‘Click Interview’ with Studio-X: ‘ Cd’s Are Not Exactly Great For The Environment’

Based in Adelaide (Australia) Studio-X has been set up in December 2008 by Matthew Martin and Lawrie Bayldon. They got rapidly signed to the Belgian label Alfa Matrix and released their official debut album “Neo-Futurism” in 2011. On the next two albums “Breaking The Void” (2014) and “Ad Astra Volantis” (2015) Lawrie Bayldon went on without Matthew M., but joined hands together with Chris Carter. For the fourth full length “Neural Torment” (2017) Studio-X worked together with the Italian project Technoid. During the last months of 2018 Studio-X already launched a new opus entitled “Wrong”, which is without a shadow of a doubt the most diversified work in Studio-X’ discography. This time Lawrie Bayldon worked together with female singer Bridgette Collins accomplishing a more pop-orientated work carried by the familiar techno vibes this artist has used to produce.

( Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries )

Q: After an album released together with Matthew Martin, two other albums featuring Simon Carter and the latest one with Italian artist Technoid,  for the new “Wrong” album you now joined hands together with Bridgette Collins. Did you feel it was time to inject a new member and what has been the input and impact of Bridgette on “Wrong”?

Lawrie: Bridgette began singing on many of my side-projects before we got together as a couple. She helped very much on the latest album and did some vocals on many of the songs as well.

Q: “Wrong” definitely sounds as your most versatile work although it remains mainly driven through techno influences. How did you explain this evolution in sound and what kind of work did you really want to achieve?

Lawrie: I sort of stumbled upon this idea, I guess after many years of making hard dance sounds we felt it was time for something a little different, hence the industrial-breakbeat sound.

Q: Vocals also now take a larger place in your work compared to vocal samples in the past releases. Is this the new STUDIO-X artistic direction?

Lawrie: It is likely that I will continue to use this voice style in the future, I really enjoyed writing lyrics and singing on this album.

Q: How did it feel for you to experiment with new influences? Did you have specific criteria and references and maybe a different way of working/producing?

Lawrie: Not really, I more or less came up with the idea very quickly, Bridgette and I completed this album in under 3 months so it was a very quick process. 

Q: The title of the album and all song titles are pretty short and straight; just one word! Even allowing you to make some kind of short story with these words on the back of the CD… It’s pretty intriguing, but what did you try to express and what is “Wrong” all about?

Lawrie: We just tried to express a new wave of industrial electronic music, the lyrics and music are an expression of randomness, what we were feeling at the time and our tendency to be unique.

Q: How does Studio-X stand between digital- or physical release of your music? Should we all accept the evolution and that CD’s are no longer selling -maybe except the biggest names?

Lawrie: We live in a generation of digital everything, we are happy just sharing our music however we can. CD’s are not exactly great for the environment so we are happy things are progressing this way.

Q: I dare thinking it’s quite odd for an Australian formation dealing with mainly techno music to be signed on a European label whose core scene is quite different. What have been your experiences so far with Alfa Matrix (you are also involved in other projects on the label like Prozium and Avarice In Audio) and how do you see the further development of Studio-X? 

Lawrie: Yes and many other side-projects, as for Studio-X, we are planning to continue exploring our musical journey. Alfa Matrix has been the best label I have ever worked for and we have much respect and love for them.