Aligning Minds create soundscapes. Their atmospheric music evokes isolated locales, rainy nights in the city, frost covered fields in the early morning sun. At the show we caught, Aligning Minds didn't need to create a locale so much as to enhance it -- the work was already done for them in the leaking and chilly fourth floor at Love on a drizzly Wednesday night. Introduced to this electronic live performance duo by innovative local promoter 88 DC, DCist went to the Gathering last week to see what they were all about. When we first approached Aligning Minds, we found two guys bobbing their heads at twice the beat of an eerie melody they were creating live on laptops and a multitude of other technological gadgetry. Of course, they were bobbing in anticipation of the intricate beat they were about to drop. With the addition of a compelling bassline that reverberated throughout the floor, we settled in to take in a set of isolating, enveloping, minimally beautiful and painstakingly crafted tunes from Aligning Minds.

The musical palette of Aligning Minds includes jazz, classical, techno, breakbeat, drum and bass, industrial and more. For simplicity's sake, we'll refer to their collective sound as "intelligent dance music," or IDM. They are more ambient at times than IDM pioneer Aphex Twin, and more beat oriented than much hyped DJ Shadow. Unlike the other acts on 88's floor at Love, Aligning Minds are not "DJing" -- they do not spin other musicians' records. Rather, they create and then perform live electronic music by programming, synthesizing, sequencing, and the live manipulation of sounds and beats. Their music is a testament to computer nerds everywhere.

Throughout the night, Aligning Minds dropped fuzzy basslines complemented by crisp piano melodies, echoing vocals over complex drums, lush melodies coupled with jarring industrial noises. Put simply, they create music out of juxtaposition.

Its hard to write about electronic music and not mention blips and bleeps at some point. And granted, Aligning Minds have glitchy blips and bleeps in abundance, but they also bring to the mix various natural sounds -- guitars, pianos, chimes, tablas and human voices, to name a few. Moreover, even the non-organic technological elements of their songs have a musicality to them that transcend the usual jargon. Most of their songs start sparsely, while slowly adding and subtracting elements in a way that creates a simultaneously alienating and sensual sound. Their songs are layered and textural epic journeys, never ending quite where they start out.

If you let it, there is a certain trance-inducing quality that occurs when listening to so many elements at once. The crowd seemed to be taken in as well. Despite the contention that the convoluted beats of IDM make it relatively undanceable, the crowd at Love danced throughout their set, losing themselves in the hypnotic beats and musical storytelling of these two talented musicians.

Check out the interview after the jump to find out more about Aligning Mind's musical process. Trust us, it's fascinating.

Visit them at: www.myspace.com/aligningminds and check out more of their music here.

Book them through: www.eightyeightdc.com

See them next: At Club Hell, 18th Street, TONIGHT, November 30th, $5.

Questions for Aligning Minds: Michael Folk and Daniel Merrill

How do you guys create your music?

Daniel: This is going to be a long one. I'll start with our tools and then move into the description of the workflow. Where to begin… OK -- after experimenting with a number of software tools and hardware/software approaches, we’ve settled on essentially using an all software based setup. This allows for much faster and convenient realization of our ideas. At the heart of everything we do is the Ableton Live software. We use midi controller keyboards and devices to control this software, in order to give us a more tangible, hands on approach.

So, alongside using the Live software to sequence, we use vst plugins such as the Native Instruments products, Spectrasonics, Albino, and generally more plugins than I can mention here. These plugins allow us to synthesize or manipulate sounds in various ways, to achieve different tasks, whether it’s writing beats or basslines, melodies, atmospherics, etc. We either create sounds though the use of virtual synthesis or use sounds that we’ve collected from various sources, anything from sampling movies to using portable recording devices to record real life sounds. If we don’t have it, we get it. Therefore we have vast resources of unique samples that are extremely customized to our preferences, so that when we want to compose something, all the sources are in front of us. The art of it is using only what is essential and making it all fit. We also use decent mics and some outboard processing for vocals and live instruments, if the tune calls for it. Our tastes are very electronic so usually even if we record a “real” instrument, i.e. an acoustic guitar or whatever, by the time we are done with it, the result sounds much different. These are the basic principles of how we get started, we create/collect as many interesting sounds as possible, and manipulate them in various ways to get a “palette” from which to work. If we sample something in the traditional sense, it’s usually just a phrase or sound that will signify something obvious. Beyond this, we never use pre-designed loops or presets, we write everything ourselves.

