Ohr

Bay Area multimedia artist and engineer George Cory Todd has been creating enchanting ambient music for years. They’ve released a series of singles, a gorgeous EP called Icon, and a darker-tinged full length called That Dark Electric. Today they’re releasing their latest full-length, Adapter, under a new moniker called Ohr, and it’s appropriate, as their latest output sounds quite different than any music that they’ve ever released before. The tracks on the album explore the intersection between ambient and IDM with quiet precision, connecting warm ambient textures with more driving beats. With a fresh start, a new record, and a new identity, there’s much to be excited about in Todd’s world, so we caught up with them to chat all about it:

How have you been spending your time over the last year? Has the pandemic impacted your creative output at all? How have you adapted? 

I’ve been spending most of my time trying to develop new skills, new ways of thinking. I guess my approach to art-making changed, but I don’t think my desire to think & act creatively lessened or diminished at all. I’ve tried to weave everything together so it feels more enriching than anything else - regardless of what specifically I’m working on.

You’re releasing this album under a new moniker “Ohr.” Why the change and what’s the significance of the new moniker?

The sound of this record - as well as my general approach - felt significantly different than anything I’d done before. I wanted to idealize a sound and strive for it - rather than my previous more “experimental” approach, which started to feel like grasping at straws. I like the idea of “Ohr” being a musical space for specific sounds or musical themes.

How’d the songs on Adapter come together? What’s your songwriting process typically like? 

I use a combination Supercollider, Max/msp, and Ableton to grab, shift, meld sounds & arrange them. A lot of this record was written more in Live than other records I’d done, which was really fun.

I read you also studied music composition at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. How have things you’ve learned there shifted or altered your approach to making music, if at all? 

My time at SFCM was a really enriching experience - I wrote a lot of music for film & other visual media, which I think changed my perspective on the value of composition. I learned a deeper appreciation for how music can serve functionally & still be deeply “artful” or “creative.”

Adapter definitely sounds and feels a lot different when compared with Icon and That Dark Electric. What intention did you bring to that? Did you want this to sound different?

Definitely. Synthesizing a lot of these aforementioned new philosophies was key to figuring out a new sound & direction.

What were some of the key inspirations behind this record? 

Huge shout-outs to Jan Jelinek, Eliane Radigue, snd, Earl Sweatshirt, and way way more! I tried my best to respect their inspiration and cull something personal from my relationship to their music.

Do you have a favorite song on the record? Why? 

Hm, I’m not sure I do - they all mean something to me in different contexts :)

You’re also a very talented visual artist and you create these great visual pieces to accompany some of your songs, including “Captain Forever” from Adapter. How do you go about putting a video like that together? Where do you draw inspiration from? 

Well hey, thanks for saying that! I do a lot of my work in TouchDesigner, which is a fantastic tool for creating the sort of abstract spaces that I like to live in. I draw a lot of inspiration from painters like Agnes Martin, Julie Mehretu, Gerhard Richter, Tal R, but also from the incredible community of Touch artists that constantly produce & show work online. 

Do you find your visual art and music inspiring each other in certain ways? Does one sometimes lead to the creation of the other or vice versa?

They definitely influence each other, though I’m not exactly sure how and honestly prefer it that way. I try to think of my creative approach as positioning from within, rather than as a tool or skill to develop.

Who are some artists from your local scene that you’d recommend to our readers?

Everyone needs to check out my good friend Zekarias Thompson ~ he & the crew at Beauty Supply are doing beautiful things for the Bay Area music scene!

What’s next? What do you have on deck for the rest of the year?

I’d like to read more & maybe explore some other ideas I’ve been bouncing around. I’m trying to keep things relatively loose & open. We’ll see :)

Adapter is out now! You can purchase a copy on limited edition cassette via Bandcamp. Keep up with Ohr by following them on Instagram.