Neon Musical Insight

Dayve Hawk — better known as Memory Tapes — made his proper introduction into the music world this past September, with his debut full-length Seek Magic. Widely celebrated, and finishing on many music publications “best albums of 2009″ lists, Seek Magic manages to incorporate a large portion of the diverse influences of Hawk’s past, leaving something for any, and everyone to enjoy. the acclaim may be noticeable, and Memory Tapes may be one of the bigger newcomers in “indie music”, but Hawk still prefers the simple life, avoiding the reliance of auto transportation, or even a landline for that matter. A recluse, thats much more admirable than your average rock star. In the interview below, Hawk discusses everything from his future plans and touring to Janet Jackson.

Neon: How were the holidays?

MT: Stressful (laughs).

Neon: So you’re not the biggest fan of phones or cars, are you?

MT: (Laughs), the phone thing… I’m actually trying to get my hands on one. With driving, I never learned, but now it’s gotten to the point where… I don’t even know (laughs). People ask me and I have no answer. It’s just one of those things that you don’t do for so long that you just get used to it.

Neon: It kind of fits in with your environment with where you’re living in rural Jersey and all…

MT: Yeah, I’ve never been one to go out and do stuff. I’ve always been about if I wanna go out, I’d just go out walking or do something like that. If I had money I’d just buy a guitar pedal or something (chuckles).

Neon: Can you explain the background on the two projects Memory Cassette / Weird Tapes and how they merged into one?

MT: Well basically, I’ve always just sort of messed around at home recording stuff and at one point, I kind of move around a lot to different peoples houses and garages, and there was one point where all I really had was a laptop. I didn’t have my guitars or anything like that. Any instruments really. So I wanted to mess with music, so I just started chopping up songs, doing that kind of sample based work, which was done as Weird Tapes. I started putting it up online for friends who had moved out state or whatever, so they could get it, and I guess people, I don’t exactly know how, but they kind of caught onto it and it was showing up on other blogs, which was where I first became aware of what blogs were (laughs). Never read them. Then I started taking demos that I had recorded when I was a teenager in high school and put them up. All this stuff I was really just kind of fucking around with just for fun or whatever. But it was also really liberating because I was in a band at the time called “Hail Social “ and it was a really bad situation for me. It just never turned out right. We just fought constantly. It was more fun doing these other things. Simultaneously, the band broke up, so I had more time to just do whatever. So when labels approached me about re-releasing stuff that I had been putting up, I was in refusal of the idea. I wanted to start fresh while also working in a different way. I didn’t want to use samples and all of that. I wanted to make a proper record, so that was how Memory Tapes came to fruition.

Neon: Seek Magic feels like a very nostalgic album, that is filled with a multitude of influences, do you feel like some of the influences of the music that you were listening to at the time had an effect on the outcome of Seek Magic?

MT: Not really. I honestly feel like what I hear on the record is more stuff I listened to growing up. When I was a teenager, I was really into the Cocteau Twins and New Order; bands that probably get referenced alongside of what I do.  And I can hear that in the record. But a lot of the contemporary references that people make are usually people that I’ve never even heard. So, I’m sure similarities are there, but I can’t speak to it being any kind of an influence. I just think of it as being more older bands that I reference to which get into your vocabulary.

Neon: What type of music were you into when you first started playing? Did you go through the preliminary punk band phase?

MT: No, I actually didn’t. The first music I really ever got into was really just rap. I didn’t have cable growing up, and I used to have a neighbor record “Yo MTV Raps!” for me. I was all about that. Then when I got a little bit older I started playing drums. When I was 12 or 13 I found a stash of Beatles records in the house and I listened to them. It really made me want to write songs. That was when I first got a guitar and started to figure out how to record and stuff like that. That was really more where I was coming from. A classic rock, oldies, pop music kind of a thing. Then when I went to high school, all of the musicians that I met were into hardcore or that kind of thing, which I knew nothing about, at the time. I ended up playing with a ton of the kids because I was a drummer. Around here, I was one of two drummers probably (laughs).

Neon: Where did you record Seek Magic?

