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splinterswerve
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
splinterswerve.hotmail.com
Interviewed by Wendi Seskus-James
I don't remember officially meeting Ryan Slemko, but I've known him since junior high. Back then he probably wore brown cords and shaker knit sweaters. And he was in French immersion.
Today, Ryan is hip as all get out and lives in Vancouver working as a freelance illustrator. He also fronts the band Fidgital, an electronic pop band that has earned a Canadian Indie Award. With five albums under their belt, they just released Departure, which “combines elements from indie rock, glitch, instrumental hip-hop, dub reggae, ambient & jazz to create a soundtrack for a life spent between departure terminals & hotels.”
But before all this is my memory of Ryan and his comments in our junior high yearbook. Beside his picture was a list of likes and pet peeves. Ryan's pet peeve? Organized religion. Now, bearing in mind we went to a Catholic school, that response was downright treachery. A comment like that -- published -- would have been enough to get most students expelled, or, at very least, detention. But Ryan seemed to fly under the radar, allowing him to flourish as a true individual, which most people seem to struggle with in school. I attribute Ryan's character to his current success as an artist.
Wendi: Ryan, does my perception resonate with you at all or have I got this all wrong?
Ryan: Well Wendi, I think you must have been on the Yearbook Committee, because that's what I wrote, not what reached print. You better not be the goodie-two shoes who dulled down my response. Getting expelled would have at least given me something to talk about at parties when people bring up how naughty they were as children. Allow me to enumerate the few pitiful moments of perceived recklessness that I can remember:
1 - Shitting on the front lawn.
2 - Pulling my pants down to show the neighbour's daughter.
3 - Getting a bowl cut against my father's better judgement.
4 - Writing something I only half heartedly believed in the yearbook.
Let's face it- I was a total spineless bore. If I'm an artist now, it arises from my self-resentment as a souless child.
W: I like the idea of you being the spawn of Satan, as you didn't have a soul as a child. What makes you have soul now? Like what was the tipping point? When did you actually become "an artist"?
R: I'm being perfectly serious when I say that self-resentment drove me to being an artist. By the time I left my coddling nest to start work at a video-game company in Vancouver, I was literally aching to make something interesting of myself. Suddenly I was thrown into this petri dish of artists and musicians and technology in a city of hippies that was growing and changing swiftly. It kick-started an addiction that's with me today. I never stopped making stuff. I haven't been without some kind of project since, whether it be art, or comics or music or puppet shows or whatever. But making stuff doesn't necessarily make you an artist I don't think. It makes you creative. It might even make you a craftsman. I don't believe art comes until you're expanding your comfort zone, exploring new territory, consciously applying the skills you've acquired in new and surprising ways. Have I done that? I'd like to think so sometimes.
W: Hmmm, yes, I think we are all creators and we are creating all the time. Speech is creation. We create something with every word. And indeed, desire is creative energy. I think if we become conscious of what we create and have a focus for our creative energy, then it leads toward artistic expression. In what way does Fidgital provide a focus for your creativity? What you say also says something about growth and evolution. Does Fidgital provide some kind of structure for that? I'm wondering if the structure of Fidgital provides a certain comfort that in turn gives you confidence to then go outside your comfort zone.
R: Oh! I like what you've just said!
Keith Gillard and Ryan Slemko = Fidgital When I first started working with Keith Gillard, the producer and other song writer for the band, we decided that Fidgital's unique sound arose from our mix of jazz instrumentation with contemporary beats and a pop aesthetic.
It's a definition, but a comfortably loose one that has allowed us to pivot in many directions. All along it's been a quest to see how far we can push that core idea.
"Spyglass" was our 'spy-beat' album, "Condo Life" our 'pop' album, "Vintage Red" our 'rock-opera' album, and our newly released "Departure" is 'down-tempo' and 'dub'.
Between albums, we've traditionally released remix EPs, with people from around the world remixing our songs, and it's always a pleasant surprise to hear what turns up on our FTP site. Anyway, yes there's some defining parameters, a skeleton to hang the flesh, but it's all about exploring, experimentation and having fun.
W: I love that you mention having fun in your exploration and experimentation as well. How important is fun in the creation process?
R: It just makes sense: the more you enjoy what you're doing, the greater your focus and productivity. Working in 'the zone' is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. We've all been there at some point. Still, there are tedious aspects of being an artist. Going to unexplored places can be downright unpleasant, but there's always the possibility of expanding your scope of ability and vision. You don't grow unless you go to those places, even if it's just a little bit at a time.
W: What about the notion of the tortured soul of an artist?
R: I said that being an artist has the potential for having tedious moments, not that one's soul need be tortured to be creative. I think if someone is tortured, it probably has more to do with latent mental illness or outrageous self-expectation. Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps I'm reading too much into the word 'torture'. I know that I can't stop working on something until it feels right, but that's more like a 'nagging' feeling than 'torturous'.
W: When I listen to a Fidgital song, I always find it inspiring. Not just because it makes my feet tap (though certainly that is a huge part of it) but because there are ideas in the lyrics that often challenge the status quo by taking a generally accepted idea and turning it on its head. I'd like to know more about your creation process with your new album Departure, and the dark and light aspects of the album.
R: Last year was a period of upheaval for the band. Keith took a job he couldn't refuse and moved to California, and it was months before his pregnant wife could join him. The endless business trips, though exciting, exasperated his isolation. Craig Burdes, our (stupendous) drummer, moved to Nanaimo to start a family. Meanwhile, I took a scary plunge and quit as art-director at a game company to work as a freelance illustrator.
It was unclear if Fidgital would survive our schedules and working remotely. For practical and thematic reasons, we scaled back on the number of lyrics, vocals and instruments, focusing on something spare and moody. The 'dub' genre naturally picked itself as we started writing. Not surprisingly, the topics of our new album include letting go of what you love, travel and loneliness, communication breakdown, even dealing with immigration, but themes also include discovery, and following inspiration to wherever it takes you.W: Sounds like art reflecting life, as they say! So what happened when you finished recording Departure? Does it feel cathartic? And where is your inspiration leading you now?
R: Since finalizing the vocals a couple months ago, I've devoted every spare moment to updating the website and getting the packaging and promotions ready. It wasn't until our big push to college radio stations and the media that I finally managed to sit back and enjoy "Departure". It's already starting to chart nationally, so I'm discovering it just as everyone else is. I love listening to it. It's epic but relaxing. It's got a great balance of joy and despair. It has a sense of humour without being tacky. We're getting better at identifying the essential elements of a song and cutting out the fluff. We're getting better at leaving room for the listener, if that makes any sense. I'm proud of it, and yes, we're taking what we've learned to the next album. Our current project is a collection of 3/4 time ballads, ideas we've had on the go for a few years now.
W: I for one love the album, Ryan. Thank you for taking the time to talk about it and your process.
Wanna check out Departure? Download the album in its entirety for a limited time. Just click on the following link: http://www.fidgital.com/main.php?section=Download
You can also hear Fidgital on splinterswerve on the sound page.
