Interview with Josh Doughty

Interview by Brayden Bagnall

Josh Doughty is a noise artist out of Nacogdoches, Texas with two projects, Female Pedophile and Funeral Parlour under his belt. Josh also co-runs the Dumpster Noise Records label with fellow noisemonger  Thomas Wiedemann. I talked to Josh about his projects, the label and his relationship with noise music.

FBN: Firstly, tell us who you are and about your current project, Funeral Parlour
Josh: Hello, my name is Josh and my main project is Funeral Parlor, which is a noise act from Texas with a lot of synths and perverse themes such as incest and other shit.


FBN: Have you been involved with any other projects, noise or otherwise?
Josh: I do have a HNW project that is merely a side thing called Female Pedophile that has the overall theme of women sex offenders/rapists. I plan to be more involved with many other artists in the future.


FBN:  Have you and any of your projects ever played live?
Josh: Unfortunately, not at this time. Right now, money is tight and I am just putting a decent catalogue out for people to listen to. I plan on playing live later on this year.


FBN: What instruments and equipment do you usually use?
Josh: I generally use very little equipment. Normally a keyboard with a lot of reverb on it for the main sounds and for the background noise, pedals like the RAT and the DEMENTIA are some of my favorites. A lot of mids and delay too in the mix.


FBN: What drew you into the world of noise music?
Josh: I was introduced to the genre 6 or 7 years ago and I remember being like, "what the fuck is this shit?" but noise is everywhere and I worked a lot of construction, which can be extremely loud to be around as well. Also seeing contemporary acts playing led me to want to create something out of nothing myself.


FBN: Are there any artists, musical or otherwise that inspire your output?
Josh: My influences range all over the place honestly. It can go from Whitehouse to Keith Sweat to Asylum Party to C.C.C.C. The most immediate influences would be my label mate Thomas in Garbage Mask and other artists making shit around me. Watching them create shit makes me want to as well.


FBN: Tell us about the label you co-run, Dumpster Noise Records - how did that come about and what's involved with running it?
Josh: Well, Thomas wanted to make noise himself and after a couple of months buying the appropriate equipment, he started showing me some neat recordings. By learning how noise was actually made opted me to try myself to make some shit. We ordered a shit load of tapes and after about two releases, Dumpster Noise Records was made. I believe this will only grow now. I take care of dubbing all the tapes and Thomas takes care of making the J cards. We split everything in half so it works out pretty well! If we like something, we put it out.


FBN: Any tips or pointers for anyone looking to start a label themselves?
Josh: I am a firm believer of doing everything yourself. Not only will you get shit done the way you want, you will find it to be very liberating once shit starts rolling for you. Relying on other people can be much more taxing in regards to time.


FBN: For a genre that has its roots in anti-art and abolishing stylistic conventions, noise has certainly picked up plenty of styles and conventions of its own, especially in regards to subject matter, themes and aesthetic. How do you feel about this?
Josh: I do see the anti music side of it, but even walls of feedback and sounds have some sorts of structure especially if you are the one dictating what comes out of your speakers. Noise has been around for a while now and I believe that without being lost in the plethora of acts that use the same equipment and effects and putting out a considerable amount of music, a theme or some sort of subject matter is almost necessary. That is the way I see it at least. Its like, "I've heard Merzbow before. What can you do to make me listen?" And "Say something new or nothing at all."


FBN: What are your top three noise releases?
Josh: Whitehouse - Bird Seed, Merzbow - Frog, and Aube - Hydrophobia.


FBN: Finally, any thank yous, words of wisdom or shout outs you wish to impart on the blogosphere? 
Josh: Thank you for taking your time to ask these questions and for the opportunity and thanks to anyone who has listened to my shit! Shout outs to to everyone on the Dumpster City 2 x CS that is expected to drop next month. Check out Garbage Mask and The Hague. Also, if you can find contact for Natural God, let me know. They fucking rule and want to release more of their shit. Stay safe.


Funeral Parlour's music can be found  here, and Female Pedophile's music can be found here
Tapes (from Funeral Parlour and Garbage Mask) can be found at the Dumpster Noise Records bigcartel
Keep an eye out for the Dumpster City 2 x CS, which will be out shortly!