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You may know Angel Deradoorian as one of the multi-instrumentalists and vocalists who performs/records with the seminal weird-pop outfit The Dirty Projectors, but this summer she’s stepping out with her own namesake project, Deradoorian, and an EP entitled Mind Raft out on LovePump United records. Like the music of The Dirty Projectors, Mind Raft skips across genres without remaining tied to one style, and the EP shifts effortlessly from acoustic guitar beauties to electronic workouts. Angel talked with us via email about dropping out of high school, putting the finishing touches on her first solo release, and Frito pie.
Hi Angel. You’ve got your debut EP, Mind Raft, coming out on May 5th. Even though you’re a young lady, you’ve already spent five years working on this recording. Did it take that long to get it just right, or have been holding on to the recordings for another reason?
I've been working on trying to record a lot of my songs in the past five years, but this is the first batch of songs I wrote of which I've felt fit to release to public ears. It didn't take long to get it just right. I suppose I don't believe my music (or any music) is just right ever. I held on to the recordings till I felt I found the right people to work with on producing it in a way that suited the point I am at in my life.
You’ll be playing a showcase for your label LovePump United during SXSW. How did you get set up with the label, and how many performances are you planning on playing during SXSW?
Yeah! Playing at the Mohawk. It's kind of scary playing a solo showcase at SXSW, but I'm excited to try something new. I met Mookie and Jake (of LovePump) officially at the Pitchfork Festival in ‘08. They heard some of my old jams on MySpace and approached me about putting out some kind of recording. I thought that Mookie had a cool name, so I said yes.
What else do you have planned for the week? Any bands you’re excited about seeing?
Man oh man. Thinking about hitting Bouldin Creek and getting some tofu migas. Sounds amazing. I heard about a place where I can water ski. Might shoot guns with Mookie and some other bros on LovePump. This is the first year I'll be over 21 playing at SXSW so perhaps I'll get legally semi-drunk. As far as bands go: Marcy Playground. Isn't Third Eye Blind playing?
Your EP is hard to pin down, stylistically. My guess would be you either have a very varied record collection, you’ve traveled quite a bit, or both. Any of that true?
Let's see...I don't have many records. Actually, I deleted all the music off of my old laptop recently and then almost cried. Maybe I did cry. I don't know why I did that. Now I have about six records on my new laptop. I have about ten vinyl records. I listen to three of them. Two are Middle Eastern, classical records, and one is Paul McCartney. They all sound amazing, but I guess I got them after I made the EP. I don't know, ehhhhhh. I have traveled a bit, but I have yet to go to the destinations I truly desire. Not sure where my style (or if I really have one) comes from.
Was the recording of Mind Raft all done at home? Do you have orchestral ambitions for your first full-length?
Mind Raft was recorded in a studio space in Bushwick. Many of the drum recordings were done in other studio spaces. It was kind of sporadically put together, but it all fit in somehow. You mean using orchestral instruments? I don't know if I've gotten that far quite yet in my mind. I'm still working on the concept at this point and understanding how to write songs.
You left high school to pursue music. Were your parents, also musicians, skeptical about this decision? What do they think of your bands, and solo material? I’m thinking of “Weed Jam” in particular.
I left high school mostly because high school kinda blows. I wanted to get a better education, and on my own schedule. Whilst I attended college, I realized that music was something I wanted to do more and more. My parents were fully behind me and my decisions. They let me go on tour when I was maybe sixteen or seventeen which was pretty amazing. My parents dig Dirty Projectors and the solo stuff. It's good to know they like what I do and are sincere about it. They're a magical duo. And I'm sure they love Weed Jam.
You’ve played with the Dirty Projectors for a few years now. What excited you about this band in the first place, and what has the experience been like playing, touring, and recording with them?
Dirty Projectors was one of the first bands I saw when I moved to Brooklyn. They were pretty mind blowing. I hadn't ever heard or seen music like that. It made me realize how musically sheltered I was in California and how endless music can really be. Being in this band has been one of the best experiences of my life, with all the aspects involved in being in a band. Playing, touring, recording, they're all very different experiences every single time and they all serve their own significance.
Did you have a sound in mind when you began recording Mind Raft, or have an album or artist who provided inspiration during the process?
I kind of did. It ended up being worked out more during the recording. I worked with two of my good friends on the majority of the EP who both contributed a lot of their knowledge and helped inspire the direction in which that album went. I really think it would've sounded terrible if I didn't have them with me.
Since your album comes out Cinco de Mayo, you wrote that you were planning on eating a Frito pie - which you have never tried - to celebrate. How did you avoid eating this dish for so long? Would an authentic Mexican dish not be more appropriate, anyway?
Frito pie sounds pretty gross upon first hearing those words paired together. My friend convinced me otherwise that it can be quite delicious. She is from New Mexico (from which the dish hails) so I trust her word. I think an authentic dish would not be more appropriate seeing as how Cinco de Mayo is barely celebrated in Mexico. It's really only celebrated in Puebla, so I would say the majority of it is celebrated right here in the good old USA where we make up our own Mexican delights. Most of the time that involves Velveeta, but I don't think Frito pie has that.
Which member of Fleetwood Mac is your favorite?
The guy with the girl name.
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