Small talk with Trailcam

memòri : Let’s start with a trip down memòri lane: what is your earliest memory of falling in love with electronic music?

Trailcam : I was at my cousin’s house on Halloween when I was 12? or something and I’m Blue by Eiffel 65 was playing on MTV and I remember being terrified and intrigued at the same time.

memòri : Now the question everyone wants to ask : The shift from E-Saggila to Trailcam feels like a very deliberate artistic statement. Could you walk us through the catalyst for this change and what the new moniker conceptually unlocks for you?

Trailcam : I’ve been making music under E-Saggila for over a decade now and I think near the end of it I felt that it was continuing to go in a direction that didn’t feel right to me anymore, sonically/conceptually. When you work on something for so long you carry all of its advantages and drawbacks that shape you and change your perception of this industry. I was burnt out and overwhelmed from trying to produce all this “clubby/banging” stuff that DJs/promoters would wanna hear and I was over it. I think I knew it was over when I would finish a track and be relieved that I was “done with it”, not “happy with it”.

memòri : How much of E-Saggila's identity remains in Trailcam, and what aspects have evolved or changed?

Trailcam : I feel like I’m still tied to my earliest works with E-Saggila. There’s still the same rigidness and raw emotion that evokes something in the listener. There’s still no rules or formula that I follow and I want this to return to something that’s personal to me. I think in general it’s more stripped back. I’m trying to play around with the minimal side of production and embrace the “less is more” approach.

memòri : The name "Trailcam" itself evokes a sense of detached observation, capturing raw, unfiltered moments in nature or liminal spaces. How does this imagery connect with the music you're creating under this alias?

Trailcam : It’s pretty unpolished and muddy to me and I try to stick with this symbolism when creating something. There’s this tension of nature and urban blight that I think is beautiful when you know that nature has this resilience to itself that is boundless and has no uniform.

memòri : Dub techno and trip-hop appear as clear influences in your work - what draws you to those particular era/sound?

Trailcam : I have an appreciation for how they embrace and balance texture and emotion. I’ve always made techno/ambient and flirted with the dubby side of it here and there but I’d like to think the distinctions are still fuzzy when it comes to what genre I cling to.

memòri : What are the main influences guiding you through this project? Are there any particular tracks, producers, or labels that have shaped your vision?

Trailcam : I still think noise and industrial music stay with me when it comes to inspiration. It’s the defiant and nonlinear attitude that I appreciate which shows up a lot in techno too. I love stuff like Kevin Drumm, Pedestrian Deposit, Regis etc. Even with dub, Rhythm & Sound embodies these traits and gets so murky.

memòri : Could you walk us through your creative process when starting a new track? Which element do you typically begin with?

Trailcam : It usually depends on how I’m feeling and isn’t really the same all the time. Sometimes I’ll listen to something or read about something and try to integrate the “vibe” into a track or the mood of an ep/album. I like putting together some pads or bass lines that I like and work the drums/percs around that.

memòri : Was there a specific piece of studio gear, a synth, a sampler or a VST that became your main partner in this process? Your primary tool for channeling this energy?

Trailcam : I use Ableton for production and generally work with a lot of granular synth stuff. I’ve been enjoying Slate + Ash & Arturia plugins. I’m actually trying to strip back from Vsts in general because I tend to overcomplicate things trying to find the “right sound” then end up getting overwhelmed. Recently I’ve been trying to stick with Ableton stock plugins and build from there.

memòri : You designed your Northern Electronic EP’s artwork yourself - is this part of maintaining complete creative control over the project? What does the artwork represent, and how does it connect with your musical universe?

Trailcam : It’s something new I wanted to try with doodling this character that looked like it was overstimulated by its environment and wanted to bury its head in. I guess we all feel like that sometimes and need an escape from this never ending loop.

memòri : Northern Electronics seems like a perfect fit for this project - how did this relationship develop?

Trailcam : We started collaborating a few years ago when I released My World My Way and I think that album helped reach a wider audience in Europe which was nice. Anthony was still supportive of the new direction and it’s cool that anytime I’ll send him music he’ll just be like “ok let’s do it” with no critiques or anything.

memòri : Which label are you most excited about right now?

Trailcam : I can’t really narrow it down to one right now but lately I’ve been enjoying Short Span Records, Sferic and Shelter Press.

memòri : Is there any artist or producer whose work particularly impresses you at the moment?

Trailcam : I’ve been loving Jasmín, Christine Benz, and Perila recently.

memòri : How does Toronto's underground scene influence your approach to sound?

Trailcam : I feel like Toronto exists in its own ecosystem from the rest of the world. Not many people pay attention to what’s going on here and most touring artists skip it on their North American tour and go straight to Montreal. There’s a lot of great artists and people here that I admire. I’ve moved around a lot among the GTA and been in different environments and around people that influence my perspective on life. I have an appreciation for Toronto and its scene being outside of the general spotlight in electronic music and there’s a certain charm in this neglect to me.

memòri : How do you see your sound evolving beyond 'Drumlin Loop'?

Trailcam : I try not to look at the long term picture and focus on what’s working right now and what I enjoy and hope there’s an organic growth to it eventually.

memòri : What would you consider the perfect setting and moment to experience your EP?

Trailcam : In general I’d like to think of the listener experiencing it after a long day where they can disassociate from life/work/people and are able to fully immerse themselves in something that might speak to them or help them drown out the outside world. I don’t need the listener to over conceptualize my music after hearing it either. “I like this track” is good enough for me.