Texture & Light

The Autumn Stones – In With The Out Crowd (Texture & Light Remix)

This is one remix where a very upbeat jangly original of this song gets a total reworking by a band whose own sound is radically different from them. The outcome is really interesting, turning this track on it’s head and bringing in more tasteful electronica into the mix. Both of these artists are Canadian, by the way. So turn your ears North (or West or East), depending on where you are… likely you won’t be among the few who would have to turn them south :) But do have a listen in any case. - Stereo Embers Magazine (San Fransisco)

The Hard Problem of Consciousness may be the debut release from Powell River-based electronic dream rockers Texture & Light, but make no mistake; the album is far from the jumbled, subpar release that is sometimes stereotyped by the term. Texture & Light boasts over a decade of experience in the music scene thanks to frontman Trevor Refix, who spent twelve years as an underground DJ in British Columbia. During that time, his love for indie rock, space pop and electronic music grew deep – and what started out as his one-man recording project has grown into a full-fledged live band with Refix on vocals, guitar, and synth, lead guitarist Kevin Turpin, bassist Clare Mervyn, Tony Colton on synths, and Lyell Woloschuk on electronic percussion.

Refix was generous enough to send along a shiny new vinyl of the album to review. After taking a few listens, I am more than satisfied to say that it was my first record. The Hard Problem of Consciousness’ stunning album artwork - created by Powell River artist Meghan Hildebrand, provides a striking parallel to the whimsically complex tunes within the album. Opener ‘A Quiet Place’ caught my attention in its very first beats. The track recounts the tale of an individual who wakes up in a parking lot - prompting him (or her) self to reflect on their current lifestyle. Though the entire album has a dreamscape quality, the idea is nicely emphasized in the song’s build-up to the chorus and subsequent question: “If you’re never going to change / Then why are you always dreaming?”

Songs like ‘Jaded Dance Floor Heroes’ and ‘Feelings to the Bone’ have a club-ready vibe, though remain original with their haunting nature and thoughtful lyrics. ‘The Fall’ contains some of my favourite lyrics on the album, including “It’s the perfect day to start things over / We can bend all our beliefs / Orange, yellow, yellow, yellow, red / We can change our feelings with the leaves.” The space pop-influence I obtain from the track only adds complexity to the extensive list of genres Texture & Light draws from. ‘We Got The Same Heart’ is another favourite of mine with its upbeat, poppy sound. It also brings up the album’s recurring themes of nature and the changing seasons, with Refix reciting the lines, “It’s true that I love the trees / But it’s the waves that keep calling me back to the sea.” ‘Let’s Go Let Go’ is another gem on the record. A well-crafted love song, the repetition of ‘Let’s go let go” over an array of synth beats draws lovely imagery which, I think, captures the emotion of the track perfectly. Its charming, closing lyrics serve as a reminder that one is never too old to have an imagination: “Meet me in the fields / That grow up past our knees / Beneath the painted sky / And between the crayon trees.”

The album closes with the catchy psychedelic number, ‘How We Bend.’ The track seems to be a jab at our generation’s infatuation with – and excessive use of – technology, using harsh statements like “Computer screen flickers while you sleep” and “On weekends you make love to your TV.” The lyrics then focus on one’s transition into the serenity of nature, ultimately closing with “Goodbye city, it’s been pretty / But we’ve got to live our lives / In the trees by the sea with the small town breeze.” The lyrics re-affirm the fact that, although some songs on the album existed as early as 2007, the album in its entirety was re-inspired by Refix’s move to Powell River a few years ago.

Self-described as “indie music for the dance floor, electronic music for the bedroom,” Texture & Light delivers on all levels with their debut release. The Hard Problem of Consciousness is a refreshing blend of 80s-inspired new wave and house beats, cleverly bound to the modern age of dream pop and electro synth. No two tracks on the album sound the same, yet they weave together a pleasing soundscape with the resonating themes of dreams, and of tranquility. What can I say? The band already has me tapping my toes to their feel-good beats at the computer (oh, the irony), and I’m curious to see what they will bring to their live show in 2014.

