Spurge is a musician and creative thinker/producer based in Brooklyn, NY. He co-founded international touring/recording band Barrie, helped build community fixture The Lot Radio, and once drove palm trees across America for his former boss P-Thugg of Chromeo. He is now the Editor-in-Chief for Hii Magazine, a new online magazine focused on sound and sound culture. Finally, he’s developing his own record label, Eto Ano, and personal solo music to coincide.

Describe your ideal listening environment. At a record shop on a rainy day. Or headphones on at home when you’re in the zone with work.

What are your favorite sounds? Warm bubbly synth arpeggios. My dad reading out his birthday cards slowly & intentionally. The pitter-patter of rain on my studio’s skylight.

Which sound do you most like making? The steady rhythm of typing on my computer keyboard.

Who do you like to talk to most? My grandparents over facetime.

What does it sound like in your head? Lots of “huh?” when my grandfather can’t hear my mumbly voice and “ah-so-so-so-so” whenever he understands something and is pondering/processing that. He has a rich, bass voice that doesn’t come through all the way over Facetime, especially with shaky internet connection, but my mind fills in the blanks.

What was the first thing you heard today? The rustling of the bed sheets

What sounds do you hear right now? A gate rattling. Bottles somewhere clinking. Low rumbles of cars and the constant purr of the wind. Drum-like thuds of footsteps in the walls.

On what occasion do you become loud? When trying to keep the conversation going even as the A train approaches.

On what occasion did you most recently whisper? When consoling a friend who was venting.

Are you a good listener? Yes.

What podcast do you listen to the most? I’ve been consistently listening to this “Jazz + Culture” lecture course that frames the turn of the 20th century in the US with the beginning & growth of jazz music.

Describe your ideal soundscape? Flamenco guitar, an ocean in the background and delay to make interesting choices with.

What do you consider to be the most frightening sound? Anyone gasping for air.

What do you consider the most overrated sound? Haunting covers of popular songs in trailers!

Whose speaking or singing voice do you most admire? An obvious one but Nina Simone’s singing voice. Ah!

Who is your hero of music or audio? Big fan of the Neptunes’ production sound.

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you possess? Making a wide variety of music. From techno to folk or country to ambient.

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you secretly possess? Tinnitus :(

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you most desire? Accurately mimicking accents and regional inflections.

What is the most extravagant / furthest length you have gone for sound? I recall being on the streets of Reykjavik on a quick layover in winter of 2016. The sun was still up at 3AM but bars & shops were closed. I was too stubborn to pay for a hostel and lost track of the sisters I had hitchhiked into town with. Wandering around the chilly city while it slept, I walked to the edge of land, which is the furthest north point I have ever been to in the world. Staring out into the abyss of the ocean, imagining the North Pole (not very close apparently), and feeling a hundred times over humbled, I took out my phone, opened up my voice notes and recorded the wind at that point.

What is your most vivid sound memory? I can still vividly recall a car crash I was in as a high schooler. What stands out is the jump in dynamics of the entire experience. Music was playing at a moderate volume, it was late at night and my siblings & I were picking up dinner after doing work at home. There was no speaking occurring as a result and the sound of the music created a shell in my Volvo sedan that made us feel separate from the external world. I turned left on a green light at the top of a dimly lit hill and saw the car coming towards us before I heard it. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline quietly seeped through me: my process of thought seemed to stretch with time and I calculated that at the rate of speed in which the car was hurtling towards us, it would reach us in the middle of my attempt to complete my left turn, careening us out of danger. My younger sister was half asleep on the back seat and my younger brother on the passenger side, both on the right side of the car. They would be exposed to the brunt of the collision if I wasn’t able to clear the left turn in time. As I was silently going through the outcome in my mind, the music was muffled and receding in volume in response to my rising adrenaline. Knowing the front of the Volvo Sedan was notoriously long, a factor in my parents’ decision of automobile purchase, I chose, at the last second, to turn directly towards the oncoming car and collide head on, no doubt saving my siblings from serious injury. I didn’t have time to call out. All that I could hear was quiet right before. Then there was an overwhelming BANG and the screaming of my siblings, glass shattering from the impact. And the outside world rushing into the car along with the whooshing of airbags & Chinese food flying everything. Fortunately no one involved was seriously injured. In proving its safety capabilities however, the Volvo & other vehicle were totaled.

Which of your possessions do you most associate with a sound? My phone! I use voice notes obsessively. I also fortunately have a personal studio in my apartment where most of my personal possessions, like my Wurlitzer 200, are kept & are all sound related.

Which extinct sound do you most wish you could hear? Hearing New York during the 70s. Particularly as DJ culture was growing and spilling over from the Bronx. I’ve seen documentaries but to live it and be immersed in the sounds of the streets, the conversations…

What advice did you regret not listening to? Invest in good attenuating earplugs.

Describe silence in ten words. A state of being that could not exist without loudness.

When did you feel unheard? Whenever you send out emails/resumes/pitches to “info@----” email accounts. Very rarely do “zzzzzuuueee” inbox dings come back to meet my “fffff-pih” outbox sound.

Describe a sound that troubles you. A bad listener talking over another person in conversation.

What will it sound like on the “other side”? I hope to hear the voices of my family & friends in harmony upon my arrival.

When and where were you happiest, and what did it sound like? As a child, exploring the woods behind my grandparents’ house. The leaves crunching under my feet and I can hear deer hopping in the distance.

What was the best thing you heard this week? Live music at prospect park, an impromptu band set up to play, and the clamour of people happily chatting away, collectively giving voice to the park.

Sound via freesound.org