Bloomfield Machine is the alter ego of the gifted musician Brian Kassan. He wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered his 5th and latest release, “Joyology.” He combines Indie Rock and Electronic music, resulting in a mastered work with both bright and dark ambiance. In the interview, we’ll get to know the multi-talented musician and dig deeper with him into his album and his upcoming plans.
First things first! How did you come up with the name “Bloomfield Machine” for your musical project?
I was working for Staples in their Corporate office back in 2007. I sat in a cubicle and took large orders from various businesses around the country who ordered office supplies. My first territory was accounts opened in New Mexico and a business in Bloomfield—a machine shop. Bloomfield Machine—I made a mental note that when or if I could get my dream of an instrumental progressive kind of project—that would be the name. After years of trying to find bandmates and as recording technology became less expensive with a home set up—-Bloomfield Machine was born. I like the blend of technology/biology that the name implies—me and the computer!
What inspired you to pick your first instrument and start playing for the very first time? And what was it?
My Mom won a piano on a game show in the early 70’s. My parents decided to give me piano lessons at that time, I was 7. I studied classical piano with several teachers for about 10 years. When I was 14 or so, I had also picked up the guitar—learning Beatles tunes of course. I’m so grateful to be able to play piano, guitar, bass and program drum sounds/loops. The classical background, the amazing collection of 60s albums my parents had in their collection along with listening to the golden age of 70s am radio in Los Angeles, my ear for strong melody was tickled from the very start.
How did you decide that blending Rock and Electronic is your niche? Why those two genres?
Bloomfield Machine was originally in my mind as a progressive rock band like Yes, Genesis, etc. I tried for many years to get musician friends to join me, but many of my friends went on to form their own bands, or tour. Not to mention that progressive rock was not a ticket to anything past the mid-1980s unless you had started in the 1960s. I also am a huge fan of electronic music starting in the 70s/80s like Gary Numan, New Order, Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Bowie, Brian Eno all the way to today—Tycho, Boards of Canada, AmonTobin, Casino vs Japan, Flying Lotus, Tobacco, Pilotredsky, Lone etc. I’ve also been into experimental math rock, glitchy and noise based music too! So Bloomfield Machine became my home one-man-band project which incorporates rock, electronic, pop, ambient, industrial, cinematic elements that I think are uniquely me. Having a foot in the past and the current styles, my music is a hybrid of all my influences. I never consciously plan what I’m going to do—it just channels through…
Do you have a usual writing process? Or does it depend on what you’re crafting?
For Bloomfield Machine, I started by writing things on a little Casio MT-68 (a great little 80s analog keyboard with some decent sounds). I like to watch nature videos/tv while fiddling around on the keyboard or a guitar and pay half-attention to the screen and instrument. I find that great ideas tend to come out that way on a rather consistent basis. Also, I like to find or create an interesting drum or glitchy loop to use as the starting point. Then I just go in search through all the interesting sounds and plug ins or odd instruments I have lying around and just use the sounds as a basis for inspiration. I spend a lot of time modifying the sounds to make them my own. I try not to use the same sounds which keeps it interesting for me and hopefully the listener.
Would you walk us through the making of your first album, “Joyology”?
Actually, this is my 5th album in the past 5 years! They are all on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. I’ve been totally immersed in making tracks since I dove into my first album “Arguing with Success” which came out in 2017. I am always working on a track these days—it’s an essential part of my mental health and brings meaning to my life.
Album Review: Joyology by Bloomfield Machine
The 18 tracks range from bright to dark, dreamy to noisy, and convey a wide range of emotions. It’s remarkable! Do you naturally transition from one state to another, or do you find it challenging to conjure opposing emotions?
Thanks..I guess these are all the emotions that express through my subconscious. I don’t really plan on writing with a specific tone in mind. I just let it emerge, lean into it and not think too much about it. I can say that I do tend to make them short—once I’ve made a musical statement, I get bored repeating it too many times unless it hypnotizes me too! Friends ask me about that—“are these full songs?” to which I reply “yes.” I grew up listening to 2-3 minute pop songs, so I guess that also informs the length of my tracks.
As a musician, you have a natural ability to express yourself. If you weren’t, what do you think you’d be doing to get it out of your system?
Drawing, painting, writing. Someday very soon, I want to spend more time doing that as well.
Would you tell us about your future plans?
As much as i’d like to think I could gain a big enough audience to perform live, it’s a real challenge for me to spend time marketing, and learning the ins and outs of social media. I much prefer to be creating. I’m grateful to writers/fans such as yourself that enjoy what i’m doing and are helping to spread the word. I will just continue to create without too much expectation for as long as i can!
Thank you for your time! Care to give us and your fans a last word?
Thanks again for giving Bloomfield Machine/Joyology a deep, thoughtful listen and helping me to find more fans. I hope everyone will give my other previous albums a listen too! I’m very proud of my work as Bloomfield Machine. I think my previous albums are every bit as good as Joyology and probably not yet heard or discovered! And lastly, I’m hoping for peace in the world and within ourselves. Music is a language that we all share in common.