A Brief Conversation w/ Chris Stewart of Black Marble
For well over a decade, LA-based electronic and multi-dimensional artist Christ Stewart has carefully conjured the sonic spiritualism found in the ancient analog atmosphere of the beloved cold wave and synth-pop project Black Marble. Originally hailing from the concrete jungles of New York, where its creative chambers birthed the likes of Suicide and the “no wave” scene, to name a few, the meditative music of Black Marble has become somewhat of an institution for a whole new generation of digital dabblers and muses of the matrix over the years, and Stewart’s cosmic communication has only become clearer with time. Following up 2021’s “Fast Idol” with the highly anticipated “Life In Small Places,” Stewart’s latest effort smashes through the world’s windows, while simultaneously knocking on nearby doors for alchemical access into the eyes and ears of listeners both new and old.
Photo: Ashley Leahy
I recently watched your episode of “What’s In My Bag”, and was stoked to see you showing The Only Ones some love. Such an underrated group. When did you first become acquainted with their sound? How much of a role would you say the British punk/power pop/psychedelia has played a part in your work over the years?
People in NYC would always DJ "Another Girl, Another Planet" back in the day, so that’s when I found out about them. I’m a big fan of that kind of sound and learned a lot from the Messthetics compilations, which you used to have to download from Soulseek (shout out to Soulseek) but are now on YouTube, I think.
For well over a decade, you’ve been carefully shaping your sonic songbook. As a songwriter who’s seen the industry, creative culture, and artistic atmosphere change time and time again, I’m curious as to how you’ve managed that melodic motivation after all these years. I’m sure longtime fans, and even more recent listeners, quickly noticed that there was more guitar present with this material. How different was the overall approach to this material compared to past releases?
Well, I take it day by day. You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot, but I’ve been doing it long enough to know what moves the needle and what is just sort of like busy work in a sense, and being able to be clear about where my limited amount of energy and focus should go while also being respectful and empathetic with people and the process — while still making the choices I believe are best for me and the music in the long term — it's a tightrope I’m always walking and learning more about how to be better at every day. I felt adding more rhythm guitar would add harmonic richness, and playing staccato would add energy, so I wanted to focus on that as an element on this album. I focused more on the energy than in past releases.
You mentioned a reason for the change was to “Create a chime-y, hypnotic quality. Like a radio dial that is between two stations.” If some teenagers were to find this album 30 years from now, crate-digging somewhere in Youngstown, OH, what would you want for them to hopefully glean from the music?
Mostly I hope that I can speak to them through melody first and energy second, and if they want to pay attention to the lyrics, I hope they find someone who tried to be intentional about what they say. With a bit of humor but always with honesty. I feel like it’s easy to be someone else in music, and some people feel like it’s almost a necessity, like part of the “game,” but that feels like a trap to me. I think I can reach people like me by being myself, and if that alienates some people, they are free to join other congregations. It’s a free country.
Photo: Ashley Leahy
“With a bit of humor but always with honesty. I feel like it’s easy to be someone else in music, and some people feel like it’s almost a necessity, like part of the “game,” but that feels like a trap to me.”
Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
Peace and love and Soulseek 4ever!
