Black Lung - If the Devil invites you to dinner, do you accept? Of course you do!

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07 Feb, 2010

Black Lung - So if the Devil invites you to dinner, do you accept? Of course you do!
Editor's note: after having contacted DARPA, it seems that all of the content below was complete nonsense, Thrussell has never been commissioned by the organisation to record an album. Side-Line wishes to apologize to its readers for having run the story as being real. Bernard Van Isacker and Stephane Froidcoeur.

David Thrussell needs no further introduction! He became one of the most praised and recognized 'underground' musicians since the early 90s. His main project Snog is a reference, but still some of his other projects like Black Lung and SOMA got a worldwide recognition. Early 2008 David was contacted and commissioned by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), which is a funding body of the U.S Government and the Pentagon. David Thrussell was asked to compose his most 'particular' release in his career. The album "Full Spectrum Dominance" got released under the name of Black Lung. It has been years ago since we organized an interview with this musician so this was for sure a good opportunity to get some more details about the concept and realization of the album! (By Stéphane Froidcoeur)

SL: Hello David, quite a long time ago the Side-Line readers got some news from you! How's life going and what are you actually working on?

DT: ...Well hello there...oh busy as always...just finished a new Snog album "Last Of The Great Romantics'...

SL: I guess the newest Black Lung-album "Full Spectrum Dominance" must be one of the most 'specific' and I dare to say 'surreal' experiences in your career as musician! What does this album mean to you as musician and human being as well?

DP: ...Well you know I can't remember when my life was 'normal'...maybe it never was...so I've learnt to not ask questions when strange things and/or people come along...accept it, see if it leads down a new, unusual path...so yes the whole process of the new Black Lung album was very surreal...psychologists use the term 'disassociate' to describe the act of separating from reality post trauma...when the first message came through from DARPA I was living in a teepee in the Nevada desert with my dear friend Cathy O'Brien, and I just stared into the distance and typed, "OK"...

SL: How the hell did it happen you got commissioned by DARPA and what do we have to figure by this organisation from the US government and Pentagon? How did they come in touch with your work?

DT: ...Well...my bands (Snog and Black Lung etc) are for sure 'cult' bands, we aren't going to sell a million records any time soon...but we do have fans in strange places...quite a few high up in government and the corporate world, which has an odd kind of logic, because we are not yet another crappy indie/pop/whatever band singing shiny turd songs about nothing but actually attempt to grapple in some small way with the 'human condition'...I get quite a few personal letters/messages from people in the army/intelligence services (hell I got one from a monastery) and from individuals in the CIA/NSA...I assume the first connection come through something like this...but of course I didn't ask...you never ask things like this...

SL: So how did this meeting happened (or is this top-secret) and what did they exactly have in mind?

DT: ...Actually it is like being contacted by any bureaucracy at first...you know, just very polite letters going back and forth about where our schedules might meet and so on...and then I was asked to meet with a DARPA liaison offer in a DoD building (I can't tell you where) which is when things got interesting...they were very courteous and told me they had been 'aware' on my work 'for 'some time'...I had to attend a brief training program to prepare me for DoD language and military procedure...it is all a bit of a haze now but I do faintly recall a lot of people talking, some films and sounds, strange tasting food, bright lights and very little sleep at all...I remember being very upset at the time but now it all seems like a bit of a laugh and after all that I was very co-operative with all the people I met in the command and combat structure...

SL: The info that we all can read on different sites claims that the music had to 'reflects the ideals and reality of vision 2020, a futuristic military strategy program that first saw the light of day in may of 2000'. What is it all about and how did you start working on it?

DT: ...Joint Vision 2020 is a program which is basically the underlying strategy behind all U.S military activity...this policy advocates total dominance in all spheres, not merely on the battlefield, but also in all communications, media, propaganda, economics, social structure, individual thought processes etc...it is bold and revolutionary...

SL: What made you finally decide to accept the job and in, which way did you get motivated by the 'budget' and remuneration for this concept?

