Matt Humble, 'DMT: The Spirit Molecule' director Mitch Schultz, and Young Air
Previously, we caught up with Something Fiction founder Matt Humble and talked about the band itself. But if you think creating unique, thoughtful, and patiently constructed sonic worlds in his own music is all that this 23-year-old local Renaissance man is up to—think again. As we touched on at the end of last week’s segment, Humble has recently been pouring a ton of man hours into a new artistic collective called Timewheel. One cannot help but feel (no pun intended) humbled by the shear amount of creativity that seems to emanate from this young collective. The rest of us should take a cue from Humble and his crew, as we ponder our places in the world and whether or not we have the resources at our disposal to really make our unique voices and visions heard. Read the text of our continued conversation below, as we talk Timewheel personnel, yoga, the arts, mind-altering drugs, and even underwear.
See also: Something Fiction: In Deep with Local Pshych-Electro Group
Who all is involved with Timewheel and what are some of the emerging roles?
Our artistic collective was formed by the members of Something Fiction and some of our closest friends. Two current members of SF, Nick Greder and Raul Rodriguez, have a project called Physio Lesser with three other former members of SF: Scott Baumann, David Dewinne, and Jake Greder. The reason for the division of bands is simply to explore two different artistic directions without any limitation. If you listen to these two bands they sound radically different, yet we all share a similar philosophy about music and have been working together closely for years. Scott and Raul both have solo projects, DinosaurDevice and Trion-re respectively, which are being produced and released through Timewheel. We're also working with Young Air, a new electronic producer and DJ who was recently inducted into our studio and philosophy. Additionally the clothing line Sheath has emerged from our studio in big part to our production artists Robert Patton and comedian Steven 'AJollyBro' Wylie.
Who/what are you producing? What bands or solo artists is Timewheel working with musically? Can you tell me a bit about those acts?
Timewheel Studios is the headquarters for our audiovisual projects. My role as the Creative Director is to work with artists from all mediums to accomplish an audiovisual project. I work in audio via podcasts, music production and sound engineering and in visuals via photography, video production and identity, branding and logo design. I also curate the majority of our site's blog, which I built and maintain. I also dabble in web-design. Amongst our collective there are several other audiovisual artists exploring other mediums—like Raul. He's made visuals that appear on album art a number of times. Right now the majority of our creative energies are being channeled to our upcoming album releases, but collaborating is also a big part of what I do. We work with too many artists to name, but our favorite to collaborate with thus far has definitely been Gonjasufi. His vibe in-person is so unique. He's both calming and intense at the same time. The fact that he produced the final (and best) track on Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail the same year that he worked with us still has me tripping.
What kind of artistic endeavors do you envision down the line? And with that, what would you say is your main goal(s) with the Timewheel collective in all its incarnations?
We're creating a culture of like-minded individuals, a society of seekers. Through art and music, the elevated forms of language, we believe we can inspire people to research the hidden secrets of the universe for themselves. Through our collective's efforts we hope to provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm. We believe music is the highest form of magic. The intention behind our releases is to induce the mystical experience of riding, what we call, the Timewheel. By using explorative methods of art we've found that one can prepare an appropriate atmosphere to successfully ride the Timewheel to gain esoteric knowledge. Since resonance of music and art varies among individuals we've done a great deal to have a wide range of audiovisuals available, consisting of the common trait of providing an environment or setting to, with proper training, transcend the axis mundi.
SCRATCH from TIMEWHEEL on Vimeo.
What type of events do you want to put on or be a part of? With that, tell us about your involvement in yoga and how that contributes to your understanding of the arts in general?
We plan to continue producing audiovisual shows together. Our collective essentially doubles as a road-crew. We work together not only as performers but as technicians and support personnel. We're planning to tour together during the second half of 2014 to promote our collective's brand and art. We hold regular private Kundalini Yoga and meditation workshops. This is done to elevate our level of consciousness. In our research we have discovered a series of yogic techniques that allows for the Pineal Gland to function as it should, and has in cultures like ancient Egypt. The Pineal Gland secreting on a healthy level will increase awareness of spiritual and esoteric phenomena. This unlocks the creative reserves of the subconscious and thus acts as a large form of inspiration for my work in all mediums. We have made these types of events public on occasion but most of our consciousness related work is done behind closed doors. As I mentioned in the interview about Something Fiction, I will be teaching Kundalini Yoga with my KRI Certification starting summer 2014 to those interested in expansion of consciousness and mystical experience.
Tell me a bit about your/Timewheel's connection with the film. What do you see as the value in experiences with psychedelic drugs and/or altered states?
I'm currently collaborating with the studio behind the film. It’s called Spectral Alchemy. The director of DMT, Mitch Schultz, has acted as a mentor to me. I work with him in Austin on a wide array of projects ranging from video editing and networking to app building. Recently there’s been a lot of focus on Mitch's latest project, Mythaphi. I'm helping to launch it during SXSW this year. I think psychedelics and altered states have always been a part of the human experience. I believe they played a key role in the evolution of human consciousness and that they have a valuable message to teach those who are ready. I talk more about this type of stuff on the podcast I host from our studio, Psychedelic Spirituality Podcast.
In the visual realm, who are some of your favorite artists in any medium?
Right now I am really digging the art of David Wexler, also known as Strangeloop. We worked with him on Something Fiction's last project, Mycology EP, on the front and back cover. He does a lot of amazing visuals for artists like Flying Lotus and Skrillex. His hand-drawn art and his music are mesmerizing as well.
What is Sheath Underwear and how is it related to Timewheel?
Sheath is a clothing line I co-founded with my brother Robert Patton. Together we designed the perfect underwear brand for men active in Yoga, MMA and free-running, all sports where men could use more support than your average boxer-brief. Really, the applications are endless and a ton of people just wear them for daily comfort. They are different because there is an inside pouch that securely supports the male anatomy and provides cloud like comfort by keeping the thigh and package separated. It's an evolution in design and a product of our collective's creativity, so that’s how it ties in to Timewheel. Earlier last year we were successfully crowd-funded over $14,000 on Kickstarter to get our product out into the world and we've been growing ever since.
