Tom Jenkinson Quotes

I was a pioneer in MTV and I was there from the very beginning. So I saw how that developed and how loose it was and how much fun it was in its looseness. And I was influenced a lot by that.

Ironically I think this is what sparked my interest in and passion for the NOAH, which is capable of creating all these old weird and wonderful sounds.

By the time I got to building synthesizers, I had perhaps 20 years' experience building electronic musical instruments.

I'm also very impressed with the best people in experimental electronic world, like Peta and Eckart Aillers and Finez and Jim O'Rourke and Oren Umbarci and Francesco Lopez. Most of them use the computer as their main instrument.

I was always fascinated particularly with synths: how they looked and stuff that when you're a kid you're like this is the most incredible thing in the world just to play.

When I began making electronic music, the only thing I was thinking about was creating music that I really liked. I didn't think about what effect it would have; I was busy doing it.

I made an electronic record in the vein of Cluster. I was programming synthesizers and drum machines and that sort of thing.

When synthesizers appeared everyone was a composer suddenly.

A lot of the early Washed Out material was done on a couple of synthesizers that did most of the work, but that's the great thing about synths - you can recreate sounds or make an entire record with just one piece of gear.

I took to the synthesizer. My cousin had some synthesizers, and I'd always make stuff on those things.

There's no right or wrong way to do things and I think a lot of the SoundCloud rappers with their DIY music are proving that to be true.

I don't spend my time perusing message boards to find out what people think about me or if people think my songs are good or if people love that lyric or this or that. I just want to be happy with it myself - and if other people like it, that's great.

I don't know what people think in making record is like. But basically, I got a bunch of spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, and the whole band was staying at my house and we had a ball.

What I am trying to say is that they need to learn to rely on themselves and to learn from other people, and when you learn something from other people, then you keep moving onward for yourself.

I like working with sound; sound and rhythm. I like the abstract more than "What does that mean?" Nobody ever says to you, "Why did you use a harmonium?" Or "What is that ringing sound that occurs here?" The questions are always "What does that song mean?" or "What were you trying to say here?"

We have always been thinking about different ways to perform electronic music, i.e. music made with machines.

You can't make a movie for everybody. You can't go into it trying to alienate people, but you have to assume that you're going to.

There is always a bit of pressure to do a good album - to do good work, period. I really put a lot of pressure on myself, more so than other people. But I try not to let that overwhelm me to the point where I can't even do good work. I just put it aside and do the best that I know that I can.

The studio's a collaborative environment. I just try to let people bring their own ideas to the songs and see what happens.

In the studio you have pretty much carte blanche with whatever you're doing. You can turn natural instruments into electronic instruments.

We're at a moment where people are rediscovering their ability to design, to create (engineer)and in essence, to become a true maker.

Writing has to do with truth-telling. When you're writing, let's say, an essay for a magazine, you try to tell the truth at every moment. You do your best to quote people accurately and get everything right. Writing a novel is a break from that: freedom. When you're writing a novel, you are in charge; you can beef things up.

Too many creative people don't wanna learn how to be technical, so what happens? They become dependent on technical people. Become technical. You can learn that. If you're creative and technical, you're unstoppable.

I try not to say exactly what songs are about sometimes, because I feel like it ruins it for people.

I find the fact that so few people buy albums to be strangely emancipating. There's absolutely no reason for 99% of musicians making albums to think about actually selling albums. So as a musician you can just make an album for the love of making albums.