A Few ADULT. Facts:
- Kuperus is a photographer and Miller is a painter.
– ADULT. Premiered a silent experimental short horror film called “Decampment” at the DIA in 2008. They also took it to the Anthology Film Archives in New York City and the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles. They released the “Decampment Trilogy” 7 inch series along with it.
– In 2012, Ghostly International re-issued their first album, “Resuscitation,” on vinyl along with a new 7 inch containing two cover songs.
– Their fifth studio album, “The Way Things Fall,” will be released on Ghostly International in May 2013.
Detroit-based electronic musicians, artists and former CCS visual arts students, wife/husband duo, Adam Miller and Nicola Kuperus of ADULT. tell us what it’s like to be back playing at DEMF 13 years after their last DEMF performance and more.
Adam and Nicola, you are a husband and wife duo, correct? What’s it like working together creatively?
I think we are more like a wife and husband duo …actually, we might say we are more like one entity – and we suppose that single entity must be ADULT. They say opposites attracted, but we disagree. It is no more of a struggle for us to work together than say for the left side of the brain to work with the right side of the brain. The only struggle is the fact that neither one of us turn off and stop “working,” so we are always talking about future work/ideas – but that beats sitting around talking about the weather.
Where did you meet?
We met at THE CEMENT SPACE. It is no longer in service.
Tell us how ADULT. came into being.
In 1997 we were invited to Germany to play four shows. We were running our own record label, Ersatz Audio, for two years by this time. We released a 12 inch on a German label after the short German tour under the name PLASMA Co. We changed our name to ADULT. for the second 12 inch on Ersatz Audio, and that name stuck. We are still here 16 years later.
What made you decide to start making electronic music in particular? What vision did you have in mind for your music? What inspired it?
Electronic music allows us to be a duo, as we do not work well with others and we are terribly private in our studio. When we started ADULT., there were a lot of rules/barriers/limits in music at that time, and we wanted to fuck with the status quo. Having lyrics in electronic dance music was very unheard of at the time and analog synths and electronic duos were very unpopular (especially in U.S. music venues). We fought against the “boys club,” and we fought against the expectations of what a “band” should look like (and sound like). Some of these things have improved, but many still have a long way to go.
Describe your creative/writing process.
For the new album “The Way Things Fall,” we wrote very much in a frenzy – like someone that was denied food for days and then they were let into the kitchen. Actually denial seems to be a big part of how we write. Anyway, the majority of the album was written in around 90 days with only about five days off. This intensity in focus was important to us, and we think an intensity comes through in the music. This was also at the end of autumn/beginning of winter, and we think that impacted the process too …no more going outside, isolation, etc.
What is one of the tracks that you are most proud of and why?
Off of the new album, it would probably be “Tonight, We Fall.” This was one of the earliest songs we wrote for the album – before we knew we were writing a new album (at first we were just going to write a four song 12 inch, but, once we started writing, a dam broke and an album flooded out). Anyway, as artists I think we are always playing with opposites and dualities and trying to get the balance right. We feel this song satisfies this fairly well. The song is equally hopeless and inspiring, subversive and yet vulnerable. It sounds rather traditional on the surface, but structure and content are of the contrary.
What is your favorite gig you’ve played so far and why?
That’s tough… One of our favorites was probably a show we played in Bogotá, Colombia in 2008. We were picked up at the airport in a bullet-proof car, security concerns were very present in the city and, when we went out on stage, there were 12 security guards lining the front of the stage (oh, and we were playing in a building on the grounds of an old abandoned miniature golf course, complete with decaying clown trash cans outside!). It took us 20 minutes of refusing to play to get the security off the stage (and they were pissed!). There were over 700 people there (which was surreal already because we didn’t think we had any fans there), and the energy after we got rid of the security was amazing – the fans really knew we weren’t playing some elitism game with them. It was great!
What is your live show like, and what should audience members expect from your upcoming performance at DEMF?
It will be an energetic live show, combining classic and new material. It will be non-stop live ADULT. entertainment.
What’s a hobby or interest that you have that might come as a surprise to your fans?
Water sports.
What’s next on the horizon for ADULT. ? What are you most excited about for the future?
We are currently working on new music videos for the album. These videos are made by us and help expand the vision of ADULT. We both went to CCS for visual arts. This year we have an amazing balance of music and art, including our new album, more live shows, many new music videos and two new art exhibitions in the fall at the Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh and the Center Galleries here in Detroit.
We also just want to point out how surreal it will be to be back at the DEMF / MOVEMENT after 13 years. We played the very first year in 2000. It was a bit unorganized, but the energy was great. We remember the soundcheck especially …because we actually didn’t get one, so we had the audience do it with us. We would bring in the kick drum and ask them if it was loud enough and then the snares, high hats, the bassline, etc. one at a time. Looking forward to this year’s experience!
ADULT. will perform on Sunday, May 26 at Movement Electronic Music Festival in Hart Plaza in Detroit. For more information, visit adultperiod.com.
