[kj] Mont Sherar reveals remix of track by Killing Joke drummer BPF (Regen Mag)

Mon Dec 3 07:12:24 EST 2018

http://regenmag.com/news/mont-sherar-reveals-remix-of-track-by-killing-joke-drummer-bpf/

*Mont Sherar reveals remix of track by Killing Joke drummer BPF*
By Ilker Yücel (Ilker81x) Nov
30 2018

[image: BPF.jpg]

Having released his *Remote Viewing* debut earlier this year, BPF – the
solo moniker of Killing Joke drummer “Big Paul” Ferguson – has unleashed a
remix for the album track “The Great Motivator.” Created by
author/DJ/photographer/filmmaker Mont Sherar of Montster Filmwerks, the
Montstrosity (Re)Mix is presented as a complete audio/visual art piece that
reinterprets the song’s boisterous layers of shrill guitar feedback,
distorted atmospheres, and processional rhythms and compounds them with
frenetic imagery to build upon the song’s urgency and tension, Ferguson’s
straightforward spoken word at once despondent and arresting amid his
percussive attacks and the instrumental wizardry of Mark Gemini Thwaite.

<https://youtu.be/H0AAO0XLlwg>
BPF - THE GREAT MOTIVATOR - MONTSTROSITY (RE)MIX
<https://youtu.be/H0AAO0XLlwg>

“The Great Motivator” was originally featured on a vinyl EP that
accompanied deluxe editions of *Twilight of the Mortals*, Sherar’s
photographic history of Killing Joke released via PC-Press in 2017, wherein
BPF made its official debut; a revised version then appeared on *Remote
Viewing*. In a special correspondence with *ReGen Magazin*e, Mont Sherar
offered his insights on the creation of the remix/video, as well as some
background on the BPF album:

*Not only does the remix/video have a connection with my book, Twilight of
the Mortals, but the entire solo project of ‘Big Paul’ Ferguson featuring
guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite finds it roots there as well. I wanted to
include a vinyl record with the deluxe version of the book that would
feature one solo track by each Killing Joke band member. Paul sent me
several demos of various tracks he had made mainly composed of vocals and
drums/percussion. There was one track in particular that really hit my ‘DJ
Mont’ soft spot due to its great rhythm and catchy theme of ‘fear.’ I told
Paul that ‘that is the one’ I wanted to include, and hooked him up with
guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite, which subsequently formed the collaboration
they have.*

*From there, an entire album was born, ‘Fear’ became ‘The Great Motivator,’
and the idea for a future remix or two was always on my mind. I actually
created two other videos for Paul from the album – ‘I Am War’ and ‘Reboot.’
On both videos, I quietly remixed them in a sublime way, mainly redoing the
way they begin and end, but nothing too radical as I wanted to see what
kind of reaction I’d get. Both Mark and Paul loved the results, but what
really made me smile was seeing the comments on social media asking, ‘Where
can I get that version?.’ That made me decide to go all out from scratch on
my next video and favorite track, ‘The Great Motivator,’ completely
reimagining how it was arranged as well as energizing it for the
dancefloor.*

*My idea of ‘dancefloor’ is not a typical one, however. I hate remixes that
essentially just change the tempo and other elements based on a very ‘you
heard it before’ cliché dancefloor recipe. That’s a very simple way to do
it, but it tends to have both limited appeal and staying power. For me, the
best remixes of rock music preserve what makes it great for the rock crowd
it was intended for, but bring it to another level of groove that appeals
to those who want to dance. If done in a creative way, you can appeal to
both sides at the same time. Those were the mixes I liked best when playing
12-inch remixes during the ’80s and still feel that way today.*

*The unique sound and visual combination is likely a result of the unusual
way it was created to begin with. Because I really didn’t have a whole lot
of experience with traditional DAW (audio) software, but had an enormous
amount of expertise with video software, I decided to see what could be
accomplished by creating the entire thing – video and remix – in the same
program! Usually, these kind of things are done in completely separate
environments for obvious reasons, but I decided to just say ‘fuck it’ and
give it a go where I felt most comfortable! Since Final Cut Pro isn’t
designed for that kind of thing, it made me want to try even harder to see
if I could pull it off. There are no grids, no proper mixing tools, very
few effects, and so forth that one has an abundance of with a ‘proper’
audio program. I had none of these things available, but sometimes being
handicapped forces us to create things in interesting ways we might not
otherwise have thought of if it was all just smooth sailing. Having a clear
vision in what I wanted to create sonically, together with a visual idea to
go with it, I somehow managed to pull it off by brute force alone!*

*However, there was one big problem I hadn’t anticipated when my remix was
finally achieved and that had to do with getting all the levels balanced
out and other technical issues like that. We’re talking hundreds of various
audio clips in a timeline meant for linear video and what the hell was I to
do about that now? Fortunately, I was able to find a workaround that
allowed me to convert my FCPX files into audio stems, and get them exported
into a format whereby my son Anton (an audio engineer) could perform a
proper ‘mastering’ of the completed piece! In retrospect, the unique appeal
of the imagery with the audio track is probably the result of these very
limitations and being created simultaneously together in the same
‘universe.’ Not sure if I’ll ever try this method again though!*

*Regarding the imagery, I wanted to express the ‘feel’ of the lyrics and
music rather than create something that was ‘literal’ in the narrative. By
doing so, I feel the result is a unique one, a sort of ‘art piece’ where
the music and visuals reflect each other in a kind of symbiosis that’s not
often seen in most music videos. Here, you could say that the music is
creating the imagery, but also, that the imagery is creating the music.
Which is it?*

*I hope people like what they see and hear!*

*– Mont Sherar, November 30, 2018*

BPF released *Remote Viewing* via Dead Radio Station on August 24; prior to
its release, the independent label entered into a licensing agreement with
Swedish label The Sublunar Society for wider distribution of the album. As
such, *Remote Viewing* can now be purchased in digital and CD formats via
Bandcamp <https://bpfmusic.bandcamp.com/>.

BPF - I AM WAR (TRAILER) <https://youtu.be/OFmLkkXKcHs>  BPF - REBOOT
(Teaser) <https://youtu.be/7MrBs8VAbUE>

BPF
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/BPF-Big-Paul-Ferguson-678031195875234>,
Bandcamp <https://bpfmusic.bandcamp.com/>
Boneyard
Website <https://www.boneyardskullrings.com/>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/Boneyardskullrings-475717462618494/>
Dead Radio Station
Website <http://www.deadradiostation.com/>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/deadradiostationrecords>, Twitter
<https://twitter.com/deadradiolabel>, YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ_wZLJ08iKAhQ4nxqHE6GA>
The Sublunar Society
Website <http://www.sublunarsociety.net/>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/thesubsociety>, Twitter
<https://twitter.com/sublunarsociety>, YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/user/sublunarsociety2>
Mont Sherar/Montster Filmwerks
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/montsterfilmwerks>, Twitter
<https://twitter.com/MontSherar>, YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtFs-a4l1VfogAgT2HM9pJw>
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