MT: In my house. I’ve been collecting gear since I was a teen and have a bunch of friends with guitars and pedals, so I would kind of just grab stuff and record.

Neon: Are you responsible for the instrumentation and production?

MT: Yeah, it’s all me. I had recorded in studios before, but it costs a lot of money, and, I don’t have any money (laughs).

Neon: When you first released Seek Magic, did you expect it to blow up the way that it has at least in the world of music blogs and from the critical masses?

MT: No. I remember when Acephale wanted to first press it up to the vinyl I was kind of like “Well don’t press up too many! You’ll never sell them!” (laughs), I was worried that I’d have this crazy backlog of vinyl, but it sold out. I’m sure I missed out on a lot of it. I try to keep my head down and not really read into it. My label will send me things, but I usually just don’t read them because I think it would weird me out reading about myself (laughs).

Neon: Where did you grow up?

MT: Here in New Jersey. Same place my whole life. I lived in Philly for a while, but made my way back here.

Neon: Are any of your family members into music like yourself? Were any of them responsible for your interest in music?

MT: I think it was mostly just me. No one else in my family is really into music. They’re all really into sports, which I never really got into, or was any good at. I’m not sure why I first started playing the drums, but my sister was in the marching band, and was one of those people who twirls the flag, and I thought the drumline was really cool. So from that point I started playing and it just kind of grew from there.

Neon: Are there any other contemporary bands or just anything in general that you’ve been really into lately?

MT: I’ve been listening to Janet Jackson a lot, especially Rhythm Nation; Also, any of that Minneapolis Prince era stuff. I don’t listen to a lot of new music. I like a lot of the stuff that’s on Acephale. I like Kingdom, who has a new 7”… I don’t listen to a ton of new music (laughs). I like the Tough Alliance! I think those guys are pretty cool.

Neon: Where do you go for new music?

MT: I normally go to Philly. There’s a shop called AKA in Philly that I really like. I don’t really buy a lot of new music, but they have a lot of prog and stuff, so I go there a lot when I’m visiting friends. There are not really any stores in my town (laughs). There are not really any stores in general… Other than Wawa (laughs). If Wawa started selling records, I’d go to Wawa (laughs).

Neon: What are you plans for the New Year? Any new material or remixes planned?

MT: I’ve done a bunch of remixes at the end of last year. I think a lot of them are coming out this month. I did one for Phoenix, which they said they were gonna put out sometime soon, I did a Gucci Mane track that’s gonna be on the Mad Decent mixtape. I’m going to England next week for my first show. Hopefully when I’m done with all that, I’ll get back to work on the next record. I’m like halfway done.

Neon: What Phoenix track did you remix?

MT: “1901”. I don’t know why, everyone’s done it already (laughs). I kind of felt like I was number 4,000.

Neon: Any planned gigs for the U.S.?

MT: There was a show in Philly that got cancelled. I’m trying to get the information straight, but I think I’m playing New York in the beginning of February, and L.A., and San Francisco at the end of February. And then some stuff probably in March, but I think I might be back in Europe for that. I’d like to do some more U.S. stuff, especially since I hate traveling (laughs). I think there are at least three in the U.S. There’s probably gonna be one in Philly too I’d imagine.

Memory Tapes Tour Dates (confirmed):
01/16 Manchester, England – The Corner
01/19 London, England – The Social
01/20 London, England - Luminaire *
02/03 New York, NY – Bell House
02/16 Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Hotel
02-19 Philadelphia, PA – TBA
02-20 New York, NY - TribecaGrand
02-26 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
02-27 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
03-04 Paris, France - Point Ephemere
03-05 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
03-06 Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso ^
03-07 Berlin, Germany – TBA
03-09 Brighton, England - Freebutt
03-10 Sheffield, England – The Harley
03-11 Manchester, England – The Deaf Institute
03-12 Glasgow, Scotland – Captain’s Rest
03-13 London, England – Cargo
03-18-20 Austin, TX - SXSW

* with Pantha Du Prince, Fitness Club Fiasco
^ with Hot Chip