By Ed
https://advancedperspective.bandcamp.com
Advanced Perspective is Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk and a network of creative, forward-moving friends… Carnivore, Mil-Spec, Lion of Judah, Diztort, Fat Nuts. Does this list annoy you?
We started in 2014-15. A lot of trial / error in ’14, a lot of slipping and sliding still… I don’t really like the term label to describe all of this, but I suppose we operate like one. My main idea with AP was just to have it be a melting pot of releases via friends who inspire me; my way of keeping things that make me feel warm close. Sounds selfish and it probably is.
Right now, I’m focusing on three things – the Diztort / Result of Choice debut records and the Vortex demo. The Diztort record is titled “Hell Is…” and will be out by the summer. The Result of Choice record is titled “Place of My Dreams” and will hopefully be out by the summer as well. If not, a little after. The Vortex demo is done and should be out SOON. Hopefully by the time this is available to read…
The promotional glossies were an idea Trent (who sings in Diztort) had when we were brainstorming ways to announce their record. It’s simple, functional, and cheap. I’m a big fan of physical things, whether it be a flyer or some advertisement… so if someone Instagrams a glossy they see stapled up somewhere, or puts one up on their wall – then that’s good enough for me, and it’s also done its job in both worlds (is the internet its own world?). But I understand how most people will usually receive something in hand, a flyer or whatever, and crumple it up/throw it away as soon as you’re out of their line of sight. My answer to this dying form or art: thicker paper is harder to rip.
Aesthetic is important, always. I take huge inspiration from old Smiths sleeves/the way Morrissey curated pictures for them, though that could’ve gone without saying! And early Factory Records ads, too, as well as their logo. It’s simple, perfect, not busy, and timeless. I don’t do graphic design and usually have obnoxiously close friends help me with every step of the process (emphasis on obnoxiously). I remember seeing this old scan of a mock-up for “Strangeways, Here We Come” that had all these lines and scribbles Morrissey wrote dictating where every photo and line of text should be placed. That resonated with me, and that’s usually the way it goes around this sunny side of the street. Any time I’ve strayed away from this method I feel pretty bad, like I’ve wasted the other person’s time.
I want to do something again with Mil-Spec, they’re doing a 7″ record on Lockin’ Out, which is bullshit. Because I should be putting it out. But whatever, Greg is my friend and Mil-Spec are my boys. Do whatever you want but I will be doing the next Mil-Spec recording after that, whether they know it or not. To sum it up, I don’t really have any other hard plans other than those three releases I mentioned earlier. I’d like to keep doing projects for friends and people without having to concretize their ideas/creativity into some sort of phoney vehicle for business or relevancy. That, to me, is a signal for trends, and I try to avoid all trends.
DxR 