Heartthrob interview: ‘Dear Painter, Paint Me’

Heartthrob interview: ‘Dear Painter, Paint Me’

10 July, 2008 | 7.17AM

• Written by: Lee_Smith
• Filed under: Music News: heartthrob

Jesse Simiski, aka Heartthrob, has earned a reputation as the most playful member of the Minus crew, with hits like ‘Baby Kate’ and ‘Nasty Girl’ providing regular injections of sinister humour to minimal dancefloors the world over.

We caught up with Jesse to talk about the recent release of his new LP ‘Dear Painter, Paint Me’, as well as trying to find out a little bit more about that infamous Cube.

So, your debut album has just dropped. Has it been a challenging process to complete?

Definitely, but a rewarding challenge, I guess.

The ten weeks off were spent trying to finish up the recordings, so it’s all been done pretty recently.

A lot of people think that there’s this typical ‘Minus’ sound, but it strikes me that your album is actually pretty varied – there’s housey beats, disco influences, etc. Was it an intentional move to broaden your sound?

Definitely.

I wanted to present a range of sounds focusing on different material.

Making it a certain kind of tone and mood, but focusing on melody and arrangements and going from there.

You’re obviously quite a tight knit group at Minus. How much involvement do you have in each others’ productions—i.e., do you give each other early demos and then refine them based on each others’ feedback?

For this project, it was pretty isolated.

I basically worked on the tracks in Paris before I moved to Berlin, and really thought about it myself.

They didn’t hear much of the album beforehand, it was more of an encapsulated project.

It received a few different points of view, from really positive, to “What the hell is that?!”

Some of the tracks appeal to certain DJs more.

But it’s nice to present a range and let them figure out how they’re gonna play it.

It was nice to present my own ideas and present my own learning curve.

You’re based in Paris – why not Berlin with your buddies?

I just moved here a couple months ago.

Summer in Berlin!

I’m not sure – I’ll probably stay here 6-8 months, it makes sense.

I love Paris, it’s a great city.

There are a lot of really nice, creative people in the scene.

But Berlin has its attractions.

So, there’s a lot of talk about the Contakt project, and The Cube. What’s your role in the project? Do you have any response to those who’ve mocked or criticised the idea?

My role in Contakt?

The basis of the Contakt parties, I would say, is to highlight collaborative performance experience where the DJs and live acts play together.

You could compare it to Narod Niki in a way, but it’s DJs and live acts, it’s open ended.

Basically it’s syncing technology and midi, so we play together as well as control the environment visually.

And of course, The Cube is there.

It’s interactive.

How have the shows gone so far, from your perspective?

Our first show was in Detroit, our first venture in Contakt.

Imagine having to play all together in front of a Detroit crowd!

It was stressful, but a lot of fun.

We had some moments where we had to troubleshoot.

All these technical details come up that you don’t think of.

So yeah, at the start there were moments where we were trying to figure it out.

It’s creative, but it can also be stressful.

But it’s good for everyone to stay on their toes, take some risks and present something different.

It’s a way for us to do things and have fun, and celebrate 10 years of the label.

I think it’s a pretty nice accomplishment.

Obviously, a lot of people will probably know you for your biggest record, ‘Baby Kate’. Are you tired of it yet?

I’ve heard it a lot.

Working on this album was a nice departure, having the freedom to do whatever I want musically.

I gave Richie the album to listen to first, and he was really into it.

He had some critiques with a couple of the tracks, but overall he was extremely supportive, and he can be a very tough nut to crack.

But getting the support and freedom to do different ideas has been exciting.

As you say, it’s pretty varied, so hopefully there’s something for everyone.

How do you feel about the current state of the techno scene generally? Do you think it’s in good health?

It’s a whimsical scene, but overall, it’s pretty vibrant.

There are lots labels both old and new that are doing great stuff.

Producers are advancing, and learning to have something to offer musically.

So it’s pretty exciting, for sure.

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