Q: how did you come up with the name "eprom be pf"
A: I have gone by a few names like “Phantom Freighter”, but had begun using just “PF” or “Pounding Fingers” and also “EPROM be pf”, as I had become taken with the concepts of EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory) and the “burning” process. There is a long form of the name that Bluntcop helped me coin around 2004.
Q: when did you start making beats?
A: Music and records were always around my childhood home and interested me much. My mother played the French-horn. A babysitter introduced my brother and I to taped audio-plays with sfx; So the neighbor was coming by to watch us while Mom was at work, and he was playing these things he had edited at home on cassette. They were great horror and mystery stories he had pieced together with all sorts of recorded media. I was hooked at this point and began making recordings of my own. I Started recording beats and loops(skips) during my young years and experimented with tape recording/dubbing and turntable at that time. I spent countless hours alone looking and playing respectfully with the basic gear my parents had. I first studied percussion in elementary school and played snare in the Jr. High stage band, which
didn’t last long due to a broken femur. I started computer music around 1992 on apple computers at high school. It was in 1996-1997 when I was introduced to the sp12, at my then future temporary home, and heard what could be done with it. I had never seen DAWgear like this in person, and was blown away by the samples and the sounds. I soon had found myself cheap pieces of gear like the Roland Ms1, sp12, and Korg Poly61 shopping in junk stores, and then really began to mess around and record mixes on tape and other media. I was fortunate to be introduced to the ASR10&X and Korg triton soon after by Brothers, Buster B and Jua Malik. I’ve been fortunate enough to be friends with countless musicians who have shared their sounds, ideas, and tools with me. I have recorded unreleased music with Kurt Vile(Matador), Dr Rob Laakso(Swirlies, Amazing Baby), James Bruce Bowman(Hot Black Desiato), and Bluntcop.Q: has your music been distributed by any means other than myspace?
A: I have distributed tapes by hand. These tapes are few, like “Phantom Freighter tape dumps”, ”Underseabell”, and “Gravity Mask” which floated around amongst some of my friends who were performing and touring and working in the industry. I have never really put anything out in great numbers, but have always given tracks and tapes to friends. I have some other music in student films. There are some lost tapes.
Q: do you have any plans to "release" any material via cd, download, or other medium?
A: I’m planning on releasing some music this year.
Q: what is FMYY Japan and what is your connection with it?
A: FM YY came to be after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995. It was established as a radio station that would bridge cultural diversity in Kobe in the wake of this quake. This earthquake resulted in significant damages to the lives of minority people in the area.
Communication was difficult during this time because of the language barrier. Many were unable to receive information. Foreigners were in a very vulnerable position. FMYY was formed as a multicultural/multi-language radio station, to help bring this much needed information and then also music to the many people of Kobe.
I was able to play my music in 1999 on FMYY during an English/Japanese progressive music broadcast produced by my Brother Matthew. This was a great time and was wonderful to share music and multiple languages.
Q: where do you pull your samples from, can you talk a bit about your production process?
A: I play around a lot; I tend to read the manuals for the gear, but often go in many directions from track 1.
{Its weird I bought a sp12 from a junk store and then a manual arrives in the mail with no return address. Spooky shit. I was...starring out the window peeping around corners… for a while.
I grab samples from mostly any source: records, tape, video, TV, radio, games, and live recordings of all kinds. I start in different places all the time. Sometimes I start with rhythm sequence segments, sometimes with a sample, or ambient music bed. I feel my way through it. Lately I have been making banks of samples in the Yamaha su700, and going back and forth between making drums or programming drums first and or starting with a sample or something. I add and subtract now more that I sometimes use a usb interface to record audio vs using tape. I have been using a free version of Audacity on a Dell Gx240. Sometimes I mix tracks to cassette, ¼, 4track, or vhs.
Q: you have a pretty unique style. what other artists out there that influence or inspire you?
A: I’ve be inspired by lots of different types of artists, and have always been influenced by music of all genres and types. I really liked oldies, soul, film scores, classical, jazz, psychedelic rock/funk, world music, electronic, and hip hop as a kid. Other artists that inspired me growing up were many. I always liked seeing and hearing something different, and sometimes the stranger the better. Experimental always got me thinking (Tomita, Fripp, Prince Paul…My old roommates and friends, like Jeff Caxide(ISIS) & Prez Powerz).
Q: when did you start painting/tagging?
A: I started messing with spray paint sometime soon after seeing Style Wars on PBS in 1981/82, but didn’t get around to really trying to do any tags till about 1989-1990. The whole area seemed to be covered with art out here; going down Route 95 and Conrail/Amtrak in the 80-90s was like driving thru a huge art gallery. I was always inspired by this creation on the walls of the northeast. I never really painted anything too complex or detailed on a wall until 1996, when I really started trying to experiment and paint characters and all sorts of text. I began really exploring and going thru the landscape at this time and playing with music and film too.
Q: what are you doing when not producing/creating?
A: When not making media or working, I like to listen to music and watch films. I also play video games. I get out when I can to see what’s going on. I like getting busy with anything positive to kill stress. I paint outdoor murals in good weather, and like to check out all kinds of nature, building, and art(music). I love sports and watching sports too.
Q: is there anything else you'd like to share with the potential readers of this interview?
A: I can share the importance of being open and receptive to new things that good people share; These things continue to enrich my life on the darkest of days.
eprom on myspace
