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Talking Shop: Gazelle Twin

The Brighton-based com-poser and producer talks us

through the making of UnfleshFuture Music - September23, 2014

This week Brighton-based composer and producer ElizabethBernholz releases Unflesh, her second album under herGazelle Twin alias.

The LP – which was mixed at MemeTune, the London

studio-come-modular Mecca owned veteran synth experi-menter Benge – is a fascinating amalgamation of earthy folkinfluences and creative electronic experiments, blendingBernholz's raw, almost choral vocals with dark synths andheavily manipulated samples. To mark its release, FM caughtup with Elizabeth Bernholz to find out more about herapproach to production...

When did you start making music, and how did you first getstarted?

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"My earliest memory of composing was around aged sevenor eight when I starting multi-tracking my descant recorderusing two cassette decks. I have to'd and fro'd many timeswith the method of composition and style ever since. Goingfrom dark synthesizer music in my early teens, to writing an acapella choral mass in my late teens (multi-tracking my voiceinto Cubase).

"I only really embraced electronic music again in my midtwenties after I had exhausted my enthusiasm for writingchamber music – compositions that were rarely performedlet alone recorded. It was 2009 when I really began writingand producing in the way I do now. I'm probably due for aretreat into acoustic music in a few years when my attentionspan gets clogged up again."

Tell us about your studio/set-up

"I use my second bedroom at home as a studio and share itwith my husband. It's very basic digital setup, but I like work-ing with minimal gear in the writing and recording processbecause it pushes creativity and instinct a bit further. I gettoo overwhelmed starting a new project in a full kitted outstudio.

"I try to keep plug-ins to a minimum if I can, and prefer to usesamples for as much as possible where I can. For Unflesh, I

wrote, recorded and produced everything at home, then tookit to an analogue studio in London called MemeTune to workwith Benge on bringing some aspects out of the digital realmand into another dimension for extra production and mixing.We replaced a lot of the digital parts with real hardware,mostly vintage synths and effects units like the CS80, Linn-1,and Roland SDD-320 Dimension D Chorus.

"It was a one of a kind experience, and it's a one of a kindstudio. There are some extraordinarily rare pieces in therethat you could spend a whole lifetime playing around with."

A wall of synths at Benge's MemeTune studio

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What DAW (or DAWs) do you use, and why did you chooseit?

"I bought Ableton in 2009 and I haven't upgraded since. Ireally just use it just as a sequencer more than anything. It'sexcellent for the way I write, which is very improvisatory and

instinctive. I don't take ages to prepare things or labour overmultiple takes and settings. I believe in the first or secondtake in most cases.

"I like to have everything at the touch of a button so that I canexperiment freely. Ableton is perfect for that. I always preferto sculpt sounds and build drums from my own vocal sam-ples or my own recordings, and sometimes just what's infront of me like a box of tiddlywinks or a glass of water – soit's perfect for that sensibility."

What one piece of gear in your studio could you not dowithout, and why?

"A fairly decent pair of monitors with plenty of sub are reallythe most important thing for me in terms of mixing andproduction. I use Yamaha HS80s which do the job for thefirst part of the process. I also use my VE20 effects pedal alot during composing and working out vocal sounds which Ican perform live. It's the only piece of gear I use live, sowithout it I would feel very naked."

What dream bit of gear would you love to have in youstudio?

"The latest album was mixed on an MCI console from 1974. Iwould love to own that at home although it wouldn't fit in theroom. It's an extremely temperamental but beautiful thing towork with. Anything sounds better through an analogue desklike that."

MCI Desk 

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When approaching a new track or project, where do youstart?

"Beats are the most instinctive thing to begin with as I getsense of something moving forward. I always find that a beatand a baseline work best to form the skeleton of a track, but

sometimes it's good to shake things up and do it differently. Ireally like to loop found or homemade samples and hearmelodies, or beats or harmonic overtones in those, and startbuilding from there. Other times I'll start with a vocal line andbuild outwards."

What are you currently working on?

"I only finished the new album a few months ago, but soon Iwill be back in the studio to start on some remixes and newcollaborations for 2015, before setting off on tour this

Autumn in October and November. I can't reveal what it isuntil later in the year, but also just finished a project underone of my other pseudonyms 'NEWT' underscoring a musicdocumentary which will come out in 2015. It has been areally surprising project to work on as it involves a major popgroup, that I never thought I would be working with. It wastotally bizarre but really enlightening project."

Gazelle Twin's essential production tips...Build your own sounds

"Plugins, presets are great fun to play with, but so manypeople create music using the same sounds. I really valuecreating sounds from scratch including kits and synths. Youcan use any (cleared) sample to create these and it willalways be totally unique."

Don't lose the quality of a vocal through over-production

"Electronic music tends to feature heavy processing, which

can be great, but often with vocals, if there is too muchprocessing, especially on the sibilance and tone, you reallychange the natural resonance of someone's voice and canlose essential qualities of it."

Allow space

"Some of my favourite music uses silence for impact, eventhe most aggressive noisy music can be all the better forhaving a bit of space. You definitely find this in Hip Hop. Ialways think less is more."