Loscil is the electronic music project of Canadian composer and multimedia artist Scott Morgan, whose work has unfolded over two decades of ambient, classical and electroacoustic experimentation. Since 2001, most of his albums have been released on the American label Kranky, with some of his most notable albums, including Plume, Endless Falls, Sea Island, Monument Builders, Clara and Lake Fire marking distinct phases of his evolution. Along the way, he has developed special projects, books, remixes and collaborations with labels such as Ghostly International and Glacial Movements, and with artists including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Murcof, Vanessa Wagner, bvdub, Sarah Neufeld, Daniel Bejar, Rachel Grimes and Lawrence English.

Morgan’s work also extends to film, television, contemporary dance and interactive media, with commissions and appearances across documentaries, choreographic works and game projects. As a touring artist, he has presented his live audiovisual performances at festivals worldwide, including Mutek, Le Guess Who, LEV, Gamma Fest, Sled Island, Today’s Art, WOS, Open Frame and Big Ears, while continuing to develop new multidisciplinary projects from his base in Vancouver.

Could you share with us what mood or feeling guided you while putting this mix together?

Assembling some recent discoveries that have stood out to me for their inviting textures. A handful of these tracks are from people who have been within my inner orbit lately, like Patricia Wolf who I recently toured with in Europe and Lawrence English who I’ve collaborated with frequently over the last couple years. I also selected a collaborative track with Andy Cartwright, aka Seabuckthorn, which came out on his recent album, A Path Within a Path on Laaps. But several of the artists featured in this mix are new to me and came to my attention in various ways, mostly due to being released on labels I respect, like Shelter Press and Umor Rex.

Why do you think we are drawn to melancholic and absorbing music? Do you find something cathartic and healing in the act of listening or in getting lost within sound?

I’d say I’m more of a pensive listener, not openly searching for catharsis or healing necessarily but perhaps seeking "the zone”. Deep listening is meditative, contemplative and hypnotic for sure, but ultimately it’s a time to be free of the banal day-to-day. Melancholia is measured differently by everyone and certainly very subjective. I don’t believe I’m searching for melancholia specifically when listening to or making music but maybe being melancholic is my resting state and I just don’t notice.

Based on your experience, what is the most efficient way to create and produce new music at this time? Could you share with us what workflow has worked best for you?

I’m not overly efficient and sometimes the most inefficient processes produce the most interesting results. But I’d say my “go-to” workflow is to work with sound design and composition as distinctly separate phases. Collecting and designing a “palette” of sounds is how I usually like to commence. Then allowing those sounds to inspire the composition and arrangement becomes the second step followed by editing, mixing and mastering. I suppose it’s the opposite of a traditional approach to instrumental composition which might start with motifs and ideas first, then move to orchestration later. Breaking the process down into these stages really helps me stay focused and I enjoy each stage in different ways, wearing different hats so to speak.

Making music, and creativity in general, is a way of life for me. Not just a source of income, but a daily practice that is such an integral part of who I am. I sometimes take this for granted. Understanding my own cycles, my tendencies but also my skills is something I don’t overtly acknowledge often, but subconsciously, after years and years of making things it has become second nature to create. Like making dinner or driving a car, my creative activities are part of my routine, The subtle rewards of starting a new project and seeing it through to completion is probably what keeps me locked in to the routine. It’s addictive and life affirming.

Are there any visual arts or books that have really influenced your artistic vision?

I’m an avid follower and collector of photography books, zines and graphic design. Actually really like the work of void.photo a publisher from Athens. But there are so many photographers, designers, architects, animators I admire. I’ve been pretty passionate about integration of visuals and music for some time and put a lot of my own time and energy into audiovisual experiments, performances and releasing photographic companions to my music, despite not being traditionally trained as a visual artist.

When you’re working on a piece, do you think consciously about how listeners perceive the space, depth, and texture of your sounds? How does this influence your composition choices?

Something I’ve always enjoyed about solo electronic music production is you are the listener while you’re making the work - there is a feedback loop of subjectivity to objectivity that is harder to get when you’re in an ensemble or playing an acoustic instrument. So there really is no distinction between myself as the composer and the listener when inside this creative loop. Beyond that however, I do occasionally think about how works will be perceived by others. I might put myself in position of a listener experiencing the work for the first time and this might influence choices about duration, harmonic quality, etc. But mostly it’s important to me to let the process play out and not overly edit myself to cater to an unknown listener. I try to keep my works true to themselves and the moment as much as that is possible.