Good morning.

Today we’re listening to Buildings and Food, a project from Canadian electronic musician Jen K. Wilson. We found her music via a closer listen’s recent review. Wilson began studying piano at age seven, and then in the ‘90s played guitar, keys, and drums in indie bands around Toronto.¹ She started recording and releasing her own solo records in the late 2010s, of which we’re playing three today. First up is her latest release from May, Echo the Field, a short ambient record inspired by the landscapes of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.² Then we’re playing 2023’s Infinity Plus One and 2020’s Up Down Strange Charm, which both betray the influences of Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin. A conversation with Jen follows the streaming links.

Echo the Field - Buildings and Food (20m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Infinity Plus One - Buildings and Food (30m, spoken vocals on track 7)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Up Down Strange Charm - Buildings and Food (30m, vocals on track 3)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

What's your earliest memory of music?

I grew up with music being a prominent and daily part of my household. I remember my dad playing the guitar and singing all the time, and I was exposed to lots of music on the turntable. I remember this one Partridge Family album we had, and I loved the song “I Think I Love You.” I have a cassette recording of myself singing that song acappella when I was three years old – that’s a strong early memory for me.

What was the first music you really got into?

My parents were great music lovers and used to take me to see Gilbert and Sullivan musicals when I was really young. I also started studying piano at the Royal Conservatory when I was seven years old, so I was exposed to a lot of classical music as well as the folk and blues in my parents’ collection. As a kid, I loved Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney and Wings; these were among the first records I bought for myself, and I still listen to them regularly. In my teenage years, early Rolling Stones albums, Abbey Road, Crime of the Century, and Argybargy were among my favourite albums. Bob Marley’s Kaya, The Velvet Underground and Brian Eno records, Talking Heads, and Kraftwerk’s Computer Love were also big influences for me in those early years. Beck, Pavement/Stephen Malkmus, Sonic Youth, and Underworld were also favourites.

Where does the name Buildings and Food come from? Is that a reference to the Talking Heads record?

Yes, it is! Back when I was choosing a name, I really didn’t know where my music would be headed and it’s a bit random, but I’ve always been a big Talking Heads fan and this was their first album produced by Brian Eno. It was one of the first albums that really felt to me like it was something beyond being just pop music; it felt like real art to me. Very inspiring on a new level. In terms of selecting it as a name, I also liked the idea of thinking of music being another essential thing in life alongside food and shelter.

Underrated album! You began playing in bands in Toronto in the late '90s and then released your first solo record in the late 2010s. Tell us about your journey to find your own musical voice.

Performing in the Toronto club scene in the ‘90s was great. Playing and singing in venues like The Opera House, The Rivoli, and The El Mocambo was rewarding and fun. The truth is though, I’ve always had issues performing music; being a bit socially anxious and very introverted made it difficult for me to sustain that lifestyle. Later, I found myself living the quiet life working mostly on visual art, and after a few years’ hiatus from music I wanted to get back into music again and found that the whole home recording world had completely changed. I had to get new gear and delve into and learn the world of the digital workstation. My first two solo albums kind of blend my earlier alternative pop/rock style with my increasing interest in electronic music. For albums three and four I dropped the vocals entirely and included less and less guitar, finding it even more comfortable expressing myself through instrumental music.

On your website, you list Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, and Sam Prekop as artists that your music sounds like. Which artists most influenced your solo work?

It’s challenging to think of popular artists who you can say your music sounds like when you are striving to create work that is not overly derivative, but I think the comparison helps people find new music. I am inspired by the above-mentioned artists, and I believe that there are various elements that my music shares with them. The Campfire Headphase by Boards of Canada has been one of the biggest inspirations for my solo work. I have also been heavily influenced in recent years by Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel, The Postal Service) and continue to find inspiration from his solo recordings. Another artist I greatly admire is Leafcutter John, and I have been particularly influenced by his album Yes! Come Parade With Us. Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music for Nine Postcards is another favourite of mine.

What are the main tools in your musical production toolbox?

I have a very small toolbox as far as production goes. I think for me it’s mostly about the composition/musical collage and I’m not that technically inclined, so I don’t use a lot of effects or complicated gear. I use a laptop with Cubase (not even the full version – maybe I should upgrade...lol). I have a couple of midi keyboards/sequencers and the tiny Korg Volca micro modular synth, a Fender amp, an Ibanez electric, my dad’s old Hofner classical guitar, an acoustic upright piano, and a clarinet. My most used VST instrument is probably Arturia’s Analog Lab, which contains lots of different vintage keyboards.

On your first record Quick Beat Save you use drum loops prominently. On Echo the Field, which is more of an ambient album, the percussion is much more subtle and blends in with the rest of the track. Tell us about how your attitude toward percussion has changed over your solo career.

It is true that my attitude has changed as far as percussion goes – I think it is a direct result of my compositions having an increasingly minimalist quality. It seems I have been on a growth path towards the ambient since my first album. I’m not exactly sure why my music has developed in that direction. It may just be that I am listening more and more to low-key electronic music. Over the past ten months or so, I’ve been curating a Spotify playlist entitled “Experimental Ambient Electronic,” which includes a lot of music in this vein. It’s a labour of love searching for more of this quieting music, a kind of therapeutic, meditative activity for me. I’ve found so many great, little-known artists and love the idea of spreading their music around!

Name an underrated artist from the past 50 years.

Susumu Yokota

What are you working on next?

I am excited to begin work on my fifth album, although I am not sure yet what shape it will take. Right now though, I’m sifting through some of the tracks that didn’t make the last record and I’ll probably release a couple of outtakes or remixes before beginning that new album journey.