Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with the creator of The Loot Experiment project, which recently released a new EP. We welcome Mark Harding.
Hi Mark, nice to have you here, how are you?
“Hi, i’m good thank you. I hope you and your listeners are all well. I hope your channel is going well?“
Me: “I’m good, many thanks for your time.”
You are a multi-instrumentalist and composer, how did your passion for music comeabout?
“My passion for music came from my Dad initially. He brought me up listening to all the classic rock bands and one day he brought a guitar home. I ended up picking it up and the rest is history! I am also a high school music teacher so my passion for music is spread all over the place I suppose.“
How did your project The Loot Experiment come about?
“I came across an artist online who is also a multi instrumentalist creating all his songs by himself. And I just thought ‘maybe I can do this too?’ I have played guitar for around 25 years and dabbled in a few bands when I was younger so I have a good level of experience behind me. The name ‘The Loot Experiment’ actually came from one of my favourite bands Tool. I initially wanted to create music that was similar to theirs but over time that idea has evolved into something else. I flipped the word Tool backwards to create the word Loot. This to me was a musical experiment to see if I could create some good songs. The result was ‘The Loot Experiment’“
You offer a blend of Progressive Rock and Post-Rock/Metal instrumental, how did you get into these genres of music and what are your sources of inspiration?
“As I was growing up I started listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin, Guns & Roses etc but over time I felt the need for something heavier. I ended up becoming a massive Metallica and Pantera fan. I love heavy groovy riffs and I often try to add these types of riffs into my own songs. I later discovered bands such as Intervals, Animals as Leaders etc which offer a much more complex style of playing which fascinated me. As my artist name suggests, I am experimenting with ideas. And I believe my style is going in the direction of groovy riffs with some complexity of the prog metal bands you hear
today.“
Your new EP ‘Fractured Reality’ was released in December 2024, how would you describe this work?
“I would describe it as a prog metal EP but it isn’t on the same lines as your typical prog metal artists out there. I like the idea of blending a bit of classic metal from the 90’s with the more complex metal of the present day and not to forget some prog rock such as Porcupine Tree. I do not want to sound like every other prog metal artist, I want to sound a little bit different. So hopefully I have achieved that with this EP.“
Despite being four instrumental tracks, is there a theme that characterises this album?
“I’ve always liked the idea of an EP or album having a meaning behind it, similar to a concept album. This EP is based on the idea that we all look back at what we have done in our lives but sometimes our memories create a fractured place for us in our future. The opening song ‘Terraformer’ symbolises the idea of starting again, wiping the slate clean as if terraforming a new planet to live on. ‘Maadi’ is a small suburb in Cairo, Egypt where I used to live and so this song pays hommage to the memories I have living there and the life lessons that I learnt living within a different culture. ‘In Here
It Dwells’ represents inner struggles and how we all tend to focus on the negative things from our past and sometimes find it hard to let go. It is the darkest song on the EP with the strongest meaning. Finally, the title track ‘Fractured Reality’ represents the meaning behind the whole EP. Ideally as you listen to my songs I would like each listener to come away feeling as though they have addressed their own past and found new strength going into the future. Its deep I know, but sometimes you have to be.“
Long instrumental textures characterise your sound, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“It depends. I sometimes start with drum beats and build riffs and melodies to fit the beats. Sometimes I do it the other way and start with riffs and build the drums beats around the riffs. Weirdly I don’t always come up with ideas when I have a guitar with me, sometimes I riff pops into my head when I don’t have a guitar! I also tend to layer sounds on top of each other and watch the end result unfold. And sometimes, like most artists, I can sit for hours and come away with nothing which is very frustrating.“
You are the author and performer of all tracks, what equipment did you use to make this work?
“I play all the guitar, bass and synth tracks myself. I use Ibanez guitars and basses. The synth is created through Helix Native Line 6 as a plugin into Reaper for my DAW. I program my drums through either Superior Drummer 3 or sometimes EZ Drummer and I use Focusrite for the audio interface. I mix all my tracks myself and in the past I have used Ozone for mastering. However, I have a fantastic friend in America called Jamie King. He masters all my tracks in America.“
As a one-man band, will there be a chance to hear your music live or is this a studio-only project?
“I’d love to play these songs live one day. But for now it is just a studio project.“
The UK is one of the main exporters of Rock music in the world, how do you see the current scene in your country and more generally in your genre?
“My genre is saturated as someone once told me. A lot of people are trying to create music in the prog metal genre. This makes it very hard to stand out and catch the eye of many listeners. The UK rock scene has always been healthy and I think it will continue to grow.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music in a genre like yours?
“Make sure you are creating music because it is fun. That is the main point of all this. If it isn’t fun then its not worth it. The thing that will help you stand out from everyone else is if your passion runs through what you do, it all starts with the enjoyment of making music. Do not become a slave to it.“
Do you have any other artistic activities or passions outside of music?
“I enjoy keeping fit, lifting weights etc. I have my own family that also keeps me busy!“
I thank Mark for the interview and wish him all the best for the continuation of his artistic career.
“Thank you!“
Purchase the album on Bandcamp: https://thelootexperiment.bandcamp.com/album/fractured-reality
