Interview with James Plotkin (Phantomsmasher, Khanate, etc.)
by Nathan Pearce
James Plotkin isnt afraid of pissing anybody off. Throughout his career his music has pushed the boundaries of every genre he has dabbled in so far the genre becomes non-existent. To most mortals, the music he has created has been known to cause internal bleeding and, in some cases, paranoid delusions. One of his latest projects (Phantomsmasher, formerly Atomsmasher) takes extremity to its breaking point, and then crushes the hell out of it. Khanate (another recent project for James Plotkin) released their first album in 2001, and they plan to release the follow-up in the near future. Extreme doom metal will never be the same. I tried to find out how James Plotkin can cause so much damage.
First, an obvious question: why did you change the name from Atomsmasher to Phantomsmasher?
A band from New York State threatened me with a lawsuit.
How did you manage to get picked up by Ipecac?
I remember Patton from the first Bungle demo. I suppose he likes to release extreme cut-up editcore
You toured with Fantomas, right?
Their openers bailed out 3 days before a tour and they asked me to jump in. The next thing I know the towers came down burning and Im driving in a van with Dave Lombardo. I didnt really have any time to prep the live set, but things worked out pretty well anyway.
How do you play the music of Atomsmasher/Phantomsmasher live? It seems like the music wouldnt quite have the chaotic feel without all the studio manipulation.
Ive only done live manipulations on laptops but well perform as a live trio soon. There will always be electronics and manipulations in the music.
Any plans for a Phantomsmasher tour?
Nothing worthwhile has come about just yet.
What kinds of bands could you see Phantomsmasher touring with?
How about a tour without other bands.
How do fans of bands like Fantomas react to Phantomsmasher?
Slightly confused at first, then very excited. Listening to a half hour of this stuff straight will rot your teeth, so the audiences usually get giddy.
Phantomsmasher seems to have more of a feel of extreme jazz. Would you say a project like Phantomsmasher is more influenced by metal or other forms of music?
The instrumentation is very metal, but only in delivery and intent. You must be getting the jazz innuendo from the chaos involved.
Please explain your songwriting process for Phantomsmasher.
Scrape, grind, kick kick, splat. Its all just hacking and tweaking. A lot of freaking out, but mostly alone.
What are your expectations for Phantomsmasher? Is it simply a project meant for only a select few to enjoy, or do you see others getting excited about such a strange sound?
I have no expectations for any music I make. Most people will just let you down if you expect them to understand or appreciate anything outside their current state of mind.
Now to switch gears. Greg Anderson tells me of the brilliance of the upcoming Khanate album. When can we expect it to be released?
Spring/summer 2003. Its going to be somewhat of a departure from the first release.
How do you switch gears from playing music with Phantomsmasher to Khanate? The two bands are very different.
I only have to focus. Some people play like they dont even remember what their band sounds like. You need a decent attention span and the ability to concentrate. Youd be amazed how many people cant concentrate on something for more than a minute.
Please explain your role in Khanate. Who had the original idea behind the band?
I play bass, manipulate sound with electronics, and produce/arrange the material. I meet people and start bands at an instant. I know exactly what I want Khanate to be and what I dont want it to become.
Will the new Khanate album be much different from the first?
Absolutely.
Would you say Khanate is at their best when improvising, or when sticking to a more rigid songwriting structure?
Both - keeping an open agenda keeps it interesting. When were interested, we create better music. Im not really into discipline within art as long as people arent slacking off and fucking everything up.
What are your expectations for the new Khanate album?
See answer above in reference to Phantomsmasher.
Will you be touring much with Khanate in the near future?
Khanate definitely enjoy sparse touring anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks at a time. We all work hard at day jobs so theres not much time available for losing money to touring. Khanate is most definitely a live band
What other projects (if any) are you involved with? Please explain a little about them.
