Sean McBride Interview (Xeno & Oaklander)

This video captures an extended interview with Sean McBride. The interview one of the extended interviews done in the process of creating the I Dream Of Wires modular synthesizer documentary. 

Interview Summary:

After an initial interview following his debut Toronto performance in 2011, I Dream Of Wires visited the Brooklyn NY studio of Sean McBride, for a first-hand look into his working methods. McBride has been releasing his unique brand of intricate synthwave music since the early 2000s, both as a solo artist under the name Martial Canterel, and as half of the Xeno and Oaklander duo.

McBride has been an outspoken devotee of hardware analog synthesizers, and utilizes a vast collection of vintage drum machines, sequencers, and synths, ranging from basic the basic SH-101 to modular (Serge, Roland 100m) and semi-modular (Roland 100, Arp 2600) units; from a Prefixmag interview: “I liken the playing of these synths to a craft, the making of something with one’s hands. Perhaps akin to the potter’s wheel — it is a fragile and vulnerable balance between hand and tool.”

In recent years, McBride’s live rig has shifted towards a contemporary, portable Eurorack-heavy modular system, better suited to his extensive international touring. Xeno and Oaklander is set to release a new album on Ghostly International, summer 2014.

See the Xeno And Oaklander site for more info on McBride and the I Dream Of Wires site for more info on the documentary.

6 thoughts on “Sean McBride Interview (Xeno & Oaklander)

  1. I finally got my IDOW extended hardcore edition DVD a couple of weeks ago. If you haven’t got yours yet, dial up Amazon immediately. An excellent documentary, essential viewing.

  2. The guy seems pretty intense. I thought about the cigarette smoke too. But you know what? I’m sure a lot of vintage gear was exposed to smoke. If the gear was ever used live, there were no smoke-free clubs, and how about in the studio? I guarantee a lot of them were a smokers paradise.

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