Coming in with Mantissa mix 180 is London based experimental “Techno” and heavy bass artist Similarch.
We had a chat with him in his calmly creative bedroom in North London to chat about the impressive live setup in front of us and his artistic journey so far.
A: Hello mate! Do you want to introduce yourself?
W: Hi Angus. So I’m William Holt, I was born in France. I am half French, half English, Dad is from Manchester. I play and produce under the name Similarch. I am 27 and live in London. I came here to study a masters in Fine art at the University of Arts London. I was always into music and art and how the two can combine. I DJ, produce but am also a live performer, sound designer and visual artist.
This last few years I have met some really important people, made incredible friends and so decided to move here properly. The different musical draws and background of this country and city are amazing, the culture of it all has influenced me a lot. When, I first moved here I helped run some nights, and had a small collective which put nights on at Corsica Studio and Venue Mot.
Generally I explore the concept of sound as a material like carbon or plastic. I consider my actual music as experimental dance music, specifically left-field techno but influenced by break beat, heavy bass and polyrhythmic drums. Genres don’t interest me as much as a more general aesthetic.
A: I didn’t know your dad was from Manchester, is he into his Music?
W: He was a guitar player and always into his music, and my mum is a singer/pianist. My grandma owned a vinyl shop.
A: Sick! Do they like your experimental electronic music?
W: Yeah I don’t think they get it to much, but I think they respect it. They aren’t really from that electronic generation. They are more into pop, classical and jazz.
A: So when did you first start making music, messing around with Ableton and instruments?
W: I really wanted to get into music when I was at high school, I started Djing firstly. I began collecting lots of CDs, grime and rap from the US, some EBM like Front 242 and also some Kraftwerk. Before then I even collected tapes and stuff. My brother and sister collected a lot of music and one day they showed me Boards of Canada. I remember listening to it over and over, ten times a day and thinking how is it possible to make music like this.
My first years of University I started producing during my fine art foundation course. I had no clue what was going on at first, it was very hard and frustrating to begin with. Eventually I bought some DJ equipment, CDJ 800s and some technics and practiced DJing. At the start I was way more into DJing than production compared to now.
There was a huge sound studio in my arts school, with incredible modular synthesisers. There were two RSF Kobols/Oberheim Eight Voice, two Rolands systems 100m from 1979 and two doepfer cases. I learned on some of those, but the tutor said we weren’t allowed to make any actual music in there. We were only allowed to experiment and try stuff. The first time I started messing around with these instruments I was really touched by the sound of them all and how they worked.
A lot of my music is based on Field Recordings, I think they give you a really unique conceptual approach to making music.
In 2013-14 I started collecting a lot of gear, my first drum machines and synths; Electribte ER-1, a Juno 2, Korg M1, a Roland SH32. I made a lot of mistakes when I began. So so so many mistakes, but you need to make those mistakes to learn from and understand how sound works.
Oh one more thing, when I first studied my BA in France, I made a really good friend. I don’t know if you know, Sweely?
A: Oh yeah Sweely is great.
W: Yeah, so we were neighbours, he’s an incredible guy. So we threw some parties together, he invited me to play and we became friends. He is such an inspiration, he has taught me so much. He was creating some insane live sets, often fully improvised and new, super DIY.
A: He makes very different music to you?
W: It’s funny, a lot of my inspirations make different music to me. I think it is so important in music to present your own point of view when producing. I am not always inspired by other music, sometimes fashion or art instillation’s. I feel that the current techno scene is the same now as it was in the 90’s. I think some of it is quite boring, It is super important to stay open and accepting of any musical genre. I love to study and learn more about other structures in music around the world, Indian or Moroccan music for example, not just music originating from the western world.
A: Who are some other artists who have been inspirations?
W: I prefer the word aesthetic over inspiration, there are hundreds of different small influences on me. I am not only inspired by one specific artistic form.
So before I went to university, before I was into production, I was really into Boards of Canada.
I could listen to them over and over again and always love it. Every time I listen to one of their albums or tracks I find something new, a fresh element I hadn’t noticed before. In terms of DJing it is always changing and every song I play in a set brings me some form of inspiration in a subconscious way.
Just to mention some others that I have been listening to and enjoying recently; 33EMYBW, Object Blue, Amnesia Scanner and loads more. Russell Jaswell, Bill Kouligas, Lee Gamble, Clouds, London Modular Alliance, Kamikaze Space Program, shxcxchxcsh,
A: I love that feeling.
