Strike a CHORD—vogue, vogue, vogue.

So we were minding our business the other day when who IM’s the s/t office but Trevor de Brauw. The Pelican guitarist had apparently seen our news story on their looming record deal with Southern Lord—a story he proceeded to clarify. While we can’t tell you who’s really guesting on Pelican’s next EP, we did manage to uncover a mound of details about Flora, the Neurot debut of Chord.

De Brauw has helped lead the Chicago-based “drone collective” for more than five years. Now before you start making condescending Sunn O))) comparisons, know that Chord whips up an “ambient wash of notes” on their first proper full-length. For an idea of what this actually means, check out the exclusive excerpt below (complete with our unedited IM interview), as well as a pack of “ringdrones” they recorded for your iPhone.

Download audio file (Am7_excerpt.mp3)

stmag1: so when did you start playing with these guys?
tbd: the band started out of conversations kyle [benjamin], jason [hoffman], phil [dole], and i had in 2003. played our first show in 2004
stmag1: conversations involving brian eno?
tdb: we’ve been getting together sporadically ever since
tdb: conversations revolving mainly around rhys chatham
tdb: well, really just revolving around drones and ways they interact
stmag1: what chatham piece or album opened you up to his stuff?
tdb: we wanted to see what this concept would sound like, but we felt like it would more interesting to try it out live than in a studio
tdb: i think the chatham stuff was more incidental, it was really about this concept of each person playing one note and then sound building the chord
stmag1: so all of your shows followed that formula—one note each building into a chord?
tdb: yeah, the concept is that each piece is one chord. we pick a chord and then separate it out to all the participants, one note per person. the musician can play the note however they want, any effect treatments are fine. the only rule is modulation effects of note bending or anything that will obviously affect pitch in a noticeable way
tdb: and the player is not limited by octave either, so you can jump around from octave to octave as long as you stay on note
tdb: the fact that none of the players droned their note meant that the performances ended up doing much more than expressing the chord
tdb: it became as much about the space between notes and the dynmaics of the performance
stmag1: was it frustrating playing like that at first? coming from something like pelican where you really rock the fuck out?
tdb: no, it was fun
tdb: it really let me tap into the ramones sensibility that brought me into music in the first place
tdb: only even simpler
tdb: the sound of the chord is seldom really even noticeable – it usually just sounds like ambience revolving around the notes that comprise it. occasionally you can hear the chord when we all hit our note at the same time. we call that moment “achieving the chord”
stmag1: that moment must be quite satisfying
tdb: achieving the chord is very satisfying as it’s something we set out to do from the start. i find it more interesting that it happens sparsely, though. i’m overall a lot happier that the project didn’t pan out as planned and that the ambience is more of what is realized. i think it is more interesting
stmag1: so aside from the shows, you have released some cd-r’s right?
tdb: there is a cd-r demo of sorts as well as a dvd-r of our brooklyn show. both are kept in print (for the time being) through a cd-r label we’re affiliated with called atomic mouse recordings
stmag1: so whos in the band now?
tdb: those same four. kyle benjamin. phil dole. jason hoffman. and myself
tdb: we used to do shows with upwards of ten people, but we found tem too muddled
tdb: dynamics and stmospherics are much easier to control in small scale performances
2:15 PM
stmag1: yeah i can only imagine

A studio shot from 2008

stmag1: so whats the deal with this neurot disc?
stmag1: is it stuff youve performed before then?
tdb: well, instead of doing a show in 2008 we decided to make a recording. up until then we had only met to play once outside of a live context, which is when we made the “studio” portion of or cd-r
tdb: other than that all recordings and performances were live
2:20 PM
tdb: we were meeting pretty much once a year so decided booking studio time would be easier than booking a show
stmag1: how much time did you spend recording then?
tdb: we went in for one afternoon to try out three shorter form ideas we had. our performances tend to be about 45 minutes, so we kind of whittled it down and came up with loose structures instead of free form improvisation to keep it on the brief side of things. well as brief as 15 minutes
stmag1: so the final disc has three long pieces?
tdb: the first session was 4 hours. the third song which was a really different concept for us didn’t work, so we went back a couple of months later to redo it and one more chord
tdb: the second session was probably 6 hours
2:25 PM
stmag1: how was it a different concept?
tdb: we tried a new method based on sudoku. we did music charts where the four notes of the chord were assign a numerical value. we played to a click track on each beat traded notes, so that all four notes of the chord were always played, but played by a different person each beat
2:30 PM
stmag1: sounds very complicated
stmag1: and if you didnt have the right guitarists with you, you’d be fucked
tdb: yeah, we’re all somewhat amateurish. hence it failed the first time
tdb: we kept playing wrong notes and everything it needed a redo
stmag1: but im sure there are ‘beautiful mistakes’ all the time

