Alex Cobb is an US-based musician and label owner. He runs the excellent Soda Gong and Students of Decay labels. He has previously released music under his given name and the Taiga Remains alias. In the 00s and early 10s he was a part of the American guitar drone underground, although his focus currently mostly lies on hardware modular synthesis.
His latest album Patio User Manual, released under the Etelin alias, is a record that gradually lures you in. The initial pace is slow, Cobb is not pushing, he is at the helm, navigating and drifting. It has nods to the glitchy sound of the early-mid 2000s, without feeling like a mere technical workout. On the opener "All Day Moon", the sound of cows can be heard. A woodpecker knocks, then a synth pad slowly fades in. "The Irrational Patio“ comes with synthetic bird sounds, reminiscent of a self-patched Serge Wave Multiplier. Across the album's 31 minute duration, the sound gradually zooms in more and more, revealing ever more layers of aliasing and crushed sonics.
Impressed by the album's sound, we caught up with Alex via Email to chat about his new album and the gear he has used on it, his approach to music making, as well as three old and three new things he currently enjoys.
How old are you and where are you located?
I am 41 years old and currently based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Can you describe how your interest in music making has shifted over the years?
I think my interest in making music has remained pretty consistent. It's mostly a personal practice for me. The time I have to do it has changed radically though over the years. Parenting and work are intensive constraints, to say nothing of getting older and being generally exhausted all the time! In the aughts and 2010s, most of my music was made with very rudimentary tools, a guitar and a few Boss guitar pedals — the result of both circumstance and intention. In the last several years, I've become much more interested in music technology (though I remain stubbornly averse to making music on computers). I find learning about circuits and sussing out how to synthesize specific sounds just about as interesting as making tracks.
What kind of gear did you use on your latest album Patio User Manual?
Patio User Manual was made with all hardware, specifically a 9U Eurorack synthesizer comprised mostly of Industrial Music Electronics (formerly Harvestman) modules. I really like how raw the MK1 stuff sounds and the functionality of the MK3 units, as well as the strange broken sounds you can get out of switched capacitor filters like the Bionic Lester MK1 (and the WMD Synchrodyne). The Tyme Sefari module also played a pretty important role on this album, it was the main looper I used throughout.
How do you record and arrange your music?
I typically record everything I do (often resulting in many gigabytes of garbage!). I usually patch at night, after getting the kids to bed. I record long takes, name them something that will help me remember the key they're in or other useful information, then come back to them later and edit, arrange, and add to them. My day job (like so many of us) involves staring at a screen, so I can only really will myself into doing DAW work ever so often. It's probably a good thing I don't hold myself to any sort of productivity cadence.
Would you ever consider recording guitars again, or are you totally lost in the world of synthesis for now?
I'm planning to make a record that's built around a palette of nylon stringed classical guitar and Serge modular, but I haven't started yet. I sold off my electric guitar and pedals some years ago. Sometimes I miss that workflow, but I'm quite content with Eurorack and Serge modular systems as my instruments.
How is your Serge journey going, any recommendations for the “Serge-curious”?
It's great fun! The format is more accessible than ever with the wide variety of Eurorack modules that exist now and an active community of builders for 4U. My panels were built by Charlie at Loudest Warning, and I really can't recommend him enough. Just a wonderful fellow who does fantastic work. He's so knowledgeable and cordial, and it's a great experience to work with him. Plus, the builds are top notch — right there with STS and Random Source in terms of quality, in my view.
In terms of starting point recommendations, I think anyone considering Serge should ask themselves what their goals are with the format. It seems that a lot of people get attracted to banana synths by way of the allure of Serge and Buchla (or perhaps Ciat-Lonbarde) and end up essentially making a Eurorack system in 4U, using the various ports of Euro modules that are offered by LW, Hale, Mangoest and so on.
That said, I'm no purist and I think it's very cool that you can now get an Ornament + Crime or MI Clouds in 4U format. But as someone who already has a Euro system, I decided to avoid any of the 4U Eurorack reskins and just focus on "classic" Serge modules. I quite like the distinction. It's been very rewarding and has certainly deepened my knowledge of synthesis quite a bit. After working extensively with slope generators and the SSG (Smoothed & Stepped Generator) and doing things like summing pulses to make rudimentary "sequences," you gain a whole new level of perspective on both the sophistication and excess of contemporary, fully featured modules.
Do you embrace the limitations of certain devices, such as limited sampling time and lack of sample storage? Do you care about being able to reproduce something live?
I find I more or less require stringent limitations in order to make anything I end up liking or feeling connected to. I can't really work with VSTs because I find them overwhelming (and I hate working in a DAW). The same goes for all these feature-rich modules that feel like VSTs in a box that are on the market now. I think there's a part of me that is still connected to the idea of just having a couple Boss pedals that do 1-2 things reliably. This is probably also why "early" Euro modules made by companies like Harvestman and WMD are really appealing to me. Plus, to my ears, they sound incredible. I love aliasing, hissy, "crappy sounding" wavetable and FM synths.
Regarding the question of reproducibility: my attitude is that there's way too much electronic music already and I am attracted to ephemerality by nature, so not being able to "get something back" or "play it live" — these things don't really matter to me at all. I don't think about them. In fact, I'd say one of the benefits of not being a professional or careerist musician is not having to care about such things. I embrace it!
Do you generally enjoy playing live?
It's been a while since I’ve last played live. I'm not a huge fan of live electronic music, to be honest! I do, however, love the idea of meeting like-minded people or connecting in the flesh with musician friends and publishers who I talk to all the time online. Were I to ever do any touring again that would probably be the sole motivating factor.
What are three old things you currently enjoy?
Aged sheng puerh tea. Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō. Knud Viktor.
What are three new things you currently enjoy?
Emmanuel Mouret movies. ALM Busy Circuits' Squid Salmple module. Our 9 month old puppy, Wanda!
Patio User Manual is out on Beacon Sound. You can also find Alex on Instagram.