Camp Counselor Carmel Catches Up With Marcus Rezak of Digital Tape Machine

I recently got a chance to talk with Marcus Rezak, guitarist for Digital Tape Machine, and he shared all that the group has been up to, how they have evolved this past year, and what he is most looking forward to in 2015… from Summer Camp and beyond. Carmel: For those who are not familiar, give me an overview of Digital Tape Machine, its members and how you would describe your overall sound. Marcus: DTM is comprised of several original members, but we have passed forward the torch of the drum throne position. The band now includes three of its original members, Joe Hettinga, Bryan Doherty, yours truly, plus the addition of Neal Wehman on the drum kit, who has been absolutely crushing it with us. We just put out a new song a couple months ago called “Beast” and named it after Neal. He has made the transition very easy going forward with everything musically and our shenanigans. He is bringing the right feel of what we are going for sonically: tight funky grooves, a soulful pocket, and a great danceable energy to our live show. Since we started moving on this new path our sound could only be described as, “climactic”. Well that kind of leads to my next questions. How has DTM changed sonically over the past year? For the first five years of the band’s existence we blended styles all across the board and brought them under one roof. We incorporated progressive rock, deep house, reggaeton, funk, new wave, dubstep, soul… the list goes on. Over the past year, we started simmering into more of an electro-soul/hip hop style with an undeniable throwback funk element. Presently, we play all of our earlier hits (with variation), but the new tracks have definitely been influenced by hip hop, electro-funk and soul music. Having more space in the music with less instrumentalists has given us a chance to let the songs breathe, allowing us to add more character. The first track we released under the new format which I mentioned early is called “Beast” and it’s super funky! It’s a Michael Jackson influenced bass line that crosses into a four on the floor shuffle feel, ending with a huge drum solo hit section. The very latest song we just put out a few weeks ago titled “Face Behind the Face” has more glitch in it, which was really fun to produce. So sonically we are taking on a more glitch, funk, electro-soul, hip-hop with a jazz influence. I believe our music is accessible because you can be a musician and value it or you can be an individual who just appreciates music. That feels like the winning formula right now . DTM shows are pretty intense and there is an obvious exchange of energy between the band and the audience. Describe what it’s like being on stage during a DTM show. Being on stage with DTM for me is one of the greatest feelings I get to continually experience in my life because our fans are always dancing hard, feeding us back the energy we put out, which honestly is what I thrive off of as a live musician. I always strive to play for people who appreciate intriguing yet moving music. If they are dancing hard and feeding the energy back to us, it feels like I am doing something right. At times while I’m on stage, I go into a state of sub-conscious playing. It’s where this true Zen experience happens and I am fully connecting with the music. I am very fortunate to have been blessed by finding guitar playing and musical experiences in general, centralized by playing for all the DTM fans… We like to get their receptors activating in a different way than just lights and sub-bass. By bringing a high level of composition as well as improvisation to the party, we engage the audience with variety and it keeps things interesting. It’s a fun time as well as an energizing experience in that everyone is there together expressing, releasing, and just living in that happy zone… I think the fans know I am aware of them during the shows, watching their reactions as we play. You have been spending a lot of time creating music this past year and recently appeared on Turbo Suit’s new album, “Out Here.” How does your approach change with each project you tackle? Yes, things have been busier than ever lately… I have been fortunate to be super busy working on a lot of music in the studio and to play out live. I must mention my early college days at Berklee College of Music in Boston. My time there really helped me hone in on working in the recording studio. While working with my pals in Turbo Suit, I focused a lot more on giving a harmonic and rhythm guitar element to the music, layering jazz influenced guitar parts and creating a landscape of chords. My approach was different because I generally cover most melodic, harmonic, and improvisational ground with all my own projects, but when I’m appearing on another group’s or artist’s record, I go into a mode of “what can I do to enhance the music the most”. In many studio projects I have few tricks of the trade that end up being implemented. For example, I like to create many unassuming parts and design them to end up as complex part working together. There may be four, five, sometimes 10 guitar layers happening all very modestly, but when played together they interlock into something that’s really conversational. My approach will always adapt to the setting I am working in, but my foundational premise hardly ever changes. So what about making music for Digital Tape Machine? Digital Tape Machine… I do what I want! (laughs) In working with my creative partner and producer Joe Hettinga, we are designing the sounds and composing the melodies, bass lines, and just the overall vibe of