The cover of "Flora"

stmag1: did you have someone produce this or just an engineer that hit record?
tbd: greg norman was manning the record button. he did the tusk albums and the Fire In Our Throats recording
stmag1: oh rad
stmag1: heavy duty mixing afterwards?
tdb: the first session was done live
tdb: the second session was multitracked for future mixing
stmag1: that mean it sounds a lot different than the others?
tdb: not so much
tdb: same recording enviornment, same amps
tdb: same musicians, same mics
tdb: we just wanted to make sure the sudoku track worked right since it was such a depature and harder to get it to sound right
tdb: it didn’t end up sounding like one chord played over and over at all, it just sounds like a song
tdb: kind of weird
tdb: our ideas never work how we plan them, but i think they work out better, so i don’t mind
stmag1 :a 15 minute song?
tdb: they’re all 10-15 minues
tdb: so yeah
stmag1: cool man. so remind me of how this all relates to eno?
stmag1: less chatham, more “pussyfooting“?
tdb: the way it ended up sounding, although not the original aim, was as an ambient wash of notes
stmag1: you should have called it “pussyfooting around”
tdb: haha
tdb: no
stmag1: so we should all be stoned when consuming the new chord record?
tdb: the notes betray their origin in the final recording. i get confused who’s playing what
stmag1: thats cool though. less a band than one entity.
tdb: the chord record is appropriate for drug consumption, late night drives, relaxing after a long day of work, taking a nap, and close listening under the influence of massive of amounts of caffeine
2:40 PM
tdb: yeah, exactly. that’s how it relates to eno. the ambient records he did are almost faceless. i feel like we have a similar feel. those moments of identity that shine through, but for the most part the sound of the group is of one entitity
stmag1: so itll calm me down the next time my hearts palpitating from a pot of coffee?
tdb: possibly.
tdb: i’m not going on record to promise you anything
stmag1: fair enough

Interview by Arye Dworken

Sally Shapiro is so terrified of performing that her first brief tour of the U.S. (including a stop tonight at New York’s Mercury Lounge) is a DJ-only affair alongside her Italo-sculpting producer Johan Agebjörn. While this’ll be exciting to all the disco revivalists out there—the kind that equally worship Lindstrøm, Giorgio Moroder and Metro Area—those of us who fell for Shapiro’s Disco Romance disc are going to have to wait a little longer to hear any of those tracks in a live setting.

In the meantime, Shapiro has not one but two volumes of remix collections on the way this spring, the first of which drops on April 15 and features expansive and airy pop (Holy Fuck’s “Find My Soul” treatment), wobbly synths and slight Depeche Mode melodies (Junior Boy’s “Jackie Junior”), and a downright epic Lindstrøm remix (“Time to Let Go”) that starts off in Cybotron territory with electro breaks and vocals that weave in and out of the mix like the haunted forest whispers that taunt us in Lost. In other words, every contributor twists their track into new territories far removed from Shapiro’s original recordings. Oh by the way: If you can’t wait to hear all of the above on CD, Remix Romance Vol. 1 is available through Amazon’s digital store here. Vol. 2, on the other hand, will be available on May 13 and include remixes from DNTEL, Solvent, and Russian Futurists.

