The Electric Nature
Michael Potter makes heavy experimental drone under the moniker The Electric Nature. Around the turn of 2011 he released two ambitious and captivating albums: Space Face and Mount Analogue. His songs are psychedelically gripping, with entrancing progressions that maintain a balance between blissful and underworldy. He plans on dropping an EP in the next couple weeks that he will subsequently play live at an upcoming “Sewer Greats” showcase.Find his music here: http://theelectricnature.bandcamp.com/
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Matthew Sherling: How long have you been making music? Tell us about your main shifts in aesthetic. You seem to consistently evolve and morph your styles into something deeper.
Michael Potter: I got my first guitar at ten years of age; it was one of those synsonics guitars that had the amp speaker built right in. My mom got it for me at Toys R Us (laughs). I got an Alvarez acoustic guitar for my 14th birthday, and that's when I really started playing all the time. Got a Tascam 4-track that year for X-mas and have been making recordings ever since. I quickly amassed a small home studio at my parent's house with drums, bass, guitars, pedals, a bunch of keyboards and mics. Middle and high school were pretty magical times for me. I started playing guitar and smoking weed and listening to weird shit right around the same time. I didn't have any friends, but I fucking loved getting out of school and getting high and recording music until I passed out every day. If I wasn't playing or recording, I was listening to as much different weird shit as I could get my grubby paws on. At first I recorded a bunch of shitty pop songs, but it wasn't long before I was solely recording drone and noise. The infinite possibilities of recorded noise is something that fascinates me to this day.
I guess I move around with whatever is moving me. I love to be moved. The more you play, you know, the more you wanna get better at expressing yourself. There is definitely at least an undercurrent of the drone in everything I do. I love losing myself in the drone, and I like to have an aspect of that present in everything I work on
Matthew Sherling: Wow, so you started super early. Fascinating. So your main project now is Electric Nature, right? How many releases have you had under that moniker and when can we expect the next? Also, how would you describe the Electric Nature sound?
Michael Potter: Yeah, TEN, I have 4 releases under that name. I had another one out in April on bandcamp, but I took it down because I didn't think it was up to par with the rest...I am working on my next EP right now: 3 tracks about 35 mins total, long droney stuff...that's how I would describe most of my sound (laughs). I love the long drones. I love everything psychedelic, you know "mind manifesting" music, music that takes you away from this physical plane into another realm of consciousness
I hope this EP will be out within 2 weeks, before the SWG shows. It's gonna be my set, but I don't have any electricity at my apartment right now and I am broke as fuck, so we shall see :)
Matthew Sherling: Right, "mind manifesting" music. I think it's important to remember that root of the word "psychedelic." And I think your music definitely does cultivate an experience of mind or consciousness that is almost like a heavy meditation or trance or something of that nature. Do you automatically get put into that space when making a song, or do you find ways to generate it?
Michael Potter: (laughs) Well, my mind is often in altered states throughout the day, but yeah I like to get high as all hell when I record (laughs). Once I get going on a long drone track or something, I just fall into it; it completely becomes me for the hours or days or however long I am working on it. It's a nice respite from the drudgery of everyday life: work, school, keeping up withbills, dealing with people in everyday situations. These things can get so tiresome and boring, so it's really nice to let your thoughts go inward and explore the infinity inside your mind.Matthew Sherling: Absolutely. So I've heard you mention David Lynch a pretty good bit, and he seems to be apt to talk about in this context. In what ways does his work inspire you as a person and as an artist?
Michael Potter: Yeah man, I am huge Lynch fan. I love his way of viewing the world - both with his lens and his mind. His work seems to always have all these dark and light elements both clashing and being harmonious at the same time. He is not afraid to show you some of the darkest and most disgusting aspects of human life, but there are always rays of light permeating the darkness. Beauty in death and decay. And if you see or read any interviews with him, you can tell he is the most optimistic dude, rarely a negative word comes out of his mouth. He has inspired me to look more into Transcendental Meditation, the way he raves about it. Too bad it costs money for the training.
Matthew Sherling: Well I'm sure you could find about it online or otherwise, right? Who are your most prominent musical influences right now?
Michael Potter: Yeah, well the thing is: you are supposed to go through this four month corse with an instructor. I think it's like $1500 altogether. The Lynch foundation sometimes gives out grants or whatever to people that want to learn but don't have the cash. I think I am going to write to him and ask for one (laughs).
Let's see...I don't know man, I listen to a lot of music, but I don't know how much it actually influences what I am writing and recording right now. Honestly I have been listening to a lot of pop and rock music. A lot of old stuff: VU and Reed's solo stuff, Bowie, Talking Heads, early Rolling Stones (laughs) - really the only experimental shit I hear these days is on the SWG board. I like hearing what my friends are doing; that's really what is most interesting to me
Matthew Sherling: Right, yeah you should write Lynch about that!
