In our latest band spotlight, we chat to Scott Endres of The Pod (and MAKE), about music and inspirations.
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S] How does The Pod challenge you in new ways from MAKE?
The writing process is entirely different. I never know what I’m going to do when sitting down and working as The Pod. I turn my equipment on and just start messing around. Sometimes the mess takes an interesting and intriguing shape and I work to put it in some sort of order. Sometimes it remains a mess. Sometimes that’s even better.
S] How has your attitude to creating music changed over the last few years?
I used to come from a place of composition and since MAKE hit its stride years ago, it’s been almost entirely improvisation and consolidation. Even though the process changes significantly between the two projects, they both start with a purposeful “lack” of idea or premeditation.
S] What motivates you outside of music – people, places and things?
Politics and philosophy, mainly armchair existential nihilism. This usually amounts to nothing more than screaming or staring into the void, respectively.
S] What other artists are inspiring you right now?
Kendrick. Run the Jewels. Hey Colossus. Blanck Mass. Probably my favourite records of 2017 right there.
S] Talk to us about the development of tracks on this record – were there any particular challenges in building it?
Well, a few of them I don’t remember recording or composing so there’s that. Other tracks might start with a beat, often one I sample from live drums from MAKE records. Then comes along a bass synth line which develops as I play along with the loop. After that it’s a LOT of just hitting record and trying things out. Importing pieces of recorded instruments and sampling them, cutting them up, fucking them up, all that good stuff. It sort of snowballs until I’m well stoned and drunk at 2 in the morning and only have it left in me to hit “Save” (some of the time). Usually, I’ll come back to it later and either finish it up or toss it. Or forget about it. Everything that made its way onto this record was sort of vetted by close friends and bandmates, past and present.
S] What are your plans for the rest of this year?
Just in general? Ummm. I kid. I want MAKE back in the studio before the year is over. That is my one and only musical goal. After that, I might take a little MAKE break and bust The Pod back out.