Which brings us to a very special Sally Shapiro feature: our first edition of “IM S/T,” an extensive unedited conversation with an artist over—you guessed it—Instant Messenger. Check it out after the jump along with some of Johan’s DJ mixes and other mixed media links …

3:41:59 PM Arye Dworken: sally?
3:42:16 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: Hi, here I am!
3:42:23 PM Arye Dworken: ahhh, finally!
3:42:37 PM Arye Dworken: i thought i would never find you
3:42:55 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: Sorry I misunderstood the information obaout the chat
3:43:06 PM Arye Dworken: oh, no problem
3:43:16 PM Arye Dworken: you like to stay anonymous?
3:43:26 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: yes, I do
3:43:33 PM Arye Dworken: may i ask why?
3:43:46 PM Arye Dworken: isn’t it all about the fame?
3:45:35 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: because it´s of no important since a name will say you nothing. Also, we want to do it the 80s disco way, when they used pseudonyms. Also, I expose my personality via the voice and…
3:45:50 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: … I feel u easy doing that with my real name
3:46:03 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: ..uneasy shall it be..
3:46:21 PM Arye Dworken: got it. makes sense. you seem really shy
3:46:22 PM Arye Dworken: are you?
3:46:58 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: yes, sometimes. especially when it comes to exposing something personal, creating stuff etc.
3:47:05 PM Arye Dworken: where did you come up with the name “sally shapiro,” which, by the way, made me think instantly that you were Jewish.
3:48:36 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: haha, yes I´ve heard that some make that association… it was Johan (my producer) that proposed it, we wwerew just looking for an english name with an italian touch which was not to common and not to uncommon and we like alliterations.
3:49:10 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: I didn´t know it sounded jewish.
3:49:21 PM Arye Dworken: yup. shapiro is a jewish last name
3:49:33 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: ok, nice to know then.
3:49:41 PM Arye Dworken: ha
3:49:46 PM Arye Dworken: where are you right now?
3:50:03 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: at my producer´s place.
3:50:27 PM Arye Dworken: in sweden?
3:50:37 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: yes. in gothenburg.
3:51:01 PM Arye Dworken: will there be any touring behind this record?
3:52:09 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: I haven´t decided that yet. We are discussing it time to time, and I still feel I´m too nervous to do it.

“Jackie Jackie”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVUlFn08I8I]

3:53:33 PM Arye Dworken: have you ever performed live?
3:53:38 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: no
3:54:13 PM Arye Dworken: tell me about your collaboration. are you responsible for lyrics as well as vocals?
3:54:45 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: no, Johan writes the lyrics, but I can give him themes to write about.
3:55:32 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: I use my veto but Johan is the producer of the music and songwriter in most cases.
3:56:23 PM Arye Dworken: you speak about an italian disco influence. for those unfamiliar with it, can you explain the aesthetic?
3:58:11 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: neon feeling, a little glamourous but at the same time a bit cheap. They try to imitate american disco, but fail. They sing with heavy accents and have very bad lyrics.
3:58:22 PM Arye Dworken: ha ha
3:58:26 PM Arye Dworken: well done
3:58:33 PM Arye Dworken: are you johan’s muse?
3:59:14 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: can you explain muse, I just think of Odysseus…
3:59:45 PM Arye Dworken: did you inspire johan to make this record? did have you specifically in mind for these songs?
4:00:46 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: The first song Johan wrote without thinking of who would sing it (I´ll be by your side), but after that he has designed the songs for me.
4:01:11 PM Arye Dworken: how do you know one another? are you romantically involved?
4:02:39 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: we got to know each other when we worked at the same office some years ago and have been in touch sometimes since then. We have no romance.
4:03:05 PM Arye Dworken: did you have any ambition to be a singer?
4:03:36 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: no, not at all. of course when I was 10 years or so, like everyone else, but not since then.
4:04:22 PM Arye Dworken: so is this a hobby of some sort? or is this something you anticipate turning into a career?
4:05:16 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: I wouldn´t mind being able to make out a living on it. But I´m not giving all my energy into it either.
4:05:38 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: I will explain…
4:06:57 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: … because I feel it would be a very uncertain and unstable living and a bit dangerous to rely your ecenomy and self confidence on a branch that is fluctuating so much.
4:07:13 PM Arye Dworken: understood. and quite practical
4:07:18 PM Arye Dworken: what do you do when you’re not a singer
4:07:45 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: oh nothing special at all really.
4:08:40 PM Arye Dworken: ha ha. so private, sally
4:08:54 PM Arye Dworken: are people recognizing you in your home country?
4:09:27 PM Arye Dworken: and if they do, do you answer to sally when they call you that
4:10:12 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: no. actually I´m a bit surprised that noone – not on the trams or new people I meet – have said anything. But also I don´t hang around so much in indie pop circles.
4:10:56 PM Arye Dworken: i love sweden. i love the music there.
4:11:20 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: nice! why?
4:11:56 PM Arye Dworken: i adore the pop scene.
4:12:44 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: i listen most to 80s disco…

