We Chat To BT
Q: Electronic Opus takes a new step into the wild unknown, in an industry obsessed with big drops and party music. Why do something this radical now? Is it approaching the industry from a fresh angle or breaking free from an unwanted mold?
A:I believe there is a dramatic shift away from the vapid drop/bottle service/rafting/EDM thing. The corporate cultural hijacking has left artists in one of two situations, either fold into the existing fray of reprehensibly noobish, mindless ADD dance music or continue seeking their passion (sometimes at a great personal and professional expense). As a lot of what I do for a living is scoring films, this feels like a natural and logical next step forward in the force that propels my musical aspirations. I’m a musician and a composer first and foremost and at this time in my life and in culture, it just felt appropriate and right.
Q:You're about to embark on a journey into a world where a much younger BT meets an older more experienced BT, to essentially re-imagine a lot of the music that not only broke the rules for what was considered normal during that specific period, but surely had great meaning to you personally.
A:It was the single most exhausting experience of my entire life. There were people enlisted in this project that seemed to understand the esthetic and end goal of my music that were left scratching their heads going “wait you actually time correct 2048th notes? Wait you’re actually wanting to play all this live?” The hard work is done and ultimately the show was incredibly rewarding (further the album is amazing, super proud of it).
Q:How do you approach something so unique and meaningful to you personally, with a completely fresh eye and ear?
A:It was impossible to do that for this project. It involved deep reflection on both my process, my purpose (literally as a human on earth) and the meaning, significance and intention of the original compositions to begin with. It was an insurmountable task, I’m honestly not sure how I crossed the finish line.
Q:Since the move to Armada, you've gained some fans that might not entirely be familiar with the BT of a decade or even 2 decades ago,
Do you think a project like Electronic Opus is a good way to introduce new fans to some of the music that they might have missed out on or is your focus towards a completely new fan base? or do you in fact, make music purely as a resource to get rid of whatever bubbles up inside the complexities of your own being?
A:Any outward “fan acquisition” type strategies is inherently inauthentic imho and I’m reminded from the process of reimagining these 14 compositions, that has not (and never been) the focus of my work. I made these because I felt them, I reimagined them because I could make them better.
Q:No project is complete, without its fair share of critics, and the bigger the project, and the wider the reach of a particular project, the greater the chance of awakening those critics.
How important is it to you with a project like Electronic Opus, to make a long lasting impact on the critics?
A:0% - This is music for my fans, my family and me.
Q:Having approached Music and all its ever-changing elements, from emotion to technology from every imaginable angle, what is the next big thing for BT to emerge himself in?
A:Lots of scoring coming up, just scored the new Charlize Theron picture Dark Places, new Anthony Hopkins film Solace and working on loads of new software/hardware development.
Thanks!