The one thing that drives our style and is continually significant is the use of mood. No matter what emotion we are trying to convey, there is always some melodic theme that creates the fundamental mood for the rest of the piece. Often a beat will provide a good backbone on which to lay this mood, however; and a lot of pieces are started that way. We always try to come up with a melody that evokes an emotion we’re feeling at the moment, and then usually a massive bassline that harmonizes with it, to really try and bring the energy out of it. So, pretty much all our music starts with these main ingredients: an interesting melody, a deep bassline, and a strong rhythm, not necessarily in that order. Then, we start writing transitions and begin the arrangement, and move on to the more detail oriented stuff from there. The tune starts to reveal itself more and more, and it's all about sculpting the form of it piece by piece. However, it’s not all computer programming, it’s very essential to get these ideas in place by playing live keyboards, pounding out beats with drum machines, and using controllers to manipulate the sounds in interesting ways, and record those actions for further manipulation. For all you heads out there, this is called “automation”!

We seem to be drawn to very dramatic, epic, and climactic music, with an equal emphasis on subtlety and impact. In order to achieve these qualities, it can be very time consuming, so we spend hours, sometimes years on getting the reality close to our vision… It can be very grueling, but it seems to get easier with time and experience… We live 3 hours from each other at the moment, so we each have a studio in our homes. We came up in this art form together though, so our setups are essentially the same. We think in the same patterns for the most part. A lot of our stuff is actually written separately from each other, laying down the main ideas and arrangements, and then we will get together, connect our equipment, and synchronize our ideas, working together to complete the project. We have a very diverse range of tastes, and we both get bored easily so we write pretty much all genres of electronic music really. Lately I tend to start a lot of the more dancey, breakbeat material, while Mike is quite adept at writing the spacier, chill stuff.

What equipment do you use?

Mike:
Laptop (Pentium duo, 1 gig of ram, 200 gig external hd)
Motu ultralight audio interface
Behringer BCR 2000 for knobs
Yamaha An1x for midi keys
Beyer Dynamic dt 770 headphones

Software: Ableton Live 6, VST instruments - Native instrumens Komplete suite (Reaktor 5, Battery, absynth, Kontakt, Akoustik and Elektrik Piano, Vokator) , Spectrasonics Atmosphere, Spectrasonics Trilogy, Albino, The Grand, Synful Orchestra, Waldorf Attack. Minidisc recorder with stereo mics.

I use a lot of found sound for drums, atmospheres and effects, the source sound of my favorite snare came from a candy wrapper for example. Sample collection is weighing in around half a terabyte right now.

Daniel:
Pc:Athlon XP 2500, 1gb ram, 300gb disk space
Emu Proteus X soundcard/DSP
Edirol PCR-30 for midi keys, knobs, and buttons
AKG 240DF headphones
Apex Aural Exciter
Behringer 16FXD 16 channel mixer

Software:Ableton Live 6, Sony Sound forge 8, Native Instruments Battery, Reaktor, Absynth, Kontakt, Spectrasonics Atmosphere + Trilogy, Rob Papen’s Albino 2, Edirol Orchestral, samples

Watching you guys play, you both seem equally into the music you're creating at any given moment. How do you guys split responsibility during a live performance -- are you simultaneously creating music or do you take turns?

Daniel: The way we play our sets live is very in tune with our studio process. We sort of play the role of DJs, but playing only original material using our equipment in a live situation. So therefore we each have certain roles that we play in a live P.A. at an given time. Often times the set will be structured around one of of us handling a certain track, that has already been sequenced. We will deconstruct the track, re-arrange it, add to it, and manipulate it in a live context, while the other person adds embellishments and generally "enhances" it. Then we take turns and switch roles, sort of a musical ping-pong. Sometimes one person will handle several tracks in a row, or we will mix back and forth for every other selection, it just depends on how we feel, or how certain vibes mesh together.