the track. We switch off instruments in the studio. For example, Joe “Dutch” will do the beat production and I will do the melodies and bass line tracking. With DTM the creation process is an open canvas to create anything we are feeling. Having an outlet to express myself is a beautiful thing I don’t take for granted. I gear the music we record in studio towards how I envision it reacting with fans live and I take that very seriously. I sort of envision it in multiple ways as a studio recording and then as a live song. Being off tour allows us to be in the laboratory, concocting the best formulas we can with the experiences we have learned from trial and error. As a musician, what inspires you? That is a great question! What inspires me is having people who visually and sonically embrace the music I’ve created either live or in the lab. I can’t deny the fact that I love seeing people enjoying themselves at a show because of the music I am creating or from the live show experience they are getting. It’s really incredible. I’ll never forget my mission statement as a musician 10 years ago, “I want to make as many people dance as possible.” I have held true to this. Another huge point of inspiration for me is collaborating with other dedicated, driven, and talented instrumentalists, producers, painters, writers, or even people in film, all real artist. I feed off of their energy and state of being. The greatest inspiration I see for the future is getting my music heard by people who will appreciate and understand our style of music. Those that let their body and mind become one with the music inspire me. I listen to a lot of different music across genre boarders that light me up inside, stimulating my ears and soul, this actually happens to me often enough… but it’s mostly the people I am working with presently who motivate me and are doing cool stuff, they inspire me to keep elevating. You’ve played live with many notable musicians, what have been some of your favorite collaborations? Lately, I’ve been enjoying a new collaborative project going by the name The Stratosphere (Skydeck) All-stars, after we played on the 99th floor of Sears Tower in Chicago for a show hosted by Otter Presents. We have another show coming up this week at The Brooklyn Bowl NYC that’s being put on by Live For Live Music. Some of the band members include Dave Murphy (STS9/7arrows) on bass and Mike Greenfield (Lotus/ Electron) on drums; both have been really great to work with. DTM just opened for Lotus in St. Louis and had a really good time playing with those guys. DTM is also releasing a brand new track that Murphy is guesting on that is scheduled to come out in a few weeks, which is sounding very rad. Along with Dave and Mike, we also have Steve Molitz on keys from Particle and Phil Lesh and Friends. Jon “the Barber” Gutwillig from the Disco Biscuits also plays in the group and has been a blast to jam with. For the show we are about to do at the Brooklyn Bowl it is basically the same group but with Andrew Block from Grammatik’s live band and Todd Stoops from Kung Fu who will also be joining in. We are having fun collaborating and heading into a direction of playing more shows and making this more of a regular thing. Other musicians I’ve worked with over the years include, Stanley Jordan, Chris Poland, Mike Keneally, Ray White, Fareed Haque, Benny Golson, Joel Cummins, Jake Cinninger, and Kris Myers off the top of my head. What is your favorite part about Summer Camp Music Fest? This is my seventh year attending and sixth year playing at Scamp, with each year getting more and more exciting. I love the Midwest vibe and it truly culminates at this fest. The attendees who come from all over the country and bring such an awesome spirit and energy to the fest… it’s just hard to match anywhere else. I really appreciate how the artists are treated and how the festival is run so professionally thanks to Ian and Jay Goldberg. I also love the VIP Lounge. I go VIP every year and the Lounge always turns into one of the best rage locations. This fest also brings so many musician friends together; it’s a blast getting to hang with everyone. For some reason there is a lot of beef between fans of EDM and fans of jam. Why do you think that is? That’s really funny you mention it, because I am just realizing that this “un-kosher” beef is happening. I didn’t even know there was a problem, you know like East Coast/West Coast drama within the scene, but I suppose this drives development and things do happen for a reason. I feel like this literally breaks down into a generational difference as if there is this listening gap happening. Sadly, it sounds like it’s dividing fans just like it did in the past when you aren’t brought up with the same music, as for instance your older / younger sibling or even parental units. I think a lot of the younger kids are being brought up with EDM as a basis for being the thing they are most often exposed to. High school and junior high is when we start to identify with the music we will love for the rest of our lives. That is the music of our time and makes us reflect whenever we hear it. For me it was Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Phish, Van Halen, and tons of different jazz. So I think it comes down to a generational gap and, unfortunately, people being narrow minded and uneducated on music history. Everyone, in my opinion, needs to spend a great deal of time listening to jazz, classical, and rock and roll music as a starting point. A good music listener has gigantic ears to take in diversity and cross-pollinations of style. There is good in all kinds of music, sometimes