Toronto musical project, Output 1:1:1 explores what makes us human on his debut EP, Retroactive Rock Record. While it is only five songs in length, the EP successfully explores the complexity of human emotions while also experimenting with a wide array of sounds. Although his influences include lyricists Kendrick Lamar and Laura Marling as well as hometown heroes Broken Social Scene and legendary English rock band Radiohead, Output 1:1:1’s creator Daniel Janvier employs instinct and out of the box experimentation to take listeners beyond pre-existing genre lines, pushing boundaries and journeying into exciting new aural territory. This willingness to push boundaries was established early on with Output 1:1:1 and clearly blossoms on the new EP.
With Retroactive Rock Record out now, we caught up with Janvier to discuss the album’s themes, the start of Output 1:1:1 and what the new year has in store. Read the full interview and listen to the EP now below.
Can you tell us a little bit about Output 1:1:1 for anyone who might be hearing you for the first time?
Output 1:1:1 started as a solo project. The first recording I did for it was a piece called “Facehugger” that’s available here below the soundcloud links. I was doing more cinematic work at the time and, as a little experiment, I tried to score a scene from Alien from memory.
Around that time I started experiencing what would become a lengthy series of panic attacks, something that I’ve dealt with since childhood, but these were almost clustered and increased in intensity. I’ve written about it in more detail here, but this period influenced the direction of this music in a more abstract way then I had written in the past. I mentioned the “Facehugger” recording because parts of that piece are reflected in the EP’s attempts to be expressive in this form.
Last month you released your debut EP, Retroactive Rock Record. Now that it has been out for a little bit and you’ve had some time to reflect on it, what are some of your favorite things about the EP?
I don’t want to sound too self congratulatory, but I think some of the work is pretty brave and challenging. It’s horrifying putting so much of yourself into something and releasing it into the world. But the support I’ve been lucky enough to receive in this process is really quite something. It’s especially cool seeing everyone’s hard work is available on these platforms for people to discover and respond to.
It being your debut release and some of the first music that many people would hear from you, was there anything you really wanted to accomplish with Retroactive Rock Record?
I hoped it would serve as an interesting introduction. I wanted to avoid sounding too familiar, and one of those ways was to try and avoid using strummed chords as much as possible. I wanted chords to be implied, requiring the various parts to create a tone around each other. I hoped people would pick up on that, and that the EP would exist in its own space.
Retroactive Rock Record is an exploration of human emotion. Was it revealing or therapeutic at all to work on songs like these?
It was certainly therapeutic. I think putting all the work that one would into a collection of songs is trying on its own, and to have something you want to share is as relieving as it is rewarding.
I think attempting this kind of recording, and not responding to it like it’s indulgent garbage is really quite something – it’s seeing the value in our own labour.
What was the most challenging part of working on the EP?
I think time was the greatest challenge. Time and the need to be productive with whatever free time I had available. Even time spent working on the EP itself had this back of my mind feeling of “you need to do more, write more, practice more.” Time became an invaluable currency, and allowing myself to step away from that mentality became a challenge on its own.
What was the most rewarding?
I think a lot of little parts added up to an overall reward. Whether it was discovering the moment to use delayed vocals on the title track, or noticing the way the slowed down camera shakes create a hypnotic effect in the video for “Issue at Track Level.” Creating “The End Wave” out of another entirely failed song idea was really cool – even creative ideas that seemingly didn’t work were worth pursuing.
There was also being able to include a lot of people I really cared about in the process – that on its own was really exciting.
What would you like for listeners to take away from the EP?
I believe it’s most impactful when listened to from start to finish, and I hope people who check it out find this. I think there’s something in this EP that people can connect with, that is unique to each listener, and I hope there’s a why for them to project their own interpretations on the work.
With 2019 coming to a close and Retroactive Rock Record out now, do you have any other big plans before the end of the year or for the beginning of 2020?
The live show we’ve been working on will be ready early next year. The musicians I’ve started working with are very supportive, intelligent people from different musical backgrounds. I can’t state enough how exciting it is to witness their interpretations of the material come together. There’s a kind of freewheeling conversation over where the beat is, or how the bass and percussion play around the guitar lines as opposed to strict adherence to rock formulas. I think it’ll make for a very unique show.
I’ve also been working on new material during the run up to the release. Séan, who produced the new EP and played percussion on most of the tracks, and I are planning to start mixing it in the new year. Hopefully it’ll be ready by winter 2020, but taking our time with it will likely help produce stronger work.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for the opportunity. It’s really surprising that almost two years have passed since this project started. I held onto the recordings and the art for a while after they were ready. I was terrified to put this out. It’s easy for me to feel like I don’t really have anything of value to say, and to use that as an excuse not to release this EP was all too easy. I’m sincerely grateful to everyone who has given space on their platform for this 5 song recording – it helps prove that feeling wrong.
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