MEET NOTTINGHAM"S EXCLUSIVE, RECLUSIVE ONE MAN ELECTRONIC MUSIC-MAKING MACHINE. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE GIVE YOU, PULSES!
Pulses are a one man electronic music-making machine. Steeped in mystery (has anyone actually met Chris Miles?), the Nottingham based musician has been quite prolific over the last six years with regular self-released product (As his Bandcamp page will testify). It’s time to turn the light on the pioneering stalwart of electroncia…
Although firmly rooted in synth driven music, you have a quite an eclectic blend. Who were your early influences?
My earliest influences as a musician were guitar bands- I was a grunge kid so loads of Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam! Orbital ‘Insides’ was what really opened my eyes (and ears) to electronic music and how it could be just as epic and grand in scale. From there I discovered lots of drum and Bass, breakbeat etc. I played jazz for many years (I studied guitar and music technology at university) so found lots of new influences in terms of harmony and the potential of improvisation. As part of my final year project I wrote an album that attempted to include the studio in a ‘jazz’ way- it was partially successful! The band got a fair few gigs off the back of that too.
How would you describe how your sound(scapes) have changed since the Binary Star album?
That first EP/album was really me trying to break away from some of my jazz influences and write something a little more accessible! It was written on an old copy of Reason 4- I had to buy a laptop off eBay with an old enough operating system for it to work! During lockdown I upgraded to newer software (as I had the time and nothing else to spend my money on) and expanded my synth and sample palette, as well as getting better at blending sounds. I think I’ve got better at not just layering as many sounds as possible and giving my work some clarity and direction, although I still like some those early songs- my kids named them all too! ‘Magma Rockstar’ was the track that anyone seemed to really notice once Signal Committee picked it upon Fresh on the Net. My good friend Adam suggested I go back to using my secret weapon as he calls it, the guitar! It seemed to be the track that clicked in terms of combining grooves and organic sounds. I don’t always include guitar but I think it’s given some distinctiveness to my sound.
You’re a prolific producer, how do you find the time between teaching, producing and life?
No idea- it’s kind of like breathing to me though, if I go a few days without doing anything creative I start to get restless, it just feels like there’re ideas that I need to get out and into a soundscape of some sort, whether anyone else wants to listen or not! I got pretty goo at fitting long practice hours on the guitar into my life at uni so the habits have kind of stuck. I also don’t watch nonsense like Gogglebox on TV so that frees up time!
What’s in the studio?
I’ve got an iMac running Reason 12 which I use for everything recording, mixing and mastering based. There’s a Nektar keyboard, launchpad, Akai midimix and TD-3 bass synth. There’s a good few guitars, I mostly use my Patrick Eggle Berlin (long story about that guitar too!) but have been known to use my Epihone Sheraton or my daughters Strat if I need different tones. Loads of software synths and the amp simulators in Reason are great if you know what you’re doing with them! For live work, live streams and any performance work it’s Ableton Live 11- all the songs are chopped up into samples so I can rearrange them for live work- the jazz musician in me can’t stand doing things the exact same way every time!
Do you have a collaborator?
Pulses is just me- I’ve been working under this same since January2018 so it feels a bit like a split personality now! Mrs Pulses and my kids often act as a sounding board for tracks- they’ll tell me if it just doesn’t work! I’ve worked with lots of other artists either doing remixes or producing- I did a full album with Michael Donoghue just over a year ago, we’ve both been fans of each others work so it was great to get to collaborate on a full album. It came together so quickly and we’re still both really proud of it. May Anne Hobbs brother Johnny Hobbs allowed me to use a picture I won in one of his competitions for the cover so that was extra exciting! There’s more on the way once we can clear a space in our schedules.
There’s lots of instrumentals in your catalogue, but would you like to work with any vocalists? Anyone in mind?
I’d love to get some vocals from Billy Nomates- she’s amazing! I have included the occasional vocal part but have to heavily process it as I can’t stand the sound of my own voice! I’d definitely like to include some more vocal styles or raps if anyone is interested!
Are you BIG in Japan? If not, why not?
Frankly I’ve no idea- 125 million people right? It’s the dream, get massive in a brilliant foreign country so you get to make a living out of music, travel but not be mobbed at home as a celebrity. I reckon the French would dig what I do if I could get some more airplay there- I even wrote a song called ‘The French Do It Better’ to get their attention! Who would you like to work with in the future?
I think I’d do a good job of remixing something for Benefits, they’re one of the most unique bands around right now. There’s loads of other great indie artists who I bump into on socials etc and I’m always up for seeing what other people make of my music and vice versa. I’d love to do something with The Allergies too- they are so skilled at what they do and create just the greatest breaks!
What’s on your toast?
