John Frusciante’s Second Coming
This was kindly lifted from Undercover and written by Paul Cashmere.
The second album in John Frusciante’s mammoth five album series will be released on August 10. The second album in the series ‘Automatic Writing’ will be released under the name Ataxia. It comes just two months after ‘The Will To Death’ was released in June by the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist. Ataxia is a collaboration with Josh Klinghoffer (Bicycle Theif) and Joe Lally (Fugazi). “I became friends with the members of Fugazi in Spring of 1999,” John said in a statement. “They were my favorite band in the world and I was going to see them play live as much as possible. I am lucky to have seen them as much as I have. They have had a hugely positive effect on me, both as a musician and as a person. Joe Lally moved to LA from DC in October of last year. Josh Klinghoffer and I had done two experimental electronic shows here in LA at the Knitting Factory, both of which Joe had attended. We scheduled two more shows, thinking we would play songs off the at that time unreleased “The Will To Death” and soon to be released “Shadows Collide With People.” We asked Joe if he would play bass for us, to which he said yes. But I started to realize, very much in the spirit of that period of time, that I was not interested in repeating things I had done, but wished to do things that were new”.
Ataxia is different to his previous solo work and his work with the Chili Peppers. “This record marks the first time I am extensively using the synthesizer in a way that has nothing to do with 80’s synthesizer sounds” he says. “I am using it to treat the vocals, the drums etc. as well as to make noise that has more to do with feedback and computer noise music (like Pita) than with anything people normally associate with the synthesizer. As I said in my bio for “The Will To Death,” I am drawing inspiration for how to approach my modular synthesizer from music that has no synthesizer, such as The Velvet Underground and Max Neuhaus, as well as synthesizer music that has no relationship to the way synths are used in pop music, such as Iaanis Xenakis and David Tudor”.
The third in the series of five records is DC EP, produced by Ian MacKaye. It will come out on September 14. Also this month, Red Hot Chili Peppers Live at Hyde Park featuring John will be released in territories outside the United States.
