Cy Dune – Against Face

By starrymag | March 7, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I’ve always had a deep passion for exploring music and making sounds of all varieties. Recently I’ve started describing my music as post-genre, as I think it really captures the spirit of how modern artists can pull from the sounds and traditions of the past to create something new. I’ve also been calling the new Cy Dune album Against Face positive post punk. This album really showcases my love for the explosive energy of punk music, and I think the barrier breaking spirit of rock n roll is a super positive force.

At the end of the day, I also call the Cy Dune music “Energy Music.” This term is borrowed from the Free Jazz tradition – post John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler – high energy group spirit music. I’ve always been most passionate about creating music with energy that moves people and has an ecstatic spirit to it.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Wow the list is so long. A short list would be Albert Ayler, Jimi Hendrix, William Parker, Jim Hall, and then been listening to a lot of Devo, Soulwax, and Mozart lately (he wrote great melodies).

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Any More.”

 

A) “Any More” is a great example of the energy music I was talking about. It just has this rising, ecstatic feeling to it. It started with the drum beat which I love. How it is simultaneously precise and out of control at the same time. And then so much of the rest of the song is about simple elements that ride in and around that energy. I wanted to the verses to have an influence of 50’s crooning, like Roy Orbison or the way Suicide pulls that 50’s American feel into the aesthetic vocabulary of punk. I liked the idea of how that could contrast the energy of the music and then builds to the release in the chorus. Thematically, it is abstract but really about that positive punk spirit I mentioned before.

 

Q) You have said the song has a “visceral excitement to it.” What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think probably people are looking for an excuse to break away from the general sameness of everyday life and jump around and lose their minds a bit, and kind of get in touch with for a moment the spark of life that music has such of great way of offering.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) I’ve always pictured a super-fast, strobing black and white visual in my mind to accompany this song and highlight the speed of the drums.

 

Q) Talk Show recently remixed the song. What did you think of their version of your track?

 

A) Oh, I love it. They are awesome! They totally brought UK acid, drum and bass vibes to the song. Totally gets me pumped. I feel like I’m in a running chase scene from Snatch or Trainspotting. [laughs]

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I work both ways. These days I generally make the music first and then write the lyrics. In the past though, I’ve done a lot of songwriting from lyrics first.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I produce all of the music.

 

Q) What are some themes you explore on your upcoming album Against Face?

 

A) All the classic stuff – hero myths, love stories, Jungian sub conscious mystical boundary breaking, spiritual archetypes, de-evolution, the individual versus the system, the Lexus and the olive tree and just, you know, the general need to jump around and scream and lose yourself in the music.

 

Q) What tracks on the album challenged you the most creatively and which hold a special place in your heart?

 

A) Good question. The hardest part for me on the album was how to put the whole thing together. I wanted each song to pull from sounds of different punk eras, west coast punk, new wave, east coast, etc., 70’s, 80s, 90s, 2000s and then have it weave together in a kind of mind-bending abstract way that felt really modern and touched on vapor wave and house music. I wanted it to be obviously punk throwback but also have this self-aware, modern spectral take was really fun to listen to.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from exploring Against Face?

 

A) Fun. Energy.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) I love playing in NYC at Bowery Ballroom. Also, La Sala Rosa in Montreal. Treefort Music Fest in Boise is so fun. I used to love to play at Tonic in NYC which is no longer there.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Mickey Hart.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I’ve been listening to a lot of Orchestra Baobab lately. They were a house band in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and I like the touches of Cuban music that they incorporate. I’ve also been digging more into the Awesome Tapes from Africa catalog.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) I love how global the modern world has become. I’ve traveled all over the world playing music and met incredible people. There’s no replacing being somewhere, playing music and meeting people in person, but it is incredible to me that you can share your music instantly around the world now with listeners and connect, communicate and collaborate with them online.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thanks so much! Have fun out there! Don’t fall.