Texture & Light’s debut album, The Hard Problem of Consciousness will be released on November 5th. The album is available for pre-order here, and you can stream the first two songs off the album, ‘A Quiet Place’ and 'Let’s Go Let Go,’ below. - The Permanent Rain Press

Texture & Light walk a fine line between making dance-ready club hits and emotionally complex tunes to make you think.

While these descriptions might seem at odds, the man behind the music, Trevor Refix, somehow finds the balance, writing songs that can fit any mood.

Press play on today’s free MP3, ‘ A Quiet Place,’ and there’s a good chance it’ll be what you wanted to hear. The Canadian quintet — Refix (vocals, guitar, synth), Clare Mervyn (bass), Kevin Turpin (guitar), Tony Colton (synths) and Lyell Woloschuk (electronic percussion) — combine a trippy soundscape and thoughtful songwriting to make the track an extremely dynamic listen. You’ll discover something new with each play.

“‘A Quiet Place’ is at once both indie music for the dance floor and electronic music for the bedroom,” Refix tells Diffuser.fm. “At its core, it is a simple pop song that meditates on change and progress, but the song is meticulously filtered through a heavy layer of fuzz, phase and delay that creates a full sonic landscape.”


Read More: Texture & Light, ‘A Quiet Place’ – Free MP3 Download | http://diffuser.fm/texture-light-a-quiet-place-free-mp3-download/?trackback=tsmclip - Diffuser FM

There’s no set precedent for the length an artistic work should take to complete. A masterpiece might take a lifetime; a punk record might take a weekend. Yet Refix is conscious of the LP’s timeline and is able to pinpoint the root of the sprawling process.

“I used to live in Vancouver so [the writing and recording] was always whenever I had the time and the energy. I found it very challenging, living in city, finding a balance between working enough to live in the most expensive city in North America and being able to have the time to relax and create music. I thought that was normal until I left,” he shares.

Heading north of Vancouver to the small coastal town of Powell River, Refix found something beyond the peace and quiet he sought—a sense of community. The quiet town is “full of artists and just really inspirational people,” he says, and after five years of working in city, he “basically re-wrote and re-recorded the whole album” in a period of just three months after the relocation.

With a background performing as a DJ, it made all the sense in the world for Refix to tackle the album on his own. What he had when he finished, however, would require more than just one person to come to life onstage.

“It seemed kind of unfair to just burn it to CD and then just DJ it when you’ve spent so much time integrating real instruments and hands on stuff into it. Performing outside of DJing… it was just another unknown,” he remembers.

For the first time, Refix sought outside help to realize what he had envisioned and put aside his computer as an instrument.

His wife, Clare Mervyn, decided to take a role in the live incarnation of Refix’s output and learned to play bass. From there, the pair found it “remarkably easy to find people who were interested in joining the band.”

While contributors were easy to find, the newly five-piece Texture & Light didn’t pan out. Commitment levels among members were different and the logistics of each member’s schedule was a burden. After rethinking his entire process in the context of five members, Refix again had to change it up and settled on a line-up of three.

It took about three months to settle in to an effective working dynamic. Refix already had an ally in Mervyn, but learned the value of a cool distance in the role of drummer and engineer Lyell Woloschuk.

“I’m self-taught in all my music but there’s a benefit to that which is that my creativity isn’t stifled by being ‘in the box.’ Lyell is kind of the opposite. He’s got a degree in recording engineering and a performance degree in drumming,” he explains.

Refix is impassioned in our conversation, speaking at a rapid fire pace about the equally breakneck tempo at which his band is able to adjust and reconfigure its identity based on experimentation and human trial and error.

“The thing that I only realized in the last month or so getting ready for this tour is that… It’s like it never ends. Even though I thought we had already learned how to play the older songs, we actually really need to relearn them for the fourth time.”

So, on their first major tour, Texture & Light continue to learn and relearn how to perform, express and ultimately understand their own musical ideals. The live shows along the way will see a band grown from one-man laptop act to full-fledged live force redefined from Refix’s days toiling on his own. This will include a stop at Kispiox Valley Music Festival where the group will perform in addition to giving a workshop on performing live electronic music without the aid of a laptop. - Beatroute Magazine

Change is exciting, with many opportunities to learn new things and the occasional awkward moment. Trevor Refix’s album The Hard Problem of Consciousness is a testament to this. The heavily synthesized tracks discuss the glory and perils of coming of age in a digital world. Meanwhile, the sometimes-clumsy composition of the work itself shows the difficulties faced when working in a new genre, as former house DJ Refix embarks on his new indie-electronic project under the name of Texture and Light.

