Soft Automaton thrives between dystopian and utopian narratives, the mechanics of city life coupled with the organics of nature and humanity. "I've been driven by the cold machine sound, not unlike Windsor, Detroit, Berlin or Montreal. At the same time, I'm part of a place with incredible diversity. The music and people here bring a much warmer global element that shape-shifts the sounds that I create. The wilderness and farmland also surrounds us here. That compounds this biological influence even more."
Soft Automaton draws from a lot of genres which allows his approach to be a bit of a hybrid. Musical influences include Hank Shocklee, Edward Upton, Peter Benisch, Material Object, Brian Eno, Jonny L, Leftfield, Kevin Parker, Moritz Von Oswald, and genres such as New Wave and Ska, not to mention loads of house and techno from Canada and abroad. "I won't necessarily sound like any of the artists I've listed, but these are some of the creators that make me think. They challenge my process. The more I consume, the more I respect what I hear. These are just some artists who show me that there is endless potential in music." His toolkit contains diverse elements too: homemade synths and outboard gear, recycled appliances, near dead and incompatible software, and a host of vintage and modern synths and effects, all tied into a contemporary set up.
One result is that it formed the artist name in an honest way. "I landed on the Soft Automaton name because it actually describes what's happening in my studio here. It may come off as a steam punk persona but it's far from that. This is not about brass, copper, oiled gears, and post-apocalyptic deserts. This is today's interpretation of man and machine. We're in the now. Geometry, angular lines battling soft lines, the trash you see today co-existing with polished parts of life. This is about consuming it all and molding it into something honest. Sometimes the results are cold. Sometimes they're warm".