Interview with Duane Buford
By Matt Skaggs 2004
Access: Duane, thanks for taking the time to talk with us - welcome to Access
Spotlight!
Duane: No, Thank you
Access: Can you tell us a bit about your musical background - how you got your
start?
Duane: Well Lets see, I have been Playing Piano since the age of 5 piano is my first instrument ,as time moved on I started to have my first taste of the business writing dance music, that was there was a serge of dance music coming out of Chicago.
Access: What was it about creating electronic music that was appealing to you?
Duane: You can push the envelope when writing electronic music. You can have conventional instruments, recreations like brass or piano, you can twist the cutoff or resonance and change the whole spectrum of sound, that’s exciting. I really like taking a different palette of sounds and making them all work together.
Access: Who do you think has influenced you as an artist?
Duane: I would have to say King Crimson really influenced me its totally experimental {take a listen to Larks Tongues in Aspics} Brian Eno and Phillip Glass and Jimi Hendrix are others that made me think as a musician….listen to Machine gun by Hendrix he pushed the envelope of sound.
Access: What was your first break into the Chicago music scene?
Duane: My first Break was joining up with Paul Barker and Al Jorgensen from Ministry.
Access: With Chicago being a city important to both the industrial and also the house scene, did you ever find yourself involved in both scenes?
Duane: Absolutely I was working in both genres at the same time, I started in one scene and I evolved into this industrial musician, but I never left my house music roots.
Access: When did you first meet Al Jorgensen and Paul Barker?
Duane: I met them in the early 90’s
Access: What was the first project you work with Paul and Al on?
Duane: I worked on their project "Linger Ficken Good" with them.
Access: Can you tell us about touring with an industrial/metal band, and what role keyboards played in the live sound?
Duane: Touring with Ministry was definitely work. Samples were incorporated in the live sound, we would sample pieces, spoken phrases and licks into the Akai S3000 samplers, it would give the overall sound the same character of the studio recordings and a little more, anyone who had the chance to see ministry live said the sound was really good, it sounded better the than record., I always heard that after a show.
Access: You appeared with Ministry in the "Flesh-Fair" scene of the movie A.I - tell us about that experience.
Duane: It was an amazing experience the set they built was incredible, they basically built a set like a big concert venue and working with Steven Spielberg was the bomb, I was told that Stanley Kubrick was a Ministry fan and requested in his note with Spielberg to get Ministry involved in the music production.
Access: In addition to your work with Ministry and Revolting Cocks, you have done a number of spots for TV - did you find it difficult to break out of a band setting and move into a more commercial production setting?
Duane: Not at all, I was producing music for commercials during my band tenure; it kept me busy and with the money that came in from it helped me to build up my Studio.
Access: You have recently done some work for Xbox games - tell us about a bit about that.
Duane: I got hired by Microsoft to work on the game Mech-Assualt, it was a great gig. Basically when you do music for a game you can go all out with experimenting with different sounds.
Can you walk us through your studio and describe your setup?
Duane: Sure Im running a Mac G4 with Cubase 5.0 the computer is hooked up to a Motu midi time piece and a 2408 sound card. I use an array of softsynths as well as different midi tools and audio tools. From the computer I have soundiver controlling my hardware setup which consists of an Access Virus a Kurzweil K2000 and 2 synths from Waldorf the pulse and the original Microwave with the updated software. I have a Kurzweil K 1000 controller as the master board, I love the feel. I have it all hooked up to a Mackie Mixer with various outboard effects.
Access: When did you become a Virus user?
Duane: I think I got one of the first one’s off of the assembly line. Im not kidding, as I remember I was looking for a synth with a analog sound, I went to My local Guitar center and the sales rep Gina told me about this new synth coming out and it was the do all to end all. As soon as it hit the store she called me I showed up, gave her the plastic and walked out the door with my new synth, and believe it, it was a great investment. I’m actually going to buy a {Virus C} to complement the one I have, I need the voices to do really cool stereo stacks and cross pans.
Access: What types of sounds do you find yourself turning to your Virus for?
Duane: Bass sounds for one, the filters can bring bass sound way down there the pads and strings definitely have a warm character I have also been able to create Moog like effects on the virus.
Access: If you have to describe the Virus with a single word - what would it be?
Duane: {Endless},the things you can do on the Virus are endless, you can’t measure it, If one has the balls to really get into the machine ,it can be a jaw dropping experience, once I downloaded the Soundiver virus adaptation, I was Like YESSS, the programming doors opened like the flood-gates. I never looked and back, didn’t have to
Access: What projects are you working on currently - what is next for Duane Buford?
Duane: Well I’m developing a couple of artists and working on my own project called {Free Radio} I just finished working on a Film called A Day in the Force, I finished a film in January called Even Trade, There is a new Xbox game in the works the second installment of Mech Assault that Im going to work on.
Access: Duane, thanks for talking with us!
Duane: Thank you. Be sure to check out Duane's website at www.process-inc.com and listen to his new composition "Injury" featuring the Access Virus.
