Jeramiah Ross / Module - Interview with Jeramiah Ross from Module: Music, Resilience and Family
"I had a choice to push past my illness and do Module again for them."
Mungo from Muzic.net.nz spoke to Jeramiah Ross AKA Module about the new album release Infinity Forever, which is a complex 3-part album, as he pushes past a tough battle with mental illness that almost took his life. Resilience, family and a love for music is now a key theme for Module.
Can you describe Infinity Forever and what has inspired this project?
It's a pretty epic sci-fi concept, The idea of the way it all works, Nature, Time, Space, The universe. I have built up a story around these characters that are faced with a choice.
In a nutshell it's about a scientist that has an accident and ends up phasing out of reality into another dimension. He suffered from bad dreams and uploaded himself to a computer. While away in this other dimension his backup evolved into an artificial intelligence and tried to take over the global networks using algorithms and light and sound to alter brain patterns, the scientist is brought back into this world though a good being he met in another reality, she gets stuck on earth.
During the process, the scientist loses all his memory and his body forgets to grow old so he ends up stuck in time/space unable to age. He meets the AI and see's what has happened and teaches the AI about love. Tries to fix it all, restore the process and wake people up from a digital psychosis. It's a 3-part album, Time (Singer/songwriter), Space (Dance Electronic) and Love (Classical)
Personally, I had a very full on experience in my real life. I got clinical depression and had a seizure and coma and almost died. I have been living in a bit of a dream world since then and it took me many years to come right. I still struggle every day, But through the support and love of my children, long term friends and family and the creative community within New Zealand. I have found a way to produce and share my music again...I never gave up on the dream of being able to do music ...I am really happy that I have made this album and am able to perform again. I had a choice to push past my illness and do Module again for them.
I want my children to be proud of me and I want to leave this earth when I am old knowing that I did the best I could despite rather intense health issues.
How long have you been into instrumentation and production?
Pretty much my whole life. It's been my saving grace on so many levels, I had a very full on childhood, I was really lucky I have had the success I have had
I began playing Piano when I was 4 years old. The digital world came along and I used it to augment my creativity using machines and computers. But always made sure that I played music.. guitar, piano, bass, drums, singing, writing etc.... I have worked in Radio and the Video game industry so I have seen all sides of music production. It is a great medium for expression... The process of writing, recording, producing and collaboration is where it's at for me. I love it. It gives me purpose and function.
Your track titles are very hopeful, what is the process of titling a couple tracks off the project?
I create songs based around stories and concepts, A bit like a film director. I work out a script and an idea and build a world around an idea. then create the soundtrack for the idea. take a sketch of a song and expand it. I know most areas of music production now and for me it's about taking people into another world and on sound journeys through the imagination.
Comparing music in 2003 to now, what adjustments have you had to make if any?
The digital world really did change everything, All of a sudden everyone could do a certain type of music. The tools were there and available to anyone to make anything they could dream up... Music itself is a pattern/emotion based expression medium, you express yourself and things around you through notes, sound, colour emotional reactions etc... it's sound vibrations...moving through the air with the particles being affected and changed by wave energy amplified/modified/altered/controlled.
In 2003 computer assisted music creation wasn't as strong in the collective consciousness as it is now. But It's an art form, I use the technology just as a paintbrush.. it lets me come up with interesting results. If anything, there are more tools now.. but I try and keep it simple and focus on the actual music itself.
What are the pros/cons of using analog and synthesizers over DAWs?
Analog is pretty cool, It's closer to nature...electricity would be the best way to describe it. making sounds with pure electronic shapes and modifying those through a number of modifications, LFO's, Envelopes, Shapes, Filters. etc.. It's real time too ...Each different synth has a way of doing things. Different types of results based on the tech it;s using...Analog oscillators, Digital assisted oscillators, Pure Digital, CPU's, circuits and functions. Hardware machines have a sound about them, much like different types of guitars. It's fun.
DAW Software is a code based expression of units/machines. You can define anything with a computer. It's just a thought process. I could make a sound out of carrot if I used the colour orange and assigned a sound to that colour and then basically gave it a modulation. It's interesting but it can get boring. Sitting behind a computer doing data entry, not interfacing directly with something that makes noise through a natural process. I'm not anti-software/the digital world --, it's just a tool to help get the ideas and concepts across. Code is fun.
Can you share any advice to the younger generation of artists producing EDM music?
There are some really amazing things people are doing with maths and music, Computer based AI assisted music. Stuff people were experimenting on and with since the 1950's through actual computers that took up a whole room and used mechanical parts to generate sound. But really for me personally music is about emotionally connecting with people. telling stories and sharing ideas and concepts. It's a powerful medium and is and always will be a universal language. It connects so many people together. We are lucky as humans because no matter where you are from on earth if you know how to communicate or speak to people through music you can create time/space moments for people to enjoy. It's up to any producer or creator or player to use the tools that exist to help them say what they want to say. Just got to figure out what you want to say and build from there. Just get good at your art, keep intentions pure and do it because it's something you love and let it evolve and expand.
Can we expect more of this sound on Infinity Forever?
I released the Part 1 demos which is classical pop acoustic music. from there I am going to re-record part 1 in a good studio with hardware with my live band to capture more of a feel and emotion in the music, Part 2 is more electronic in nature, synths, digital, samples, beats, dubs and modulations, and part 3 will be hopefully with the NZSO and feature classical music. I wanted to create something epic and memorable. It's a big process but I am getting there bit by bit.
What does the rest of 2020 have in store for you?
I plan to tour the country performing everywhere I can with a full stage production plus doing smaller shows, Expanding my digital networks and communities and collaboration with really good people. Basically, Rocking on and doing what I love the most...music.
About Jeramiah Ross / Module
This lead to finding a 4 track recorder at cash convertors in his late teens, then a Amiga 500 computer with basic tracker software and endless tape cassettes and floppy disks, during this time he used synths, drum machines, guitar, bass and drums multi tracked with home made 8 bit samples and vocals.
Jeramiah created Module in 2003 as a solo project using a Pentium 2, Midi Keyboards, and Acoustic Instruments instruments and the ‘new virtual studio technology’ and started working on a idea of mixing everything together into his own ‘new’ style based around classical, electronic and singer songwriter and a performance character called “Module” 2 years later Remarkable Engines was released in 2005 by LOOP recordings which lead on to a constant touring schedule, working with Rhian Sheehan and Paul Mclaney & many other Music / Visual Artists.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Jeramiah Ross / Module
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