On Another Level: Talking Transcendent Emotions and Healing Frequencies With Rustie

Everyone's got a favourite MySpace memory, right? Mine was the time I posted a Rustie remix of Zomby's "Spliff Dub" as my profile song because I love that track. A few hours later Rustie himself posted "Brap" on my wall. I took it as a message of approval and respect. True story. It was only the beginning of what would become a long fascination with the Scottish producer's work. His "Spliff Dub" version sounded like nothing else at the time, and ever since Rustie has remained ahead of the curve with his innovative output.

A typical Rustie release is atypical, featuring everything from hyperkinetic, hypercolour, hyper-hyper club bangers, through to serene and subtle synth soundscapes. Early releases arrived via the agenda-setting Lucky Me collective in Glasgow and Hyperdub, but Rustie soon found another home at leading label Warp Records. Glass Swords was his Warp debut in 2011, followed last year by Green Language. There were elements of hip hop, club, and experimental electronic sounds, but the record also took great inspiration in nature and the Earth. It had moments of restless energy and deep contemplation. Rustie had found another way to flip the script. Ahead of his Laneway Festival appearances and sideshows, Rustie shared some insights behind the meaning of Green Language.

THUMP:  Around the release of your recent album you talked about the idea of music as a way to connect with emotions that's unmediated by the mind. As a producer how do you achieve this, sort of disengaging with the intellect to express pure emotions?
Rustie: I guess it's just about exploring the idea of music and sound as a therapy and trying to get a little deeper into that. Even if it's hard club music, I believe that at the right frequencies and patterns it can heal us, like when a certain piece of music evokes an emotion or reminds you of an experience in your life that was in the background and needs attention. That sort of thing. But more than that I also believe in what quantum physicists and spiritual teachers tell us: that everything is sound or vibration, and on Green Language I started to experiment in using specific frequencies that are found within natural cycles and sacred geometry. Like certain frequencies that make wounds heal faster and make plants grow healthier for example.

That explains why we feel better after hearing your music. But if you personally listen back to Green Language, what sort of feelings do you experience? Does it remind you of your general emotional state at the time you were writing?
I don't really listen to my own music much once I've finished it. When I'm making music though I'm mainly about trying to transcend everyday human emotions to like how you feel on MDMA or looking out from a mountain top. Something like a beautiful sunset or a crazy thunder storm. It's all about transcending the ordinary thinking mind and feeling connected to everyone and everything. I rarely get there but when I do it's the best.

In many ways, over a number of years, your distinctive production style has set the agenda for a range of electronic music producers - the precision, depth and detail of your tracks being quite exceptional. Can you share some thoughts on your approach to production, and some of your current musical interests?
I don't think I'm as meticulous as a lot of producers with sound design. I'm more about getting a raw feeling which is often just about crashing sounds, harmonies and melodies together till all the colours bleed together and make something I like. At the moment I'm more focused on getting better at playing guitar, not with any particular goal for that in mind but just for enjoyment. I'm a big believer in doing stuff just for fun.

Do songs ever arise from you hearing or creating a particular sound?
Yeah I make sounds and samples that I repeatedly use within tracks.I sample and recycle lots of my own music. I've made several tracks, "Slasherr", "Triadzz", and a few from Green Language from one classical piece I made.

There's a noticeable increase in textural musical soundscapes on Green Language, compositions without percussive elements - can you tell us a little about these?
The textural stuff came from getting out the house more, trying to spend more time in nature, going on holiday to Mexico and staying in the jungle. At the time I was hearing all this crazy cacophony of sounds that somehow energise and calm you down at the same time. As far as making music I rarely sit down and try to make a finished track. I keep folders of ideas with stupid names that I come back to and finish at a later date, sometimes years later. I can start with any element of track really, but sometimes I think it can be good to start with what you're feeling weakest at. something which always changes for me.

Finally, as a DJ and music fan you spend a bit of time on sites like DatPiff looking for new material to play out. Who are some of the artists you've been most impressed by recently, or that are inspiring you in 2015?
DatPiff is good for rap mixtapes I guess. As far as 2015 goes though? I don't know, it's only January and I don't see myself as any kind of taste maker. I've really been on the same type of music for the past 10 years pretty much but anyway. Music I've most enjoyed or played in 2014  has been by Travis Scott, Asap Ferg, Danny Brown, Joker, HudMo, S-Type, Big Dope P, Yung Gud, Skywlkr, Evian Christ, Dark0, Inkke, Murlo, Claude Speed, Redinho, Darq E Freaker, DJ Spinn & DJ Rashad (R.I.P). There's probably loads others I've forgotten.

See Rustie play the RBMA x Future Classic Stage at St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2015.

Catch his Sydney and Melbourne sideshows:
Wednesday, 28th January 2015 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Thursday, 29th January 2015 Howler, Melbourne