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Date: Fri, 29 Oct 93 00:13:31 EDT
Subject: Chaos4.IO
Artist Profile - IO

     With the release of a new EP, "Land of Forms" (Havoc Music), IO
continues to explore the fusion of electronic and orchestral sounds that
technology makes possible. IO is basically the solo project of Andre Roman,
who collaborated with vocalist Juanita Charter for the new six song EP. On
the debut IO release, "Locust on the Vine," Roman had done all the vocals
himself, so Charter's presence makes for a big change in the music. 
      "That really affects the sound dramatically," says Roman about
Charter's vocals. "It's something I've always wanted to incorporate, I've
always just dreamed of doing really pretty music with pretty vocals."
     Now based in Colorado, Roman got involved with Havoc music when he was
living in Massachusetts and met up with Taylor D. Roman says that at the time
he was "lost" because there was no scene and no one else that he knew was
electronic music. He met some people at an art gallery who directed him to
Taylor.
     "We just hit it off right away," says Roman.  "He came over with his
sampler to my loft and we just hooked up our sequencers and just started
writing music."
     The two were roommates in New York and recorded music under the name
Architettura. That groups "Somersaults in the Blind Room" was one of Havoc's
first releases. Musically, Architettura was much more in the industrial vein
than IO.            "I still had that songwriting background so I was able to
come up with the songs but Taylor contributed a lot of really interesting
percussion," explains Roman on the collaboration. "He's a percussion genius I
think."
     Roman has no formal musical training and says that his talents of
composition come from "just listening very intently for years and years." He
started out with acoustic guitar, switching over to bass before getting into
electronic music and realizing the endless possibilities it makes possible.
Beyond the control it gives the composer, Roman sees electronic music as a
powerful means of expression.
     "I'm at a point where I'm absolutely fascinated by how the mind works,"
he says.  "Basically, there's a lot of electronic impulses running around our
brains and triggering all kinds of responces and emotions and imagery and I
feel that electronic music stimulates the brain in a way that it can help to
create imagery in the brain. I like to call it 'painting on the brain"
because that's what it does. Music stimulates people to create their own
images in their brain."
     What makes IO's sound so unique is it's ability to fuse many styles.
There is a very electronic feel, with synths and machine like drum patterns,
but also a very warm, orchestral side to the music. Because it doesn't ever
get stuck too far on the spectrum either way, the music is very hard to
classify.
    "I tried coming up with a term to define it and the closest I could was
'organic-electro'," explains Roman. "It's because part of me feels that even
though it's important to really explore and go forward with new sounds, I
feel it's also important to remember where you come from too. So it gives
more of an idea of like a big picture, rather than splintering off into a
bunch of new sounds. I try to combine what I think of as almost classical
songwriting and sounds, taking styles going all the way back, and bringing
that feel into the modern realm. So it's a combination of a timeless feeling
with very new sounds."
    In terms of the actuall sounds used in the music, Roman used to just take
"found" sounds and use them way out of context, but now he's taking that one
step further. By using sampled wave forms and then synthesizing them (as
opposed to simply treating them with effects) he is able to create and even
wider array of instrumental noises. 
    Being responsible for all of IO's music gives Roman a great deal of
control. This sometimes gets in the way because it opens up too many
possibilities and makes him over critical simply because there are so many
things that can be altered in the music.
     "It kind of drives you a little crazy sometimes but in a way it also
lets me set, what I think, higher standards for the music," he explains."
That's something that I'm constantly battling - being very very critical."
       Roman says that on the next IO release there will be a wider variety
of styles present. There will be songs like those on "Land Of Forms," as well
as instrumentals and more experimental compositions. Playing live is not part
of IO right now, though Roman says that his system is now capable or
reproducing the music in a live setting. Roman would rather wait until the
ideal situation comes along, as he wants to avoid night clubs. In addition to
IO, Roman has a more orchestral side project called Blind Arcade. Sometime in
the future, Roman wold also like to work with Taylor again, as he calls the
work the did together "the best collaboration I was ever involved with."


Copyright 1993 Bob Gourley. This article may only be reproduced
electronically and for non-profit purposes. Contact rsgour@aol.com