Funkadelphia: "So let's start off with what's your name and where are you originally from?"

Metaform: "Justice Aaron, from Los Angeles, California. Did high school and college in San Francisco."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "And where are you based out of now?"

Metaform: "I have lived in Tokyo, Japan, for the past seven years."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Do you feel living in these different

areas has influenced in your music? If so, how?"

Metaform: "Growing up in L.A. and The Bay Area in the nineties allowed me to experience some amazing music. Those are the primary influences that have stuck with me. Living in Japan as an outsider has allowed me to delve deeper into my own world such that my music has not been influencd by recent trends. Imagine making music on a remote island, you can only make what comes to you."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "How many releases have you put out through the Metaform persona?"

Metaform: "Since 2008, it's been three [long plays- LPs], one [extended play- EP], and a few mixtapes."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Now I want to focus on this new release you have

coming up for a bit- what's the new album called, to start?"

Metaform: "'The Midnight Machine, Act One' is the prologue of the EP trilogy. It is a science fiction opera based on my life in Tokyo."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "About how long would you say you have

been working on 'The Midnight Machine, Act One'?"

Metaform: "The concept hit me in 2009 when I was working on 'The Electric Mist'. It was this one instrumental piece that I was working on, where I kept having these dark visions of dystopias and robots and the like. That track will conclude the trilogy in 'Act Three'."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Would you say any particular track- or maybe two or three-

stick out to you as personal favorites on the new EP?"

Metaform: "No I don't think so. I try to be a good parent, no favoritism."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "In the past, you have collaborated with other artists on our albums-

did you bring in any guest artists for this latest release?"

Metaform: "No, not this time. I really don't collaborate with anybody out here in Japan, and once you hve been a reclusive DIY [do-it-yourself] artist for as long as I have, it's easy to forget about the whole idea of collaboration. Although, let me give a big shout out to Shift, who did the EP cover art and to Naotomo Umewaka, who co-directed the video.'"

 

 

Funkadelphia: "For this EP, did you use generally electronic production equipment,

or did you use live instruments at all?"

Metaform: "I was really happy with the mix of live and electronic on this record. There are a lot of synths and drum machines, but I also laid down a lot of live guitar and drums, and attempted to sing the lyrics."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "'Would you say you try to focus on any particular sound or genre,

either throughout an album, or throughout your whole career;

or, do you try to switch it up, either album-to-album or track-to-track?"

Metaform: "To me, having integrity as an artist means making music that is true to myself. As long as I like it, I will put it out. I think the Metaform sound gets more refined by each record, and this latest EP is the best representation of Metaform music to come. I don't try to follow any trends or fit neatly into any particular niche, and that's one reason why Meta-heads are the greatest fans in the world; they put up with me and support that."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Well let's step back to some more general questions- I'm sure you've been interested in music for quite a while now; but, can you think of a particular moment, or time in your life when you realized you wanted to pursue music production as a career?"

Metaform: "I started piano at five, then drums at ten, then finally picked up the guitar at thirteen. It's just something that I've always done without much thought. I was very anti-social in high school and would spend all my time in my room writing songs and dream of being a rock star, so I guess it started there. In college I would spend my free time in the studio, often spending the night there by myself, recording and experimenting- with sound. That is the path which led to Metaform."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "So how long have you been producing for about then?"

Metaform: "I think I started messing around with Cakewalk around '98 or '99, so definitely over ten years now."

 

 

 

Funkadelphia: "You mentioned a few already, but do you play any other instruments;

or, are there any instruments you would like to learn to play?"

Metaform: "Yes, I play guitar and drums, some keys, and I try to sing. I really wish I had stuck with the piano more, because that is what translates best to electronic and MIDI production when you are using a MIDI keyboard. Sure, you can go the MPC pad route, but the keyboard is better for writing IMHO. I have tried to make up for my lacking piano skills by using guitar-to-MIDI interfaces, but that technology is a ways off yet."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "When producing, what pieces of equipment do you use,

and also, what software?"

Metaform: "I do everything in Ableton in a custom PC, which I built myself- i5, SSD, ESI audio card. The world of VST's is a real jungle, there are so many good ones, but not many which cover everything. At this point, my primary synths are Omnisphere and Kontakt."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "What was the first piece of production equipment

you picked up and the software you first used?"

Metaform: "For me, it all started with one of the first versions of Cakewalk- I don't remember which one- but things really heated up when my man 4xAmpL let me borrow his EMU ESI-32 sampler. That's what I made a lot of my old stuff with. Tracks like 'The Secret' and 'Sunday' were all made with the ESI-32 and an outboard sequencer- Yamaha RMX- doing live mixes."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Have you been a part of any other musical projects; either under a different alias, or any group projects"

Metaform: "Not much really. I was in a few bands growing up. [I] did one release with a rock band called 'Team USA'; I did some guitar and vocals. [I] did a couple vinyl pieces with Razed High with the alias of Hai-Ding. I also put out a few rock tracks as Dead Sea Stereo."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Can you give us a few artists or musical acts- not constricted to any genre- that you would say have been key inspirations to you?"

Metaform: "The Bay Area in the nineties was a great time to be in the music scene. I was quite young, but I went to a lot of shows. Some groups and artists tht I would see regularly at local clubs were: The Deftones, DJ Shadow and Quannum Records stuff, Lagwagon, Machine Head, Rappin 4-tay, all local stuff; but, I also listened to a lot of Neil Young, Kyuss, Lee Scratch Parry, King Tubby, Black Sabbath, Sleep- lots of dark, heavy stuff. Then, working at a hip-hop night club for four years also influenced me a lot as I got to work with groups like Zion-I, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Afrika, Bambaataa, and The Pharcyde. So, I guess that's why Metaform makes no sense from a categorical standpoint."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "How about any smaller artists you'd recommned your fans to look out for?"

Metaform: "I feel terrible to admit that I really haven't kept up, and I always seem to find out about stuff after it's already blown up. Some examples would be The Black Dahlia Murder and Yelawolf- love those guys, but they are huge now. Honestly, as a DIY artist slash label, I really spend more of my time keeping up with industry trends on the business side of things."

 

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Any chance we could be seeing you in

The United States anytime in the near future?"

Metaform: "It is a top priority for me. My son was just born, and I plan to rasie him in California; and, plus I really need to get Metaform home where it belongs. So with any luck, I and my family will be back in Cali within 2013."

 

 

Funkadelphia: "Well thanks a lot for your time- any last words for the fans?"

Metaform: "To all the Meta-heads: thank you for all your love and support. I appreciate each and every one of you, without which, this project would not be possible. I hope you enjoy the new EP, and please sign up to the mailing list at metaformonline.com to receive updates and free downloads."