A Chat with Mort Jardin (27.03.23)
From Headbanger News to Music For All, Punk Head, Sinusoidal Music and Revival Radio, Mort Jardin melds post-punk, psychedelia and alternative rock in a unique sound. We speak to Mort Jardin about their album Delay Decay, creative processes and future plans.
OSR: Why did you decide to pursue a career in music?
Mort Jardin: I was obsessed with electric guitars from the moment I first saw one. Then I became obsessed with lyrics. I wasn’t particularly good at school. I found English quite difficult but I loved words and saw how, within lyrics, you can create imagery that doesn’t necessarily make literal sense but creates an emotion.
I also love the visual process – artwork, videos, etc.
OSR: What or who inspires you to make music?
Mort Jardin: I draw on life experiences and find in music a way to express myself. I listen to a large variety of music, look at other art, films and TV. Over the years it becomes part of your language – second nature – and finds its way into the work. For instance, ‘Soaked in Fever’, though a post-punk song, there was something in the guitar of the chorus that evoked a feeling of a Frank Sinatra song, leading me to the vocal style, in turn leading me to layer more guitar in an attempt to orchestrate the chorus. The verse was inspired by watching the Elvis film, King Creole and the song of the same name.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album, Delay Decay?
Mort Jardin: In the summer of 2022, I was having constant bad dreams every night. Some violent and some strange and twisted. The writing process was, I think, me taking back the narrative.
OSR: What is your creative process?
Mort Jardin: It varies. Mostly, I will make music intuitively, with no intention to create a song. I will record and save tracks giving them names that fit the music. In turn, those names may inspire lyrics. Occasionally, I will find myself singing a phrase that has popped into my head whilst doing something else. I will record that, then build up a song around it.
I limit myself to using only voice, guitars, bass and drum programming. I use a specific set of FX pedals but still try to make sounds with the guitar that is unlike the guitar. Some reviewers comment on the synthesiser sounds in the tracks. These are all done on guitar and bass with FX pedals. Some songs are recorded straight; others are broken, looped and mixed.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when recording Delay Decay?
Mort Jardin: Vocals can be tricky. I paid much more attention to vocals on this album. I am not a technical singer and I don’t use autotune, so it can be a long process. I’m looking to bring character to the voice and will revisit a vocal many times to get that right. I also process the voice through effects to create atmosphere. In the mixing stage, getting the balance right, especially when there are many layers of instruments, can be intense. It takes much longer than the recording. For this album, I had a three-month break before working on the mix, which then took a month.
OSR: If you had to recommend one song from the album to a new listener, which would it be?
Mort Jardin: It’s hard to choose, but it would either be ‘Soaked In Fever’ or ‘When You Are Around’.
OSR: What do you think makes Mort Jardin unique?
Mort Jardin: I think it is only unique because it is what I do. It’s an unintentional collage of all my interests and influences expressing my current situation.
OSR: If you could spend the weekend with any celebrity (not a musician), who would it be and why?
Mort Jardin: David Lynch or Martin Scorsese. Great film directors who use music effectively. I’d ask if I could have a go at doing a soundtrack for them, but I am sure they have that covered.
OSR: What are the drawbacks and advantages of releasing music in this digital era?
Mort Jardin: You have the freedom to create and release whatever you think is right without the need to get a record deal. With technology, you can record to a high standard in your own home. I see a world of independent musicians creating very individual music on their own terms and a network of media who want to promote it – more than any previous time. Sure, it is hard to make money from it, but it has always been that way for all apart from the top 5% of artists.
OSR: Do you have future plans as Mort Jardin?
Mort Jardin: Immediately, I have a video ready to come out for ‘The Logician’. I continue to write and record with a view to releasing future albums. I’m also quite interested in collaborating with other artists if the right thing came up.
Many thanks to Mort Jardin for speaking with us. For more from Mort Jardin, check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
