erasing clouds
 

100 Musicians Answer the Same 10 Questions

Part Thirty-Seven: Orange Cake Mix

instigated by dave heaton

Though he's kept a comparatively low profile the last few years, Jim Rao, aka Orange Cake Mix, has released quite an impressive body of work overall. His homemade recordings (released by labels like Darla, Clover, AIP, Elefant, Blackbean and Placenta, North of January, and more) together form a seemingly endless river of gorgeous, drifting, sunshine-dreams, rooted in soft and melodic pop and ambient music, but filtered through his own distinct personality.

**************************

What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

I just like recording songs for the sheer joy of it. Love to hear the playback and hear if it came out all right and cool sounding. Still amazes me that I'm able to make decent songs with just a 4 track.

What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?

The thing is, I have so many songs piling up over the past 3 years and I don't have a label to release it. I've lost touch with so many labels over the years, either they shut down or they simply disappeared off the face of the earth. Also, I'm so busy recording new songs I hardly ever send out cdrs. I sent a few out to Parasol, Tambourine, Drag City = no response.

What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).

Besides recording songs on my own, I've been working with Kevin Coral of the Witch Hazel Sound. He's adding strings, bass, vocals, mellotron, moog and more! It's coming out really great so far...I'm truly amazed at the excellent sounds and textures he's coming up with. The sound is so refreshing and energizing, I'm extremely happy to be working with him. Adds a whole other dimension to the Orange Cake Mix sound.

What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?

I've always recorded in living rooms, bedrooms, basement flats and kitchens. Never played live yet. Why bother?

In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

It doesn't really affect my music at all. I think I'd make music wherever I live. I guess living on the east coast with 4 seasons kind of makes me write songs about seasonal changes sometimes...

When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

Hmmmm...just last night, or early this morning 3 a.m. Its an instrumental, my typical Felt-Maurice Deebank-Durutti Column rip off, but with a personality all its own of course. I found a heavenly riff, layered on top of a primitive Cocteau Twins -ish drum machine track and some mellow guitar chord changes...the song is 2:30 minutes long and it sums up the sweetness of life and love in that short amount of time. I just love doing that!

As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

Not really, I'm obsessed with getting cheap cds on Ebay by excellent bands that no one has heard of. Cds from kmak and jayandmaries and amoeba etc. The downside is sometimes you get sleazy bidders bidding on multiple copies of the same CD just so no one else can get them! Truly sickening. I find great stuff at amazon too, usually psychedelic reissues and Blue Note label reissues. I really like the Mood Mosaic series, got a great deal from amazon, they were all on sale for $7.49 each!

Certain bands I buy brand new when they come out i.e. Fugu, Phoenix, Tahiti 80, Mellow, Air, Bertrand Burgalat and all those really great pop bands from France. I also really like Mystic Chords of Memory and Nobody's CD Tree Colored See, it just struck a cosmic chord with me

Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)

I really love all kinds of music, seems like I've been really enjoying the Blue Note reissues by Bobby Hutcherson, McCoy Tyner and Andrew Hill. The Salako offshoot band called Bitmap ''Alpha Beta Gamma'' I think is excellent. I really like the Shadow label a lot, certain trip hop comps like the Blunted series and Ninja Tune comps...there is so much great music out there. I like the band The Zinedines a lot for power pop...they seem to stand out and above the hundreds of samey watered down power pop garbage.

Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

Salako. So much better than the usual indiepop crap all the kids drool over. Salako has 3 full length cds out at this time. Not sure, they may have broken up. I think I might like Musicality the best. Brings to mind the best sounds of Love, The Orchids, Nick Drake and Caravan.

What's the saddest song you've ever heard?

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" by Gerry and The Pacemakers

To check out the rest of the Q&As, click here.


this month's issue
archive
about erasing clouds
links
contact
     

Copyright (c) 2006 erasing clouds