Prefuse 73: A Profuse Talent

Guillermo Scott Herren is a producer and multi-instrumentalist who lives and breathes the music he performs through various guises. Dave Kerr talks to Herron's glitch-hopper alias about the future and finds out how he got there so fast.

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Congratulations on the new album. In terms of how it sounds, you've given nods to an interesting range of people - from Nas to Crosby, Stills & Nash - as your influences in the past... so it might not be a huge surprise that this LP is wildly varied in parts. Is there any particular source of inspiration that you tapped into in order to, eh, prepare for Preparations?

"This album comes from a positive light that shined after I had a very rough and challenging year. My main musical influences on this record range from Japanese noise to these strange microtonal sounds I keep hearing in my head... Italian soundtracks, Andy Votel's record bag, everything inspires me: good people, good food, good architecture, being alone, rice and beans.. for real."

The last Prefuse album (2005's Surrounded By Silence) had a massive crew of guests onboard but you've less than half of that number involved this time. Is this just a random circumstance or was there an intention there to avoid a certain kind of gimmickry?

"I suppose you've answered it by asking. There is no need to be a repeat offender... Also, gathering a bunch of collaborators isn't easy... It's a chore and I'd rather be making music than appointments to meet up somewhere."

Depending more solely on your own abilities to deliver this record, do you tend to enjoy getting lost in what you're doing more, without the need to tailor a beat to accommodate a particular voice?

"I don't cater to voices or anything really. The randomness that happens in creation is what Prefuse 73 is controlled by; another force beyond me, usually."

So did Prefuse 73 find it at all difficult to capture the very different rhyming styles of Ghostface and El-P on (Surrounded by Silence track) Hideyaface last time?

"I'd actually like to re-do that song and have Boris from Japan play the beat. I prefer for people to tailor to my music if I hand someone some music or a beat."

Taking your willingness to embrace these musical extremes into account, you started out in Atlanta, handling production work for some of the "Dirty South" artists of the time and what you have gone on to record since has often been dramatically different. How do you look back on that period?

"That was just a day job but it paid the bills... kind of. I got schooled and worked with some hard motherfuckers in Atlanta. Dirty South hip-hop hadn't blown up yet, so the times were very different. Everyone would record a track and spend a lot of money and would be happy just to have a cassette to play of their own crew in their car. These days, I sat and read a book as I collaborated with Jose Gonzalez in my living room. He recorded himself because everyone knows how to record themselves now. My whole home is a studio."

Video: Prefuse 73 feat. School of Seven Bells - The Class of 73 Bells

Since those days you've moved back and forth between places like Spain and New York and you record under a lot of aliases. Do you think that this kind of flux between very different cultures plays a key factor in the creation of very different creative identities?

"It has obviously taken me to different places stylistically. I believe that is just a natural happenstance... I'm already grounded culturally so I believe environment takes its own course."

Going back to Preparations, although it's not officially a double album, there's an accompanying disc which seems to have almost snuck its way in there. What distinguishes it from the original disc?

"Interregnums is the title of the second disc, it contains somewhat classical arrangements of the beats..."

Your classical background is something that pre-dates the dirty South era back to your childhood, isn't it? Were you really trained using the Suzuki Method?

"Yes, I was, thanks to my mother."

With the benefit of having had that experience, do you believe that it's right that music should be treated as a key discipline to help influence the cognitive development of kids?

"I believe kids should learn to create freely of discipline...I have a son and he can do whatever he wants."

As a Warp artist, are there any up and coming artists you'd recommend for our readers to seek out?

"Trust that Flying Lotus will become something huge. Tyondai Braxton's solo record will be amazing. Voice of the Seven Woods are amazing."

Cheers for the tip! You're gearing up for a tour right now, in what way is Prefuse live taking shape these days? Also, perhaps more importantly, where's the Scottish date?

"We are only a three piece as of now - drums, electronics, and guitar. No one booked us in Scotland, I'd totally play there!"

Somewhere a gig booker sleeps.