Diffuser Interview

If you haven't heard of Diffuser, be prepared! Diffuser has lived the dream of every garage band in the world: they have recorded on the soundtrack of Mission Impossible 2: the high-budget action movie. MacDirectory caught up with Diffuser to discuss Macs, Tom Cruise, name changes, and the evolution of recording an album.

MacDirectory: How did you get signed to Hollywood Records?

Diffuser: Well, since they were basically the only major label that stepped up and made an offer we kinda had no choice. I think they felt sorry for us.

MD: How did you end up on the MI-2 Soundtrack?

D: As far as we know, Mitchell Lieb (producer of soundtracks for Hollywood) sent a copy of the single "KARMA" to Tom Cruise. A few days later we received a phone call from our manager with great news that Tom loved it and wanted it on the soundtrack. I mean It's flattering to hear that the biggest star on the planet was our savior but for all we know Hollywood probably paid Paramount a pile of money and begged Tom to give us a shot.

MD: You were known as Flu 13 and changed to Diffuser. How did you get from point A to point B?

D: We just got so sick of the whole name/number band onslaught. Ya know, like Blink 182, Eve 6, Stroke 9, Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, etc.... We like to think we're a band that strives to be different so we simply changed our name to Diffuser which is a whole other story. I'm just glad we did it before our record came out.

MD: Could you all tell me what you did before landing on the MI-2 movie soundtrack? And what are you doing now?

D: Before MI-2 we all sat on our asses waiting for the label to get things going. Ya know, like setting up the record, artwork, pics, video, etc... We did a string of dates to keep our minds occupied but not much more. Since we landed MI-2, we're basically doing the same thing, but at least we've scored cool day jobs.

MD: You spent last summer in the studio preparing for your Hollywood Records debut. What are your thoughts on the technological process involved in recording? Do you find it much more advanced than when you started out?

D: Well, we've been recording records for a long time so I guess you can say we've seen it all. We've recorded in multimillion dollar studios and we've recorded in home studios. All of us in the band firmly stand by the old school method of recording records. We enjoy keeping the first or second takes, vintage mics, classic mic placement and more than anything working fast. A lot of bands these days take 6-9 months in a studio without realizing they're losing sight of their original vision. Ultimately we don't like getting caught up in the technological process involved with recording and we're not big fans of most of the technological advancements except for Mac's Pro Tools. Pro Tools is a brilliant program for musicians. It helps make life a lot easier and it's a cinch to learn. I believe it is a necessity in today's arena but you really need to be careful not to abuse it.

MD: How has technology affected your lives?

D: We all own Macs and its technology has had a huge impact on our lives. We primarily use its music programs like Pro Tools and Digital Performer but we also rely on Macs for graphic design programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. Macs have literally been a tool for all of our computer needs.

MD: Anthony is a Graphic Artist. Have you used that skill in marketing and promotion of the band?

D: Anthony designs all of our promo material on Macs. He creates our T-shirts, CD covers, CD inlays, stickers, posters, and he even paints our name on all of our musical gear and that's the most important.

MD: On the back of your album it says "Browsing through your dictionary of innovative rock bands you can find Diffuser somewhere between pop culture and dissonance." Are you closer to the pop or dissonance end of the spectrum?

D: I have to say that I believe we've achieved our goal of bridging the gap between dissonance and pop. Our producer Don Gilmore really helped us make that happen. It's a razor sharp thin line and we nailed it.

MD: How would you describe your sound to a print-magazine audience?

D: Ummm ... I guess it's like a Stanley Kubrick movie shot on a camcorder set in black and white starring Jon Bon Jovi.

Copyright © 1996-2000 MacDirectory

If you haven't heard of Diffuser, be prepared! Diffuser has lived the dream of every garage band in the world: they have recorded on the soundtrack of Mission Impossible 2: the high-budget action movie. MacDirectory caught up with Diffuser to discuss Macs, Tom Cruise, name changes, and the evolution of recording an album. MacDirectory: How did you get signed to Hollywood Records? Diffuser: Well, since they were basically the only major label that stepped up and made an offer we kinda had no choice. I think they felt sorry for us. MD: How did you end up on the MI-2 Soundtrack? D: As far as we know, Mitchell Lieb (producer of soundtracks for Hollywood) sent a copy of the single "KARMA" to Tom Cruise. A few days later we received a phone call from our manager with great news that Tom loved it and wanted it on the soundtrack. I mean It's flattering to hear that the biggest star on the planet was our savior but for all we know Hollywood probably paid Paramount a pile of money and begged Tom to give us a shot. MD: You were known as Flu 13 and changed to Diffuser. How did you get from point A to point B? D: We just got so sick of the whole name/number band onslaught. Ya know, like Blink 182, Eve 6, Stroke 9, Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, etc.... We like to think we're a band that strives to be different so we simply changed our name to Diffuser which is a whole other story. I'm just glad we did it before our record came out. MD: Could you all tell me what you did before landing on the MI-2 movie soundtrack? And what are you doing now?		D: Before MI-2 we all sat on our asses waiting for the label to get things going. Ya know, like setting up the record, artwork, pics, video, etc... We did a string of dates to keep our minds occupied but not much more. Since we landed MI-2, we're basically doing the same thing, but at least we've scored cool day jobs. MD: You spent last summer in the studio preparing for your Hollywood Records debut. What are your thoughts on the technological process involved in recording? Do you find it much more advanced than when you started out? D: Well, we've been recording records for a long time so I guess you can say we've seen it all. We've recorded in multimillion dollar studios and we've recorded in home studios. All of us in the band firmly stand by the old school method of recording records. We enjoy keeping the first or second takes, vintage mics, classic mic placement and more than anything working fast. A lot of bands these days take 6-9 months in a studio without realizing they're losing sight of their original vision. Ultimately we don't like getting caught up in the technological process involved with recording and we're not big fans of most of the technological advancements except for Mac's Pro Tools. Pro Tools is a brilliant program for musicians. It helps make life a lot easier and it's a cinch to learn. I believe it is a necessity in today's arena but you really need to be careful not to abuse it. MD: How has technology affected your lives? D: We all own Macs and its technology has had a huge impact on our lives. We primarily use its music programs like Pro Tools and Digital Performer but we also rely on Macs for graphic design programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. Macs have literally been a tool for all of our computer needs. MD: Anthony is a Graphic Artist. Have you used that skill in marketing and promotion of the band? D: Anthony designs all of our promo material on Macs. He creates our T-shirts, CD covers, CD inlays, stickers, posters, and he even paints our name on all of our musical gear and that's the most important. MD: On the back of your album it says "Browsing through your dictionary of innovative rock bands you can find Diffuser somewhere between pop culture and dissonance." Are you closer to the pop or dissonance end of the spectrum? D: I have to say that I believe we've achieved our goal of bridging the gap between dissonance and pop. Our producer Don Gilmore really helped us make that happen. It's a razor sharp thin line and we nailed it. MD: How would you describe your sound to a print-magazine audience? D: Ummm ... I guess it's like a Stanley Kubrick movie shot on a camcorder set in black and white starring Jon Bon Jovi.

Copyright © 1996-2000 MacDirectory