Do you ever have moments where you're like “wow, that really didn’t work?"

Mike: Yes most definitely, if you notice during our performance these are the moments I smack Dan in the head and point at him.

Daniel: Indeed.

How did you guys get started making music together?

Mike: It was an interesting process. We grew up literally 4 miles apart in the middle of nowhere in Garrett County, Western MD. Surprisingly enough we didn’t meet until I was 16 and Daniel was 18. When we met we immediately connected with music, at the time it was metal, but then progressed into industrial and eventually led into full-on electronics. Industrial led us to discovering dance music, which got us fascinated with using technology to make music that had never been realized before. This started a chain reaction of constantly searching for new styles and sounds, moving through genres like ambient, IDM, minimal techno, progressive house, etc -- just electronica all across the spectrum. We both started catching onto production and moved into a house in which we had both of our studios setup side by side, this was late 2001, and it's kind of where the seed was planted for Aligning Minds. We didn’t really start writing or performing together at that point, it was still a much separated endeavor for each of us, but was fueled by the inspiration we got from conversing and toying with stuff together. At that point my project was called Philo and Daniel’s was called Morvizion. Our production styles were very different, yet still had a linking element in the fact that they both had a very strong melodic element, and since we learned the same tools together production-wise, they blended well.

Daniel: After a bit of this we started going up to a studio space I had setup in Frostburg, MD for recording bands and the like. It was soundproofed (somewhat), so we could feel free to test things out on a heavy sound system. This quickly became a weekend routine, where we would just go up in the lab and experiment freely, with no limitations or expectations. I would use Ableton Live on a laptop with controllers to mash out some electronic madness and Mike pulled ‘Final Scratch’ into the mix and did live sample manipulation using a Korg Kaoss pad and a hard drive full of obscure samples. We spent many nights up there crafting a sound, finding a voice together. We would usually get there around 5-6 pm and call it quits around 5-6 am, so it was constant music aside from drink/smoke/walk breaks. This was really the turning point where we decided to work collaboratively, and try to compliment each other.

Who are your favorite local artists right now?

Daniel: There are lots of people in the area making it happen, but I would have to say our most familiar personal favorites are people who are crossing barriers and doing something unique:

Revoldub -- his diversity and productions continually blow us away… watch this guy, he has a big future.

Anthony Steele -- a great producer and friend of ours who recently moved to NY and has a release coming out on Goosehound Records sometime next year.

Tryst -- Baltimore based, unique, industrial/breakcore type stuff.

Telesma -- live world/rock/electronica, truly an amazing live show...

Myo -- Baltimore-based noise artist.

The Last of Us -- also Baltimore-based, excellent IDM guy.

Joe Nice -- this dj is bringing dubstep to the states, and truly one of the nicest guy’s you’ll ever meet!

There are many more in the local area that we’re hoping to meet..

What is your favorite local venue to see a show? To play a show?

Mike: I really love the Black Cat; it’s probably my favorite venue in the D.C./Baltimore area. It has this real grit to it. We played the backroom once during an Ableton Live night, have yet to make the main stage!

Daniel: To see a show? I’m agreed, the Black Cat is unbeatable. I love the intimacy there, the chilled vibe that just lurks in there. My favorite venue to play used to be the Gallery in Silver Spring, there was a recurring event there put on by the guys at 88DC, called "Daylight Dub Sessions". There was really a great vibe and crowd starting to develop there and I finally felt like we had found our spot… but alas, plugs get pulled. Now, I’d have to say I’m still looking for my favorite.

How do you think the venue and/or crowd effect your live music?

