Interviews
Margaret Far
April 2001
Interview By GirlMedia
You were classically trained in piano and also sang in a professional choir. While your music shows advanced musicianship, it doesn’t sound like your past influenced your current music. How did you come about to write “electronic pop” songs?
While I appreciate classical music, it never really inspired me quite the way that electronic and new forms of music do. I’ve always been fascinated by synthesizers and their limitless sounds and samples. You have countless “instruments” to play with and tweak. The sound of classical music is limited to the instruments that create it.
Who were your influences when you were younger and who currently inspires you now?
Kate Bush has always been the biggest influence for me. I find her music completely original and unique. Her music moves me and I relate to her lyrics easily. I love the way that she uses the studio itself as an instrument. - using lots of effects and layering. Her work has a lot of depth. I am still finding things I’ve never heard before in her albums. Peter Gabriel and Bjork are also big influences.
How did you learn drum programming?
I started listening closely to the percussion and programming in songs I liked and sort of learned to break them down, first listening to the kick, then the snare, then the hi hat and so on. Once I learned the basics of what comprised a beat, I started programming my own drums, coming up with beats I thought would suit the song.
What was going on in your life at the time of writing Daytrip?
I had just begun writing the songs for Daytrip when my dad suddenly had to go into the hospital. He was in intensive care for several weeks. He’s fine now, but this was a big turning point in my life. It really put things in perspective and made me realize how little time we have here, and that I had to hurry up and do what I wanted to do.
Was Daytrip released independently?
Yes, Daytrip was released on Middlechild Music, my own independent record company and publishing company.
Are you able to take your songs on the road, or is it only a studio project?
For now it is a studio project. Many of the sounds that were created for Daytrip would be difficult to create live, but we are working out the technology to perform it at some point.
Daytrip was only released a year ago, but do you have any plans to release another album in the future?
Yes, I am already hard at work on my next album. I’ve been spending a great deal of time in the studio writing, programming and recording the vocals. Hopefully it will be ready for release early next year.
Where would you like to go professionally and creatively in the future?
I want to keep exploring, as a writer and a programmer. My goal is to be able to keep creating albums that I think are unique.
Your website is gorgeous. Who designs it?
Thank you. Terrance Farley, a web-designer located in Orlando, FL designed the site. He can be contacted through my website.
What can we expect to hear/see of you in the near future?
Hopefully a lot more.
