URU: As far as I know it's doing well. I haven't been able to play a lot of shows to back it up so far but that will hopefully change in the new year. I will say that the people who have given me feedback have been very cool and supportive so far. And I have seen it on a few Top 10 lists so obviously that's very nice.

INQ: The remix disc has an interesting selection of known and lesser-known acts, a bit like Iszoloscope's Au Seuil du Néant remix disc. This is a fantastic opportunity for the lesser-known acts, but how do you attract the more high profile artists to remix your music?

URU: Pure, dumb luck. :)
Actually, I had been conversing with Mike (Displacer) online for a while, and him and Stephen from S:Cage were instrumental in getting my tracks on the sub.session comps. So it was pretty easy to coerce Mike into remixing. I had been in touch with Scott (Converter) and Karloz (Manufactura) since Auricle Media was their undertaking and they really went to bat for it. They're very cool, humble people and I was really happy to be able to get to know them and work with them. Having said that, all the remixers did a kick ass job.

INQ: Your songs have so much mood and emotion in them. Where do you go, emotionally speaking, when you start writing a track?

URU: Thank you! I usually start out with a specific idea, but 9 times out of 10 it'll morph into something completely different by the time I finish it. I just try to create something that has some sort of emotional attachment for me, or that evokes a feeling in some way. Sometimes it's a result of the frame of mind I'm in, but most of the time I just try to make a sound that reflects how I felt at a certain point in time. Cheesy, I know. I just find that music that is technically proficient but soulless tends to lose my interest pretty quickly, so I just try not to do that when I create a song.

INQ: When did you start writing music as Urusai? How did you pick the name?

URU: I started out about 3 years ago. I decided that I wanted to stop spinning other people's music and concentrate on creating my own, as I've wanted to do that for many years but was unable to accumulate any tools until about 2002. The name came as I was learning to speak Japanese; I was planning to move to Japan for a year and teach, which didn't work out, but I took a year of Japanese classes and that word just stuck out for me. The drawback is that while I think it sounds good, anyone who speaks Japanese will probably just think I'm a complete wanker.

INQ: You used to DJ in Ottawa with DJ Leslie, and you worked at Record Runner which had quite the collection of industrial music. How did this influence the music you're writing now?

URU: It essentially taught me what not to do. I was able to hear all different styles of music, and weed out what it was that I wanted to make. Good thing too. If I had started making music when I initially wanted to, I would've been an angsty 16 year old copying Skinny Puppy's style. That would've sucked. Anyway, a lot of my favourite projects like Gridlock, Mogwai, and Tarmvred have that ability to really dig their hooks in you and build their songs in such a way that you're spent and exhilarated by the end. I still aspire to do that.

INQ: How has the scene evolved since you started DJing?

URU: To be honest I have no idea. After I stopped DJing and quit the record store, I kind of took a break from that whole scene. Then I moved to Vancouver, and I haven't really gone to clubs that much or anything. I still try to keep up with what's out there, but it seems to be mostly EBM-oriented which I have no real interest in. Looks like the scene went on without me. ;p

INQ: You don't play live very often. Is this by choice or are you having trouble finding places to play?

URU: I'd love to play more shows, but the only reason I haven't is that I'm trying to upgrade my equipment so that the show will be more 'live'. My old computer wasn't reliable enough, but I have a more powerful one now so hopefully I'll actually be ready to play in the near future. At that point I plan to actively pursue more shows, hopefully with another release under my belt.

INQ: How receptive are audiences to your music?

URU: So far, very receptive. People have been very kind, I've sort of been waiting for the other shoe to drop and read an atrocious review but so far it's been very positive.

INQ: What kind of hardware/software do you use?

URU: Primarily I used programs like Acid and Wavelab, but I plan on switching to Ableton and making more use of my little Oxygen 8. There will be much knob twiddling.

INQ: The new material on your MySpace site is pretty exciting! What new things are you trying out, and when will there be another album?

URU: Thanks! I'm very happy with where it's going so far. I'm trying to evoke more of a dark mood without relying so heavily on distortion. As well, I love IDM but I'm tired of hearing 8-9 minute songs that don't so much build as just add layers of obtuse angular beat patterns and then just stop. Ideally I'd like to write dark noisy IDM and glitch hop stuff, but more within a 4 minute pop-song length. I'm trying to add some different influences in there as well, like post-rock textures as well as more intricate melodies. I'm working on finishing a new demo, which should be completed in the next couple of months, so hopefully a full cd will be finished by the end of summer.

INQ: You *actually* make video games for a living? How sweet is that?

URU: Heh....pretty damn sweet. Also, stressful, and it eats up most of my time, which is why new material is slow in coming. But I can't complain, it's a really interesting industry. I'm more on the research end of things so I get to play a lot of different games and try to analyze what works and what doesn't. It's a pretty cool gig.

INQ: Thanks, Gregg! Any last thoughts?

URU: Thank you Victor! I appreciate the interest and the support, and I'm glad to see someone like you devoting themselves to the scene and the bands who are working their asses off. Nice job! (Readers should be aware that Victor's a talented DJ and musician too!) Also, I have a new track on an upcoming Geska Records compiliation. 2006 should be interesting.

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Many thanks to Gregg, for the interview and the compliments. I strongly encourage anyone who liked Gridlock to check out Gregg's stuff on his MySpace site. He rocks.
Interviewed Nov. 9, 2005, by Victor Couwenbergh.

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