Goudron is the musical incarnation of Detroit visual artist and composer Ron Zakrin. Following two successful 12'? releases, Goudron's full-length debut, 'œRaw Voltage,'? was released on Ersatz Audio in May of 2004. Matt Blair spoke with Zakrin over the phone in advance of his Canadian live debut.

YOUR FIRST FULL-LENGTH RELEASE CAME OUT LAST YEAR. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON IN THE MEANTIME?
I've been working on new material. The label's on a bit of a hiatus because Adam and Nicola are working on ADULT. But they've been helping me out with other labels. For this show, I'll probably play two or three songs from the album, and all the rest will be new.

THE TITLE OF THE RECORD, 'œRAW VOLTAGE'? '“ THAT'S A PLAY ON 'œRAW POWER'? BY THE STOOGES?
It's that, and it's also an allusion to the analog raw voltage equipment that I use. 'œRaw voltage'? is a term that I used to hear a lot when I talked shop with most other musicians in town. It was the way that everyone explained analog gear as opposed to digital stuff. You've got the 'œRaw Power'? connection there, along with the three or four electronic keyboards that I've got going.

NOW, IS THAT PART HOMETOWN PRIDE? IT'S AN INTERESTING REFERENCE, BECAUSE YOU THINK ABOUT ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMING OUT OF DETROIT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY HAS AN IMPORTANT HISTORY OF ITS OWN WITH TECHNO, BUT THAT'S A VERY PUNK ROCK REFERENCE.
Yeah, but while my music is electronic, it's rooted in rock and roll influence, riffs and stuff. I'm an electronic musician, but I'm not part of a whole techno revolution. It was awesome, but I'm not really into loop oriented music anymore, you know? It's all about riffs and song structure, conventional song structure. Electronic rock and roll, that's pretty much how I think of it.

YOU CREATE ALL OF YOUR MUSIC ON ANALOG SYNTHS, NOT WITH SOFTWARE.
I use a hardware sequencer, and I use a computer only to record on. I don't use any software for any of the sounds and stuff.

BUT YOU'VE BEEN RETOOLING A LOT OF YOUR SYNTHS AS WELL.
Yeah, and I can't do too much, because they're fragile. But I started with picking toys apart, like guitar pedals. Retooling them, and modifying everything. You get awesome sounds and stuff, but the problem is they become really delicate and unreliable on the road. So unfortunately, I won't be bringing this kind of stuff on tour, because it's let me down too often.

DO YOU CONSIDER HARDWARE MODIFICATION PART OF YOUR SONGWRITING?
Yeah, I do. You know, it's a synthesis, it's weird. I have to find a sound that sounds original and soothing, or whatever suits the mood, you know what I mean? I can't just plug a keyboard in and start, I have to find a sound. Sometimes a certain riff demands a certain sound too, so it's definitely about getting the right synthesis. Sometimes when I'm messing around, I can base everything around a sound. Sometimes the sound inspires the song, and sometimes the song actually demands the sound. So, it goes both ways, you know?

YOU'VE ALSO DONE THE ARTWORK FOR THIS RECORD.
For all of the records, yeah.

HAVE YOU DONE THAT WITH AN EYE TOWARDS THE ENTIRE WORK AS A SINGLE CONCEPT, OR TO SUPPLEMENT THE MUSIC?
Well, I'm a painter first '“ or I was a painter first. I don't know, maybe I'm a control freak. I wouldn't outsource the job to someone else if I could do it myself. It's developed as a whole, and it's all coming out of the same source, so yeah. I personally wouldn't do it any other way. It just works for me.

HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED TORONTO?
No, I haven't. This will be my first time playing in Canada, period. I've done a lot of art shows in Windsor, but never any performance. Usually, it's just such a hassle getting your gear over.

By Matt Blair