A Quick Chat with Plastiq

How did you form Plastiq? 

13.8 billion years ago, a cataclysmic event occurred, as a minuscule yet infinitely dense inferno erupted into existence. As the dust settled, the primordial arthropods emerged and through their collective effort produced a singular egg sack. Within it was the rare and coveted ingredients necessary to create a distinguished lineage of alt-pop electronic musicians. This musical tradition evolved over many moons until the time was right for a sacred union to take place. Quartz Pistol and Moses Carr were chosen by the Arthrogods to give birth to 'Plastiq', the zenith of electronic alt-pop in the present era.

Take us through the process of your art - combining the worlds of music, visuals and technology? 

We like to take a holistic approach to delivering Plastiq’s music. This strengthens the experience and associations that our audience develops when engaging with our work. Our initial brainstorms help us find the source material to accompany the music. We like to go big and find key themes that either make us laugh, cry or enthral us in some way. The weirder the better, we can always refine and get logistical afterwards. Occasionally there is a dissonance with merging audio and vision: the pacing isn’t right or the tone doesn’t suit the music. It’s imperative for us to have an outside perspective when we hit these kinds of road-blocks. Working with CAPITAL WASTE helps to actualise our vision and provide an objective point of view as well. We love having the ability to collaborate with experts in their respective mediums.

The new single DOLPHIN shows a different side and sound to you. Can you tell us about this?
We have many sounds within us, it sometimes surprises us what comes out. This track definitely shows a more organic side to us compared to the calculated and complex work we have released prior. With fewer elements, we embrace a more “simple” structure with a focus of groove and melody. The rhythmic bass guitar anchors the song by both informing the harmony and momentum in the low-end. 

The chorus contrasts this by opening up to longer serene pads which sweep the listener into euphoria. We often fall back on large epic cinematic moments in our writing and production at Plastiq HQ. Despite this, Dolphin was an instance where we wanted to explore something more intimate, reflective and captivating in its simplicity. The song poses as a soft and tender moment for self realisation. 

What is the meaning of the track?

Lyrically, QUARTZ PISTOL talks about those moments in life where you feel like you can’t keep up with the pace, you’re rushing out the door, dropping your keys. The realisations that come from these states are often sobering. The chorus serves as the moment of self-acceptance, a release from the grips of capitalism in the patriarchy. We should all recognise that our shortcomings sometimes only exist in this context, designed to squeeze productivity out of humans. I reflect on things my mother told me over the years about recognising my privilege; “she reminds me I’m not hungry and I am loved”. We all need to give ourselves permission to make mistakes or take our foot off the relentless accelerator.

What are the influences behind your music and process? 
It’s interesting for us to really think about what our influences currently are. I feel like it’s often the last thing we listened to or some amalgamation of what we are both enjoying at the moment. Through the process of creating we also learn a lot about the other person’s musical history and influences. It’s funny what comes out in the wash sometimes, we like to create an environment where no idea is too ridiculous or far-reaching to fit the mould. We try not to conceive of the outcome while we are making music. We can be our authentic selves when we remain present.

As far as the process goes we “jam” a lot to birth ideas. This can be nice to welcome in those off-the-cuff moments and find the connective tissue of harmony and melody. We have recently recorded anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes of synth and vocals. Then we go back and listen, finding parts we would like to implement into the arrangement of a song, almost like sampling a record.

Have you got any shows coming up?

Moses is embarking on a journey of self-discovery for a few months but upon his return we are excited to perform at the National Gallery of Victoria for NGV Friday Nights on September 22nd. CAPITAL WASTE will be joining us on live visuals. We are so excited to bring our digital visual world into the live show.