J: What could you reveal from your personal endeavors as several important impetuses /criterion's for exploring and /or engaging in improvisation?

M.S.: Improvisation is not an exclusive terrain.It's not specifically concerned with technical skill and as such it's not owned by anyone in particular. Improvisation is a skill we all have but tend to bury once we "become" adults. Once we learn how NOT to be children. Secondly, we learn about our world, our reality, ourselves and others by improvising. It is a powerful learning tool. Just as a child learns about their world, their reality, themselves and others through the act of play. I can have deeply significant relationships with people by working together musically. Often we may find it difficult to interact verbally, we might not necessarily feel "that " close to another person but we can develop a bond through improvising that feels strong and perhaps less fragile than relationships based on other mutual concerns. I can generally predict musical compatibility based on ability to improvise. I might not always use this as a criteria for collaboration but it certainly seems to be important. I am not at all interested anymore in just "jamming," for enjoyment sake. In fact "jamming" has become a dirty word for me. I have to be motivated by outcome. Also, Michael Karoli from Can taught me a great deal about this issue. Can "spontaneously composed." They did not jam. I have always felt motivated by structure and composition. Never by randomness and chaos. Even within the depths of freeform improvisation, one is continually searching for compromise and cohesion. For dynamic structure. With cEvin Key for example, I have an ideal sparring partner because we relate to each other musically in an aggressive way.

PHOTO SCOTT GIBBONS

There is a mutual respect, an acknowledgment if you like that transcends our relationship. I think this kind of chemistry cannot be bought and it cannot be effectively explained. It is literally magical in a sense that it can certainly feel outside of your conscious control. cEvin is someone I have an implicit musical trust with and this was born out of simply engaging in music making together with no specific product in mind. There is a playfulness which is inherent to collaboration. If it is absent and humour is absent, I simply do not feel comfortable.. I consider myself eminently fortunate to have met many people such as Darryl Neudorf, or Tim Olive or Origami Replika or the people associated with Can, because we have been able to establish a palpable rapport. Finally, of late, I've become quite aware of how difficult it is to improvise with someone who insists on filling in the blanks between silence. It's the death knell of improvised music and unfortunately there are many people out there who seem to be making a career out of it.

J: How much of a factor, if any, is recreating a recorded work for live performance?

M.S.: Hasn't really been that important to me to be honest. This is changing now, with Dead Voices On Air, in so far as we have made songs that feel strong enough to be explored in a live setting. Prior to Piss Frond, I really didn't feel like recreating recorded material. However, one has to balance this with what the audience wants. With Download we had to reproduce certain songs and we did this earnestly with the ability to veer at random. Ideally, I would like to work with live musicians who can compose spontaneously. This might mean using certain elements from recorded songs but having the ability and potential to dynamically develop or veer at will. This requires a great deal of skill and a rigid adherence to the group ethos. It's rare to be able to get to that kind of level. Much easier if you're working by yourself but sadly less satisfying. It's something to aspire to. I can't guarantee it will happen.

J: What makes for a satisfying collaboration? How necessary is a shared vocabulary?

M.S.: Well I think to be honest, for me, there are a number of elements that have to be in place A shared vision. An agreement on direction. Satisfaction with the outcome. Apart from practical matters, I like to feel challenged. I think that working with someone who manages to compensate for some of my weaker areas is also a good strategy. For example, I am not a "technical" person and loathe fussing over the act of making music but it certainly helps to have people around who can tidy up after you, in a constructive way. It's a very important role.

J: What value do you place on random elements? Do 'mistakes' ever make their way into your recorded work?

M.S.: I've never recorded anything without a mistake. Random little accidents are part of the beauty of music and I tire of hearing sounds that are audibly "perfect." The musical equivalent of a beige carpeted house. It is just longing for someone to spill something nasty on it. I agree with Tristran Tzsara who said in one of his manifesto's that beige should be banned.