Interview with Evan of Bluetech, Evan Bartholomew, and Evan Marc
Words: Aubrey Bramble
Photo: Marco Jimenez

Evan Bartholomew (alias Evan Marc, Bluetech) is a true renaissance man in the realm of electronic music. Not content to create under one name, the maverick currently sustains three successful music projects as well as numerous production outlets including his Native State and Thoughtless Music record labels. He is a classically trained musician, but constantly strives to push the boundaries of sound and composition. Fresh, fluid, and organically constructed, Evan’s music is anything but ordinary.

REAX:  I noticed that you’ve got three projects with your name attached to them. Is your focus right now the ambient project (E. Bartholomew), or are you also doing stuff for Bluetech and the Evan Marc project?
Evan Bartholomew:  I just released an Evan Marc EP, and I’m about to release a new Evan Bartholomew album. The newest Bluetech album is a little more than halfway done, and should be coming out early this year.

REAX:  Is it crazy trying to juggle three projects at once? Are you able to focus on music full-time or do you have to do something during the day (or night) to make ends meet?
EB:  I don’t have a day job at the moment, but I do spend a lot of time running Native State Records (which is the downtempo/idm label), Thoughtless Music with Noah Pred (which is the techno label), and I’m just launching a new ambient imprint called Somnia. I tend to work pretty fast, and touring pays my bills at the moment, so I have time to work on music when the mood strikes me.

REAX:  That’s amazing. Are you pretty much on the road off and on all year?
EB:  My tour season is strongest during the spring and summer, with some trail-over in the fall. Most festivals occur during this time. In previous years I had nothing going on during the winter, but this year it seems as if there are a few shows coming in.

REAX:  Do you separate your projects when you tour, or is it likely that an audience will hear selections from all three projects when they see you?
EB:  I usually get booked as Bluetech, since that is the most well known alias. But more and more, I’m getting booked to do both a Bluetech and an Evan Marc set.  Sometimes I’ll transition a stage from downtempo into uptempo, and vice versa.

REAX:  I recently interviewed Max Richter. He plays a lot in cathedrals and lofty spaces. It seems like that would be a fitting setting for you, as well.
EB:  Actually, I’ve played a lot in cathedrals. I used to be music director for a series called Project Cathedral in San Diego, which was based on Brian Eno’s ambient works. We did 5 hour multimedia ambient events in a big cathedral. Cathedrals are great for ambient acoustics. I played improvisational piano there, which was kind of the genesis of this whole wave of music for me.

REAX:  I see that you are classically trained on piano....
EB:  I am, though I felt a bit constricted by classical in my teens, and was much more into electronic music, so I veered in that direction. It’s interesting how I’ve come back around to a more classical aesthetic.

REAX:  I see a lot of that, classically trained musicians picking up electronics and running with them...
EB:  Jazz musicians as well. The whole Nordic jazz scene is amazing. Trained musicians who are extending the boundaries of jazz by using laptops and dsp processing, supersilent, etc. This whole scene is really interesting to me; mind blowing really. Some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard, because it transcends genres. I think electronic music really lends itself to a classical basis. If you are interested in creating sound worlds for people to explore, there is a rich history in classical music which is about creating stories for people or telling stories. It’s music as art instead of music as commodity which changes the fundamental aesthetic dramatically.

REAX:  So how did you move from classical to electronic?
EB:  It was a logical progression for me really. What I loved about classical music was that it created a world inside of me. As a kid I had hours and hours of exploration of those worlds. When I heard things like The Orb, it was a modern take on this soundscape music, and brought out those same feelings for me.

REAX:  Have you found a substantial market for that sort of music here in the States, or have you had to go outside the U.S. to really find support?
EB:  The Bluetech stuff has taken off here, mostly in the West Coast festival circuit. Glitch Mob, and other artists, have made the scene more about digitalia and lower tempos, which has allowed me to fit in nicely with the scene. When it was more breaks oriented I wasn’t doing as well. I’ve definitely had good support in Japan and Europe. This new ambient stuff I’m not so sure about actually. I’m kind of changing direction with this, and I’m not sure how people will respond. Instead of mass producing product, I’m really wanting to focus on creating something of value.  The Somnia releases are hand constructed with very limited quantities, so we’ll see how that goes!

REAX:  What is your favorite part of the creation process?
EB:  My favorite part is when I forget that I made the music, and I’m caught up in the experience; I get to hear the music and forget that it came through me. It’s really powerful and humbling. I’m definitely honored when people are moved by what I write, but I want to be authentic to my own expression first.

Check Evan out at bluetechonline.com, somniasound.com, or aleph-zero.info.

Your ears will thank you.