Josh Ratliff
DJ Latte
Homepage: http://www.myspace.com/joshuaratliff
Feature By: Jonathan Earley
Josh Ratliff is a difficult person to describe, much less understand. However, one thing is certain: whether you are conversing with him, or listening to his music, your experience is sure to be enjoyable, enlightening, and memorable. His music, much like his very presence, exudes an air of self-exploration and creative experimentation.
Influenced by everything from bluegrass-folk to hip-hop to post-modern experimental electronica, Ratliff juxtaposes tried-and-true foundational elements with unexpected avant-garde tactics. Though Josh has been capering with music most of his life, he hopes to maintain the same awe for music he discovered when he first became intrigued by its mystery.
C-buz: How would you describe your music?
Josh Ratliff: My music is usually pretty repetitive or just builds off one idea and then adds ornaments to it.
“I've formed as a mission statement to scrub the hip-hop and jaded smut off the 4 / 4 beat and put something really different to it and renew it.”
That's what it comes down to. People really like that 4 / 4 solid beat. What about going back to the drawing board and trying to think up some new music that no one has ever come up with, just put my ideas with something that is tried and true.
CB: Tell me about your song "The Line on Your Forehead" from your DJ Latte album "The Moon is Night".
JR: That song is definitely avant-garde. It involves a lot of filtering and smashing together sounds. One sound is my voice, filtered, and I'm just reading out of a guide to U.S. Citizenship - it's about passing the test. In that book - I found it in a trash can in college - it's filled out by this woman from Chile, and in beautiful hand-written cursive, she's written out her goals. I was really hit by that. Sort of in a Found Magazine type of way, I wanted to exalt this very small thing into something larger. It's sort of crazy and sad at the same time, because millions of people have tried to do this same thing - some successful, some not - and it's sort of a violent issue in today's culture. That's not why I did it, though. I just like the story.
CB: Could you talk about the process of your music creation?
JR: When I first got into Logic on my Mac, I really liked being able to get as close to the real sounds as I can. Find those reverbs that sound like a real room. Find the different parts of each drumset that sound like real drums, then put those in the real room. Then, add some other sounds that sound like real things that you can add to that room.
I did a whole album called "The Moon is Night" that's all MIDI and samples smashed together. My goal was then to mix my vocal style and my lyrics with that, and that was what Alaskalaska was an experiment of.
Normally, if I write something on piano, if it starts with a melody or instrumentation, that means it goes to the computer. If I write something on guitar, that means it's going to be in a country / rock / folk rock setting, and they're completely different characters. It's healthy for me to contradict myself to keep myself fresh.
It's almost strong enough that it's a weakness, because it's really hard for me to develop one idea to the fullest, just because I'm constantly switching to the next one. It's sort of the plight of not having collaboration.
CB: What are some influences that are apparent in your music?
JR: I had heard a lot of Noise music from the Brooklyn, Cleveland, and Baltimore scenes, which was fun. I wanted those dirty sounds that really had that squeaky, geeky, out of style sound and then mix those with something that is acceptable and create this juxtaposition between these two completely different things. Sort of like force two magnets - just keep pushing together - even though they don't go.
I think another big influence is Animal Collective, because they do pretty much the same thing, but with collaboration. That's more apparent on Alaskalaska. In "Warm in a Cold Place" I feel like I finished that idea out fully. I really found voice to all the parts to it. In one way it's like a four part harmony voiced like a bluegrass or a hymn or a choir piece, but at the same time, it has a lot off effects and has a huge beat that comes in half way through that rocks your face off for a second. I enjoyed making that song a lot.
CB: Your songs have a very visual feel. Do you visualize any of your songs?
Regardless of either genre that I'm writing in, all of them come out within one setting. I always use one condenser microphone for the recordings. So, I'm usually just sitting there moving the microphone around the room for different things. I have my different instruments there. I pick up whatever I want there and just go with it, non-stop. And then, at the end, I cut out all the stuff that ends up stupid.
CB: Could you tell me about your journey through music from the time you sat down to play your first instrument?
My music started in 5th or 6th grade. There was a piece of music in elementary school band called "Coolsville". There was a trumpet part, and it was me and David McMillin playing trumpets. It's just this Blues song like 36 bars long, this neanderthal Blues little stupid band. But, it was that pure moment where I first saw emotion in the music and figured out that by putting different notes together, you could get an emotion. I was sort of fascinated by that.
CB: How has Columbus shaped your music, in terms of the people here, the architecture, the whole setup of the town. Does any of your music reflect feelings that you get from this town?
JR: I think [Columbus] makes you patient. I realize that my music is a Lottery ticket that may never come up, and I get some sort of success from it, and that's fine. But, it's still going to keep coming out of me. So, I'm patient and realistic with my music.
CB: Do you think Columbus is nurturing to musicians?
JR: I definitely think it is, because it's quiet. I think Southern Indiana is a great place.
CB: Do you have any advice for other artists or musicians who discover they have some kind of talent?
JR: All you need is an audience, and you've got to be aware of that. You've got to write for an audience. The better you know your audience, the better you're going to know your music and why you're writing it.
Also, play with music and other people and show and work with other people.
If you don't play with your music, you don't have fun with it.
Posts: 2
Reply #2 on : Tue March 13, 2012, 22:23:26