3x!13 is Postunder's very own lofi triphop/rock act. With 2
official releases out so far on Postunder (VCF, CVA) and a
host of material 3x13 is involved in (through etched.us)
being hosted on the Postunder FTP, 3x!13 is undoubtedly one
of Postunder's more prominant producers. On July 5th
Postunder had a fun little interview with 3x!13 about music,
production, internet, beer and startrek.


PU : 3x!13, or as you are known to me - Wee, before we even
start to talk about anything, there is a matter to
clarify... You are involved in some many projects, with so
many different aliases... WHAT'S UP WITH THAT MENG?!?! ahm,
I mean, tell us about these projects and about the different
people involved.

Wee (3x!13) : there's rollercoaster pilot, which is a
collaboration of everybody on etched.us, and outside that i
pretty much just produce everything that goes through
etched.

PU : Do you Dj or perform live with any of your acts?

Wee : i did once, but they told me to put my pants back on
and go away

PU : How did you start out with music? Been playing guitar
all your life?

Wee : i got started on accidnet really, i just saw all the
hippies at my old high school with their acoustics and
thought "whoa, that's cool"

PU : Was there always a lo-fi sad side to you like in 3x!13?
Where does these sad, almost dark feelings and lyrics like
in your "VCF EP" (available for free at postunder records)
come from?

Wee : the lofi's always been there, cause i produced like
shit, then as i got better, i just decided to keep it up
cause i really got attached to it.

PU : Life, Love? Also, do you ever cry?

Wee : no, i don't! if you'll excuse me, i need some more
tissues

PU : The song "Burning" off "VCF" was quite a hit around the
net. During May 2004 it was downloaded close to 1000 times
through Postunder.com and various postunder outlets around
the net. For me it sounds also like a sure winner, though I
really also like "Geosynchronous" from this same album.
These songs are both very nicely produced and very
atmospheric, with abstract nostalgic lyrics... could you
elaborate a bit on these songs? I would like your defenition
of the lyrics to "Burning" if that's possible.

Wee : it was written line for line, with no real concern
what i'd just written or what was gonna be written next,
then recorded a completely different way so that it all just
mushed together. but it's...i don't know, what do you think
it's about?

PU : We talked about some 3x!13 tracks I like, do you have
any favorites among your diffrent tracks and projects?

Wee : over the past 3 years, i've made far too many things
to be able to pick out any definite favorites. pretty much,
all the favorites have ended up as releases at some point,
so they're out there to be found.

PU : Working with guitars is something I unfortunatly dont
get to do much. How do you go about recording/arranging
them? What sort of amps, mics, guitars, procesors and stuff
do you use to get the 3x!13 guitar sound?

Wee : usually i hit the record button and start playing
stuff (laugh). up until a couple weeks ago, it was an
acoustic run through 2 or 3 amps, then overdriven into a
dinky processor, because i didn't want to risk exploding my
computer running 100-some watts into it.

PU : Any other hardware or software you use in making you
music that we havent mentioned?

Wee : nope! it's a pretty straight-forward operation here.

PU : Any favorites among those gadgets?

Wee : it's a toss up between the toaster and the monitor
hum...

PU : You've been complaing for quite a while about your
computer being obselete and lacking power (p3), yet you
manage to workaround your CPU problems and finish off your
tracks. I'm courius about the way you work, what you do to
conserve CPU while making music, etc.

Wee : muting a LOT of things, a lot of the live recording is
done blind, or deaf as it were...just running a beat and
enough bass and melody to keep my footing.

PU : Aside from instruments, you are one of the only
Postunder artists to use our natural instrument... your
voice. Are there any vocalists that inspire your style of
singing? We saw those Beck mp3s you were sharing... ;-)

Wee : beck's cool and all, but i typically, for vocalists,
listen to Anticon...why?, passage, sole, dose one...maybe a
bit of post-rock, but i don't have a decent vocoder.

PU : What are your other musical influences, electronic and
otherwise?

Wee : i like Mario Brothers music. and also, i dig the
computer hum.

PU : Do other works of art such as movies and books inspire
your music?

Wee : cartoons. marx brothers. any crappy backlot sci-fi
movies i can dig up.

PU : Anyone you would really want to collab with?

Wee : elmooht, stickman, squarepusherkicksass, titus
twimbly, phylo (phylumsinter). outside that (PU), pick any
post-rock band at all.

PU : What's your opinion of Radiohead?
PU : What about Bjork?
PU : Autechre?

Wee : i dig some of the stuff autechre's done. i really dig
radiohead's "kid a" and "ok computer"; Bjork makes my
underwear tighten.

PU : What do you think of 4/4 based music?

Wee : man, if it's got a groove that gets your head bobbin',
it's all good.

PU : Do you listen to any mainstream?

Wee : mainstream mainstream, no, nothing from this
particular era of music. i wouldn't really know; i don't
listen to the radio much at all. i just pick up whatever
catches my ear.

PU : Being around on the net a lot, you must be doing
something other than downloading prOn right?

Wee : of course not!

PU : You've been quite busy on the Postunder Forums, being
ranked as "Captain" there as we speak. Captain of what!?!?

Wee : here's a secret: i'm captain of the most powerful
starship ever built by the federation.

PU : Speaking of Star Trek, we talk a lot about it between
us, are you really into that or are you just being nice for
me?!

Wee : no, i really do dig it. except for neelix.

PU : Whose your most hated Star Trek character?

Wee: neelix. tom paris. uhhhh...neelix.


PU : Do you feel the internet is providing you and your
music the exposure you expect it to?

Wee : it's done a shitload more than trying to sell CDs
around where i live.

PU : Aside from commanding a starship at the PU forums what
do you do online?

Wee: try to find new and interesting ways to waste my time
and everybody else's time.

PU : Do you think the net can break your act and get it
"out"?

Wee : i'd like to think so

PU : So where do you see Postunder and other net and indie
labels going in the future? Is there a future for labels and
music as we know it with all the mp3s flying around?

Wee : as long as the people running the labels keep running
regardless, of course.

PU : What would be "making it to the top" for you?

Wee : selling cds, rather than giving them away to anyone
who asks.

PU : What other things cept music are you into?

Wee : there's....uhm....video games....music....sometimes
sleeping....beer.

PU : What's it like round where you live (NC,USA) ? Is there
a music scene, what kind if any? What are people into around
there?

Wee : blink 182 and sum41 and all that crap. on the other
side, there's wanna-be gangsta rap.

PU : Any plans to travel or move around? Where do you see
yourself, and also your musical projects in the future?

Wee : i wanna go to Dreamland.

PU : Any marriage plans anytime soon? Heheh

Wee : only if the connection between my ass and the toilet
seat counts.

PU : Will you ever visit Japan?

Wee : only if it's in Dreamland.

PU : What drug would legalise?

Wee : tobacco

PU : I can imagine you sitting in front of some cartoons
with tons of empty beer cans all over and a guitar half on
your lap half smeared on the floor and you are mummbeling:
"ah man, i missed connan, ah man"... If you could chose
would you marry "beer" or coffee" ?

Wee : man, you just described my typical friday night. nah,
i'd make beer marry coffee, then i'd make them be mormon, so
i could marry them both. uh huh....see? i'm always thinkin!

PU : Hehehe, thanks a lot for the psychiatric profile...
errr... chat... Wee, 3x!13, this sure was fun, good luck
with your music and with everything else :D

Wee : jelly!!


(singing stuff)  

wee: maybe we should get someone else to sing that?