If you've ever been to a show at Kirk's Grocery, I'd bet that you've seen Angus Woolston, better known to the Billings DIY music scene as Agnar. Given his shy demeanor, you probably didn't introduce yourself to him (your loss!) so if you aren't sure if you've ever seen him before, I can confidently say he was by far the swaggiest dressed fella there. Most likely wearing a tracksuit, and his shoes were most likely matching said tracksuit. So unless you were at Kirks in 1995 and it happened to be hosting a Stone Roses concert at the time (I can find no evidence of this), I'd bet my bottom dollar that that was indeed the one and only king of drip, master of beats, synth manipulator, midi oscillator, Agnar. Our very own Austin Finn asked him a few questions for the lead-up to Dreyfest IX, and he politely responded.
Q: Hello Angus! First things first- where does the name Agnar come from? Is it a reverse spelling of the magical beast from the Anime series Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken? Or perhaps an almost reverse spelling homage to long-time Kansas City Royals outfielder Joe Randa? Both? Most likely both.
A: The name Agnar came from when I was starting to get more serious about making music and burning CD-Rs of albums I made for my friends during that time. The problem was I didn’t have an alias and I didn’t want a super generic vaporwavey name like 𝒲𝐼𝒩𝒟𝒲𝒮𝟫𝟦𝒱𝐻𝒮, so I gave the name AGNAR (previously all caps) a shot. 7 years later and it stuck. As for its exact origins and meaning, anything you come up with will be much more interesting than the truth.
Q: Would it be reductive to describe your music as Vaporwave? I listen to your music and I think "this is what vaporwave music is, surely", but I am also an idiot, so I don't even know. Did I just offend you beyond the point of no return?
A: No offense taken haha! While I call my music vaporwave I must admit that I kinda turned it into my own thing. For most people vaporwave is slowed and warped-sounding elevator music but to me, it is much more than just that. One of the reasons I got into vaporwave and why it still has a devoted following is that vaporwave as a concept leaves a lot to experiment with. Many albums tend to explore similar themes. The underlying feelings of melancholy that come from nostalgia, how the media we consume is made to be disposable, the broken promises of technology, and all of that fun stuff. But every artist has their own unique tastes and memories. Because of that, vaporwave has become this beautiful monstrosity that is constantly changing and morphing as one would expect an internet-based art movement to be.
Q: I read this book called the nineties by Chuck Klosterman (highly recommend) earlier this year and he basically defines the difference between millennials and zoomers as whether or not they remember a time before the internet. So my question is... do YOU remember a time before the internet? Are we gonna get the exclusive "Is Agnar a ZOOMER?!?" piece here? Also curious of your thoughts on this concept in general as well lol.
A: While being born in the early 2000s, I’m not sure if I entirely fall into what most imagine when they hear the term Gen Z or iGeneration. I don’t remember a time before the internet, but I remember a time when the Internet was new and exciting. I remember and still use VHS tapes daily. And growing up in Billings there were remnants of the 20th century all over the place. For most of my life I have been fascinated by past oddities, so while generations are interesting to think about I reckon that they aren’t exactly accurate.
Q: To me, the most basic tenet of vaporwave, at least aesthetically, is this weird intersection of consumer culture, the (terrifying) idea of the internet, and where we, as humans, relate to these things, bringing our own experiences and memories to this intersection, many of which are, for lack of a better word, not that bad. So it's like this weird sense of nostalgia, or like an awareness of the concept of nostalgia, which is a trip in and of itself... All that to say, these are relatively specific / high concepts, but for some reason, the music that is associated with these ideas seems to fit so naturally to these concepts, and creates this weird specific feeling in the listener- what do you think the reason is for this? Is there strictly a musical reason? Or is it just Vibes (with a capital V)?
A: For someone with a basic understanding, you are right on the money! For me, there are a few characteristics that play into that distinct feeling. The first one is the feeling of having heard something before but being unable to remember where it even came from. Since vaporwave is primarily sample based, it's in the realm of possibility that what you are hearing is just an old pop song or commercial. But it’s the mystery that makes it interesting. To have vivid memories and strong emotions connected to a song you have never heard before. Like an echo from the past coming back to haunt you all these years later. Another thing that plays into that whole feeling is how surreal the presentation is. After visiting a portal website that leads to a Mediafire link, that contains an album where all of the titles are in poorly translated Japanese and the album artwork is a low-res collage of Gameboy Advance games and a soda can. At this point, you are probably thinking how the hell did I get here? But that’s the appeal. Stumbling upon something that should be lost media or a website from a fever dream. Together these aspects create that idiosyncratic vaporwave feeling. It is neither happy nor sad, but it sure is palpable.
Q: How do you approach releases? I think of vaporwave and I think of YouTube playlists or live streams, or single tracks, but you recently released Rip.Mix.Burn. (which rocks!) earlier this year- was that a weird thing for you to do? Is there a unifying theme throughout the album that you wanted to focus on?
