Theo Power, a first-year Sound Arts student at LCC, has a chilled and laid-back attitude. When I approached him for an interview, I was met with a hearty, rollicking laugh and a simple “yeah, sure.” On stage, however, Theo becomes deaftapes, an alter ego he uses to separate his experimental sounds from his personal life. He kindly agreed to answer some questions I had about his music, slouching on my bed comfortably.
What inspired you to get into music?
“Oooh, so… When I was younger I grew up in a very musical household. Music was constantly playing in the car or on the radio at home, so music has always been a big part of my life. My family were very into rock and metal music. A lot of 90s nu-metal, so groups like Korn and Limp Bizkit, Deftones.”
So you’d say those kinds of bands influence the music that you make now?
“Yeah, 100%, in particular Deftones has a huge influence on the music I make, with the dreamy guitars and vocals. Like on a song like ‘Sextape’, where it feels almost euphoric. I got really into experimental music when I was 13, so lots of weird hip-hop groups and noise music. I thought ‘I really wanna make that’ so I started making ambient, noise music.”
And how would you describe your sound?
“That’s a good question, it’s very difficult. I would say it filters between a genre called power electronics, which is a type of noise music which is very harsh beats, lots of screaming vocals, and ambient, nice soundscapes. I’d say it’s experimental electronic music.”
What’s your process when you’re making a new track?
“Some tracks fall into place, like my track ‘i’ve lost my head’ was just done by accident. I went to a secondhand record shop in my town and picked up these tapes for a pound each. The one I used on that were these Westminster choirs from the 1970s.”
So would you say that every song comes about differently?
“Yeah, sometimes I’ll be on the train and suddenly need to write down an idea or mimic it with my voice, which is bad for the train passengers.”
Last question, where would you like to go with your music in the future?
“I would love to work on either a film or game soundtrack. I’d love to play more gigs, art installations. I want to continue with what I’m doing now, have deaftapes as a solo venture that I can always come back to and see where the rest takes me.”