Music: ROSEBUSH! : Earz Magazine

Music: ROSEBUSH!

April 4, 2008 · Words: Martin S ·

Liar's Rosebush

“Be Home Soon (Demo)”, and “Croation Roulette”; by ROSEBUSH!

Matt Rosen a.k.a ROSEBUSH! is an Ontario, Canada based character who makes awesome genre-defying music which is a kind of mechanical amalgam of drum and bass, hip-hop and industrial. With a slew of past and forthcoming records out on various independent labels, Matt is a busy chap, getting his music out there and performing at plenty of events across his home country.

Q: For those who don’t know, can you tell us a little about Rosebush/ Liar’s Rosebush? How would you describe your music?

I started making music around age 12, and chose the name Liar’s Rosebush based on a novel my brother was writing at the time. I started getting shows a couple of years later, performing under that name. Then in first year at university, a friend of mine started calling me “Rosebush” as a joke, and for some reason it stuck.

As for what I do, I make various kinds of chopped-up dance music. Usually fast, sometimes slow. Breakbeats, samples, synth, guitar, harmonica, banjo. And I try to stay funky.

Q: You’ve worked with some labels including Hive, Livevil and Immanence; are these like small independents? Is that the best / only way to get your music out there?

A: Yeah, the labels I’ve worked with so far are definitely what you might call small independents. Hive and Livevil are both really personal operations run by just a few core people, which is really the only way to run a label of this sort. It must be a difficult time to run a label, after all. Three years ago the guys at Warp Records were calling Sublight one of the best labels around, and now they’re gone. Labels come and go so fast right now.

So it’s hard to know where to go if you want your music to be heard. That’s why I think so many young electronic artists are putting out records on a bunch of labels at once, it’s the only strategy to make sure your releases get spread around. And online distribution seems to be the way to go, but how do you get any attention when there are a million Christian Rock bands to sift through on MySpace?

Liar's Rosebush

Q: Tell us about your forthcoming 12″ on Livevil?

A: I’m finishing up work on a drum and bass release with a new label Livevil, from Washington. The record is called Start Snitchin’ and is basically meant as a shot at the current state of mainstream hip-hop. It was originally meant to be a 12″, but there are enough tracks now that we may end up turning it into a CD EP. Either way, the release should be out in mid-June.

Q: Anyone you want to shout-out / links you want people to check?

A: Shout-outs? Well, everyone should check out my boy scrape[dx], who is finishing up his amazing new record which will feature a Rosebush remix for your pleasure.

Other than that, the best thing on the internet right now is monome.org. One of the most rewarding music making communities there is. Go check them out if you haven’t already! And obviously stay tuned to liarsrosebush.com!

Links!: