Bob Mould: spinning plates

In the last eight or nine years I've become a big fan of electronic music, I started listening to trance, and then got into house and progressive house…

Whoa there, sparky. Alternative guitar hero Bob Mould listening to trance and house? Sweet lord preserve us. Given that Mould's main body of work has been of the six-stringed variety, people might be surprised to hear of his electronic interests, chiefly his electronic pop album under the moniker Blowoff and the monthly club night in Washington DC he runs under the same name; plus his remix work for the likes of Interpol, Low and VHS or Beta. When prompted to consider whether fans of his previous work might consider these new ventures as side-projects, and thus not take them seriously, Mould seems unfazed. "Long time fans are more prone to this, only because they know what they like, and it might be harder to break away from that. But the Blowoff project is big now; the DJ events are pretty much selling out both in DC and New York. So it's not really a sideline anymore."

Indeed, upon hearing new album District Line it seems that these electronic influences are continuing to seep into Mould's guitar work, something that was initiated with 2002's Modulate, as he elaborates. "With Modulate, incorporating these newer influences was a case of learning in public. Now I understand the tools better, it's easier to sprinkle electronic sounds on guitar tracks and get the balance right."

Mould's recent forays as a remixer have also influenced his desire to have others give his guitar work the same treatment. "I have a list of 10 people I would like to remix Shelter Me." Highest on the list being Thomas Bangalter; "I saw Daft Punk at Coachella and it was the best thing I have seen since My Bloody Valentine touring Loveless."

Besides keeping busy with all of the above, Mould's varied workload has already thrown up some interesting jobs in 2008. He's just finished a DJ residency on satellite radio station XMU where he played a huge range of music from Black Flag and Swervedriver to "pumped up" dance music. He also played the Concrete Frequency Festival, the premise of which was to bring together artists who felt the urban environment had influenced their work. And by this they don't mean Tesco and Poundland. Mould was slotted in between Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio) and Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) and professes that the location where he records music has a profound effect on his work. "The place that you are physically is the starting point, the canvas; the people you are with are the colour. The two songs I picked were both written in Texas. Austin was going through this big expansion; a sprawling development was wrecking the character of the western side of the town and one of the songs specifically addressed that."

Mould's unrelenting work ethic seems to show now sign of waning, having recently undertaken a short promotional tour in support of District Line, with plans to head back for a more thorough tour – hopefully including Scottish dates - in the summer. While some of Mould's contemporaries are drawn to pointless reformations and/or mediocrity, his willingness to broaden horizons keeps him relevant. Don't expect nosebleed dance anthems at his live shows, but if you happen to get chatting afterwards he'll be just as happy to discuss the fine distinction between micro-house and minimal-techno, as well as the different strings he uses.