Robedoor

First construct, then deconstruct? Or the other way around?

A: Totally construct, then deconstruct, then construct again. I love repetition.

B: The deconstructing is the constructing – same thing. Rendering a deliberate intention is the act, whether you’re building or wrecking.

A: I’ve been renovating my house and I’m really only qualified to destroy: rip shit up, haul out trash. I like building things for sure, but generally my qualifications keep me on the wrecking crew.

Is your process of making music basically the same as when you first started out? Or is this process ever-changing?

A: Our process is pretty set in stone – or rather, encased in mud. We’ve developed and evolved in the ease of creating the Robedoor language or whatever, but ultimately the way we make music has changed very little. There’s an initial idea, be that a riff, a beat or some doomy conception. Then we work around it. The goal is to get lost and achieve a brain-dead sort of Zen state where the void just fills in the blanks.

‘The goal is to get lost and achieve a brain-dead sort of Zen state where the void just fills in the blanks’

How old were you when you started making music?

A: I started playing the cello when I was a kiddo – bowl cut, gapped teeth, the whole thing. I remember being super into the heaviness of the bass and cello section at the orchestra.

B: In eighth grade I started making action movies with a camcorder and sometimes there’d be sections where me and my cousins would wear masks and play Casios and Stratocasters. But it was definitely inane and anti-musical.

Do you feel making music is a way to release emotions?

A: Sure it’s cathartic – and don’t get me wrong, I’m aware of how fucking doomy and evil our jams are. But I’d like to think it’s beyond emotion – or at least specific emotions. It’s not like channelling anger or love or something. I find that kind of specificity fairly silly.

Are there other ways to make your load of emotions somewhat lighter?

A: You mean like drinking and drugs? Ha-ha. I mean, there are plenty of non-demonic ways to achieve the same sense of loss: sex, eating fruit, being in the desert at night, hanging with dogs.

B: Living a life you respect, writing, having soulful, long-lasting relationships with people you’re captivated by. Laying shirtless in the sun, eating your favourite foods.

Is there any stuff in your life that you don’t really need?

B: I used to be obsessed with giving away every book after I’d read it, and trading shirts with friends. Just passing things along through the cycle of life, to never hoard anything. But at a certain point you can fall in love and you want to create something slightly lasting. To do that sometimes it means you stay put more than you used to. Then you look up and there’s 500 cassettes stacked in a corner.

What part of your life could use some deconstruction?

A: I think of deconstructing my life like a vacation or something – it seems like it would be a blessed luxury to unpack all my proverbial boxes, sort shit out, toss some garbage, smash some old hats and then put everything back in order… Shit – I mean – my concept of being human is changing pretty rapidly: owning property, being someone’s life partner, being a boss, I got dogs, cats… Maybe I need to get back to unpacking. Maybe I need to deconstruct my ambivalence to social media and get with the times… Nah.

B: While I love running a label and working in music, I’m secretly curious about new worlds that unfold after, or in parallel with it. I want to make a movie or write a book. Human life is vast, you should stumble through as many zones and pursuits as you can.

You sound like a very upbeat and relaxed person.

B: Thanks! I’m a Libra – always been pretty balanced.