FAULT: would you agree that the imagination is innately sinister but in most individuals the awful thoughts are nipped at the bud?

GB: No, no I wouldn’t agree with that. Some people have tendencies to veer towards the sinister, and most have the tendency to dwell on what might go wrong, rather than construing how things might go right, but I think that there are those who genuinely think good thoughts. But I don’t think the imagination is innately sinister, I think it can be joyous and wonderful.

  

FAULT: where were the serene blogotheque recordings filmed?

GB: Nearby the Rue de Montmartre. Blogotheque intended to shoot some footage, so we just strolled down various alleys until finding this beautiful mosaic arch with a great rich acoustic. Afterwards we were due to play a show at Club Silencio, a venue designed by David Lynch, though at the time we were unaware it was members-only. Our performance was greeted by a half-empty room of cocktail drinkers, who were a bit surprised by our presence there.

Link to Gabriel Bruce | A Take Away Show | Sleep Paralysis video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYXkd9I6Ne0

FAULT: thinking back to your choral background, are there any compositions in particular that struck a chord with you?

GB: choral background is quite a generous term, but I sang in choir. Certainly a lot of madrigals stuck with me, these medieval British acapella pieces. I particularly enjoyed ‘Weep, O Mine Eyes’, a beautiful piece of music. I also love some Guiseppe Verdi, in particular his ‘Requiem’.

  

FAULT: You’ve spoken fondly of your old Farfisa Bravo and the Hammond organ in the studio, but have you ever had the opportunity to play a church organ?

GB: I’ve fucked around with a few of those, but never recorded them. It’s amazing some of these big old organs found about derelict churches, and so often there’s no one there so you can have a little play. There’s actually one up the road in Stoke Newington, where I recently went to a recital, a beautiful sounding organ. I’d quite like a go on that, but I’m no organist and if you turn up and start playing just whatever the vicar will be quite unimpressed.

  

FAULT: what aspect of the organ most appeals to you?

GB: It’s an almost human sound, redolent of a choir. That’s why I like brass instruments too – it’s something about air passing through pipes. It would be great to play with a big eight-piece band, alongside the lovely backing singers [ma girls].

  

FAULT: to what extent would you say that European art history is indebted to Christianity?

GB: hmm, to a huge extent. So much of our cultural production was created in praise of God, whether or not that praise was genuine. The grand Cathedrals, the masterly paintings, the intricate Requiems – some of the most beautiful stuff was crafted within a Christian tradition and that’s what captivates me, though in a secular kind of way. As a child I pondered being Buddhist for a while. I’ve also always been intrigued by Judaism, I’m a bit of a self-loathing goy really.

  

FAULT: in including the closing track ‘Sermon On The Mount’ on your record, do you feel that you’re tapping into a richer vein of imagery?

GB: it actually references something else altogether, so maybe it’s a bit lazy, but by using words derived from the Bible you’re referencing something larger and bringing with it all the attached connotations. It’s about death [pause].

  

FAULT: do you prefer to work in a creative space that is cluttered or bare?

GB: I may prefer to work in a bare space, but I’ve never really had the opportunity because I clutter my life. The studio is ridiculous at the moment, wires coming out of everywhere, boxed in on every side with keyboards, trying to shuffle without knocking over microphones, it’s just madness. Objects tie you down to where you are, that’s why I resent my treasures, because they keep me here, where I’m compelled to guard them.

  

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