading towards the future.

What's your current status?

Poisoned, paralyzed, silenced [No, I meant sitting, standing, squatting....]? Musically I'm working on a new EP for the Ronin Collective, which I'll be joining when it gets redesigned. Getting a few tracks out for compilations, and working with my girlfriend, Melissa Welch, on a collaborative EP for monotonik. Still living with my parents, but I'll be going to college this fall. :)

And future plans?

Hopefully I'll end up on the west coast, majoring in Music Composition. This year I'd like to start working on a commercial album, but I don't think I'm ready quite yet. Look for more soon! :D

How did you get involved in netlabel scene, and what's your opinion about it. Do you think (as many of us do) that free doesn't necessary mean bad? Or netlabel scene is a better way to get signed by some major label.

I suppose I really got involved in the netlabel scene through my friend, valzi, who had heard some of my one hour compo music on IRC and liked it. He asked me to be on backtrack, a netlabel he was just starting, and since the labels I was already a part of (outpost, fromage) were somewhat dead, I decided to join. That's when I discovered all the netlabels I really enjoy now, and got into the scene more.

I really think it's a great way to release music... there is some really, really incredible music on netlabels, and while there is less quality control since no money is involved, the best netlabels bring great music almost 100% of the time. I don't think anyone from the netlabel scene has been signed to a MAJOR label, but that's not to say it couldn't happen. However, I know many artists who were signed to labels based on their netlabel releases, and I intend to do the same, so I think it's a definate possibility. And maybe someday soon we'll have a monotonik artist on Capitol Records... who knows! :)

If you get releases on some real label... Would you continue doing freebies for netlabel community?

Absolutely.

What's your stand on remixing? Do you find that it's some kind of> stealing or just another way of saying praise to the original tune?

No... it's not stealing at all, although I'm disappointed by a lot of remixes I've heard. Minor cosmetic remixes kind of annoy me, as well as most dance remixes. But really unique remixes of really great tunes are very fun to listen to.

Have you ever remixed anyone?

I'm currently working on a remix of a Hunz track from his upcoming album on Apegenine Records. I've done a few remixes and attempted remixes in my time as well.

Would you like if someone would remix some of your tracks?

Well, I've been remixed before actually. My friend Nifflas did an amazing chip remix compilation of some of his favorite songs that I've done, which was really an honor. Planet Boelex and xerxes have both expressed interest in remixing an upcoming release (with my girlfriend, Melissa Welch) on Monotonik, which would make my day if it came true. Hearing interpretations of my own music is really special, since I think it brings a lot to it. I welcome any remixes with open arms! :)

Now, let's go to some tricky questions... My opinion is that music industry is changing all the time. And that, eventually, commercial releases will be much different than today And that live performances will be the stuff that sells the artists. Not some "best of..." compilations recycled so many times... Maybe I'm wrong. We shall see... What do you think of current state of music scene. And compare it to netlabel scene.

Well, first I have to disagree that live performances are where it's at... Song writing is where the money is, and being used in films/television/ads/etc. Personally I think electronic music is really hard to play live (and I don't care much for dance music), so I don't place that much importance on it. That being said, I'm probably going to be playing some of my electronic music with my four-piece live band (using my mighty Roland Jupiter-4). It's going to be a lot of fun reinterpreting electronics with real instruments... and that might be an interesting twist that we see on live playing.

In terms of the general music scene compared to netlabels... I think, like most people, that commercial music for the most part totally sucks... which is why I'm all about the netlabels :) But for probably 5 years or so I didn't really listen to any commercial music at all, save some old 60's albums. So almost all the music I listened to was either modules or netlabel releases (through hellven, etc.), and I kind of thought that netlabels were all I needed. But when my girlfriend started showing me all these commercial artists... like Bjork, and Radiohead, and even Authechre and Aphex Twin... I guess it kind of opened my eyes. I always knew they were out there, but I thought that wasn't really the kind of music I would like.

SO, what I learned is that the highest goal is to maintain artistic integrity but appeal to a wide audience. OK Computer did that best I think... since it's so widely loved by everyone, but has so much depth on a lot of levels. So that's my real goal, is to merge experimental music, like the netlabel scene, with more traditional and mainstream music, and hopefully come up with something that appeals to everyone.

Hope that makes sense, maybe I should just write a book on this ;D

Do you perform as artists somewhere... Like dj gigs or live acts?

Well, no way I could DJ... no one could dance to my music! I do play live with a lot of bands though... through the years I've been in several bands, from rock and roll to jazz. I mostly play drums, although I have played guitar and bass. I'm starting a band now that will be a lot closer to the type of music I listen to, which I'm going to play synth/piano in. Perhaps some recordings of that will show up somewhere :)

You've mentioned you've been working on some stuff with your girl Melissa. Let's hear more... Don't be shy. ;)

Hahaha... well... We've been working on an EP together since summer of 2005 or so... 7 tracks at the moment, scheduled for release on Monotonik sometime soon. It's got vocals from both of us... music by both of us... it's going to be a really special release, I really can't wait for it to be finished. In fact, I should be working on it right now!

Name for us some of your favourite netlabels and artists.

Have to start with the groups I'm in (even if some are defunct). Outpost, Fromage, Backtrack. Also a huge fan of the Ronin Collective (which I'm joining next version) and Camomille. I love Monotonik, Observatory, and of course Hellven. Also a lot of stuff from One, Kahvi, Ogredung, and Miasmah, and Earstroke.

Current favorite artists - Blisaed, Xerxes, Hunz, Transient, Khonnor, ST, Planet Boelex, Muhr, Le Zero, Bliss, Andrew Sega (Necros, Alpha Conspiracy, etc.), vitax, Kyle Dawkins, Melissa Welch (my girlfriend :)), Kiri Nami, and many, many others.

Cheers to Vince, Valzi, and Simon for releasing my music and making really great netlabels! :)

For the end, say something wise...

True maturity comes from the realization that we are never truly mature. ;)


DraCo