W: Boards of Canada are one of my biggest inspirations. Aphex Twin as well. When I produce often visual or contemporary art are more important influences on me versus actual music.
A: Often when you begin making a track, where is the initial inspiration from?
W: Often it can be a physical inspiration. I think my main inspirations are from art school, everything I learnt there was involved around sampling. I read a lot these days and that has always helped. I have always been very fascinated by how science and technology intertwine and create something organic. Often with my music I want to try and capture that concept.
A friend of mine, Athene Knufer, is a scientist who really excites and energises me when we talk about this concept.
I have a field recorder with a microphone, I love to just record sounds and go from there. For a very long time, maybe since I was about six, I have recorded sounds. I think overall that is my biggest starting point, and once they are in Ableton or in the sampler it is easy to work out where to go from there. My tutor was super into his field recordings and showed me artists like Chris Watson, Brian Eno, Biosphere and John Cage.
I was really influenced by my tutor, and I attended a few workshops about field recordings at university. Some other artist’s who have influenced me are Pakui Hardware, Yuri Pattison, Nina Canell, David Strelecek and Gregory Cuquel.
There are a few rules I try to follow and that help me a lot to keep things simple and motivated. I try to spend one week capturing samples, one week organising the samples, cleaning the samples and loops etc. One week jamming and trying different arrangement’s and one final week bringing it all together.
A: So we are sat here in front of your live setup, lots of great gear, when you make a track do you produce mostly in Ableton or do you like to bring it together with your hardware?
W: No, I have a lot of problems with Ableton. I love it as a software, but there are so many possibilities. You can spend three days on one kick when using Ableton. I really like hardware, I think hardware has limitations and that is actually a good thing.
Both hardware and software have their positives and negatives. Hardware is very expensive and software has many creative limitations. Hardware can be a lot of fun to use and is great at articulating and recalling sounds and ideas very quickly.
A: Have you always used Ableton?
W: Always always Ableton. I have started using a lot more processing software like Mac msp ore Puredata
I think its not always about the software you use but try and understand how to make the best use of your software.
One good thing about Ableton is there isn’t much room to upgrade and spend more money, you pay the fee and have the programme for life. With a modular synthesiser for example, once you have one you want more and more and more.
A: This setup you have in front of me now, how long has It taken to get to this stage and are you pretty happy with it now?
W: Oh a long time. When I first played around with a modular system at UAL I fell in love. I was obsessed with that machine. After this I decided to spend all my money on a modular synthesiser. I have bought and sold a lot of different equipment to get to this point. I am arriving at a setup I am really happy with. I think I have found a balance of a minimal setup and studio with nothing too crazy. It is important I feel to love and use every instrument you have and get to know them really well.
An artist I really want to be similar to in terms of physical hardware is Ansom.
A: You DJ and play live, how do you compare those two things? Do you prefer either?
W: They are very different, playing live is a lot harder but can be a lot more fun as well. I feel more and more happy with my live setup and show. I feel like DJing can be really interesting, digging and finding new tracks and artists. When you are playing you just play one track from someone, then one from someone else, it is easy to become repetitive.
Mixing is a lot less stressful, getting all your gear to a venue can be very very stressful.
A: In terms of productions, anything in the pipeline? Anything coming out soon?
M: Definitely, my first track came out on Cecili records. He is a very good friend of mine, huge thanks to Dylan! It was great to get something out and have a place to start.
Because of COVID I have slowed stuff down, I am not sure this is the best time to release music. I have a track coming out soon, and it is maybe the first tune I have made I am really really happy with.
I have a vinyl coming out as well soon as well as a compilation. We are in a very weird time for music, not a lot of people playing in clubs or have money to spend on music. I am working on a new alias/project potentially as a micro album.
A: What do you think about London venues, do you think some will manage to stay open or do you think they may struggle?
W: Yeah I think the ones who adapt will. I think it is really hard for some venues, one good thing to come out of this situation is hopefully venues will book cheaper more local artists. Maybe not international artists, which I feel very strongly about, I really hate when artists are booked over and over again.
Will currently lives in Tottenham, his setup takes up most of the space in his room, it feels like a light and airy setting, perfect for making music.
W: I used to live in South London before. I lived in Peckham
A: I love Peckham
W: Yeah I am in love with Peckham, when I lived there it was so much fun. My whole flat studied art and we all went to galleries together and studied together. Best flat share I have had!
