When it comes to the electronic sphere, here unhealthy it’s hard to find artists that match wide sonic appeal with intricate assembly quite like Doug Appling. Better known by his alias Emancipator, salve there Appling has carved a respected niche between the trip-hop and downtempo genres, sale putting together sweeping, heavily layered arrangements that blend modern approaches to production with familiar, organic sound stylings. Moving effortlessly from peaceful to epic, his music is suited to both late night festival sets and extended study sessions; partying in a dorm room and having coffee with your mom.
Appling has long been known for his hybrid shows, which see him DJing alongside violinist (and longtime collaborator) Ilya Goldberg, but the past few years have seen him tour with the Emancipator Ensemble. The four-piece project, which adds live bass and drums while also giving Appling show off his guitar skills, offers a different perspective on the music, featuring altered arrangements and a giving an analog edge to his celebrated tracks.
Emancipator Ensemble will be hitting The Paradise tonight, 10/16, in support of the new album Seven Seas (available now via Loci). We caught up with Appling before the show and he told us about keeping layers balanced, collaborating with friends and working with the legendary Nujabes.
Allston Pudding: Where do you look for inspiration when recording this album?
Doug Appling: Seven Seas kind of reflects the state of my life over the past three years. A lot of traveling, moving a couple of times and exploring new genres than people might not have expected from the classic Emancipator albums. I was reaching for new influences musically and traveling a lot.
AP: This album uses vocalists considerably more than your previous work. Why did you decide to focus on that element now?
DA: I wanted to try it. I’ve had some success in the past- a few tracks like “When I Go” off of my first album had a good response. I just wanted to switch it up and work with vocalists, which is something I want to keep doing in the future. As an instrumental producer, it can make things easier in a way, because you don’t have to create something as intricate and entertaining on it’s own. At the same time, I can’t help but do that anyway! It’s adding another piece to the puzzle to try and balance it all.
AP: What’s always impressed me with your music is that even in the most densely layered parts, it never sounds cluttered. How do you find the balance between getting a maximal sound and giving different stems space to breath?
DA: That’s the eternal quest in sonic production! I actually think I have a tendency to layer too many sounds. Your ear can only process so much at any given time and your brain can only attend to so much information at once, so when you’re listening to a song, there always has to be one lead voice at any given time and maybe some harmonies.
I think it was Bach who said that the ideal song has three or four elements and no more. But one of my favorite things to do as a producer is stack simple sounds that create more complex textures as a result. Lately I’ve been thinking more about the importance of minimalism and space in my music. For me it’s always a challenge to create something that’s interesting but not too complex or simple at the same time.
AP: Do you prefer working with digital or analog equipment?
DA: I like working with both. I was raised on the digital music production software. I don’t know how to scratch records like a traditional DJ, but I do record a lot of analog synthesizers and I’ve been building a studio and getting more into analog gear. Also training my ear to hear the differences, which are definitely there. The analog music world is amazing. It can be expensive, but it’s definitely a passion and hobby of mine.
AP: When I’ve caught Emancipator Ensemble before, a lot of tracks have sounded very different than their studio versions. Was it your intention to give a different take on the material or were there just necessary changes that had to be made transitioning some of the parts of the production to instruments?
DA: Yeah, some songs just don’t translate to the live ensemble as well as other songs. A lot of the songs we started playing are actually ones that sound like they were being played by a band in the first place. Some of the more intricate and glitchy tracks on the new album didn’t immediately adapt to the band format, for instance.
AP: Would you say that the evolution of your live show affected your approach to albums at all?
DA: Definitely. I never used to think about “how is this going to be performed?” or anything like that. I was just making sounds that sounded cool. Now it’s in the back of my mind- what is the purpose of this song? Is this going to be something I can play at a show? Does it have elements that I can perform live or other members of my band can? It’s important to think about those things but I don’t want to let them dictate what I create.
AP: You’ve been touring with the live band quite often over the past couple of years. Would you ever consider a larger-scale collaborative performance like your Camp Bisco set a few years back?
DA: I would love to do that! That was a dream come true, having Bonobo, Dom from Big Gigantic and my friends from Inspired Flight up onstage. Molly Parti too, she come up to sing “Land & Sea” which was finally released on my new album this month.
Yes, I’m definitely into featuring guest musicians, especially my esteemed colleagues at shows.
AP: You touched on this briefly in your Reddit AMA a few weeks ago, but how involved was Nujabes on Soon it Will Be Cold Enough to Build Fires?
DA: He mastered the songs. You might be able to hear the difference if you download the 2006 version, which had 14 tracks, and then the Nujabes version from 2008, which had 12 tracks, the self-released was quieter; some of the tracks don’t bump as much. That was my first effort as a producer and Nujabes mixed and mastered it, rearranged the tracklist, gave it his blessing and then distributed it on his label in Japan.
He also picked out the song “With Rainy Eyes” to include on his label’s compilation called “Hydeout 2nd Collection.” It’s funny because there’s a lot of misconception out there- some people think it’s a Nujabes song, some people think it’s an Emancipator song- but really that was just the first song that he first heard me through and included it on his label.
AP: You play an enormous number of festival sets alongside your club sets. Do you have a preference between the two?
DA: I feel like festivals, not just for the artists but for the people that attend them, are the ideal way to experience music. Out in a big field, in a forest, out in nature surrounded by thousands of people. It has a more epic quality to it. I love playing club shows, and it’s sort of apples and oranges, but festivals are just special to me.
AP: Do you have any favorite festival experiences?
DA: I have some classic memories playing the sunrise set at Wakarusa, I think it was 2011, and once again Dom from Big G sat in with us that day. In recent years, Symbiosis Festival had some of the most amazing collections of art. I feel like that really helps elevate the whole vibe of the festival.
AP: Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
DA: Never stop creating. That might seem obvious, but it’s easy to get complacent or fall into a rut where you feel like you’ve defined yourself as an artist and keeping going along those lines. I think it’s always important to never stop creating. Try to have fun- make music for yourself first and there will be other people who like it.
AP: What’s next after this tour?
DA: Well, this tour wraps up around Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to get back to the studio. I know I just released this album but I have so many other songs that are in progress. I can’t wait to keep recording and working on those. I’m kind of a studio hermit when I’m not on tour.
Emancipator Ensemble will be playing The Paradise tonight, 10/15, with Wax Taylor and Yppah. The show is sold out.