'Butterfly DNA' / Yunzero [Interview]
Verve chatted to Naarm-based artist Yunzero (a.k.a. Jim Sellars) following the release of his album Butterfly DNA.
Released via West Mineral LTD., the album is a spectre of found and made samples often pulled from the most unexpected of places. This ceremony of DIY carries through Butterfly DNA upon listening - one minute you are engulfed in fast-paced tempos (‘Blowing O’s), the next you are ushered down with meditative pockets of nature's sound (‘Graffiti in the Pond’).
But don't get settled for too long - Sellars has more tricks up his sleeve as the album progresses, with each track able to find a link to the other no matter how unique the sound. This skill is a testament to the time and care practised by Sellars to create Butterfly DNA over a span of 8 years.
What did the process look like when collecting sound samples for Butterfly DNA?
A lot of snooping. Pretty endless. I think physical records & tapes were rarely sampled and I mostly used the internet. My iTunes is a mess, and my YouTube algorithm is ridiculous, because I wasn't too picky. Mass downloading literally anything if it sounded vaguely interesting and didn't stray from my moral compass. Thankfully, I've also kept a folder of my favourite bits, spanning back to 2009-ish, which is the heart & soul of Yunzero. I couldn't help but choose the weirdest shit for this one, stacking farts and tubas and PGA golf highlights and Vin Diesel and meteors crashing or whatever, putting everything through the blender once or twice. It's fun to see how deep it can all go, and I've found a workflow that feels both comfortable and unpredictable.
When you were collecting these sounds over the years (2013-2021 I believe?), did you have any idea in mind of what the final body of work would sound/look like?
Yes, but I changed my mind a lot. I think at some stage it had a techno vibe? I often start with an idea for a track, but it was exhausting thinking of a final "product" of an album, so I forgot about it and recorded whatever I felt like until I had a lot of material.
“I couldn’t help but choose the weirdest shit for this one, stacking farts and tubas and PGA gold highlights and Vin Diesel and meteors and crashing or whatever… t's fun to see how deep it can all go”.
Image by Mitch Reynolds
Much like your previous work like Brush of Crystalline, it appears that nature is a motif that is explored further in Butterfly DNA. How would you describe your relationship with nature and how it informs your music to date?
I love this question. I studied horticulture and worked as a gardener at a retirement village, briefly. After a rough time, I found a new appreciation for nature, being outdoors, simple shit. I don't think nature changed how I approach music, but I like making these associations through song titles, because it creates a nice picture in your mind, even if it's some demonic 200 BPM slammer.
Tracks like 'Ice Punk'/'Cupid Television'/'Acrylic' bring such an energetic element to the album, whereas softer sounds like 'Dovetail' feel like a place to rest and reflect. Was this contrast in tempo a conscious decision when producing Butterfly DNA?
Definitely - it was inspired by how I perform, I think. When I play shows, I don't want to improvise something, and I don't DJ, but I want it to be memorable. Originally, I figured that I have 30 minutes to play (usually), I have a lot of music I've made with many genres, so I'll cram everything into it and see what sticks, with a video & guitar for extra measure, and prepare something a bit different every time.
So, it's usually 1-2 minutes per track, different styles and tempos, like iTunes on shuffle with smoother edges. Now, I have this amorphous-style set list where people are dancing, lying on the floor, laughing, or a few times, even crying (believe it or not). I worried it'd be too random, but the heart of the music is mostly conventional, just unorthodox in delivery.
So, I'm always re-arranging the reflective parts, the bangers, making parts shorter or longer, finding a big statement - because of course I want people to feel it, and talk about it, because they're coming to a dive bar on a Wednesday night or whatever. The reactions are always different, often positive, and at worst, very confused. Anyway, I wanted a slab of these experiences in concrete, and the shifts in the album are a reflection of that.
With such a beautifully varied body of work, did you have a visualisation of where you saw people listening to Butterfly DNA?
I thought it'd suit a long bus ride, or in bed after a rave, cheeky spliff, bit of sleepy tea. But I wanted to hear about it from other people, like where they were, how loud it was, any snacks? With a boo? On a date? Cat on your lap? It's fun to know. I used to warn against playing my music in certain contexts - a dinner party, for example - because it's so random, but it seems pointless. I wanna know how it flies. What's the worst that can happen?
What can listeners look forward to in the future from Yunzero/Jim Sellars?
Well, I play bass in 3 bands; Silva, Other Joe Quartet and Cloud Ice Nine, and they're always moving and grooving. I'm working on a bunch of music, which (so far) feels a bit darker, goo-ey, bit of a crust punk afterparty at the laundromat vibe. That aside, I'll be playing Yunzero sets again later in the year, I hope!
Words by Stephanie Broadbent-Smith (@stephanie___________misc)
Photos by Mitch Reynolds
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