Founded in basements, bedrooms, and anywhere sound makes a song, {[(gang radio)]} is the solo project of Daniel Morris (Masonique, Masseter, Perseveration, White Rooms).
Based in Portland, Oregon, Daniel Morris began {[(gang radio)]} as an outlet for the unconscious thoughts and melodies swirling around his brain that were ready to emerge. Building tones upon drones and looping a starting point as a launchpad for the song to come, {[(gang radio)]} envelopes the listener in waves of sound.
Drone and patterns are taking shape and becoming what they will, through a combination of trombone, guitar, cello, and keys -. {[(gang radio)]} forges a sound that can be traced to many improvised influences.
Using the power of a purely instrumental foundation and the unorthodox approach of non-traditional instruments in their original state, the modulated sounds of {[(gang radio)]} push the envelope and force listeners to a deeper place of reflection.
"Zero To One" is the latest creative masterpiece brewing from Daniel Morris's mind, and the anticipation it leaks through the speakers is rather intense. The slow burn of each distorted melody forms a powerful magnetism that lures us into the anticipation {[(gang radio)]} instills into this record.
There's a burgeoning longing {[(gang radio)]} portrays as the rich tapestry of effects encompassing a dimensional ambiance that those looking in on wish to explore. Further fusing an energetic wave of textures as this well-rounded composition plays into a balance of low to high-frequency elements, "Zero To One" invites you into its embrace as the psychedelic nature of the song provides variety.
Carving out impeccable placement within each musical component forming a larger-than-life concept, while listening to "Zero To One," you're entrapped in the atmospheric grasp of light pushing its way through dark moments.
Much like the words {[(gang radio)]} lives by, "Forever let the light shine, even if it's the darkest light you can muster," we see the quintessence of {[(gang radio)]} propelling forward in an eclectic record like "Zero To One."
Welcome to BuzzMusic, {[(gang radio)]}! You're a master at creating such thought-provoking soundscapes, and we adore the sound you've come to make for yourself. What can you tell us about the concept and inspiration behind "Zero To One?" Thank you! These last couple of years have brought a shift in most aspects of life that we’ve been accustomed to for so long, and while it’s helped some realize their dreams, it’s also pushed others to further edges of society. It feels as if it was a long time coming and, in some ways, a needed fire below us to allow for a change in what we’ve held onto as the norm for the way things are or how we thought they should be. Traveling this past year and witnessing the dark side of things and the lighter gave way to this picture of what is and what could be.
There’s always been strife and struggle, but the day-to-day choices I make have an impact and hope that, in the end, I’ve existed, causing the least suffering possible. Zero to One carries a heavy, distorted feel throughout but has a kinder, almost nurturing resolve, which gives the impression that everything will be alright. It’s like a heavy mantra that things may feel doom and gloom, but there are also the good days reminding us of the beauty that exists and the beauty we can create, sometimes due to a crumbling world around us.
Where do you seek your inspiration from? Your music has a cinematic and theatrical feel, and we can't help but wonder if you're inspired by film. Film has always played a significant role in my life, whether as the audience or having a hand in making a picture. It’s one of those mediums that captures so much in one sitting, combining so many facets of art into one whole piece. I’ve often had people comment after a show that they closed their eyes during the set and had visuals passing by, influenced by the music. I’ve also seen some drawings made while playing a show, and they’ve got an otherworldly, trippy vibe. I can relate to the cinematic feel of the music and pacing, and I try to allow the sounds and movie to write themselves while I’m a breath keeping the lights flickering behind the reel.
What I generally do with {[(gang radio)]} is built on a base layer of noise, drone, and loops that keep adding layers until it takes shape into something different. Kind of like a background or scenery change to keep the movie flowing and find a plane to relax on until a cloud comes by to take you to the next one. The inspiration comes in many forms and from most directions, incorporating the sound of an input into a loop, adapting to a natural feel and then manipulating those sounds into the next. Happy accidents that become part of a song or that push to shift somewhere wholly different. While almost exclusively instrumental music, there’s always the intention of healing and release to the movie in mind. At what moment did you know that you'd be creating under the alias {[(gang radio)]}? What steps and awakening moments have you gone through to get to the point of releasing your music to the public?
The name {[(gang radio)]} came up many years ago on a bike ride with some friends and a wind-up radio in someone’s basket. There was an initial joke of making this “gang” into a band, but it never came to fruition. The name stayed in my mind, and I even made some buttons before making any music under that moniker, but I figured I could be a gang of one if the group wasn’t going to happen.
After playing in many bands for some years and writing very organized and intentional songs, I made these soundscapes using instruments and pedals I wasn’t utilising in my other projects. It became more of an exercise to release any negative energy from the day-to-day and let loose from any constraints traditional songwriting can have. Leading up to playing out with {[(gang radio)]}, I was amassing quite a few tracks, recording most every time I picked up an instrument at home, and felt that it could translate well to an album or live setting, filling the space that surrounds the in between. It sounds that fit well and created an atmosphere that could play in the background or be the driving force of what’s coming next, so I began sorting and selecting pieces for release and some time later started playing gigs. From a production standpoint, you often get inspired by the energy each day brings. Does this mean that no exploration is off-limits for your sound? How do you stay within your creative boundaries? I try to leave things open for exploration when making this music. Odd tunings on the guitar to whatever feels right that day, bringing out instruments I haven’t touched in a long time, adding more synthesizer pieces and “in the box” production. I feel most of this music follows a particular sound, and you could probably find many influences. Still, I’ve usually made it without a first thought, just a breath or capturing that first sound out of an instrument and going from there.
A very accessible jazz approach but lacks some of those “jazz” elements that we attribute to that style of music. Regardless of my attempt to break any rules and instead of making more noise records, some of my classic music training inherently comes out and finds some melody with the noise that naturally compliment the other sounds. Certainly, an openness to no-limit exploration. It’s just about getting slightly beyond the roots tied to my knowledge. In a way, those boundaries set by what we think we know keeps us from straying too far off the path, but if you’re making your trail, it’s a practice of release to try to break any walls made for us or by us.
There’s a lo-fi approach to some of the older recordings I’ve got due to technology constraints of that time and sometimes just using what I had at the moment to capture what was happening. Still, I have moved more into the framework of multiple tracking techniques and somewhat fewer one-take pieces built in that instance. There’s been a greater focus now on planning out a bit more of what I’m doing, whereas everything before was improvised entirely and at the moment, but even still, it all begins with whatever notes start a piece and build from there. Every breath, a tone, every heartbeat, a rhythm. What are you excited about in 2023? I’ve got a lot in the works with a few projects, including my next {[(gang radio)]} release, a new Masonique record coming out around September w/ tour (drums), and Masseter has a couple of releases coming soon (bass). Antikythera has a record and shows coming up (bass). Music nonstop. Also excited for that significant shift in consciousness this year, that we can all help our fellow humans any way we can and that animal rights = human rights. Peace begins in the kitchen.