Short interview with Sole regarding a number of topics. I never really trusted or enjoyed reading music reviews either and I don’t know why anyone else does. I could never picture myself liking a song/album/artist/etc. just because it got good reviews from a so-called critic. Link
Speaking of the internet, as an artist, and co founder of a well known music label, how do you feel about the internet’s access to music? Is it helpful or discouraging?
I think it’s more bad than good. I don’t like seeing how digital downloads are fucking up the infrastructure for indies. I used to think it levels the playing field, but I don’t feel that way anymore, because the majors will always make their money, and the slim margin an indie survives on is getting slimmer and slimmer. I don’t like anything that alienates people from an experience, i.e.: comparing vinyl to an mp3, the world is becoming less romantic every day.
People have either loved or hated Anticon along the years. How do you feel about certain critics that react to the name Anticon, before hearing the music? Do you ever scroll down and read the name before reading the review?
Nah… my critics don’t gain any sort of infamy with me, they are quickly forgotten. I care less and less about this sort of thing. I recently got a press report from my publicist and some woman named Jessica Hopper wrote, when asked about how she liked my new record she wrote, “I hate sole,” that’s all she wrote back! Stuff makes me smile. I can’t fathom how anyone can be a music writer, it seems so missing the point. You really can’t write about music, the best thing about music is almost magical, unexplainable and when you try to describe something you have to put it in a box, and some stuff just doesn’t deserve to be put in a box. I’ve put so much effort into answering questions and sometimes I’m so proud of the thing I say, but usually people just write the article they want to write and I felt like I wasted my breath. There are some writers out there who do a good job, who really know how to write about music and do it with a passion, but I think a lot of them are just doing it because it makes them feel important and they can’t make it as fiction writers or political theorists. Press is becoming less and less important and that’s a good thing.
