Russell RockwellThe insistence of CRT’s mechanized EBM is reflected in the audacious songwriting of Michael Keenan, who though best known for fronting ATL noise kings Hawks, has been creating dark, thematic electronica since the early 2000s. Despite his willingness to scrap and rewrite tracks, don’t call CRT an experimental project. More intent on pushing boundaries than killing time, CRT came into its own as Keenan deconstructed industrial idols into something more reflective of his identity and aspirations. The version of the project heard on his debut EP CS 1 developed as Hawks dissolved, taking the shape of rough, brittle beats that evoke a dim world where the cycling of pistons and thrum of machinery are the only sign of life.
CS 1 is compulsively ordered and the beats are precise if not ornate, but any semblance of melody is buried beneath Keenan’s autocratic take on rhythm. Standout track “Soda Morass” sounds as if he put his boot through the screen of an ’80s arcade console and proceeded to self-immolate in a shower of 8-bit sparks. However, despite the Spartan nature and gray textures of the EP, the music remains immediate and inviting (considering the genre). I asked Keenan to explain the history of CRT, to dig into the writing process, and to identify what drives him to create music.
Why did you start writing music as CRT?
I’ve always had a love for synths, lo-fi/Detroit house, EBM, good ’80s industrial, power electronics, etc. In fact there has been a synth on every record I’ve ever made, although in some bands it been more up front than others. I started working on this stuff while we were writing what would be the last Hawks record—learning how to navigate the hardware, feeling out what the sound should be, throwing songs away.
Everything I wrote the first two years I threw away cause it was generic and didn’t really have a defined sound… I guess the real answer is I’ve always been working on this stuff. Haha. The idea of CRT comes from being bored with punk and is kind of an evolution of an old band I was in with Jeph Burgoon, Airoes, back in the early 2000s. Somewhere there’s a hard drive with 40+ songs we wrote back then and never released because it was always more about the live show and hanging out, getting sloshed and puking on the crowd, or finding an excuse to wear a suit made out of garbage, or having a reason to buy a bunch of kids football pads. CRT is a bit more focused.
What’s the writing process like? Do you usually go in with a strong idea of the song you’re trying to create, or is it more free-form and experimental?
Everything is written on a combination of hardware and recorded to 8-track tape. I’d say 75% of it is written with the (Eurorack) modular. I normally start riffing on an idea until something is sticking, then I’ll save the patch, power everything down, fuck off, and do something else. Then come back a couple hours or a day or two later and listen to the patch to see if it’s worth a shit. If it is, then I’ll build around it. If not, I’ll scrap it and move on.
Once a song is built, I’ll print it to tape while improvising around the patterns and record a couple versions. Then I’ll break down the patch to a bare system and start something new. It’s important to keep the music fresh. That’s part of the idea of [a] band. Create. Refine. Record. Which is basically every band I guess.
Playing live is the same idea, except it takes a bit more thought around the creation of a set. The idea is basically the same except a crowd will have a chance to influence a song. Like, if a certain riff or hook is getting a better reaction than another one.
Is there anything in particular you are trying to capture in CRT as opposed to your work in NAARC?
Well, CRT precedes NAARC if we’re taking about time here. I was working on this before I ever stepped into a room with Ian [Cone] and Matt [McCalvin] to write. NAARC actually started because Ian overheard me talking to someone about working on this stuff.
Musically they are very different. NAARC tends to drift farther into a Damon Edge, Nervous Gender, Grauzone kinda arena. While CRT is more rooted in SPK, Controlled Bleeding, Tsuing, Container, minimal EBM, etc. Like, what would it sound like to mash Newcleus and Einstürzende Neubauten? I don’t know. Let’s find out together.
What gear did you use to create the record?
9U of various Eurorack modules, a Digitakt… the Meris Mercury 7 Reverb and a MFB Dominon Club are at the core but there are various other synths and loops that are going into making this stuff, like the Korg Monologue, 3-4 of the Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator, and some one-off pedals and noise synths. What does it sound like?! Does it fit?! I’ll try that.
As someone who is used to working in a band, do you ever feel like it’s difficult to be your own editor as is required in a solo project?
Not at all. You should never be afraid to throw songs away. That is paramount to a solid band, project, whatever. I filled up 10 tapes worth of stuff and edited them down to around 15 songs from maybe 22. Then I sent them to some people who either don’t give a shit about electronic music but have “good” taste in music and other friends who will be brutally honest and let them have a go.
I had already picked 8 of the tracks I was listening to the most; it just helped me make the final decision on what made this first tape, and what made the two comps I’m on [or] going to be on right now.
Do you have plans to continue to pursue CRT?
Haha. I thought it was funny that you referred to this as an “experiment” in that preview thing a few weeks back.
I don’t experiment and I don’t do anything half ass. It’s all in. I make shit… even if no one gives a shit but me [or] other people making it. I’ve never made music for any other reason than I’m driven to make it. It keeps me honest. It keeps me from killing myself or someone else.
Yes. I’m already recording a bunch of new stuff, booking some shows, and planning for some out of town shows in the summer. Gonna try to release another tape before the end of the year though it’ll probably be in October-ish [or] November-ish. So like right at the end of the year.
Are there any particular directions you’d like to take the project in the future?
I haven’t really thought about that. Really just playing live [and] getting comfortable playing live and doing some collaboration songs or records is all I have in mind at the moment.
CRT will perform on Tue., May 15 at 529 alongside MTN ISL, Femur, and Ian Deaton. Doors open at 9 p.m. Donations accepted at the door. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: crtatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @crtatl