A: The idea of just releasing multiple tracks throughout a year is very unappealing to me. The album format helps organize everything I’ve recorded while also acting as a form of quality control. I probably recorded 50+ tracks for Rip.Mix.Burn. alone but by narrowing it down I could release only the best parts and properly flesh out any ideas I had. A lot of the context is lost when tracks are played on their own outside of an album setting. A fairly pretty-sounding song can become a gripping emotional climax when you consider everything that came before it.
I like to think that each one of my records has a narrative even though no audible words are spoken. As for what Rip.Mix.Burn. is about, in short, the album is about having the world fall apart around you and then overcoming trauma and adversity. Telling a hero’s journey from alienation, hardships, and confusion to self-discovery and taking all of those broken pieces and rebuilding and reorganizing them into something new. Like samples in vaporwave or songs on a Mix CD. As for what exactly inspired parts of the album, that’s for me and my very close friend group to know about.
Q: Being a non-DJ electronic musician based in Billings Montana, there are pros and cons- you have a relative sense of agency and ownership within the scene, but at the same time, it can feel stifling... or maybe a better way to say it is, there's certainly no danger of an oversaturation of the market with what you do. Is this accurate? Do you feel there's a tradeoff here?
A: The primary reason I started playing live is that there was a distinct lack of music I was interested in. So I decided to fill that gap out of boredom and very quickly that pretty much no venue was interested in what I was doing. That was until Kirks’ Grocery opened and decided to book me for a show on 420. And after that, I’ve been seeing more of an electronic influence on bands around town. Many members of those bands and artists would tell me that I inspired them which was a pretty cool feeling. But the important thing is that these people made something that was new and oftentimes personal, I’m just a weirdo who likes pressing buttons for the most part.
I don’t see myself as a leader or one of the cool kids in the scene here, that whole idea is something that freaks me out. I’m more so a catalyst that will hopefully change how this town perceives not only electronic music but art in general. I want the nerdy queer people of this town to feel like they can be themselves and visit their home planet for a little while. For now old B-Town is very much still in its “Electronic music isn’t real music” phase, but that is subject to change. Hopefully, another loner kid is making an ambient masterpiece in their parent's basement and they will be able to share it and make a difference.
Q: We've had electronic/noise musicians at Dreyfest before, but this is the first sort of "Noise Fest" that we're introducing, with a block of exclusively noise artists at a specific venue (North Park Rec Center, Saturday, from 2 to 5)- and you are helping organize that! How are you feeling about that? Excited? Nervous? Bored? A: I’m really looking forward to the noise show we’re putting on for the fest! I’ve been really hard at work putting everything together and working with fellow experimental artist MARAUD on making it something really standout from the other offerings at Dreyfest. I’m especially excited for the amount of variety that’s going to be on display at the noise show. From ambient to harsh electronics. All I can confirm for now is that everyone involved is going to bring their A-game, it will be a show for the real ones attending.
Q: Everyone knows that the mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell, but what is the powerhouse of Agnar?
A: The dynamic duo of a Roland SP-404SX and any Macintosh made before 2006!
Q: Question in the form of a prediction- I want you to fill in the blanks of what you think might happen at this year's Dreyfest-
"Wow! I can't believe __________ played their entire set while ____________ and no one even noticed until ____________ decided to _______________ !!!"
A: Wow! I can't believe 𝗠𝗢𝗔𝗥 𝗞𝗥𝗔𝗕𝗦 played their entire set while 𝗜 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 and no one even noticed until 𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗟𝘂𝗶𝗴𝗶 decided to 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸! 𝗖𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗛𝘂𝗵!
Fuck/Marry/Kill section! Self explanatory, I believe.
Fuck/Marry/Kill- Moog, Korg, Roland
Fuck: The Korg Wavestation for its lush 90s sounding pads and wide range of presets.
Marry: The Roland SH-101 for being a multi-purpose synth that can make both ambient techno and acid house to just noisy bleeps and bloops.
Kill: Moog, nobody knows how to pronounce Moog.
Fuck/Marry/Kill- Microsoft, Microagressions, Microplastics
A: Fuck: Microagressions (but not in the sex way).
Marry: Microsoft and then divorce shortly after they monopolize the internet,
Kill: I let one tear go down my cheek pointing a revolver towards Microplastics.
Fuck/Marry/Kill- Moby, Moby Dick, Captain Ahab
Uuh: To be fair any one of these is a losing situation. I choose the secret fourth option to pussy out and hang with Mr Scruff for some nautical nonsense.
Fuck/Marry/Kill- Aphex Twin, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy
Fuck: The Prodigy, with their first 3 albums being absolute classics and wicked acid bass lines.
Marry: Drukqs by Aphex Twin is my favorite album of all time so that’s an easy Marry.
Kill: Fatboy Slim under the condition that we keep the music video with Cristopher Walken.
Fuck/Marry/Kill- Daft Punk, Animal Collective, LCD Soundsystem (being annoyingly Indie here on purpose hehehe)
Fuck: Animal Collective, because as much as I enjoy Merriweather Post Pavilion I haven’t really had the chance to go deep into their discography.
Marry: Daft Punk, look up the samples used in Face To Face and have your mind absolutely blown,
Kill: LCD Soundsystem, because they used to be dead and the revival has been pretty disappointing.
Catch Agnar at the North Park Rec Center on Saturday August 12th at 2 PM!
