Noah Pred and Deepchild Build Solidarity as Concubine

Thoughtless label-boss Noah Pred has joined forces with Rick Bull (Deepchild) to form Concubine, a brand new collaborative project born out of a shared fascination with their new home and a long search for catharsis.

When Noah was first introduced to Rick Bull's work as Deepchild, he knew the two had to work together. Soon enough Rick released his first full-length on Thoughtless; titled Neukolln Burning, which Noah claims is "still one of my favourite releases on the label". Years later, the decision to hit the studio together was made, and Concubine began.

The project came about after a year of extremes for both artists, marked by sudden personal losses and significant life changes. Slouching around in the half-light of a Berlin winter, the two found themselves frequenting the same watering-holes and becoming close in the poetic way. That closeness, uniquely nuanced, played itself out in the studio, the music providing the pair with a way of contextualizing the previous year. "I feel like so much of the album project was an exercise in re-framing grief, building solidarity with each other, and coming to terms with uncharted horizons," explained Rick. "Noah provided deep support to me through so much-as a friend and musical hombre. Concubine felt like an idea whose time had very organically arrived."

Working together was a revelatory experience for both partners, though the work process had been fluid since the outset. "Our ideas seem to sort of feed into each other in a sort of energetic loop until we've got a full composition tracked out and ready for editing," explained Noah. Responsibilities are primarily divided by tools; Rick works his 101, Monotribes, Volcas, Machinedrum and TR-8 while Noah focuses on the live programming, max patches and push performance. He tries to sneak at least one pass on the MicroBrute per session, and is occasionally guilty of commandeering Rick's Alpha Juno. "[Rick taught me] to explore the full range of every voice-and record it all," Noah explains. "Also, dry Riesling and techno mix better than you expect."

"[Noah taught me] to write dirty. Don't over analyze. Bash it out. Edit later. Don't worry about anything-trust the years and years of practice laid down. Celebrate and savor the process."

Each artist brings to the table a formidable arsenal of talent and knowledge-but the beauty of the Concubine project comes from their ability to draw on, not recreate, what they have achieved individually in the past. "My goal is to be surprised, courageous enough to be vulnerable to failure, to explore a shared musical history and wherever it might lead," explains Rick. "We want to make music that transcends our individual capacities," Noah added.

The decision to release the album for free directly off their website was part happenstance and part social experiment. Eager to extract themselves as much as possible from the corporate ecosystem, the pair took the opportunity to do something a bit less conventional with this release. The pair saw that while piracy is one major obstacle for artists, piracy is only possible if there's something to steal. The solution: why not make it a gift, make it free, especially if the profits would be negligible anyway? Giving the work for free also removes the distractions of immediate remuneration. Instead the artists can focus on the feedback and responses from listeners, freeing them to focus on quality of response rather than quantity.

"Offering a work for free is a way to focus more clearly on the question of what we are actually giving to people, and why," says Rick. "What is the most important part of this exchange? What is the deeper cultural value?"

Concubine's self-titled album will be released on February 17 for free through their website.

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