Neu Mister Lies: ‘There’s A Large Part Of Me That Isn’t Fully Conscious’

Early 2012 and Nick Zanca hasn’t released a single piece of music under the name Mister Lies. Time spent in punk bands with school friends is the closest he’s come to playing stages on a regular basis. Give it a year, one alias, one sudden desire to relate to the increasingly disparate styles of music he’s been listening to, and he’s talking about a full-length he’s just released on Lefse Records in the US.

Any nonchalant passer-by to the story of Nick’s past year will read about a guy who bought some flashy gadgetry, uploaded songs online and quickly watched word spread. It’d give you the impression that just about anybody can take on electronic music, regardless of expertise. But these things come naturally, or at least they did with Zanca. We spoke to Nick about his recent US tour, starting new projects and developing as a musician under the spotlight.



Your new side-project Wendybird is really interesting - have you always been into drone projects like Grouper, etc. and how’s it had a bearing on this new project?
Thank you! I appreciate that, considering I put that Bandcamp release up pretty quietly. It’s been pretty interesting to read or hear people’s reactions to it, especially considering I didn’t really show it to anybody else beforehand. I suppose it’s worth mentioning that this project wasn’t necessarily meant to be an homage or an imitation of any of the ambient or drone music I’m into – I love Tim Hecker, Grouper and Stars of the Lid unabashedly – but with this project, it’s more about experimenting with texture and noise in the studio. Lots of dicking around. I’m self taught as far as production goes, so in the future I’m most likely going to be using the Wendybird tracks as sort of an exercise or “homework”, just so I can prepare myself for the “exam”, which would probably be the next Mister Lies record. When it comes to making music on a laptop and limited instruments, I’m a sucker for atmosphere – so naturally I’m having a lot of fun with this side project.

Moving from punk bands in your teens to Mister Lies to Wendybird. You’re a very prolific artist, always looking for a new cause - is that a fair statement? It’s important to keep yourself constantly active and open to new ideas, I think.
I wouldn’t go as far as saying “prolific” (though I definitely thank you for the sentiment) just because the Mister Liesproject is still so young and I’m still figuring out how I want to accomplish certain projects or things. At the same time, I’m a firm believer in stepping out of an artistic comfort zone and going for something a little more trial-and-error. For “Mowgli”, just as an example I’ve said that that doesn’t necessarily feel like a debut record as much as it does another experiment. When Lefse signed me, they asked me if I had enough tracks to make a record and I clearly didn’t – so made a record with sort of a personal time constraint, a little bit worried that by taking my time, I would lose this amazing chance I had already received to get my music out there. I don’t mean to condemn my own work, but that’s just a lesson learned: I know that for the next Mister Lies album I make, I’m going to take my time – if that means three weeks, if that means three years – however long it takes, bring it on.

I remember seeing something on your site dismissing people who defy their musical taste by genre - ‘Mowgli”s such a dynamic record, was part of the aim to defy any accusations of ‘dubstep’ and ‘chill’, etc.?
Maybe not directly. It’s not necessarily so much a question of frustration or ‘dismissal’ over certain labels or genres. There are so many listeners who search for a name for the music they are into, and they do this so much so that they can’t allow themselves to even enjoy the music at all. It is my hope that people don’t do this with my tracks, because the reality of the matter is that unless I am collaborating with someone it’s almost always stream-of-consciousness when I get to the studio. I’m not thinking so much about genre as much as I am about type of energy or emotion. When push comes to shove, you’re either enjoy what you hear or don’t. It’s not worth wasting your time trying to put a name to a diverse form that doesn’t even have a face.

You’re very open to your fans and you answer tons of questions, although you took down your personal Facebook page recently. How much is the social aspect of being a musician a burden, a distraction, and how much of it is valuable?
I got rid of my personal Facebook so I could continue to put my art and my work first, which I know sounds kind of selfish. At the end of the day, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot closer to people. While I was in Montreal yesterday on tour I had dinner with a friend of mine and we had a heart-to-heart about a recent break-up with his girlfriend. I probably would have already known this had I seen some sort of hinting of it on Facebook, but the fact that I don’t have one leaves me from saying “I already know”. The conversations I’ve had with friends have gotten a lot more intimate since leaving it, which is all the more better. If I could sacrifice all of my social media for the purpose of focusing on my craft, I would do it — unfortunately, with each passing year it has become such a vital part of reaching out to people. Also, I can’t forget that if it wasn’t for Facebook, YouTube or SoundCloud, my music wouldn’t have nearly have touched the amount of success I have reached now. So I feel like somehow, involvement with social media is a part of playing the game. Social media and I definitely an immense love/hate relationship — you definitely have to watch what you say. It only take going on the Twitter account of an artist you respect and see the amount of shit they talk on for you to go ‘oh, maybe I should change my mind’. That being said, I end up deleting a lot of tweets. I tweet something, give myself a pat on the back for coming up with it – and it only takes five seconds for me to say “no way, I shouldn’t have” and delete it. It’s not my strong suit. I have tried to avoid Twitter in the past, but the elephant in the room that it’s evidently an addiction.

