Interview with Daniel from Aesthetic Perfection and Necessary Response

Who is Daniel Graves, can you introduce him?

Daniel Graves is the character who's publicly credited for the music behind Necessary Response and Aesthetic Perfection.

Can you give a brief introduction to Aesthetic Perfection and to Necessary Response?

Necessary Response and Aesthetic Perfection are the two projects that Ive recorded music under for the last few years. I'm at a loss for words when I'm asked to describe it. All I can do is give you the cliche answer and say "listen to it and decide for yourself."

What made you decide to become a musician and which bands are a big influence on you?

I started getting really interested in music when I was about 12. I got into the California Punk scene with a friend of mine and we both thought we would become huge punk rock stars. You can see how that turned out...

But since then music has been the most important element in my life.

What was the turning point, why did you switch from Punk to electronic music?

I discovered industrial music when I was about 14 or 15. I became completely intrigued by synthesizers and sequencers.. I couldnt fathom at the time how this music was made completely without live instruments. So I dove right in and sold my guitar and bass and bought a couple synths.

Daniel

You played with Grendel on stage, are we gonna see more of that?

Probably not. Touring with Grendel was a lot of fun, and I really like them as people and musicians, but Marco is their keyboardist, not me. I filled in because he was on tour with VNV Nation at the time and they needed a friend to help them out. Of course if they needed me again for some reason, I would be happy to, but Marco completes the band in a way I never could.

When you write a song, do you know before or after it’s finished if it’s for Necessary Response or Aesthetic Perfection?

Normally I know before the song is done. Because usually you have an idea how it will sound within the first few hours of writing it.

Are you in a different mood than when you are writing a necessary response song compared to Aesthetic Perfection?

I don't know. I dont ever stop to think about that. I guess so, but it's not the band that affects my mood, its the music itself. Like I said, the music just kind of comes, I don't normally plan on the direction it will take.

You have done a show with Aesthetic Perfection and Necessary Response, how did you came up with this idea and will you do more shows like that?

You mean the Necessary Response vs Aesthetic Perfection show at Das Bunker last February? That show was a lot of fun. This was before the NR record was released and so I thought it would be fun to play a show where people knew they could hear songs they knew, and also to debut some of the new NR material. It turned out really well, but at the moment I havent really planned on doing that again. Id prefer to keep the projects separate for the time being.

Daniel

Why did you start two different kind of bands?

Why not? I had all these songs that didnt make it onto the Aesthetic Perfection CD because they didnt fit into the "sound". Out of Line asked to use one of those leftover songs for the Machineries of Joy compilation so I created Necessary Response.

Since they are written originally for Aesthetic Perfection, did the original sound differ a lot from the versions that made it to the Necessary Response album?

No, most of the demo versions were not changed in any way. I just write music and let the song go where it needs to go. Before NR existed I did the same thing. Now that it does, of course, I can predict what band a song will be used for, but that doesnt change how the song will be written. I'm never thinking "this song MUST fit into Necessary Response."

Are you planning on releasing a new CD, for Aesthetic Perfection and Necessary Response if so what can we expect from it?

Expect something different. I'm constantly trying to evolve as an artist and as a songwriter. If I continued doing the same thing over and over again it would cease to be interesting or challenging.

The new AP album is almost complete. A good amount of the songs sound nothing like what you might expect a band in my genre to sound like. Of course, there are also songs that definitely follow the sound of the first record. But as more time goes on, the more I will push myself away from any definable genre.

On your personal MySpace profile you say you like watching movies, for what movie would you like to do the title song?

As much as I love movies, I would never make music for one. For some reason I have absolutely no interest in scoring films. I dont know why...

Is it hard to do everything yourself, vocals, lyrics and all music?

Its a double edged sword. Im sure things would move a lot faster with another person in the band, or at the very least a good producer. The two reasons why I've stayed solo is that I haven't met anyone who challenges me enough to want to work with them. Not to say that I don't know talented people, but we're all on different wavelengths in terms of where we want our music to go. If someone were to join me they would have to have the same goals and direction as me, but also have their own way of getting there. The second reason is that even if I found someone like that, I'm really controlling and it would be hard for me to lose that.

In what direction do you want Aesthetic Perfection to move than, what is the ultimate sound for you or do you think you will never reach it and things keep changing?

Of course I have ideas about how I would like my bands to sound, but the end result is never how you imagine it. The sound I envisioned for this new AP record is not at all what it came out to be. But as an artist, or should I say "aspiring artist" I never want to stop striving to be better. The Germans say "Der weg ist das ziel", or, "the way is the goal."

It seems to me when artists stop being critical of themselves and think what they do is brilliant (even if it is), eventually they lose their drive and turn into assholes who just suck.

What is the most pleasant or strange memory you have of a live show?

Live shows, in their very nature, are unpredictable. But I think the strangest show of all time was the Das Bunker 9th anniversary party in Hollywood. I saw a fan of ours at the club the night before the show, and I made him a drunken promise that if he came to the show with a goat, I would get him in for free. The next morning, I got a phone call from him saying he had the goat in his car and was on his way to the club.

So the whole day at the venue we were trying to decide how to get the goat into the club without security knowing. We wanted to bring it out during the last song. Unfortunately the guy missed the show because of traffic in LA. We still got him into the club for free, but we couldn't get the goat past security. So we walked the goat along Hollywood Blvd for a couple hours taking pictures with her and showing people.

At the end of the evening we drove her to a "no kill" animal shelter, which protects all the animals it takes in, and also will not adopt the animal out to anyone who might kill it for food or fur. After that we drove to the after party, where the fan tells me he got the goat from a slaughterhouse and that she was scheduled to die the next day.

We all thought it was awesome that instead of being slaughtered, this goat was bought, driven to Hollywood, where she got to be famous for a day, party with a band, and in the end was taken to a shelter who would find her a good home where she could live in peace. We named her Delores.

What are the plans for the future, for both Necessary Response and Aesthetic Perfection?

I am trying to finish the new AP record as fast as possible. I would like to tour Europe this summer, but I don't have anything thats concrete yet. But in September AP will support Imperative Reaction and SITD on their 35 show US tour. After that I will continue to tour and work on new material.

What do you miss most from the United States?

Well of course I miss personal things like my friends, my family, and my cat. I miss Mexican food, shitty fast food places like Jack in the Box and Taco Bell. But most of all I miss the feel of Hollywood. The feel of everyone going 24 hours a day trying to be somebody important. The air is thick with people who would die to succeed. I like that. It motivates me.

Any last words for our readers?

Spit it out.