I first discovered Michael C Sharp back in 2018 when I did a deep dive over at Holodeck Records. That Austin, TX-based record label was a musically rich and diverse corner of the universe, bringing everything from Krautrock to moody synth to techno dance floor bangers under one roof. I discovered so many artists I consider favorites to this day; Future Museums(Neil Lord), Jake Schrock, Thousand Foot Whale Claw, Sungod, Single Lash, Troller, and so many more.
Multi-instrumentalist Michael C Sharp was an integral part of that scene. Sungod was one of his many long-standing projects, a flurry of psych-meets-Krautrock long form workouts that explored experimentation and syncopation while gladly blowing minds along the way. When not working in projects like Joys Union Group, Remember Ecstatic Duo, Lord & Sharp(with Neil Lord) or drumming in NYC’s Uniform, Sharp was also a prolific solo artist. Albums like Never Enough Time, Synth Vehicles for Guitar, Psychic Fugitives, and End Times In Babylon are just a few examples of Michael C Sharp’s vast musical canon. He works in drone, loops, and hazy Berlin School worlds where the music has a visceral quality. It encapsulates the listener with a full-bodied vigor for exploration.
Michael C Sharp is releasing his new album, Late Horizon, with Seattle-based SFI Recordings. Late Horizon is Sharp’s most focused and realized work to date. Big compositions and heady intentions, it has the feel of a future classic. I sat down to talk with Michael about the new album, his writing process, his involvement with Andrew and SFI, as well as how collaboration is king in the world of DIY musical creation. Check it out below.
So I’ve had a chance to listen to Late Horizon. I love all of your solo work, as well as the Sungod records and the recent collaborative record with Neil Lord, but man you’ve outdone yourself with Late Horizon. You’ve managed to combine what came before while expanding your sonic palate and make this all-encompassing record that’s like the universe concentrated into 7 epic works. I love it.
Can you tell me the history behind this record? When did you start writing these songs? What was going on in your headspace at the time? Influences or inspirations that made their way into the writing?
MCS : Thanks so much for the kind words. I started working on the bones of a lot of these songs during late 2020 with the tremendous amount of free time a lot of us had. The first track was actually just drums at first with no idea what melody would be on top of it. This was around the time I was trying drum ideas for what became Joys Union Group. I knew I wanted to do something that I couldn’t do live without a band so I made sure to add a lot of my favorite stuff in, acoustic guitar, drum kit, tons of different keyboards not just synth, extra percussion.
The songs just kept getting bigger and I wanted to nourish that since I had so much time with them. I liked the idea of taking a lot of the drone techniques and moods that are usually at the forefront of my material and turn them into flourishes for the background of more built up songs.
I finished my parts late 2021, and then got a few friends to contribute. What really put everything in scope was Braden’s mix. Since we’ve worked together so much he has a very intuitive ear for my particular voice. He knows what I like before I do sometimes.
I get a bit of a melancholy feel in tracks like “Love Overwhelming” and “Ninios”, but not a sad feeling. A contentment in your surroundings. Then there’s “Eaux” and “Laschamp Auroras” that go beautifully cosmic. There’s a wonderful balance between grounded and ethereal here. I can hear bits of Terry Riley, Tangerine Dream, and Ash Ra Tempel.
When you sit down to put something together, like “Miss Me One Place, Search Another” for example, where do you begin?
MCS : That song was actually a very extended ambient piece with a big drum break and riff in the middle section. I stepped away from it for a few months while working on some other records. When I came back to the song I didn’t find it very interesting so i stripped so much away except the bass line and just tried to go at it more like a kosmiche synth workout. I was still pretty on the fence on it until Victor laid down the guitar solo. I would’ve never in a million years ripped a burner like that over it. That totally makes the track, gives it a more specific motion and mood.
Does your approach to composition change depending on the project you’re currently working in? Do you work differently when you’re writing in Sungod, as opposed to collaborating with Neil, as opposed to your solo work?
MCS : Absolutely. For collaborations I leave a lot of space and just try to only put what I think is necessary on my parts while still in the “seeing where the song goes” phase. Sungod taught me a lot of that patience in writing/recording, so did the recent Uniform/Boris collab.
Solo stuff I mostly just riff on an idea until I’m tapped and then give it a few weeks, listen again and take notes on what else could go, and usually do another session or two. This one ended up having more of a “full band” feel on a lot of tracks so it definitely took quite a few passes once I decided what kind of sound I was going for.
Is Late Horizon all you, or did any friends pop in to help out?
MCS : Braden ended up adding synth to a couple tracks during the mixing process and I’m so glad he did. They almost sound like Sungod songs now. Neil plays guitar on one of those tracks too(Hypaxia).
Kristine doing flute made sense for Ninios, sort of a paradise track and her flute playing is always so light and tasteful, I didn’t have to add anything after she tied that one together.
Victor Gutierrez, who I’ve played in a couple of punk bands with, had played bass on a track for Private Tape Vol. 4. I wanted to let him rip a solo and we always have a blast collaborating. He was in a live lineup of Äutlier as well.
Who designed the album art? It has such a unique look to it.
MCS : The statue lady is a painting by Conner O’Leary who has let me use his work for a lot of my cover art. I’ll collaborate with him as long as he lets me. He’s a great friend and has such a fascinating visual/textural sense. Justin Kleine did the layout, as he works closely with Andrew from SFI pretty often.
Speaking of SFI, Late Horizon is coming out on Andrew Crawshaw’s SFI Recordings. You’re in good company there, with former Holodeck Records alumni Neil Lord releasing Dorsal Fin and Jake Schrock readying a record with SFI as well. How did you get connected with Andrew and SFI?
MCS : Definitely owe that one to Neil. I played on a few tracks on Dorsal Fin and when he told me the news of it getting released on SFI he encouraged me to submit the record as it had been mixed for a few months by that point. The label has a really great lineup and aesthetic, plus Andrew immediately willing to do vinyl was a huge bonus. He immediately got what I was going for with this album’s progression from my other material.
You and your family moved from Texas to Michigan last year. How has that transition been for all of you? Has the change of scenery inspired any new music?
MCS : Like any huge change and location switch, it has required a lot of growing pains and homesickness. Texas will always be my home, and it’s where we started our family. However, Detroit has such a rich history, and since it’s still recovering economically, there’s room for artists to take advantage if they know what they’re doing. As far as inspiration, having an actual snowy, stay indoors-type winter definitely helped find new ways to focus on ideas for recording at home.
So what’s next? Late Horizon is dropping soon. Are there any plans for taking these songs to a live setting? Anything new already in the works?
MCS : This LP will be the 6th release I’ve played on this year. I didn’t realize 2023 would end up so busy. I don’t have much lined up after this though, just a lot of sketches for Joys Union Group, Remember Ecstatic Duo, and some other projects in the writing stages. I do somehow have another solo record almost totally tracked that I started in the winter with lots more full band type arrangements. I’d love to get a group together and a set we could nail down. Maybe at some point I’ll find a drummer and a bassist up here that would want to put a lot of this stuff on its feet.
Michael C Sharp’s ‘Late Horizon’ will be out 10/20. Preorder vinyl and digital here.
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