DT: ...Once you comprehend the incredible grip that the military and 'defense' corporations have on our culture and intellectual environment the only sane choice is simply to accept 'defeat' and join them...and, as you know, according to Marxist theory all artists are simply 'small business' people in disguise so I had no real choice but to adopt a rational small business model and assume a symbiotic relationship with the dominant lifeform...

...Remuneration is no longer really a question for me...I have signed a military contract and having entered a number of combat zones while working on this project I must (by law) receive a full combat pension...

SL: I remember some old interviews where you didn't totally agree with some practices of the American government so it all sounds a bit strange DARPA contacted you while you finally accepted the proposition as well! How comes?

DT: ...So if the Devil invites you to dinner, do you accept?...Of course you do...not only is He an excellent conversationalist but also He always eats in only the best restaurants...

SL: Did they let you choose under which name (project) this concept would be released and why especially as Black Lung instead of Snog or Soma?

DT: ...I decided early on it would be a Black Lung project (and in fact DARPA had asked for this) as it made sense so that all the recordings made inside the military bases/bunkers/command centers could be used as 'found' sound and as part of a Black Lung 'soundscape'...

SL: It took you nearly one year to achieve the entire concept so can you summarize the different chapters you went through?

DT: ...Well there are a number processes I can't really describe in detail you understand...Part of the original DARPA brief involved the use of subliminal messages and motivational subsonics to be embedded at the final stages in the audio program...So really not only does it sound good but it is also good for you too! (you will have to take my word on that of course)...

...Naturally the after the initial introductory meetings, briefings and DoD training the first actual creative process involved making hundreds of field recordings inside bases, installations and other more esoteric centers of activity and also conducting around 200 hours of interviews with DoD, DARPA and other 'related' personnel...these interviews were not used generally in the 'music' (apart from some subtle sub-audio carrier usage), but instead were used for research, development and perception management solutions...the final stage was a lengthy editing and mix process achieved largely in the military facility at Pine Gap near Alice Springs, Australia...

Content Continues Below

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SL: What have been the main difficulties you encountered during the entire process?

DT: ...Logistically there were few difficulties...Having almost unlimited access to DOD/NSA etc personnel and facilities often it was just a matter of having my recording equipment freighted to the various sites and then myself catching a transport or various other classified forms of transportation to and from the numerous installations involved...

...Creatively the greatest difficulty I encountered was having to purge myself of any desire to proselytize or editorialize...It simply wasn't appropriate and in fact would indeed harm the motivational/purely informational nature of the project...

SL: All tracks are like symbolizing the global concept, dealing with very different aspects like politics, economy, power, ecology etc! Tell us a bit more about the global vision and how realistic does it sound?

DT: ...Oh it's very 'realistic', in fact it is 'in place' and 'live'...a summary of the original policy is here: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=45289 but it has since been subsumed and super-ceeded although the basic policy still operates at the grass roots level of all U.S DoD foreign and domestic policy of course...

SL: You got access to defense installations and the personnel working in there so what have been your experiences and how did it happen?

DT: ...I have to be honest and admit that it was a little intimidating at first...You must remember I come from quite a different 'world' (the world of artists and musicians of course) and had no real experience of military matters or affairs...and of course being a civilian one might lack some respect for military people and procedure, but being a person of humble beginnings I really did relate to the 'grunts' best, in fact I did become quite close to a few personnel that I worked very closely with and have since lost to enemy operations in the combat theater - which has been quite difficult naturally...we did conduct recording sessions in two live fire zones but of course I can't be more specific than that...

SL: The field recordings must have been quite fascinating, but I guess quite complex to execute as well! Did it need some specific preparation and what did you exactly recorded?

DT: ...The nature of some of the field recordings is of course classified and cannot be discussed...we did however access facilities in Alaska, continental U.S.A, U.A.E, Poland, Egypt, Indonesia, Australia, Cuba, Diego Garcia and two combat zones that for security reasons cannot be named...there are indeed two different versions of the album, one classified and only available to DoD/DARPA/NSA/DIA personnel (it features some different mixes with classified material somewhat more audible and is a little longer) and a version available to the general public...you will also note that most internal documents and associated project materials are hidden behind secure DoD firewalls and not accessible to the public at this time...

THIS SECTION OF THE TRANSCRIPT HAS BEEN REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE RELEVANT MILITARY AUTHORITIES............................... TH357B

SL: How did you manipulated the field recordings and how did you mix them with studio equipment?

DT: ...We recorded at large facilities like Offutt, Vandenberg and Andrews Air Force bases using six Sony PCM-D1 digital field recording devices which I had been given...we would place the machines around the room/enclosure/facility and timestamp the recordings using a four nano-second tachyon pulse (the album is often played around the public address systems of military facilities in 5.1 surround but at this stage is only available to the public in stereo)...we also used the tachyon pulse to record reverbs in all sorts of rooms (like the DELTA II silos at Vandenberg or the underground detention rooms at Bagram for example) and then analyzed them to simulate our own unique set of delays, reverbs and echos...

...All of this was done digitally but the final stages (manipulation of field recordings, instrument recordings and mix) were done in the analog domain mixing through 64 channel SSL console and running all sorts of vintage effects (Mosrite Fuzzrites etc) as inserts...some mixes were done in the missile solos at Vandenberg, some in the domes at Pine Gap, some at undisclosed locations...

SL: The 1st part of the album is quite into rhythm while the 2nd part sounds quite soundtrack-like creating a kind of duality! How do you explain this evolution in 'style'?

DT: ...It is primarily a creative choice...I don't like to stay on the same 'gear' for too long, and I don't like to listen to music that stays on the same 'gear' for too long...and for Black Lung these are two natural areas - the heavy beats and the claustrophobic ambience - so why not create a listening experience that combines both?...

SL: How do you feel about the result of the album and what have been the reactions for so far and I particularly think of DARPA?

DT: ...Oh I love this album - it is honest, frightening, optimistic, celebratory and eternal all at the same time...DARPA are very happy with it, we are in discussion about a follow-up project...

SL: As it became a quite special album composed for a particular instance, did you get complete artistic freedom or did you get exposed to some censorship? And would you do it again?

DT: ...Once I had adjusted to the right corporate/military mindset and had eliminated all questioning/ambiguous thought patterns through a rigorous regime of opinion standardization, censorship of any form was not necessary...I had to live and breath the warrior lifestyle for many months (I bunked at a number of bases and underwent basic training exercises for a time) and deployed mental feedback and meditation techniques to reach the correct state of mind...we will most likely embark on a new project early in 2010...

SL: The album has been released on Tympanik Audio for the North American scene (and Ant-Zen in Europe), which is your first release on this label! How did you get in touch with Tympanik Audio - which according to me and pure musical wise - sounds as the right label for your work?

DT: ...It was a natural to work with Paul from Tympanik as his family has a military background and he himself is cleared for a security clearance level 3/BA...he was actually DARPA's suggestion...

SL: Advoxya Records recently released a new album of Snog full of remixes. There're 2 interesting Black Lung remixes on it, but isn't it a bit schizophrenic to remix Snog by Black Lung (or vice versa)J)? How is it working on a remix for Snog?

DT: ...Schizophrenia is a logical state of mind when dealing with the absurd or extremely improbable... The mind naturally partitions itself into sub-sectors to avoid the clash of mutually exclusive opinions/information/realizations/actions...It is a defense mechanism, and a sustainable one in the short term at least...

Band: http://www.myspace.com/blacklung01 / www.myspace.com/blacklung01
Label: http://www.tympanikaudio.com / www.tympanikaudio.com / http://www.myspace.com/tympanik / www.myspace.com/tympanik

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Black Lung - If the Devil invites you to dinner, do you accept? Of course you do!

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