So you mentioned the SWG [Sewer Greats] showcase and how you plan to play your new EP. What's usually your approach to live shows? Have you done much solo performing? And tell us about your relationship with SWG.
Michael Potter: I've yet to do Electric Nature live yet - these shows will be the first. Because of my lack of equipment and money, I will be doing live guitar, synth and vocals over pre-recorded backing tracks. Not really as visceral as I would like, but hopefully this is just the beginning. I've been a part of SWG since March. . .man what an awesome group of people. So many wonderful and creative minds in one place, sharing ideas and collaborating. Honestly I think being a part of Sewer Greats has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life.Matthew Sherling:That's fantastic! It does seem to be filled with gems. These micro internet music cultures seem to be arising a lot lately, and 2011 seems to have been and continues to be a huge year for music, especially music in relationship to the internet. What's your vision of the internet? How is it changing our world and our music?
Michael Potter: Yeah, it's weird man. There are aspects of what's happening that I like a lot, and some not so much. I personally like having such a plethora of information at my fingertips, but I wonder what that does for humanity as a whole. Are we getting lazier? Most everyone I know professes to be lazy. I don't want to be lazy, but I think I often am, in both body and mind. I think it's positive to have to work hard for things. Perhaps one appreciates something more the harder it is to obtain... And with music, you know it's great to have so many people out there performing their craft, and it's nice to see so much intermingling between genres and styles, but I think there is a lot of boring music being made. Computers might have made things too easy. But I am probably just being pretentious. And also I think there is a lot of really great shit happening too (laughs).
Matthew Sherling: No man, I don't think you're being pretentious at all. These concerns are valid. It seems like the internet has beautiful and tragic potential. Your answer is very quality.
So I know you're interested in the ideas of documentaries like Zeitgeist and from people like Robert Anton Wilson. How have those sources altered your perception of the world and for you what is the ideal way we should handle our present condition into the future?
Michael Potter: Man, I'm glad you mention Bob Wilson. His writings have been one of the biggest influences on my adult life. I first read Illuminatus! directly after I came down from the worst/best acid trip (trying to kill myself and my friends, having to be locked in a room by myself, listening to Satan tell me my sins through the radiator, all that terrible shit), and it changed my life forever. I guess I was 18 or 19. I gave up religion and quit my job and was pretty much just a bum for years (laughs), playing and recording music whenever it was available, reading as much as I could about mind expansion.
It has taken me a long time to integrate a lot of Wilson's and others' into a working daily life, and I don't think I am even near the place I would like to be, but every day is one step closer for me. I really don't have an answer for how we should handle the present condition of the planet and humanity. To be very broad, I think humans need to start showing a whole lot more love towards one another and give up a lot of these ideas about security and personal property, ownership. But nobody wants to hear about that. Most people seemingly just want to get through today and worry about tomorrow when it comes. It's been really hard trying to start dialogues with people I talk to face to face, off the internet, without it coming down to me being an idiot and nothing will ever change (laughs).
But I've got hope. Things always change, and if enough of us put enough positive energy into the changes, well, hopefully positive things will happen. (laughs) Jeez, what a bunch of vague nonsense. I don't know how to talk.
Matthew Sherling: I don’t think it’s nonsense at all! I think you have a lot to offer in the way of music and ideas. Thank you for sharing both of them with us :) As a final question, if you had to recommend one album to the reader, what would it be and why?
Michael Potter: Thanks brother. Well for whoever hasn't heard it and can handle the whole thing, I highly recommend Tony Conrad's Slapping Pythagoras album. Some of the nastiest and sweetest drones ever conjured, at least to my ears. But it can be pretty harsh, not for everyone.Matthew Sherling: Awesome! Any final shout-outs or comments? When and where are you playing for the SWG showcase for anyone who could make it?
Michael Potter: Oh yeah, well the Asheville show had a lot of acts cut, mine being one (they couldn't find a venue that could house so many acts in one night, so they decided to keep it to NC acts, understandable enough) and they changed the date I believe, but I will be playing the Orlando show on Sept 30. I'll be picking folks up along the way, Michael Myerz, Beau Dreamm, Carl Miller - that will be a lot of fun. Then at the end of October, me and Myerz and Joe of Plaens will be driving up to PA to play one or two shows with Perris [Shisa] and Scott Michael, depending on how things work out. But there should for sure be a show in Pittsburg at the Beach House.
Shout out to everyone, you are all wonderful!
Matthew Sherling: That sounds exciting! Wish I could make it. Video it and put it up for all of us! Thanks for the interview :)
