IIOIOIOII

After the announcement that has gone from not only a management company, but a record label as well, I decided to talk with two of the label's artists. The first, as of now, being that of the talented, but oddly named, IIOIOIOII, the project behind Christopher Gurney. And, well, he had a lot to say, so check it out:

Alright, well, the simplest way to hit off this interview would just be to start off by asking who you are. Relatively unknown, I think it would be nice to know who is behind the melodies of IIOIOIOII.

Gurney - "Well my name is Christopher Gurney, I was raised in a military family and traveled around most of my youth. I didn't have many solid things in my life. I had to start fresh about every three years in a new place. I did have a few constants in my life though video games and music. I remember turning on VIVA while I was young in Germany and watching bands like Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode and it having a huge impact on me even though I didn't know what genre or style it was. I come from a household of classic rock and blues. My mother was really big into the Beatles and my father was really into BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughn so there weren't a lot of synth based music in the house. Around 89-90 I was introduced by a family friend to Nine Inch Nails and from there it was a nose dive into alternative and industrial music. I couldn't get enough of it I would dig around as much as I could at the time for more bands but unfortunately there really wasn't any internet widely available so I was left to go by word of mouth. Later in the 90s we got an internet connection and I was knee deep looking for any and all new and old bands I could find. I still remember though I bought the Skinny Puppy album Last Rights just because of the cover art alone in the mid 90s and it was all over. I found one of my biggest inspirations. I dabbled in music here and there throughout highschool and college but it wasn't until the mid 2000s that I started really learning how to make electronic music. I didn't decide to make a full plunge until I met Ogre and he encouraged me to pursue it. Currently I live in the US in North Carolina which is pretty much smack dab of the bible belt and Nascar. HELP ME!!!!"


Now, second off, just to clear off the confusion of the name, I absolutely found it mind boggling at first to listen to. However, would you mind telling the readers how to pronounce the name and where you got it from?

Gurney - "It's funny but that's one of the most common questions I get about the name. It kind of happened by accident but I was thinking up names for this project and I wanted it to be simple, symmetric, and easy to design with. I went to school for advertising and design and I found "iio" to be such a well balanced set of letters that I started using it for the project name. My first EP cover had the letters IIO IOI OII stacked on top of each other. Later I found out there was a music producer that was using the name already and after a lot of swearing I decided to say fuck it and just call the project IIOIOIOII. As for how I pronounce it... I just say I.O. So in the end there's no deep meaning I just like balance of those letters."


I remember first listening to Reflect. And, well, I'll say that it isn't quite legendary or perfect by any means, but I did really enjoy it, and I had a lot of fun with the twists you brought to the genre. Do you have any main inspirations or do you operate solely on your own mind?

Gurney - "I think we all draw from inspiration and to claim otherwise would be a bold faced lie. I'm proud of Reflect in the sense that it was an accomplishment. I set out to make a full cohesive album. I had some ideas that I found to be really cool and others that didn't really turn out so hot. I did everything on that album from initial writing to mixing and mastering all the while learning along the way. Would I make that album again? Probably not. I was still finding my own voice through the recording process, musically I was almost there but vocally I was still trying to sing like someone else. There's nothing wrong with that mind you I have a huge respect for bands that find that golden tone set by an influential band and take their own approach with it. Volt9000's Conopoly was one of my favorite albums this year and Dead When I found Her's Harm's Way is still one of my favorite albums. For me though I think it was more of a security blanket. I'm in the process of finalizing my next album which will be the culmination of the sound I've always had in my head. I'm always trying to learn more and integrate it with my music and move ahead."


Your vocals in Consume and even Golden Age reminded me that of Skinny Puppy. Would you say you were inspired by the age old act for this release?

Gurney - "OH FUCK YES! I'm not going to try and bullshit out of that assumption."


Now, I know you are quite small at the time of this writing, but do you have any plans on performing live, and if you already have, how have your gigs been?

Gurney - "I don't have any immediate plans for a live show. Though that's not to say that it's not a possibility in the future. I just want to make sure that the audience will get what they deserve in a show. Even though it's not going to happen in the immediate future I'm in the process of planning it all out from live logistics to lighting right now. I'm only one guy so I'm trying to avoid an awkward karaoke session on stage."


I've noticed that as of recent time, you signed under the Juggernaut record label. What are your current plans underneath the record label as of now? Or is that going to remain your dirty little secrets?

Gurney - "Let's just say we have a lot planned. I'm a work horse by nature so expect a lot of material, remixes, and a few other things. I'm not the type to half ass anything and with the support I'm getting from Nick Quarm and Juggernaut Music Group I'm hoping to raise the bar."


And, well, I suppose this is where we end off. Is there anything you'd like to add before we part ways and meet once more later on in life?

Gurney - "Just to say thank you for the interview and the chance to let everyone get to know a bit more about me. When we meet in person in the future we'll have to have a drink or five."