“For me, this is a lot more honest, challenging and rewarding [than my work as a DJ]. Healthier, too… It’s about creating a whole experience from the ground up and completely putting myself out there. It’s about challenging my fears. This is easily the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Refix says. This shift was inspired by a departure from a lifestyle DJ and an event promoter in Vancouver and the interior of BC, as well as relocating to the small Sunshine Coast town of Powell River.

The Hard Problem of Consciousness was created entirely by Refix, including the writing and recording of track vocals. “My voice appeared on some of my house productions but it was always glitchy and pitched out,” he says. “This was my first time singing. It feels really good.”

This forte into lyrical form has some very strong points. “17 + Heather” is a nice love song that captures the exciting energy of fresh attraction, and “A Quiet Place” does a good job of speaking to the sort of helpless longing that happens before a leap of faith, no doubt a reflection of Refix’s exodus from the city environment during the period he developed this album. It’s no wonder that “A Quiet Place” has been in the Top 3 of CBC Radio’s R3-30 Indie Chart for the past six weeks.

Refix offers a charming and unique voice. Unfortunately, it gets lost behind the masks of synthesizers and post-production tweaking, distancing the listener from the person behind the lyrics. And like many new writers, in some cases Refix defaults to clichés instead of searching for the space between the words. For example, in “The Fall,” listeners are serenaded with over-used sentiments including “Let’s bring the city to its knees,” “It’s the perfect day to start things over,” and “Lovers disguised as friends/ Does the mean justify the end?” I enjoyed the clever use of “It’s a long way down between the high notes” in “Electric Behaviour,” which paints a pretty decent picture of the late night underground rave scene we call home. But then this song alienates itself completely with the final verse, which promise “I’ll keep rocking out/I’ll keep on rocking out/ I’ll keep rocking out with you.” As any electronic music lover will tell you, it’s just weird to talk about “rocking” in an electronic song, especially one about raving (unless it’s pitched up several octaves to chipmunk level).

Refix’s background in house music production is apparent in the richly woven synthesized melodies that give the impression of a room full of hardware. In actuality, he says, “There’s … only one synth on the album- a Korg R3. I heavily edit and customize the patches and then layer them like crazy. I play a lot of things through stomp boxes and do a lot of waveform manipulation as well. I have a Ronald MC307 that is featured heavily on the album.” The use of heavy synthesizers was especially interesting in The Hard Problem of Consciousness’ closing track “How We Bend,” which is about the isolation created by technology. The lyrics are strong, but a break from the modulation in the last half to allow Refix’s clear voice to ring through would have been an inspiring way to conclude both the track and the album itself. - Beatroute Magazine

Texture & Light’s frontman Trevor Refix used to be a DJ—he played Shambhala back in 2005—but after years living a city life he felt partied out and artistically depleted. That’s when he retreated to Powell River and reinvented himself as the frontman of an electronic dream rock band.

“I’m in Powell River now and people think you’re insane for leaving but the people in the small town are like ‘hey, that’s how I feel too’. What was I ever doing in the city? Now I work half as much and I have all this time to work on my art,” he said.

The band, which also includes his wife Clare Mervyn and drummer Lyell Woloschuk, is coming to Nelson on July 18 at 8:00 to play a show at the Blue Mule. Refix said he’s thrilled to return to the Kootenays after years away, and he can’t wait to share his new album The Hard Problem of Consciousness.

“For me it’s all about change. Even if it’s hard or uncomfortable, staying the same is not how I live my life.”

He said the title was originally just a phrase he liked, but it has grown to take on more meaning.

“Consciousness is the final frontier that science can’t explain,” he said. “All these hypotheses are out there about what makes life what it is, but nothing has cracked open yet.”

He said the songs on the album explore the choices he’s made and struggles he’s gone through since beginning this project in 2006. The album was released in 2013.

