Jack Vogt

Where words are absent, musicians turn to alternative methods to express their ideas. Electronic artist Jack Vogt uses tempo, ambiance, and an expansive library of samples to paint a very colorful audible canvas.

 Composing music via digital devices, Jack employs a host of alien sounds and effects along with hip-hop beats. “It’s sort of hard for me to define,” he says. “I guess I would call it Experimental Electronic Hip-Hop. It’s sort of a big blend of a bunch of sounds, but I like to give it that hip-hop groove.”

 Vogt began experimenting with electronic composition after second-hand exposure to electronic artists. “A few years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Aphex Twin, and I fell in love,” he says. “Then I heard about the whole Brainfeeder scene in Los Angeles with Flying Lotus and his crew of amazing artists. Hearing all that music was really inspiring.”

 Now writing electronic beats of his own, Vogt taps a highly experimental creative circuit for his ideas. “There are so many inspirations: the mysterious beauty of nature, deep oceans, meditation, space and time, to name only a few,” he says. “I just like people to be happy. A lot of my music has to do with that.”

 In 2012, he produced two records: the 23 track Sea Creatures and the follow up EP, Stay Kind in the Mind. After a brief intro, Vogt’s first album rolls into motion with “USS Obi-Wan Kenobi.” The track features a distorted sample of a female voice singing a six-note melody that becomes the riff. There’s a healthy dose of phaser, and the stomping beat seems unstoppable. “I just wanted it to be some magnificent sounding thing to help start off the Sea Creatures album,” says Vogt, “like the beginning of a long journey or something.”

 Also on Sea Creatures, “AstroBoy” employs delay effects to make the loop of ascending notes well up like a spring. Tracks like “Soul Quest Overdrive” demonstrate Vogt’s meticulous use of layering, as the soft rattling sounds and hi-hat remain constant while bells chime in overhead. The pitch of the bells’ reverb is shifted slightly, adding some tension to the track’s outro.  

 Among the tracks on Stay Kind in the Mind, Vogt considers the finale “Synapse State” among his personal favorites. “I put a lot of work and emotion into that one,” he says. The track samples tranquil harp strings and soothing voices and remains perfectly relaxing even when the beat kicks in.    

 Vogt finds samples wherever his mind may wander. “I sample things that I like to listen to,” he says. “I’ll be listening to some old jazz album and then hear a section that’s just perfect.” Finding that material can take a bit of searching. “I usually dig around on the internet to find stuff. It’s like virtual crate digging,” he says. “I’ll do some real crate digging every once and a while at Charlemagne Record Exchange, too. They have a lot of dope stuff there.”

 So which came first, the sample or the song? “Sometimes I’ll have an idea that I want to express, other times the samples will give me the ideas,” says Vogt. To weave all the ingredients together, he uses programs and devices such as Ableton Live and the SP-404sx, while beats are composed on a microKORG.

 Vogt’s two records were released by local label Step Pepper Records. The label has offered him total creative freedom while working on both projects. “It has a very laid-back atmosphere, and there’s no pre-determined sound that they want out of me,” he says. “I feel comfortable experimenting and all that.”

 While working with Step Pepper, Vogt has also had the opportunity to collaborate with other musicians, such as Omari Jazz. “The other members are very supportive,” he says. “It’s nice to have a community like that where you can express new ideas and hear other people’s new ideas and all evolve together musically.”

 Vogt understands that brevity is the soul of wit. Rarely do his tracks exceed three minutes, many ending right around the 1:30 mark. Tracks like “Clear Mind” and “Help Me” break the trend, but still leave the listener wanting more. Vogt can establish an infectious groove in a matter of moments, but doesn’t let it linger very long. If anything, they’re over too soon.   

 Jack is currently working on a new album. Stay tuned with Step Pepper Records for more from Vogt and other electronic artists.

 You can listen to both of Jack Vogt’s albums on Bandcamp.

Also check out his Soundcloud.

Cover image: Stay Kind in the Mind

Article image: Sea Creatures

Courtesy of Jack Vogt.