To make a long story short (too late), I don’t really feel like an activist, I think I’m just a kind of foolish lovestruck mystic who is starting to see the Divine everywhere.Ĭan you give us the stories behind the songs on Basement Dubs? What is the thinking that went into each song? What were you doing/experiencing at the time you made them?
It’s all a part of the same web, and it’s all beautiful. So I guess, I’m trying to find a way to live in constant prayer, whether that means seeing the divinity of the cashier at the grocery store, or raising funds for indigenous cultures in the Amazon, or cultivating and planting endangered plants. I love life, in all its forms, and when you love something you want to see it continue in health and beauty. For me, the only possible response to the ecstatic beauty of the world, the constant harmony of all the living things, is one of respect and honoring. I also really started tuning into the frequencies of the natural world.
I guess in that process, the music has started affecting me as well! I started feeling in a deeper way, and becoming aware of the consequences of my personal decisions, as well as the decisions of my immediate electronic music culture, the national culture, and the expanded technological culture.
I’ve always tried to use my music to help define a sense of place for people, of really being in presence, or an awareness of how they fit into their world, both natural and inorganic. It’s hard to define my history as an activist, as I really don’t see myself as an activist per se. Can you give us the history on your role as an artist-activist? Many people have been inspired by the higher purpose you have for creating your art (spreading awareness about issues you care about, and now using the funds from the Basement Dubs EP to convert your studio to solar power). All proceeds go to converting my studio to solar power: Buy the album here. You can co-create making music with me in a more ecologically responsible way, by supporting the new ‘Basement Dubs’ EP. The Hale family are actually my next door neighbors, so this is about as close to home as it can get. The current plant is less than a mile away, and if you go down my road you arrive at the beach which is the proposed spot for the next geothermal plant – Isaac Hale Beach Park. We believe this has led to illness and deaths of plants, animals, birds, fish and humans, and studies still need to be done. The hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and other toxins have been documented in significant quantities. Local people finally passed a new regulation that prevents drilling at night in the future. Drilling noise has gone on all day and night for many months, destroying the peace of this rural community. There is often steam and brine in the air. The people here are traumatized by an earlier blow out that forced a major evacuation. Many accidents involving venting of toxic gasses into the surrounding neighborhood have happened, most with inadequate warning alerts and reporting to the public. Law suits have been ongoing in the history of the existing geothermal plant since it’s inception. Now, they are seeking to expand and build a new geothermal plant right on the coast, disturbing one of the most beautiful community beaches in the area. The energy project, undertaken by True Geothermal Company and endorsed by Hawaii’s governor, has already invaded the largest intact tropical lowland rain forest in the United States. In Hawaii, our power is mostly supplied by fuel brought in from outside of the island, so local power baron’s are looking to expand the geothermal projects on the big island.
“The power I am using to create music in my home is literally destroying the beauty and the species that surround me. We had the immense pleasure of sitting down with Bluetech recently to discuss his mission to convert to solar power, the modern role of an electronic artist, the evolution of EDM culture, and the current state of his soul…