greatness, you just have to find the truthful artists creating it. So where do you think Digital Tape Machine falls in that? We fall directly in the center of space, give or take a few songs depending on your mood. We are well studied and technologically advanced enough to be creating fully produced heavy EDM tracks, but we take pride in our instrumental skills that we’ve devoted so much time to our entire lives. The band members are all bachelors and some masters degree holders in jazz performance / composition with roots in funk, rock, hip hop, and classical music. We can’t help but combine what we love about everything that is truly musical! Many of us grew up with the jam community before it started merging with the EDM community, and for the last five years Digital Tape Machine has lovingly combined both elements which stays true to everyone who may listen, plus it keeps evolving us as musicians to a whole new level. One could say we create the atmosphere of an EDM show while in addition adding an instrumental inner working… combining the digital synthesis. We are moving more towards the organic side of things with our latest direction showcasing electro-soul, hip hop, and funk… things we have always wanted to combine and now are ready. Utilizing all of our skills in production / sound design while having instruments more involved in conjunction with the tracks instead of all the time. We want to show our audience what music was like before EDM and bring the two together as we always have, but lending ourselves to throwback and keep it live. So what’s North American Scum all about? North American Scum is a project that goes after the music of LCD Soundsystem. We do our best to take on the full energy, musicality, and experience of an LCD Soundsystem show in it’s entirety. Members of Digital Tape Machine (Joe, Me) and Turbo Suit (Embry, Gerlach, Peterson) plus Colin Scott (Spare Parts) teamed up to create the group. The shows are a full production with backing tracks, lights, and authentic James Murphy vocals brought to you by Mr. David Embry. Our manager, Dan Rucinski, helped us book a bunch of shows along with Wes Samuel, our booking agent over at Madison House. Last year went really well and we continued this year with about 20 shows including a Colorado run and shows up and down the East Coast and Midwest. I have a blast and definitely want to see us play more, but our bands’ tour schedules make that a little tricky. Luckily, our next show up is going to be a late night set at Summer Camp Music Festival 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_2mTSNP0lU Were you always a fan of LCD Soundsystem? To be completely honest, I had not listened to much LCD before joining the band and really started digging into their material. I absorbed an immense amount about the band after learning their music, researching their history, and playing in our version of the band. Much of it has been quite ear opening. I got interested in how the music builds up into a frenzy statically, especially relating to all the chords, bass lines, and melodies where sometimes nothing is moving, just holding. James Murphy’s use of repetition, shear energy, and emotion develops very subtly, almost creepily. I find his lyrical stories are infectious coming across being so powerfully out front, yet building up along with the band. I just rock out really hard and love seeing the fans sing along and react to the music. In listening to the lyrics one day, I started to realize the connection they have to all of life’s beauties and hardships told in a very genuine style. I’m generally soaked through my shirt after every show we play because there is so much release happening for all of us on stage and off. What are you most looking forward to in 2015? I am truly humbled, excited, and determined about everything that is on the rise with DTM, Stratosphere All-stars, North American Scum, Turbo Suit and all the musical experiences to come in 2015. Digital Tape Machine, especially with the new band going forward into 2015 and beyond, will be out to change up the game, along with everyone else in our glorious scene that supports us. We will be releasing our second full length album in the fall, which I would like to add is being tracked live and in the studio which will hopefully capture the true essence of the band. Later on we will be adding post-production to it. The record will feature different guests, videography including behind the scenes info and insight on how we create in the lab, and copies pressed to vinyl. We are in the process of purchasing a touring vehicle, new merchandise, and some new instruments to incorporate into the show. Of course, this will all be centered on touring, much more than the band has been able to in past years. We are looking at roughly 30-40 more shows this year alone and next year that number will roughly double, which to me is awesome. The current stability of studio life and live performing is crucial to our musical existence and production as musicians, so I value that balance with DTM whole-heartedly. It would be difficult to exist without performing live on a regular basis, yet the creation time in the studio allows me to mentally and physically rejuvenate in a creative way. It ultimately helps me feel much stronger on our tours and for our music life in general. I look forward to more experiences collaborating with a variety of other artists, musicians, producers, and music enthusiasts across the globe. I look forward to keep learning from other people’s music, style, cultures, and opinions because I truly believe we are all reflections of each other.]]>