Features
Colin Edwin, Bass Musician Magazine Q&A
Bass Musician Magazine Q&A with Bassist Colin Edwin
Name:
Colin Edwin
Born In What City:
Melbourne, Australia
Current Band(s)
Porcupine Tree
Ex-Wise Heads
Metallic Taste of Blood
Burnt Belief
Check out a video of the band performing “I Drive the Hearse here:
Former Bands I Have Played With:
Lots, but none worth mentioning.
CD’s I’ve Released/ Been a Part Of:
Solo Albums: “Third Vessel” “PVZ”
With Porcupine Tree: “Up the Downstair”, “The Sky Moves Sideways”, “Signify”, “Coma Divine”, “Stupid Dream”, “Lightbulb Sun”, “Recordings”, “Warszawa”, “In Absentia”, “Deadwing”, “Fear of a Blank Planet”, “The Incident”, “Octane Twisted”.
With Ex-Wise Heads: “No Grey Matter”, “Time and Emotion Study”, “Holding up the Sky”, “Liquid Assets”, “Schemata”, “Celestial Disclosure”.
With Random Noise Generator “Random Noise Generator”
With Metallic Taste of Blood – “Metallic Taste of Blood”
With Jon Durant: “Dance of the Shadow Planets”, and our upcoming collaboration “Burnt Belief”
Guest Spots over the last couple of years include: No Man “Schoolyard Ghosts”, Sunday Recovery “Coma”, Memories of Machines “Warm Winter”, Lo-Fi Resistance “Chalk Lines”, Herd of Instinct “Conjure”, The Fusion Syndicate “The Fusion Syndicate”.
Describe The Way You Play Bass:
I aim to create strong, appropriate parts for whatever context I am playing in.
What Made You Decide to Play Bass:
A constant desire to listen to music meant that I felt I had to get involved in playing too, and coming from a family with two guitar players, bass was the natural choice.
Musical Influences:
Many and varied, I am not sure how much of this has seeped through to what comes out of me, but here’s some of them: The Police, Chic, John Martyn, Magazine, Can, Magma, Killing Joke, Gong, Me’Shell N’Degeocello, Ahmad Jamal Trio, Bill Laswell, Charles Mingus, Doug Wimbish, Henry Purcell, Dali’s Car, Brian Eno, Kraan, John Paul Jones, The Smiths, North African Gnawa music, most of the ECM catalogue and Mozart.
Favorite Musical Styles:
As a listener, anything that moves and engages me, I’ve recently discovered the haunting folk music of Ukraine and have been working on an album project with two fantastic singers from Kiev. As a player I can enjoy any setting whether it is improvised or highly structured, I like variety and don’t really have favourites.
My Bass(es):
Three Spector Euro 435LX’s (one set up for low tuning), Spector NS4H2 Fretless, Basslab Soul IV fretted and fretless, Rob Allen 5 string fretless, Ovation Magnum I and II, Musicman Bongo, Wal fretless, two Wal Fretted basses, Unnamed German upright bass, and a guimbri from Morocco.
My Amps and Other Gear:
EBS Fafner II, with 4 x 10″ Neodymium Cabs, Gigrig Pro 14 switching system with a selection of EBS pedals: Multidrive, Octabass, DPhaser, Tremolo, Bass IQ, Unichorus, Valvedrive and Multicomp. I also use a Digitech Timebender, Boss SL-20 Slicer and more recently the Electro Harmonix Ravish Sitar.
Endorsed By:
EBS, Spector, Basslab
Best Bass Advice You Ever Received:
Think of something to play, and then play half what you first thought of.
One Piece Of Advice For Other Bassists:
Listen intently.
Favorite Quote or Life Philosophy:
“Life is Short, Il Faut Rigoler” from “The Sheltering Sky” – Paul Bowles
Most Amazing Gig so Far:
Very hard to choose just one but probably the Mood Indigo Festival, Mumbai, India in 2009 with Porcupine Tree, the most enthusiastic crowd I think I’ve ever played in front of.
Dream Gig:
If I had a time machine, I’d like to return to 1971 and be the bass player on “Tago Mago”.
Most Embarrassing Moment on Stage:
Not something I can share for legal reasons.
Favorite Tip to Share on Traveling With Your Bass:
Never believe airline and airport staff who tell you that your fragile equipment will be just fine. Get a strong case, or carry your bass as hand luggage.
What Would You Be Doing If You Weren’t A Musician:
Travel and Photography are my other consuming passions, so I’d probably try combining the two somehow.
The Question No One Ever Asks Me, But I Have Been Dying to Share:
If you are a musician; Yes, you should learn to read music, it will open you to all sorts of things, and it won’t hurt your creativity.
What You Can Look Forward to From Me This Year:
Next out will be “Burnt Belief” a new collaborative album with myself and Boston based experimental guitarist Jon Durant, another Ex-Wise Heads album, more solo material and playing live with Metallic Taste of Blood.
Find Me Online:
www.soundcloud.com/colin-edwin