A: Do you take much inspiration music wise, visually, where you live and what you see day to day?
W: Motivation can be very hard to find sometimes, especially at the moment. I really like to go to work at Corsica, it makes me feel angry, sad, happy whatever emotion. So when I have some emotion my music is more interesting. I am trying to make my music not too emotional, but letting your emotions inspire you and get you producing can be really useful. I think finding a way of starting is the hardest thing. I like to tidy my room before I begin, it helps to clear my mind. I often try to cycle as well, after I cycle I am just more focused.
A: Do you find any particular emotion allows you to make better music?
W: So I used to think like this, before I started playing in clubs. When I started playing and working in clubs I realised people just want to have fun and dance. So now I focus more on what my music will sound like on the dance-floor. Not as much based on my mood.
I try to assess my production in three ways, firstly its groove. How it could sound on a big system and can you dance to it. Secondly does it provide a ‘different’ experience to the listener and give some complexity. Finally is it fun, and can everyone understand the tracks idea.
A: How do you describe the music you make?
W: Ah now thats a problem I have been facing. I have a huge challenge the last couple of years maybe, I think I need to change my name. When I started making music I was really into very hard stuff. Recently I have become much more interested in other sounds and yeah. I love how in England you can have different alias’ and play lots of different stuff. Lobster Theremin the label for example releases so many different genres.
I want to make some more trance, house stuff. More fun, less super fast, super hard.
Specifically I would say I work with a mixture of genres and am interested by loads of sub genres. I like deconstructed club music but I want to also keep things musical and melodic. Often when I work I see it as a form of laboratory where I see different structures of garage, techno or DNB and deconstruct them to see the results, thats why I consider it experimental.
A: Your stuff in general feels very experimental?
W: I think my last live set at FOLD really represents what I do.
I like to be able to go anywhere with my sets. Any speed any genre. My stuff is definitely a mash of different genres.
A: I was gonna ask about FOLD, let’s chat about that club quickly.
W: Big up Lasha, big up James Newmarch. Lasha has helped me a lot. Big up Ben, Liam, Seb, Gareth and David.
A: Do you remember when you first went?
W: Yeah it was in October 2018, I had heard so many good things before I went. I work at Corsica and we have similar opening hours so it was sometimes hard to go out to a night there but I first went there to see a friend called Athene and it was amazing. One of the best nights I have had in London was the first Illian Tape night at Fold.
A: I’ve heard from so many people!
W: That party was insane. Everyone was dancing with each other, freaky people all around.
So many different genres were played, weird stuff from Skee Mask. An incredible set from the Zenker Brothers.
A: What do you think makes it such an incredible club?
W: I think it’s quite a long way away from the city centre. It is a journey to get to, and it doesn’t look like a club.
I think its not in central London. It has a twenty one and over door policy. It was made by people who really love their music and who know a lot about it. Everyone who works there and is involved is there for the music.
A: How did you get to know the people who run the space?
W: I met James Newmarch at Corsica and so knew him. It has come about very naturally.
I think it is only the beginning of Fold and I wish them all the best, I can’t wait to be back there after Covid for a boogie.
A: Have you made any music separate to dance and electronic?
W: Yeah, I love film. I would love to make a soundtrack for a film. Those are two huge industries, music and film. When I watch a film I am always inspired to make music. A friend of mine who works in films has already asked me to do a soundtrack for a film so that could happen. Some of my recent work is influenced by a friend of mine called Victoria Pacheco. She is an amazing visual artist and musician. I am open to all kinds of collaborations.
A: One last question, if you could have one dream B2B partner, who would you choose?
W: Great question, so many people. To be honest, playing with your friends is amazing. I have had some great moments and a load of laughs playing with my mate Jackson Massey. When you both know each other well it can work so well. Imogen is a great DJ and is really sound, that would be cool.
Aphex Twin ahaha. I love the work of Flora Lyn or Powell or M.e.s.h. Clouds!.
I would love to play live with Boards of Canada. Finally, Jackson Massey.
A: Thanks for chatting to me mate
W: No problem!
Will Holt is a motivated and inspiring musician. When the world is able to open again, clubs and bars full of people and records, I am sure they will also be filled with his experimental sound.
Follow his socials here:
https://www.facebook.com/Similarch-1055981644447690
https://www.instagram.com/similarch_/
Interview by: Angus Whitfield