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INTERVIEW - Atom Eye

Phantom’s Elsie Martins has returned with a new solo project Atom Eye. Drawing influences from drone and sound art, she has taken the cinematic undertones of Phantom and has honed them into something beautifully dark and rich. With the impending release of the second and third parts of her Trilogy 120 just around the corner, we caught up with Elsie for a quick chat.

Tell us how the collaboration between yourself and Pete Lockett came about?

Finding the right percussionists was not an easy task. Pete Lockett is one of the best out there and, listening to his work, I just knew that he had the right sensibility. He's worked with everyone from Bjork to scoring James Bond films. His sound is versatile but also rooted in passion - so I was very touched when he liked the demos I played him. He's added a truly wonderful energy to the pieces.

Seeing him play live was a turning point, to really understand what I mean you need to see him play live. I would highly recommend his upcoming gig at the SouthBank centre in April 2012 with Rajasthan musicians. I researched for months and months trying to find the right person, and as they say "if you never ask you never get" - so I just took a leap of faith and contacted him. He is truly passionate about his work and it really shows.



Your sound has been described as cinematic. What directors would you say have influenced you?

I loved Director Veiko Õunpuu's Temptation of St Tony - a visually stunning film, absolutely masterfully crafted - which would have been a dream to score.

Beau Travail by Claire Denis had a memorable feeling of open space .

Daron Aronofsky's work is very interesting (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan.) , and Michael Haneke as well - although his films are very intense and, at times, disturbing. They are also incredibly compelling (Cache, The Time of the Wolf, White Ribbon).

And of course I can't answer that question without mentioning David Lynch - a reference often cited in my previous work and one that I have always been flattered to be tagged to.

You incorporate a lot of experimental recording techniques in your work. How do you go about piecing a composition together?

I wanted to give the ideas that I had created in Phantom the lease of life that they deserve. I wanted to leave conventions & conventional song structures behind and explore the themes underlying the last record that I wrote: field recordings, drones, ambient noise and feedback - I wanted to play with the swirls and pulses found in rumbles and feedback and use those elements as the core for each piece and not as token buffers. From that idea it was obvious that I wanted to carry on working with field recordings. I became fascinated with the process, and ended up wanting to experience a more "manual" approach - hence the use of reel to reel to manipulate the recordings. There's something deeply satisfying about it, tweaking loops manually was something I had never done before and I suppose the Trilogy is my first experience with reel to reel tape loops - so in that sense the parts' sound and textures were at the core of the compositions - that in itself is a new way of working for me. The end result was marrying tape loops with instruments I am more familiar with, like guitars, keys with an added world percussion element. My sound became more and more experimental as I went along, and I think is likely to continue into future pieces of work.

What did you set out to achieve with the Trilogy 120 EP?

I created Atom Eye because I wanted the opportunity take the ideas I created in Phantom and push them further.

As for the soundtrack element, so often referred to in my previous work, it's now central to how I create as opposed to being an element of it. Atom Eye is music for film, moving for moving images, and this is exactly how I intended it to be. I'll be releasing 3 shorts to go along with the Trilogy - each will be directed by the London film collective Yeast. The whole project has been created purposefully for film and I think it's a medium that suits my music perfectly. I am in talks with the directors from Yeast to create something fitting the mood of Atom Eye. Their work is beautiful and incredibly diverse (they direct films for London Fashion Week, 1883 Magazine, The Vauxhall Fashion Scout , BBC6 Music) and they're not afraid to experiment and push boundaries.



Are there any future plans for Phantom?

At the moment I'm focusing on Atom Eye. Despite taking the lead with compositions, recordings, mixing and managing the whole project; Phantom still wasn't without compromise whereas Atom Eye offers a lot more possibilities for me to develop and feel fulfilled creatively.

Will there be any live performances of the new material?

Yes, and I can't wait to hit the stage. I'm in the process of reworking the pieces for a live set. It's quite challenging and also involves rehearsal with percussionists so it's not a simple task. The live set will also have a strong visual element and I'd like to showcase the shorts which accompany the Trilogy, so I'm exploring different avenues in terms of launch venues and different spaces to make that work. Patience comes to those who wait - and I can guarantee that the live set will not disappoint.

What's next for Atom Eye?

As well as writing my own commissioned material, along with my aforementioned collaboration with Yeast. My latest score was for for a piece being shown at London Fashion Week commissioned by 1883 Magazine and The Vauxhall Fashion Scout. You can view the finished product here.

There will be plenty more to come, including feature length scores and a few surprises in stock... expect a compilation of Atom Eye scores to come out later in the year, and watch out for our sounds hitting the big screen in the near future.

Part II and III of the Trilogy 120 EP will be released on 12th March and 30th April respectively. They will be available as free download singles from Atom Eye’s official website. Three short films are also planned for the trilogy, they are being made by the London collective Yeast and will be available once all three parts are released.