Johan Agebjörn, “Megaman II”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ0mUSsYG8Q]

4:13:03 PM Arye Dworken: can you recommend some great italian disco? i mean, how much of it can there be?
4:14:21 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: more than you believe really. valerie dore, italian boys, squasch gang, miko mission… but unfortunately most of them do one really great track and the rest is not so fun.. not many albums really, most one hit wonders.
4:14:49 PM Arye Dworken: are there any compilations that put them all together?
4:15:34 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: yes, a lot. the best is italo disco collection, there is a 4CD box. it´s the best of the best.
4:17:10 PM Arye Dworken: and every song is a winner?
4:17:23 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: not every, but a lot.
4:18:19 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: I also listen to other music, but I´m not up to date with the last popular stuff, and I´m very bad at name dropping. I like Suzanne Vega for example.
4:18:21 PM Arye Dworken: such an unusual genre to fall in love with
4:18:42 PM Arye Dworken: how were you first introduced? do you remember the first song you loved?
4:20:56 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: Johan introduced me to the term italo disco, however I´ve listened to a lot 80s disco before that. Liked it in the 80s when I was a child and a bit secretely also later. I don´t remeber the actually first track, but I remember that I loved Oh mama with Lili and Sussie in the 80s – a great italo track by a swedish artist that I still like.
4:22:11 PM Arye Dworken: how long did it take to make the album
4:23:13 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: half a year to do the first 7 tracks that were on the european release, and then some months to do the new three tracks to the american release.
4:23:41 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: But we didn´t work with it the whole time.
4:23:55 PM Arye Dworken: were you surprised that there was interest from an american audience?
4:25:08 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: A little since italo disco never was so popular in the USA compared to Europe.
4:25:57 PM Arye Dworken: i’ve read somewhere that johan was really surprised. if you didn’t expect many people to be interested, then what inspired you guys to make this a real project?
4:26:01 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: In europe there is some nostalgia that helped to spread our music.
4:26:10 PM Arye Dworken: so you’re popular in europe?
4:30:12 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: Johan wrote I´ll be by your side as a try to make something 80s disco sounding since he always been a big italo disco fan. It was more like a fun thing. Then when he uploaded it on the webside and spread it to italo disco forums, a lot of people liked it and we got in touch with Diskokaine, our first label. There we did the 12” and then the label asked us to make a whole album and we couldn´t refuse. But we didn´t expect it to sell so well. So in the end we are surprised, really, that people that is not italo disco nostalgic like it.
4:30:30 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: in europe we are popular most on an indie pop level, not mainstream.
4:31:33 PM Arye Dworken: if we wanted to go out dancing in sweden, where would we go?
4:32:09 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: if you like 80s disco there is a club here in gothenburg called skoldisco (school disco).
4:33:33 PM Arye Dworken: will we see you there?
4:33:48 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: maybe. incognito though…
4:36:38 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: hello?
4:37:37 PM Arye Dworken: yeah, sorry. i actually have to run off, sally
4:37:45 PM Arye Dworken: but it’s been great chatting with you
4:37:55 PM SALLYSHAPIR0: ok, nice tlking to you!

MP3: untitled Johan Agebjörn mix

MP3: Johan Agebjörn, “Crying on the Dancefloor” mix

To hear more Sally Shapiro tracks, check out this and this.