THE ARTIST AND THE BEDROOM

What is Music For Horses ?

It is an amateur music project. It started with the first LP made in 1999.

Is it a band or do you make music on your own ?

It is mostly done by one person. However, over the years I have asked for contributions from friends and other musicians, especially for vocals and drums.

Are you a professional musician?

I'm not. The music is given for free. Unfortunately for some people, free means crap!

What is the story of the project?

Back in the pre-digital era, I was recording noisy guitar duets on tapes using two tape decks. In 1996, I purchased a 4-track cassette recorder. The seller was fairly amused to be selling this gear just before the digital revolution. When I asked him about the solidity of the thing, he said something like 'Don't worry boy, by the time it breaks, nobody will even know what a cassette is anymore!'

Then I started home recording rather than playing in bands. In amateur bands, you cannot really force mates to play the way you wish. It's supposed to be a democracy! Which is fine, but it felt better to be able to shape the musical ideas I had in mind, whenever I wanted, without requiring other people. On the first track I made, I remember recording some drum toms late at night until my dad next door got up and threw a shoe at me. Only joking, he was actually very cool about it (thanks dad). So I completed the first LP in 1999, self-titled Music For Horses. Probably one of the last analog rock recordings of the century! Done with only one mic which had cost 20€ at a car boot sale.

Around 2002, I went digital, which was the new approach to home recording. As for many musicians, it took a couple of years to sort out computing troubles, the bloody soundcard drivers, blue screens and hundreds of other technical aspects of this new environment... instead of playing instruments. At this point, the artist has to deal with the multiplication of possibilities and not get drowned or discouraged. Nowadays, the variety of available tools we get is literally endless.

The second LP (Unspoiled By Progress) has been a difficult experience in that sense. Being at the same time the musician and the 'producer' of my bedroom studio, the process of recording a song could turn into a never-ending cycle. Each track could exist in fifteen different versions. That wouldn't really happen when working with magnetic tapes. That was part of the learning process.

Later on, I sort of set 'artistic rules'. Number one is: I own enough toys - getting new gear is not allowed. Rule #2: keep the DAW for phases of recording and producing. Do not start any creative process with it (unless looking for electro sounds).

What about the third LP (Return To Rocky Mountains) ?

The idea was to record faster, to keep it fresh. So I decided to start from a big folder filled with about a hundred of guitar riffs that I had written on sheets over the years (mostly in my stud years instead of reading). There were many of them, so I had built a kind of process to record fast. The project code name was 'ALR' for Assembly Line Recordings. Over one week a demo was made. I do like the sound of these spontaneous recordings. And sometimes the final song loses the initial intent (that's why I don't do demos anymore). Next, we aimed to record 'live' with the drummer and the bassist... still in the bedroom! That was fun. The overall sound of the album is not great though, because it was not Abbey Road's main room, right ? I should get it remastered properly.

In the following decade, the project opened up and some friends kindly agreed to play or sing. Their input is really valuable and I truly thank them. On 1000 Ships Nathan's work has been fantastic. It shaped the very soul of the project. It was nice to leave the bedroom as well and to see the outside world. Trees, cars, people.

Why is the production so minimal ?

When I think the track has got the 'soul' of the tune I had in mind, I don't see the point in adding too much stuff or making the track last too long. Still, I try to get the sound nice, and will do the best I can when mixing and EQing.

Why the silly name ?

I have no idea. It comes from a drawing, I think.

Do you like horses ?

I don't eat them. You can't find 'horse butchers' anymore. Quite a good name for a metal band, actually.

What genre is this music ?

According to an AI I used to check the website code, it is 'Art Music' which was surprising because most of the songs draw from basic indie bands from the nineties or prog-folk from the seventies... with a lo-fi twist. I don't know the genre but it should be listened to as a whole, preferably lying on the sofa on a Monday evening at 11 pm after a hard day's work, when you're wondering 'why am I doing this job?' when you could stay at home and record music and ask yourself 'why am I doing that ?'.

Have you got any concerts planned ?

I haven't and I probably won't unless I bring a laptop and press a key, which is not very interesting to do. Or we start to rehearse as a band... but then the music will be something else.

Will there be more records to come ?

I hope so but I don't want to be redundant. It would need to explore a new genre.

Thanks for reading!