Daniel: It varies. The venue plays a very insignificant role in comparison to our audience, if there are people there who are open minded and ready for something new, then it’s on! However, the system has to be proper. For a venue, that’s our first priority since it’s the medium through which we convey our ideas. The feel of the venue is probably the least of our concerns, I mean obviously the setting is important, but our intention is to remove the listener from the immediate environment anyway. I guess we are way more aural type people than visual, but that may be a self absorbed way in which to approach it. Good lighting, lighting effects, room layout, and all the extras are ideal and a friendly/easygoing management is very important. An uptight management can kill my vibe quickly; unfortunately I’m sensitive to things like that. For me it’s all about the sound and the people. If people are dancing, moving, nodding, or generally being hypnotized/transported, then I’m there with them. If I’m feeling it, they’re feeling it, and the cycle repeats. I feel that the reason I do this is to use sound to move people and to take them on a journey through different emotions and vibes, and to cause a general feeling of union and selflessness. A sort of meditation.

Mike: The crowd affects where we take it more and more, we are still fairly new to playing live (3 years), and I think that we’re just starting to get to a point where we can genuinely tap into the energy from the crowd. Eventually I feel that the crowd will control where it goes through us. It can be a very powerful experience playing live, because you have so much energy to work with. In your studio you have all this power at your fingertips and the music kinda works its way out through your inner struggle. In a live situation you are pulling energy from all the people in the room as well as yourself, which gives you a lot more to work with. We have yet to utilize it fully but when we do successfully harness that to it’s full potential, I believe it will be a very amazing and special thing for everyone involved. The key, I believe, is in feeling comfortable enough to let go rather then trying to control and force it.

On your MySpace blog, you write that you both share a “passion for using music to stimulate the parts of the mind that couldn't seem to be reached by any other means.” Can you elaborate on what you mean here and how you think music can stimulate parts of your mind, that perhaps other types of art, cannot?

Daniel: When we were growing up, we both felt very isolated as a result of our surrounding location. There was just nothing to do or be a part of, so I guess we both were always clinging onto some strong interest in something, and for both of us this became primarily music. Given what was going on around us, making music was really the most worthwhile and fascinating thing we could find. All the time that comes with isolation can be pretty beneficial, you know -- you get to sit in your studio and there are no distractions. So, through connecting with music, and then really communicating with each other through it, it became clear to us that music was a means through which to actually express one's self. We felt like we could use electronic music especially, to explore the depths of individuality, our mental states, our spiritual selves, whatever. All of that. In terms of comparing that to other forms of art, I guess I personally feel that music offers a more physical, tangible way of communicating thoughts and emotions. It can be interpreted in so many ways, and your energy resonates with the energy of the frequencies in music. You can feel it as a more physical experience, it's almost like in object in front of you, but it's invisible. It's like real life magic. We're both very interested in psychoacoustics, the ways that sound affects the mind. I think that music can be one of the most powerful and influential forms of art, it promotes certain thoughts and emotions very distinctly.

What’s next for Aligning Minds- do you have plans to release an album, expand your group, add any dynamics to your live performance? I notice on your blog that you are advertising for a dancer -- how do you think this would add to your sets?

Daniel: We are most interested in getting on a label at this point. We've had a few releases on various labels, but we are looking for a more stable working relationship with a record label that will offer us total artistic freedom, and promote/market us effectively. We would love to be able to just write beats and travel, sharing our sound. That is our ultimate goal in this, but hey, if that doesn't work out, I think we're both perfectly content doing it for ourselves. We have completed 2 albums, but they haven't been released yet... We are always on the path to write an album, really, because that's the background that we come from. We were never involved in any scene, so we were just always getting into these albums, landmark albums. To me an album is a complete piece of work, a journey for the listener. Anyway, yeah -- always a new album in the works, whether it gets released or not! For live performance, I would like to incorporate some live percussion, and live vocals if possible. Also to work our material in a way that is much more improvisational, yet still retaining a well arranged, produced quality. Playing completely live is the ultimate experience, if you can realize your ideas the way you want to. When dealing with electronic stuff -- you can do so much in the studio, it can be perfect. So it's a balancing act... A dancer would be cool if we could find the right person. We just want to add some visual elements to our live performances, we're happy not being in the spotlight... to us its all about the connection between the speaker and human ear.

Photos taken from Aligning Minds' MySpace website and their promotional website.