Lotus Eaters with Aaron Turner and OMalley the first CD is out now on Neurot Recordings. There are plenty of other things but Im pretty tired and need to get some sleep. Thanks for your interest and support!
by Nathan Pearce
James Plotkin isnt afraid of pissing anybody off. Throughout his career his music has pushed the boundaries of every genre he has dabbled in so far the genre becomes non-existent. To most mortals, the music he has created has been known to cause internal bleeding and, in some cases, paranoid delusions. One of his latest projects (Phantomsmasher, formerly Atomsmasher) takes extremity to its breaking point, and then crushes the hell out of it. Khanate (another recent project for James Plotkin) released their first album in 2001, and they plan to release the follow-up in the near future. Extreme doom metal will never be the same. I tried to find out how James Plotkin can cause so much damage.
First, an obvious question: why did you change the name from Atomsmasher to Phantomsmasher?
A band from New York State threatened me with a lawsuit.
How did you manage to get picked up by Ipecac?
I remember Patton from the first Bungle demo. I suppose he likes to release extreme cut-up editcore
You toured with Fantomas, right?
Their openers bailed out 3 days before a tour and they asked me to jump in. The next thing I know the towers came down burning and Im driving in a van with Dave Lombardo. I didnt really have any time to prep the live set, but things worked out pretty well anyway.
How do you play the music of Atomsmasher/Phantomsmasher live? It seems like the music wouldnt quite have the chaotic feel without all the studio manipulation.
Ive only done live manipulations on laptops but well perform as a live trio soon. There will always be electronics and manipulations in the music.
Any plans for a Phantomsmasher tour?
Nothing worthwhile has come about just yet.
What kinds of bands could you see Phantomsmasher touring with?
How about a tour without other bands.
How do fans of bands like Fantomas react to Phantomsmasher?
Slightly confused at first, then very excited. Listening to a half hour of this stuff straight will rot your teeth, so the audiences usually get giddy.
Phantomsmasher seems to have more of a feel of extreme jazz. Would you say a project like Phantomsmasher is more influenced by metal or other forms of music?
The instrumentation is very metal, but only in delivery and intent. You must be getting the jazz innuendo from the chaos involved.
Please explain your songwriting process for Phantomsmasher.
Scrape, grind, kick kick, splat. Its all just hacking and tweaking. A lot of freaking out, but mostly alone.
What are your expectations for Phantomsmasher? Is it simply a project meant for only a select few to enjoy, or do you see others getting excited about such a strange sound?
I have no expectations for any music I make. Most people will just let you down if you expect them to understand or appreciate anything outside their current state of mind.
Now to switch gears. Greg Anderson tells me of the brilliance of the upcoming Khanate album. When can we expect it to be released?
Spring/summer 2003. Its going to be somewhat of a departure from the first release.
How do you switch gears from playing music with Phantomsmasher to Khanate? The two bands are very different.
I only have to focus. Some people play like they dont even remember what their band sounds like. You need a decent attention span and the ability to concentrate. Youd be amazed how many people cant concentrate on something for more than a minute.
Please explain your role in Khanate. Who had the original idea behind the band?
I play bass, manipulate sound with electronics, and produce/arrange the material. I meet people and start bands at an instant. I know exactly what I want Khanate to be and what I dont want it to become.
Will the new Khanate album be much different from the first?
Absolutely.
Would you say Khanate is at their best when improvising, or when sticking to a more rigid songwriting structure?
Both - keeping an open agenda keeps it interesting. When were interested, we create better music. Im not really into discipline within art as long as people arent slacking off and fucking everything up.
What are your expectations for the new Khanate album?
See answer above in reference to Phantomsmasher.
Will you be touring much with Khanate in the near future?
Khanate definitely enjoy sparse touring anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks at a time. We all work hard at day jobs so theres not much time available for losing money to touring. Khanate is most definitely a live band
What other projects (if any) are you involved with? Please explain a little about them.
Lotus Eaters with Aaron Turner and OMalley the first CD is out now on Neurot Recordings. There are plenty of other things but Im pretty tired and need to get some sleep. Thanks for your interest and support!
