Behold, Memory Tapes – or Memory Cassette, or Weird Tapes. Confused? So was the music industry until the anonymous being behind the aliases emerged: Davye Hawk is the introverted genius behind the music often categorized under the electronic, dance, and chillwave genres. His attempt to remain unknown via three different names backfired as he had various record labels contacting him for different projects – out of the confusion, it was eventually Pitchfork who discovered (more like outed) him to the world. No longer hidden in the realm of cryptic cyberspace, luckily for us, Hawk tours and he’s hitting up our very own Terrace F. Club this Saturday. With two critically-acclaimed albums, Seek Magic and Player Piano, under his belt and a repertoire of kick-ass remixes, Hawk’s set on Saturday is bound to be stellar.
I caught up with Davye via email to ask him a few questions about his new album, the anonymity hype, and pasta noodles. Read the e-interview after the jump.
Q: Why do your various aliases center around tapes/cassettes?
A: They all stemmed from from the first, which was Weird Tapes. That name came from a series of Hawkwind bootlegs.
Q: The videos for “Today Is Our Life” and “Yes I Know” both have a really cool nostalgic vibe. Poignancy and reminiscence have been attributed to your sound in the past, not to mention the names of your various guises. What do you think?
A: I think disassociation is the theme I’m most interested in and nostalgia can be a by-product of that. When you’re trying to convey a sense of detachment the first thing that goes is the hear and now… so things like fantasy and memory creep in.
Q: I’ve read that you produce your music alone in your bedroom – what’s that like? Do you prefer the solo life to the band career, or does it get lonely?
A: I’ve been in a band and it doesn’t work for me. Mine is a pretty idiosyncratic vision and the more I appeal to other people the worse my output gets so I think it’s important that I maintain my distance. It can be frustrating and lonely at times but it’s just my nature.
Q: Your first album, Seek Magic, featured some awesome electro dance beats, whereas melody seems to dominate Player Piano. Would you agree? Has your creative process changed at all between albums?
A: I think with Player Piano I just didn’t want to make Seek Magic part 2. I’m very proud of that record and I will make more dance music in the future; but I’m more interested in experimentation than consistency. I don’t see my status climbing with each release, but in the long run I think the people who stay with me will have an interesting body of work in their hands.
Q: Do you miss the veil of anonymity? 
A: Definitely, If I could change anything it would be that. I worked pretty hard to undo it in the beginning; I felt people were making too much of my “enigma” and I was afraid it was taken as some sort of pretension. Ultimately though I haven’t really succeeded in bringing things down to earth. There is so much misinformation and opinion presented as fact on the internet that people knowing who you are or not ends up being worth about the same thing.
Q: What has been the greatest influence on your sound?
A: It’s a cliche but really everything gets in there…. David Bowie records and the sound of my washing machine hold equal weight.
Q: I hear you’re basically done with your third album, can you tell us anything about it?
A: Everything I do is constantly evolving and I rarely know what it really is till release….there will be a lot of new music over the next year, I can say that.
Q: If you could tour with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
A: The Cocteau Twins
Q: What can we expect from your show at Terrace?
A: Old and new music, different arrangements based on my current live band.
Q: If you could be any kind of pasta noodle, which would you be and why?
A: Gnocchi, cause I don’t know what I am.
Hit up Terrace this Saturday night to see Davye Hawk and his live band. Doors open at 11, the show starts at 12. See you there.
Watch the video here for “Today Is Our Life” off of Player Piano.
