CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER] - Interview

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Tell us about Father2006.

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

아버지 (father) is one of my music aliases that focuses on themes of death, and coming to terms with it. ‘deathdream’ (defined as‘albums that explore themes of isolation, depression, desperation’) is what most people label the music as, although i’ve always seen it as a plunderphonics/vaporwave project.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

How does Father2006 deviate from your other alias chris†††

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

Music under chris††† is made mostly from my perspective, with some projects like 'a.d.' and 'deep dark trench' made from the perspective of a nation. I feel like the work I do with 아버지 comes from a different perspective, from someone on their own journey and the life they lived. Sonically though, they both have some of the same roots, but I definitely target a more moody and ambient tone with 아버지, while chris††† can be all over the place.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Tell us about your 2016 project titled, 'Reflection'

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

“The end of 2015 through the end of 2016 was quite a pivotal moment in my 'career' as an artist. I was wrapping up my 4th album as chris†††, 'no lives matter' in the winter of 2015, but i hadn't released much of anything that year, so taking inspiration from a peer of mine who was working on their own projects for label 'bloody carpet' (now blcr labs), in a couple of days during the end of the fall semester in college, I pieced together '흰색 죽음' (white death) as a companion piece to 'no lives matter'.

After they were released, they both began to take on their own fans and really boosted my confidence as a storyteller using samples to build my own vision. This led to the fall of 2016 when i was still on a high off the successes of my recent releases that i wanted to create a bookend to that story.

'흰색 죽음' (white death) looks at the final moments and journey through the afterlife, 'no lives matter' is the interpretation of someone mourning loss and never really coming to terms with it, reflection looks at the story of someone in their final days and hours, already accepting their fate and 'reflecting' on these last moment on earth. Each track builds this story up, reflecting on moments of regret, time wasted, leaving people behind, lasting legacy, ultimately leading up to 'tomorrow' the moment when time seems to stop and life flashes before the journey into the unknown.

The album was made in just a couple of weeks, at the time everything felt right about it, it really fell into my lap. I remember it feeling so easy to make this album at the time, it was cathartic in a way. I never expected anything under this alias would really go anywhere, it to me was a very personal project and up until the last two years it felt like a complete story.”

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Talk to us about the visuals for 아버지 - tomorrow.

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

Being a Tumblr scroller back when it was cool, I came across an archive of fm towns marty (a Japanese video game console) screenshots and recordings. It was there where I found gifs recorded from a 1992 point-and-click thriller named 'presence'.

Once I saw the image of a man staring at himself in a mirror, I knew that was the cover. On top of that, there were 30 other gifs, when pieced together, told a story of loss and regret, very similar to the album. So with all the images upscaled, I pieced them all together to make the video for tomorrow.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

We have to ask. Can you tell us about the album art for 'Deep Dark Trench'?

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

“When first starting work on deep dark trench, my roommates at the time were really getting into the cwc lore, with those hours-long documentaries popping up on youtube. After watching a few episodes with them, i didn't really find the humor in their story as much in it that my friends felt, to me it was the internet that ruined their life, and going through images and pages of their work, I found what became the album cover in one of the sonichu volumes.

It had this childlike innocence to it, and hearing the story of cwc (up to that point in 2017), it was a tragedy of the modern day. It felt fitting to me, looking at a 'loss of innocence after tragedy.”

ETHEREAL.PRESS

You state the Deep Dark Trench is broken into three acts. Can you elaborate a bit on each of them?

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

“I broke 'deep dark trench' into three acts exploring the past, present and future following a national tragedy.

With act one, you have the moments leading up and the tragedy itself. The chaotic sounds of screaming, broadcasts talking over each other, metal grinding, ending with cries for help.

Act two motions through from the days after the tragedy to the current day. Going through the stages of grief, dealing with mourning, wishing things could go back to 'normal,' flashbacks to the tragedy, and attempts to heal a nation.

Act three is tomorrow, the future and deterioration of a nation, the slow death of the American dream, and ending with a warning that history will repeat itself lest we forget.”

ETHEREAL.PRESS

How do you think the internet has shaped how we consume information?

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

As someone whose been making content on/for the internet for the past 15 years, I can see the changes in myself. I see myself stuck in the endless scroll on TikTok into the late hours instead of sleeping or doing something productive. The algorithms feeding me my fyp seem out of my control, trying to keep me in a bubble, keep me scrolling; it's not healthy.

Some days I feel like I've been nailed to my mouse and keyboard, unable to detach myself, and the worst thing is I can't imagine a world now without it. I still love the internet, though, I would not be where I am today without it, although I'm not sure if that's a good thing, lol.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Would you describe your music as a social commentary?

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

Yes and no, I can't really say I started any album with a grand vision for social commentary, but it seems by the time I'm finished with it, there ends up being a little bit of what's going on in the world in it. For example, with my latest album, 'a.d.', it started off as an album just about the rapture, but it turned out to make a lot of parallels to the early days of the global pandemic.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

What would you like users to take away from your music?

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

My music sonically is not for everyone, my mom tries to listen to it, engage with it for my sake, but I know it's not for her. all I want is for the people who are willing to give it a chance, to think about it, like really think about it. I intentionally like to leave things ambiguous so listeners can come up with their own interpretations of the music and what it means to them. as an artist, I don't want to hold someone's hand all the time.

For me, one of the most enjoyable parts of listening to music is finding for yourself what it means.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

What's next for chris††† & 아버지 [father]?

CHRIS††† & 아버지 [FATHER]

With christtt, I'm already at work on my next project. i recently played at the 'vaporwave' festival "electronicon 3" and debuted some new tracks there.

For father, I'm not sure, I have been playing around with sound and concepts, but if I can't find the right story to tell, then I won't force another album just because people like it. It was always a project for me, and the fact that people have enjoyed it as much as they have is just a bonus.

ARTIST LINKS:CHRIS††† + 아버지 [FATHER]