Meet Insect Ark

If fuzzed-up heavy rocking instrumentals are your thing, you have likely already heard of Insect Ark. If not I am very happy to introduce you to this powerful Duo. Comprised of Dana and Andy the two construct luscious and dark soundscapes that make for a heck of a good time. We chat with Dana in our latest interview about their album “The Vanishing” along with some other fun stuff.

A Self-portrait by, Insect Ark

Would You Rather

have the power to make things you touch turn invisible or shrink?

Invisible. 100%! That would be incredible.

Some questions with Dana of Insect Ark

How does it feel being almost a year out from your February release “The Vanishing”?

We were just starting The Vanishing’s touring and promotion cycle when COVID hit. Our EU tour fell to pieces while we were on the road in early March. Our album, along with so many others released this year, will be buried in the unfortunate shadow of 2020. But no matter what, I’m so proud of the record, and I hope it will prevail to somehow find a way to people’s stereos. Disappointment aside, we can’t change the past, this is how life played out. The Vanishing was the first album with drummer Andy Patterson on board, and we’re working on new material now, so we will forge on regardless.

Your project’s dark instrumental sound seems like it would do well in a cinematic context. If you could work with one director on the score of their movie who would it be? Why?

Film scoring is something I’m really interested in. I come from a visual arts background and I think it’s natural for me to “see” music and sound in a similar context of light and shadow. One director, and film that I would love to “re-score” (which is absurd, but will give an idea) is Béla Tarr’s “The Turin Horse”. This film is so barren it’d make Insect Ark seem busy. I’d love the challenge to compose music so delicately and minimally, and at a pace so slow that you could at times barely sense movement. This is kind of what I aim for anyway: to develop variations of sound and texture ranging from microscopic to huge and sweeping.

What has been a recent innovation in music that you admire?

It’s not recent, but in the last years, there have been great innovations in virtual instruments, like synths and sample libraries. I love all the super dedicated audio nerds working tirelessly to document and sample these rare analog synths. In many cases, they are instruments most musicians would never have access to. The possibility for me to have a huge palate of sounds makes for greatly expanded/evolved music in composition, performance, and recording.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

The commodification and devaluing of music (and media) is a travesty. The idea that people “deserve” to get these for free is something that I personally find absurd. We all benefit from the availability of digital media, and this is a modern fact; I’m not standing on a rock, yelling at the sky and damning how the world has turned out. But surely there must be a way to even things out a bit so that people who have dedicated their lives (at great expense) to making and producing music, film, and so on, can make something resembling a living wage.

What is the creative process typically like when you are making a new song? Is it usually more structured or organic?

It’s quite organic; I generally approach writing with no preset agenda. If I’m feeling inspired, an idea will usually work itself out, and from there I build on it, play, experiment, and layer. I really enjoy writing and since I play a lot of instruments, I can develop ideas rather quickly when inspiration strikes. Even though it can be frustrating when I hit a wall, I do trust my instincts. I’m not afraid to throw ideas away, and on the flip side, those moments that I’m on to a great riff, progression, or melody, feel incredibly satisfying. Those are some of my happiest moments.

What song are you most looking forward to playing live once the lockdown is finished?

I am looking forward to playing a few songs from Insect Ark’s last LP: Tectonic, the Vanishing, as well as older live favorites like The Collector. I switch off between lap steel and bass at Insect Ark gigs, which requires a lot of concentration and can be pretty intense. Playing bass is definitely my place of power and makes me feel really free. In addition to Insect Ark, I joined the band Swans recently, and we were supposed to tour all of 2020 and 2021. I was mostly going to be playing bass, and that was something I was also really looking forward to, playing new songs and ones from the last album, Leaving Meaning. But it will have to I wait. Both Swans and Insect Ark will tour again as soon as possible.

What are your top five favorite animals?

Birds, Dogs, Snakes, Elephants, Chimpanzees

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Just to thank you for your questions, and thank the readers for spending a few minutes with us.

Insect Ark