"..hazey-electronic Nu-Dream Pop/the kind of slumber you don't want to wake from. You're warm, comforted/relaxed, and only aware of your inner surroundings. The soundtrack to this moment is brought to you by.."
Modernistic Chimera Lamentation
Oppressed By The Line Bio:
Jon Thompson grew up in a small industrial town outside of Houston, Texas. Close to the coast, it’s the sort of small American town where his only window into the bigger world of music was staying up until 1am on a Sunday night to watch 120 Minutes on MTV. Perhaps it was this, as much as anything else, that led him to pick up a guitar and seek solace amongst the rhythm and the sound.
After stints in many bands, Jon turned his 4-track diversion into his main project. Upon visiting the Tate Modern in London, he christened the project Oppressed by the Line; named after a quote on a placard under a painting by Yves Kleine. The quote read, “I adopt the cause of the colour oppressed by the line”.
The painting is gone, but the music remains. Currently residing in London(UK), Oppressed by the Line is ready to release the follow up to his debut The Cause of the Colour (which appeared on the ClubAC30 imprint). Soft Focus, as this sophomore release is entitled, is overall richer in texture and more thoroughly realised than that it’s predecesor. Soft Focus is 10 tracks of mournful melodies and sonic bliss. His latest Kiku came shortly after that in 2009.
After stints in many bands, Jon turned his 4-track diversion into his main project. Upon visiting the Tate Modern in London, he christened the project Oppressed by the Line; named after a quote on a placard under a painting by Yves Kleine. The quote read, “I adopt the cause of the colour oppressed by the line”.
The painting is gone, but the music remains. Currently residing in London(UK), Oppressed by the Line is ready to release the follow up to his debut The Cause of the Colour (which appeared on the ClubAC30 imprint). Soft Focus, as this sophomore release is entitled, is overall richer in texture and more thoroughly realised than that it’s predecesor. Soft Focus is 10 tracks of mournful melodies and sonic bliss. His latest Kiku came shortly after that in 2009.
Hello, how are you?
Great! Very busy. Which is good.
What are you currently listening to?
Hmm. In the past week or so I've been listening to The Big Pink, The Depreciation Guild, Ringo Deathstarr, Worriedaboutsatan, Aerosol, Port Royal
What “line” are you oppressed by?
Heh. The name is taken from a quote on a placard under a painting I saw in the Tate Modern by the artist Yves Klein. The painting was a blue void. It just felt very representative of my music and my state of mind at the time, so in a practical sense the line would be anything that breaks up that blue void. In a more abstract sense I suppose the line can be anything that takes you away from what you love doing, which in my case would be making music and creating.
Who are your main influences?
That's always a tough question. It's a moving target really. As a small child I stayed up late with my brother and cousin watching a cable television show called Night Flight, which introduced me to bands like The Art of Noise and Kraftwerk. I also have to mention The Cure and Joy Division who first inspired me to pick up a guitar and start writing music. I've been influence by a lot of the late 80s early 90s British indie bands such as C86, Shoegaze and madchester scenes. As well as some of the more recent offshoots of those scenes as well as stuff like Boards of Canada, The Album Leaf, The Radio Dept, Her Space Holiday. Also the output of some amazing labels like 12K, Morr Music, Make Mine Music, and so on...
Do you perform solo live?
I have in the past. I'd like to start playing live again soon.
What’s the music scene like in your home town?
I'm probably not the best person to ask. I spend so much time between running my label Drifting Falling, my family, making music and my 9-5 job that I don't get out as much as I'd like too. I hope to resolve that, so ask me again next year.
What was your favorite new album of 2009?
I've probably listened to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart more than anything else this year. They have such a great sense of melody and it harkens back to the C86 that I mentioned earlier. Whether or not that makes it my favorite is hard to say.
What’s next for OBTL?
I've been working on a new release for 2010. At this point I'm not sure what the format will be EP or LP. There's a strong possibility I could end up putting out both an EP and LP of new material next year.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Ouch. Maybe New Order's "Substance"? Actually, I guess that's a compilation...
Are you living your dream?
Hahaha. Sorry that made me laugh. In my dream I'd be independently wealthy and unconstrained by the tethers of reality. Of course that said, if I were independently wealth I'd still be doing the same thing just on a much grander scale.
Great! Very busy. Which is good.
What are you currently listening to?
Hmm. In the past week or so I've been listening to The Big Pink, The Depreciation Guild, Ringo Deathstarr, Worriedaboutsatan, Aerosol, Port Royal
What “line” are you oppressed by?
Heh. The name is taken from a quote on a placard under a painting I saw in the Tate Modern by the artist Yves Klein. The painting was a blue void. It just felt very representative of my music and my state of mind at the time, so in a practical sense the line would be anything that breaks up that blue void. In a more abstract sense I suppose the line can be anything that takes you away from what you love doing, which in my case would be making music and creating.
Who are your main influences?
That's always a tough question. It's a moving target really. As a small child I stayed up late with my brother and cousin watching a cable television show called Night Flight, which introduced me to bands like The Art of Noise and Kraftwerk. I also have to mention The Cure and Joy Division who first inspired me to pick up a guitar and start writing music. I've been influence by a lot of the late 80s early 90s British indie bands such as C86, Shoegaze and madchester scenes. As well as some of the more recent offshoots of those scenes as well as stuff like Boards of Canada, The Album Leaf, The Radio Dept, Her Space Holiday. Also the output of some amazing labels like 12K, Morr Music, Make Mine Music, and so on...
Do you perform solo live?
I have in the past. I'd like to start playing live again soon.
What’s the music scene like in your home town?
I'm probably not the best person to ask. I spend so much time between running my label Drifting Falling, my family, making music and my 9-5 job that I don't get out as much as I'd like too. I hope to resolve that, so ask me again next year.
What was your favorite new album of 2009?
I've probably listened to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart more than anything else this year. They have such a great sense of melody and it harkens back to the C86 that I mentioned earlier. Whether or not that makes it my favorite is hard to say.
What’s next for OBTL?
I've been working on a new release for 2010. At this point I'm not sure what the format will be EP or LP. There's a strong possibility I could end up putting out both an EP and LP of new material next year.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Ouch. Maybe New Order's "Substance"? Actually, I guess that's a compilation...
Are you living your dream?
Hahaha. Sorry that made me laugh. In my dream I'd be independently wealthy and unconstrained by the tethers of reality. Of course that said, if I were independently wealth I'd still be doing the same thing just on a much grander scale.
Thanx Jon!
Oppressed By The Line is currently working on a follow up to "Kiku" look for that (maybe "those") in 2010...
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