And now that’s he put partying and the DJ lifestyle behind him, he feels like he can really focus on musical artistry.

“I’m really glad I’m doing this in my 30s because I feel like I would’ve self-destructed if I did it in my 20s. I’m just approaching it in a more methodical, logical way.”

He said having Mervyn and Woloschuk involved has taken his output to the next level.

“The advancements we’re making as musicians and producers are leaps and bounds. I mean, at first we were recording in our shitty apartment in Vancouver where you could hear people through the wall.”

Texture & Light's live shows are energetic, sweaty affairs that feature an all hardware and instrument based set up, live looping, and custom midi-synced lights. The album has received attention country-wide, with their single "A Quiet Place" receiving extensive international radio play.

Refix is thrilled to be bringing along Firewoodpoetry, a producer and singer he met at a festival they were both performing at last year. He said her minimalist sound makes her a good complement to their gear-heavy set.

“Her music’s super down-tempo and relaxed and lush. It’s good to start the night.” - The Nelson Star

Music is touchable and viewable. There is texture and light inside the imagination, and there is Texture & Light on a Prince George stage in a matter of only days.

The small town alterna-electro-pop act is breaking out of their Powell River hometown and plugging the rest of B.C. into their voltage. They shot their first flare in 2013, the dynamic debut The Hard Problem of Consciousness. It sent some tunes up the college and electonica charts and established them as one of the premier electro music acts in the province. Now they have a new set of songs lighting up the B.C. music sky.

Another establishing factor for the band was how electronic they were not. As in: they were firmly in that genre of loops and synthesizers and sound processors, but these three were musicians, and play they did.

"I'm coming at it from the opposite direction than most in my field," said Texture & Light founder Trevor Refix (vocals, guitars, synths and drum machines). "I was a deejay. I spent 10 years doing that and got bored of that actually. So I decided to go a different direction and was listening to a lot of indie rock at that time, so I decided to go more musical, more into playing instruments and building songs based on what different instruments could do, but mixed with that electronic feel. So starting Texture & Light was just a smashing together of those things."

Refix didn't assume anyone else would love this idea as much as he did. For almost five years he kept it to himself, but a couple of friends kept building their fascination for what Refix was creating. They wanted in, too. Refix could hardly believe his good fortune that other proficient musicians shared his love for what electronics could do to an organic melody and human-created beats. Bass and synth player Clare Mervyn and drummer/drum programmer Lyell Woloschuk made him a believer.

"Now we are a three-prong attack," said Refix.

They also brought other skills to the project, like graphic design and lighting technicalities. Texture & Light was becoming a full-spectrum entertainment attraction. Taking it to the streets was the next progression, out of the basement development space and recording studio.

That presented a whole set of new challenges for the trio.

"Putting together our live set isn't just a matter of practicing our instruments; it's a whole process unto itself," said Refix. The three of them had to plot each instrument change, song selection and segue out on a white-board to keep it all arranged.

"We bought a whole bunch of new gear for recording and we are now working at incorporating that new gear into our live set. The quote-unquote old songs have all basically been rewritten. And we keep buying more gear, so they get played on that new collection of tools, so that meant they all changed again. I always wondered how bands played the same songs time after time. Isn't that monotonous? And now I know that songs are always changing. They are never stationary. And we now like to play songs live before we record them so we can see how it will translate to an audience of people. You never get that feedback when you're by yourself. It was a challenge for me to step out of my control room, but now I look forward to seeing audience reactions and getting the input of my band-mates."

He called the creation and rehearsal process "at times very fun and rewarding and at times an exercise in tedium and insanity" but the results are so exciting, he and the others are almost frantic with excitement about performing in new cities and towns on this tour.

