Justin Broadrick needs no introduction. For fans of the musician, you may have grown up being subjected to the fierce and explosive sludge of early Napalm Death, Head Of David, and more important to the history of the industrial genre — Godflesh. You may know him for his work as Techno Animal or the sonic guitar-driven group Jesu, which Broadrick still spends time creating music for.

With Pale Sketcher, he has abandoned the crunch of the guitars for a more mood-driven electronic approach and something that resembles what the Young Gods did with Only Heaven, deconstructed the sound into something completely new. He released the anticipated Jesu: Pale Sketches Demixed on Ghostly International last year as the ripple effect of the album still lingers with us. As we dig our heels deep into the 21st Century, Broadrick is nowhere near slowing down. As a musician and what he is doing now, could this his most important work of his career? Only time will tell.

Link: http://ghostly.com/artists/pale-sketcher

As a musician, what has been going through your mind these days? How does that affect the brazen landscape of Jesu and the atmosphere of Pale Sketcher?

Too much to get down in words here to be honest. Most of what I can’t get down in words is through the music…I live through my music, mostly.

What led to the creation of “Pale Sketches?” Why sacrifice guitars for synthesizers? What do these songs and mixes mean to you?

The quite frustrating eclectic nature of what I was writing for Jesu led to this project. I was increasingly, once again in my career, becoming obsessed with electronic music which was finding its way inevitably into the Jesu sound. I have for many years been wishing to do something melancholic and moody with electronic beat-led music as opposed to my previous electronic beat-led creations which have largely been confrontational or just plain fucked up. I’d been toying with this Pale Sketcher material for a long time. I even have tracks dating back to around 1994 within this context, but like Jesu, never had the confidence in my ‘melodic’ aspects to present them to any audience… demixing the Jesu Pale Sketches album as this new project was a nice way to pave the way for this project and introduce existing fans to the sound of Pale Sketcher….

Why did you separate Pale Sketcher and Jesu? Why not go under the same name?

Jesu would become too disparate. I like singularity in projects. Sometimes Jesu is a guitar and melody led project.  This was it’s original intention and one I wish to honor. The same mood as Jesu, but in an electronic bet lead context is something I’ve always wanted to explore much further than within the confines of an already existing project.

Listening to “Pale Sketches,” in a depth-like sense, it reminded me of when I first discovered John Zorn’s “Redbird” release and although two different styles, the beauty that came from that album was unforgettable. Were you looking for an accentuation of beauty within these songs? And even within that beauty, there are sounds I still find intense and powerful. How did you find a balance between the two?

The beauty in the sound is something I really strive and work at. The fact that it can sound powerful and still somewhat intense is sometimes the easier part of what I’m trying to achieve.

What attracted you to the shoegaze style, and how do you think your metal/industrial past contributed to your sense of identity with the music and what you are doing now?

It wasn’t even shoegaze when I first heard the music that became tagged by journalists as ‘shoegaze’. There wasn’t really a term coined around the time. I mean, I’ve been listening to Cocteau Twins since around 1983-84 who could be considered the ultimate ‘shoegaze’ band, if not, arguably the first. For me ‘shoegaze’ has just become a term that is somehow appropriate for dreamy, layered pop sounds, maybe.

Heaviness versus texture? Each is important and plays a role in music and has been a concentration throughout your carrier. How do you define each and how has that definition changed through the years? Or has it changed at all?

I guess, with Jesu, and now with Pale Sketcher, I’ve grown in confidence to approaching styles not usually associated with me due to my rather harsh past in generally brutal musics. But then again, I’ve always displayed that other ‘side’ just not so prominently as I have done with Jesu and now Pale Sketcher. Pale Sketcher is even more removed. It has the beauty, but without crushing guitars, etc, which i think will remove me even further from some of my established audience, as did jesu initially, and still does even more.

Heaviness vs texture? Well, it’s all entirely natural for me. Nothing is forced. It either works or it doesn’t. I know when it doesn’t, etc. I don’t analyze out of the studio so to speak.

What do you find more enriching to do, “mixing” a song or “deconstructing” a song?

Well, both have their merits and ups and downs. Again, both are exciting for differing reasons; Songs are endless to me. I could just keep going. Rarely anything i do, once initiated, stays in the state it began in.

With the “Opiate Sun” EP, you were the sole contributor. Do you plan to collaborate with other musicians again, or do you plan to continue as a solo artist? Who would you like to work with if you could?

The new and forthcoming Jesu album, for Caldo Verde, will have Ted Parsons back in the fold on drums once again. Maybe Diarmuid Dalton will play bass on a couple of songs too. It will, of course, be mostly me though! Jesu is my baby, so to speak. It’s a fairly singular thing. Just like pale sketcher, neither projects were intended to be collaborative things in any context. I do ‘stand alone’ collaborations for that reason.

You see bands like Scorn and people like Mick Harris continuing to strive. And you see an album like Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion” take top notch last year? Then you see the Graveface movement in Pittsburgh doing great things to electronic music. Where do you see climate of electronic music moving toward and how do you plan to play a role in it? Do you feel like you fit in with this direction?

I have very little clue about electronic music that is popular currently nor have I known for some time. I get told Pale Sketcher sounds like this and that, but I have no idea about some of these people. I hope Scorn continues to strive and survive. On the other hand I’ve never even heard Animal Collective. I still seem to be doing what I do in some sort of vacuum, but I spend most of my days, if not in the studio, listening to music, I guess that most of it is just a bit older maybe than what’s peddled currently!

What can we see for the future of Jesu and Pale Sketcher?

Jesu, the new album is taking time and that’s fine. It’s how I want it to be. Jesu will not ever release as many records as i did around 2 -3 years ago and I’m really excited for the new album, but I’m fine tuning it the whole way. Pale Sketcher is a long term project with which I intend to be making as many releases as I can with. I have a lot of ideas to get through.