Wolff Parkinson White

By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Photo by, UllaCBinder

Meet Wolff Parkinson White

If you have a pension for gorgeously abstracted and percussive electronic music then Wolff Parkinson White is someone you need to listen to right now. This NYC-based solo electronic producer uses their knowledge as a jazz drummer to bring a refreshing perspective to the electronic genre. In our latest interview, we chat about their inspirations and the new release ‘Veritable Rapunzel’.

A self-portrait by Wolff Parkinson White

Would You Rather

your skin flash like a fast strobe light, or be incredibly slippery? Why?

Strobe light. The general electronic music consuming population lusts for visual tittivation, I could wear one of those bodysuits with only
a hole around the butthole while performing at a standing desk or perhaps laying on my side at the many art installations and/or music festivals I have been courting to no avail. Maybe the Goethe Institute will finally show interest.

Some Questions with Wolff Parkinson White

Is there a story behind the name Wolff Parkinson White?

Yes, it's a congenital heart disease, an electrical problem - a short circuit in essence that results in occasional attacks of rapid heartbeat, a few minutes at a time, so fast no blood is being pumped, invoking an incredible panic. I had surgery when I was a teenager and it was traumatic, to say the least. I try to impart similar feelings or at least feelings of similar magnitude with this music.

Were there any musicians that were helpful in finding your sound as Wolff Parkinson White?

A plethora. I have always been reveling in experimental and extreme music, apart from - as you might know - being a jazz drummer by trade- I grew up absorbing "unusual" music, a lot of modern classical music, as in Schoenberg Webern, etc speed-, death, -math-metal/grindcore what
have you, some far-out electronic music, folklore from around the world; I studied some Indian rhythm concepts, African polyrhythms, number ratios in music, that sort of stuff. I was into jungle and drum 'n bass when it started, I was listening to Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, etc in the '90s but the defining person was Venetian Snares, his music had the biggest impact when I first heard it in the early 2000s, he is the master of the genre, simply
incredible, his 2004 masterpiece "Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding" is my favorite electronic album by far. Hearing that opened the door to this type of music for me, there are dozens of artists that I learned and still learn from, recently I have
been enjoying Qebrus, Vytear, Woulg, William Fields, Richard Devine, Autechre, Kindohm, Binray. Sometimes I draw a lot of inspiration from trying NOT to do what artist XZY did, or trying to do the opposite.

What is the best pizza in NYC?

Sbarro Express at Laguardia airport at like 10 am

How would you describe your workflow when creating a new track - is it more structured or organic?

In the best of cases, I hear a rhythm or chordal idea while walking back from dropping my son at school and am able to work from there, but most of the time I am just meandering around, browsing patches, or learning a new piece of software, and an idea is born that way. Sometimes I am studying a style or am trying to recreate something I've heard somebody else do and fail but end up with something unique. It does take me a long time to finish a track, months when it's bad, so often it is finishing the track, not finding an idea for a new one
that is the problem.

What would the title of your memoir/biography be?

Secretly Important Chicken

What was the creative drive behind your 2020 release “Veritable Rapunzel”? What narratives inspire the work you make under Wolff Parkinson White?

Some music, writing, or art I enjoy a lot has specific rules or restrictions. Pick one thing, weird as it may be - and see it through to the end, but don't bend any other rules. "Time's Arrow" by Martin
Amis comes to mind. We read about the life of a Josef-Mengele-type character as it would appear if time ran backward. So I wanted to start putting more albums or EPs out that have one narrative, one vibe, an album-long leitmotif if you will, which, like my 2014 EP "Gonaïve"- which is 6 tracks and unique in the way that it uses actual acoustic drums which I usually don't do, and it has a little dub feel to it. So for "Veritable Rapunzel", I set out to make
tracks that have no discernable tempo or meter, almost rubato, or like free jazz. It's not as obvious as other themed albums, but it's there and hopefully, the listener can tell. After the relatively traditional song structures of my last album "Favours"- that features singers and songs with sentences in English and melodies and chords, I wanted to
let loose and free-associate. It allowed me to dig into some sounds from more dance-oriented music and use it in this abstract way, like a sculptor using- say- a very common item in a very abstract work or
something super-cool-in-1960 like that. I thought of the title before actually re-reading the story of
Rapunzel, I was under the impression that it was some Disney-type princess story - but after reading it again - Jesus- that is some fucked up story- really way more complex and messed up than I remembered, which was just as well for the title. I have plans to put out more themed albums: ambient music, a crazy abstract dissonant Alban Berg-ish one, one with a pump organ I am restoring right now, one very restricted with sounds. I have an EP in the pipes with my friend Hayden Chisholm singing.

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

Oh, so here we go, a great time for some consumer shaming. My music is not available on streaming services like Spotify, except for an EP I
don't have control over. Please understand that artists make about $0.004 per song streamed. If 100 people listen to my 10 song album, I get 4 dollars. Minus the Paypal fee. 100 people is a realistic amount for this genre. I know Spotify and Apple Music are very convenient, especially on a phone, and I know Bandcamp is very inconvenient,
especially on an iPhone. If I could change that I would. If you know how, please let me know. But think about why that is. I, and many independent niche artists like me, are very thrilled every time we have a sale, even if it is just one song, and would rather you stream for free at Bandcamp ( which you can, even on an iPhone - "Request Desktop Site" is your friend). As you were,
thanks for coming
WPW