You recorded ‘Mowgli’ free of distraction, in a cabin - is this how you recorded the previous EPs too and are you ever prone to cabin fever, so to speak? Is there such thing as switching off too much and developing tunnelvision as an artist?
Actually, the first batch of EPs were recorded in my dorm room as a freshman at Columbia. ‘Hidden Neighbors’ was probably the subject of seasonal depression. Even if that winter in Chicago was a cakewalk, it still hit me pretty hard — and that particular EP was the result. I absolutely believe in a lot of tunnelvision. I’d say a majority of my friends who make music do. Because I was mainly isolated when I recorded ‘Mowgli’, I took the frustration with a particular track I was working on as a chance to turn to Netflix streaming or a book (probably something Rudyard Kipling – hence the title of the record) to take my mind off it.

You only really started releasing electronic music 1 and a half years back - to what extent do you think you’re still developing as a musician?
I will always be developing as a musician — not necessarily because I’m young, although that’s certainly contributes to it. I would pretty much say it is because artistically I’ve never really been able to stay in one particular place for too long. Aesthetically speaking, although I’ve been touring the new record for very little time, I’ve already moved on from it. I’m brainstorming ideas for the next record and I’d like to think I’d be charting new territory in that respect. Besides, there’s a large part of me that isn’t fully conscious. Especially with the songs of mine that people tend to gravitate towards the most, I still had no clue what the hell I was doing. This whole industry thing is really a game of chance, which although daunting can certainly keep shit interesting.

Almost anyone in the developed world can pick up a laptop and DL Ableton. Music’s become opened up to just about everyone. Do you view this as an entirely good thing or do you also sympathise with accusations that the quality of music’s in a general decline because of all this?
That’s a solid question. Let me just say to add to that that I don’t read much press of mine but when I do, there’s always something there about how I’m not of legal drinking age in the States, that I’m a “wunderkind” or “child prodigy”, but I’d say that the reality of the matter is that the mean age of producers are only getting younger. We can obviously make the tracks we make without studio assistance or expensive instrumentation, yes. Does technology have much to do with it? I don’t really think so. When push comes to shove, a strong ear is important and will always usurp computer skills. That’s why producers who are at least two younger than me, like XXYYXX or King Krule or Disclosure are killing it – because their ears perceive certain things the way others don’t.

You’re still balancing music between studying. Do you treat both as work or is music your form of complete escape?
Most of the time I use both as an escape from one another. I will say though, after this semester I will be taking time off to focus on music full-time for a little bit. A degree is vital to me and it keeps me pretty stable when my creativity loses its way, but the fact of the matter is I’d much rather hold onto my success while I still have it and moving forward give it my 100% than 60% or 70% — not that I couldn’t do that before, but if I want to give it my all, now is the time. It’s a way of saying goodbye to one kind of stress and welcoming another with open arms.

Although you’re doing this US tour and you’re about to do this European tour, considering how much music you tend to produce when back home, are you hoping to root yourself back in the studio sometime soon?
Soon and very soon. When I’m not on the road, I can almost fully guarantee that the studio is where I’d be spending a majority of my time. As far as the what and the when, I’m not at personal liberty to discuss most of that yet. What I can tell you is that the next batch of material will be written with a live band in mind. Granted, I will be doing most of the legwork in the studio much like a lot of projects in this part of the scene have become, but I feel like it’s time to turn this into something larger. There’s only so much one guy can do with a laptop and a few controllers – the live performance could be a lot more physical and I’m willing to take the steps with others to do that. Also to be honest, being on the road by myself can get quite lonely – which is all the more reason to incorporate other people. Thankfully, on this tour I’m currently on in the States, I’m traveling with Theo Darst, the guy who does my visuals — we click very well not only as collaborating artists but as people, and it’s a lot more rewarding when you’re using the buddy system on the road. I’m sure that same feeling will be even more realized, full throttle, when I’m playing with other people on stage. I remember watching Nicolas Jaar at Pitchfork’s festival at home in Chicago last summer and I remember being blown away at the execution of his live set. When he works with his band, the other two or three guys (sax player and guitarist) bring something to the table rather than Nico himself bogging them down with instructions. It’s like one huge jam every night. I hope to do something sort of similar. This project could definitely be a dictatorship if it wanted to, but I say fuck that. I’m in love with the concept of collaboration.



Mister Lies’ ‘Mowgli’ is available now. Mister Lies plays Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on 26th May.

Read the full interview in the third edition of DIY Weekly, available from iTunes now.