"Sometimes I envy bands that just have to practice their instruments. We have to put in hours and hours and hours of programming as well," he said, and encouraged Prince George music fans to come on July 23 to Nancy O's to see their first P.G. performance. They are on their way the next day to perform at the Kispiox Music Festival. - Prince George Citizen Newspaper

With their brand new release Inner Space Odyssey, Powell River duo Texture & Light explore “rebirth and rejuvenation” and the transitional experience of consciously reintegrating with the natural world. Created by “recovering” tech house DJ Trevor Refix (Mervyn), known for his funky techno warehouse parties and a two-year residency at the Shambhala Festival’s Fractal Forest stage, Refix made a conscious decision to make a move from DJ culture to indie song writing while at the same time giving up life in the city for a new more holistic existence on the north end of the Sunshine Coast. “While I was full on into DJing deep tech house music, I started to listen to a lot of indie rock at home and in the car. House music started to be party music to me and indie rock and electronic and downtempo started being what I was actually craving.”

Joining forces with award-winning drummer Lyell Woloschuk, Texture & Light amalgamate a dance floor apperception with industrial rock, new wave synthpop and a passion for deep thought. Refix and Woloschuk adopt a juicy assortment of electronic instrumentation such as pads, pedals, drum machines, keyboards, guitar, and bass to craft hook laden electro pulsations that perfectly compliment Refix’s tangy vocals.

The overall mood of the recording is deeply futuristic but infused with an invigorating effervescence reminiscent of the oxygen high one would encounter walking through an ancient forest. Texture & Light explores contrasting themes in their songwriting, examining our relationship with the biosphere, transformational experience, letting go of the past and moving toward a deeper understanding of the life force and our connection with the material world as we all stumble toward inner peace.

Greatly influenced by artists such as Trent Rezner, Fourtet, Modest Mouse and techno music Refix says “I decided to try to make music that combined my influences — Nine Inch Nails, tech house, indie rock and downtempo electronic — into a package that would resonate with people on an emotional level, not just on the dancefloor.

Although before Refix’s time, Texture & Light also conjures up synaptic memories of a number of synthpop pioneers. Like Britain’s Fad Gadget and Cabaret Voltaire, New York’s Suicide, Belgium’s Telex and Switzerland’s Yello, early explorers of a form of electronic pop music continually reinvigorated with freshness and vitality by exciting new creative projects like Texture & Light. - BC Musician Magazine

Theft of the Sky is a slinky rock track that links together the electro-pop of acts like INXS with bits of 1990s acts like Stabbing Westward and Savage Garden. By making something old and frayed new and alluring, what Texture & Light do on their Inner Space Odyssey is immediately impacting and appeasing to a wide swath of fans. Pictures to Burn builds upon the same electro-infused style to make something hauntingly beautiful; the vocal and instrumental sides push each other to entirely higher plateaus.

This Too Shall Pass is our favorite outing during Inner Space Odyssey . The slower tempo and more intimate sound achieved here is made more compelling as the instrumentation picks up in the second half of the song. Predators has a sharp, angular sound that builds off of the blueprint of acts like Subdivisions-era Rush, Franz Ferdinand, and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn-styled Bright Eyes. Bold synths and drums match well with the robust vocals, making for a single that is funky, hard-hitting, and virtually ensures that listeners will get out on the dance floor.

Post Everything shatters illusions that listeners may have; rather than putting the chaff on the second side of the disc, Texture & Light make a rich effort that opens up considerably with each subsequent listen. So Many Things is the final track on Inner Space Odyssey; an instrumental effort, the track is an absolute must-listen in what it contributes to the overall sound of the album. There is a rich narrative that is weaved through these concluding three minutes that both inform listeners about the conclusion of this album as well as scattering hints about where Texture & Light may ultimately go on future releases. Inner Space Odyssey is out on October 14th.

Top Tracks: This Too Shall Pass, Theft of the Sky

Rating: 8.5/10 - NeuFutur Magazine

Still showing a penchant for good album titles, this electro/indie crew from Powell River expands its sonic scope considerably with the followup to 2013s The Hard Problem of Consciousness. “Recovering DJ” Trevor Refix (a.k.a. Mervyn) and multi-instrumentalist Lyell Woloschuk’s disarmingly polite songs about everything from environmental degradation (Theft of the Sky), isolation (Predators) and general ennui (Post Everything) likely pack far more punch live and the pristine production can’t hide a raging band waiting to cut loose. Yet it’s the most mellow and non-dance track (This Too Shall Pass) that worms its way in the best. - The Vancouver Sun