Chris, how are things?
Exciting, to say the least! Kaiju is in its final stages of production, and it wont be long until it's hitting iTunes and Beatport. This is my first proper release, unless you count some free downloads on my Soundcloud account, so it's a little bit nerve-wracking.
How would describe your music to those uninformed readers of Mane Shakin' Folk?
I find it difficult to define. It's sitting around the tempo of most house music, but sometimes it is much more erratic, and sometimes a lot more tranquil. It's a good balance between digital and analog sounds; the percussion is usually relentless and blatantly electronically produced, but some of the other sounds are much more organic, with lots of real life samples, choirs, violins and the like thrown in.
Tell us about your musical upbringing. Why do you make the music you do?
I played piano when I was super young, for a good few years. Then it kind of just stopped... I lost interest in my early teens, and tried other instruments such as the trumpet. I eventually stuck with drums, which I still play (in a metal band tastefully called Nuke The Whales, check us out on Facebook), which is where the heavy percussive influence in my music comes from. Once I started playing with electronic music and using DAWs, I got back into composing music. With my piano background, it was easy to make things fit and sound how I wanted them to.
Jazzstep by Chris Laidler
What was the creative process behind Kaiju, your new release?
Most of it came from ideas in my head. I know how I want the songs to sound going into the recording process, and then it's generally a load of trial and error, playing with different VSTs and effects to get the sounds I desire. For the more chilled out, emotive sections, it was better to sit down behind a keyboard and work out the note progressions until I could play them with my eyes closed, then transpose them to a DAW. As for some of the samples, I never really had a general idea of what samples I was going to use in each song. If I heard a quote on a film, or an interesting sound outside I'd just think "That sounds good... let's put it in a song!"
Many disparate influences from many different eras are audible in your songs, but where do you actually draw your influences from?
That's a hard one... I listen to such a ridiculously large pallet of music it's hard to say what artists are my influences. Without sounding too pretentious, I don't want to sound like anybody that much. I mostly listen to a lot of hardcore punk, metal and hip hop. I just so happen to make electronic, house-esque music.
Natalie Portman (Chris Laidler Remix) by Team Sleep (free download)
What is your live show like? Any tour plans?
I'd love to do a tour. I might book some shows through the summer to help promote Kaiju. At the moment I have Dudestock to look forward to. It's a charity event in York, with T-Rex headlining. It's a little daunting knowing I'm the only electronic artist on a rock-dominated bill, but I think I can hold my own. I'd like to see my shows as more intense than people just standing there bobbing their heads; It'd be great to see some bodies fly!
Finally, are there any specific albums/records/labels/etc that you're particularly enjoying at the moment?
XL is looking pretty strong as a label right now with the release of Radiohead's "King of Limbs" and Tyler, The Creator's "Goblin". For electronic music, definitely check out the artists on Inspected Record's roster. That stuff is great. Oh, and check out Boring Girls. You interviewed them last week, and their album is definitely worth a listen.
Kaiju is out later this year, and man should you be looking forward to it. Here are some previews:
