BLOGLINE ENDEAVOR... Chapter 3: Change!

SUB ONE: First Sessions and a Fresh Attitude!

My artist bio states it perfectly; 'Measure for Measure' was the first song I wrote and it was a heartfelt song. A lot has changed between that time and now.

1993 was coming to an end, and so was Prismatic...

I felt the time was right upon graduating from the Art Institute to not only find adequate work but to also apply myself to new avenues in creating music. What I was doing with the Prismatic material was good, but I felt that the musical paintbrush was creating broad strokes. I wanted to narrow the field a bit.

I was gaining more respect for what was labeled as 'industrial' rock and also gained more of a respect for what I grew up with in the 80's - specifically new wave, punk, and synth pop. Bands such as The Fixx, The Cure, Devo, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Einsturzende Neubauten, Nine Inch Nails, Cabaret Voltaire, Foetus, The Tubes, Utopia, Frank Zappa, U2, Information Society and Joy Division were all making their way into my musical vocabulary.

I cannot exactly pinpoint where I decided to change the moniker from Prismatic to SUB ONE but it wasn't too soon after I graduated that I started writing new material that was a total change from anything I had done before. Once I sat down with my keyboard, I took it upon myself to come up with some very simple rhythm lines and piece together what would remind an average listener of typical 80's synth New Wave rock. Two songs were recorded in the first days of SUB ONE, 'Human Surroundings (Control This Joystick)', and 'Tubes'. It wasn't until 2003 that 'Tubes' saw the light of day. Upon finishing these new songs, I came up with more new material that will be showcased here on the SUB ONE blog. There will be some stuff that has never been played before and there is also alternate takes of material as well as studio outtakes that I have since unearthed.

As for the name, SUB ONE, this is another thing I cannot pinpoint but I can say it was another one of those cases where I was trying to think of a new name and several things came to mind. One thing I was thinking of was the fact that I was using machines to play and write music. Being one person making everything work, I felt that the word 'ONE' should be in the name. I think SUB was somewhat of a reference to SUB Zero (the character from the Mortal Kombat video which I played religiously back then), yet I also think back and there was also a mathematical philosophy to this as well.

"If I am one yet I am human, won't using machines to do my work make me less than human? Therefore, I am SUB ONE."

Pretty deep, eh? That's why they call me Thee Sub One Genius!

So the moniker has stuck with me ever since. Sure, there have been times I thought of changing to another name but as for any music that ends up on wax, it's known as a SUB ONE project. Now, from time to time I have deviated with various electronic instrumental music and have used such monikers as CREATURE BLONDE, A-GEN, and ALL TIED UP but in the end it's all created by the same genius!