Usually Marmite, Cheese (but not with Marmite) is a winner. Peanut butter with enough butter underneath to kill horse is also good but I’m banned from that at the moment, my wife is trying to keep me alive or something.
If you were a book, which one would it be?
I’d like to think ‘Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas’ but suspect I’m not cool enough. Something with a slightly threadbare dust jacket right now might be more accurate.
Your artwork follows the same stylistic theme. Any reason for this? Who does it?
I do all my own artwork (except for the aforementioned cover by Johnny Hobbs). Pulses was always intended to be a DIY ethic- I had a very clear idea of what I wanted the Binary Star cover to look like and knew it was something I could do myself and would look really simple but bold. Eventually I started to include pictures my wife or I had taken but filtered etc. It’s a fun thing to do and while I’ve no doubt a proper graphic designer would critique the hell out of them I’m a bit of a control freak so just like having the ‘corporate’ logo type thing. There’s so much material now it feels but late to change! the Pulses name logo was designed by my mate Matt who devised the typeface years ago and then put the name into it.
What’s your creative process like?
I have two things that usually start me off- I’ll hear a bass line, synth sound, riff or fragment of beat in my head and just record it into Reason and loop it, building ideas onto it from there (bit of music theory can help here with chords etc). Otherwise I’ll set up a groove on a sample of some drums or a improvise a bass groove until something clicks and the build it up again in the same way, layering and taking away textures until makes sense. Composers often see music as either a blank canvas you build layers up on or as a shapeless block that you then carve into a recognisable shape- I think I do a combination, building parts up until there’s too much then working out the best way to create rise and fall by mixing and matching parts.
What are the themes behind your music (Get Angry, Gentle Dissent, The Scream, Slipping Away, Death Particles…)
There’s not really a general theme as such- the lack of vocals sort of removes any obvious theme, I’m just trying to create something people can tap their feet too but also have enough layers to maintain interest. that said, Get Angry was named after I’d seen too many politicians getting away with gaslighting and lying to the country for so many years. I suppose that might have come to in the titles! I just think a bit more kindness could a long way and it can often seem like the meaness and intolerance his the only option people sometimes see. It’s probably for the best I don’t include lyrics, my political soapboxing would get really tedious and I don’t think I’n clever enough with lyrics to make it meaningful! What do you do for fun?
How does Chris unwind?
Apart from listen to music?! I have music on all the time- I’ll leave radios around the house so a rom isn’t silent when I walk in. Music is all I’ve ever wanted to do, it consumes every minute of my life! I do get out occasionally though, love a walking holiday, reading, watching my kids football teams. maybe I need another hobby, I might find something to write lyrics about then!
You’ve made it onto the Fresh On The Net playlist quite a few times. Are you rubbing shoulders with Tom Robinson yet?
If only- I’ve made the shortlist a couple times and been on the Eclectic Picks a fair few times- still hoping to get to then final 10 though! My dream is to get a song played on 6Music- the station got me through lockdown and it’s all I listen to. I know they’ve made some decisions as regards scheduling that a lot of people didn’t agree with but I do think times need to change every so often. It’s still the best station out there, nothing comes close to it’s eclecticism on national radio- obviously there’s loads of great indie stations though who do a brilliant job of supporting artists.
What’s on your playlist?
Michael Donoghue (always!), Signal Committee, Kim Gordon’s new album, Anna Meredith, any Orbital or Underworld, Justice (they’re playing Glastonbury this year surely!), Das Koolies, John Grant (Sinead O’Connor’s backing vocals on GMF are the most beautiful thing ever recorded FACT! I’m having that song played at my funeral), Bicep, Daniel Avery, Elkka, Billy Nomates, CMAT, Cake, Confidence man, PJ Harvey, Minimums, The Allergies, Mogwai, I’m not sure where to stop…
What’s the rest of the year look like for Pulses?
Trying to get the collaboration machine back up and running with Michael Donoghue, getting some new tunes incorporated into the live set, replacing my ageing iMac with a MacBook if I don’t need to spend the money on boring house stuff, finding as much time as possible in between my job and family life to get some new tunes written! Perhaps if I had a better plan I’d actually get big?!
When’s the next live stream?
As soon as I can find a suitable window and have enough new tunes to throw in you can get my last live set from IEM Radio on Bandcamp if you’re really desperate! Any plans to tour your music?
A tour would be fun- as any indie artist who’s also working full time to afford to live can attest it’s difficult finding time. Feels like there’s a gap for a support network of like-minded indie artists around the country to work together to allow artists to be heard by different audiences. it’s obviously hard at the moment with so many venues closing and people just stretched to their limits, but music always finds a way!
Check out the Pulses Bandcamp page here
He also has a CD compilation of his best r=tracks available now. Check it here
