Sound check

Jad Fair, guitarist and founder of post-punk outfit Half Japanese

If you could collaborate with any other Mountain Oasis artist, who would it be and why? I've recorded two albums with Daniel Johnston, and we're planning to record again in January with Brave Combo as the backing band. I'm looking forward to it. It's been 14 years since we last recorded together. Daniel is an amazing songwriter and performer. I'm so lucky to know him. I'm a big fan of Neutral Milk Hotel and Sparks. It would be great if we could do something together.
What are some themes or narratives you've been working with recently in your music? Most of my songs are either about love or about monsters. When I was a kid, I used to go to bed early on Friday and Saturday nights and then try to get up in the night to see monster movies on television. Monster movies were my favorite kind of movie.
What sounds, styles, formats or concepts are still underrepresented in electronic music? It's easier to say what's overrepresented. I prefer electronic music that has a human feel to it. I like being able to make music on a computer, but as much as possible, I try to stay away from a "computer sound."
Since it's almost Halloween, do you have a favorite spooky song? The Shaggs song, "It's Halloween," is my favorite. In November, Half Japanese will do some recording with Dot Wiggin [of the Shaggs]. I'm so glad she will record with us.
Do you have anything special planned for your Mountain Oasis set? Half Japanese guitarist John Sluggett lives in Asheville. It will be good to have his family and friends at the show. Playing to friends and family always gives a show a different feel.
Half Japanese performs Friday, 8:30 p.m. at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

T. Williams, house music DJ/producer

If you could collaborate with any other Mountain Oasis artist, who would it be and why? Claude VonStroke, because I respect his production a lot.
Do you have anything special planned for your Mountain Oasis set? You may get to hear an exclusive track of mine that I've been working on during the tour.
Since it's almost Halloween, do you have a favorite spooky song? It has to be Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
T. Williams performs Sunday, 7:45 p.m. at Asheville Music Hall.

MartyParty, half of DJ duo PANTyRAiD

If you could collaborate with any other Mountain Oasis artist, who would it be and why? I'd love to get Nine Inch Nails into a studio and make a tune. But I bet everyone's saying that because those basslines they wrote are epic! Damn.
If you had to play a set acoustically, how would you go about doing that? Lots of practice — acoustic sets are their own beast! I'd definitely have to bring a piano. Josh is better at guitar. I'd also take a swing at the bass guitar: I love playing basslines!
Since it's almost Halloween, do you have a favorite spooky song? I've always been a fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, especially that “Time Warp” tune. But on Halloween, any awesome classical orchestral drama does it for me!
PANTyRAiD performs Sunday, 7:15 p.m. at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena.

Kai Campos of post-dubstep duo Mount Kimbie

If you could have another Mountain Oasis artist remix one of your songs, who would it be? William Basinski was a big catalyst for us cracking on with some of our early work. I would love to hear what he would do with the tapes for our record.
It's almost Halloween — do you have a costume planned, or can you tell us about a favorite costume from the past? My favorite costume I made was to a “bad taste” party, but I'm slightly apprehensive about talking about it in public! Ha, it wasn't that bad.
Do you have anything special planned for your Mountain Oasis set? Well, it's the last show of our U.S. tour, so expect three broken men giving it everything. I'm hoping to exclusively drink champagne for the last week of the tour, so it'll be glam.
Mount Kimbie performs Sunday, 9:15 p.m. at The Orange Peel.

Simeon, primitive-synthesizer player for psychedelic-electronic outfit Silver Apples

If you were attending Mountain Oasis as a fan, what acts would be at the top of your list to see? There are several bands I have never heard, so they would be on my list: Bosnian Rainbows, Half Japanese and Delorean come to mind.
What sounds, styles, formats or concepts are still underrepresented in electronic music? I think electronic music is still in a beginning “discovery” phase where interest in the technology prevails. One day soon, interest in what the musician does with the technology will be more upfront than the technology itself. An analogy might be with the violin. When first invented, everyone was amazed at the sound. Now, thousands of people play the violin. It’s what an individual does with it that counts.
What techniques has Silver Apples carried over from the late '60s? Besides having Danny’s drum and rhythms as backing tracks, I still play the oscillators hands-on. They are still as unruly as ever.
Since Silver Apples was one of the first groups to play electronic rock, what's it like to be part of a festival these days that's totally dedicated to electronic music? Feels like home.
Do you have anything special planned for your Mountain Oasis set? I always do a smattering of songs from the early albums, but about a third of the set is new material. That’s special to me, anyway.
Silver Apples performs Friday, 9:30 p.m. at Asheville Music Hall.

Gary Numan, new-wave singer and composer

If you could collaborate with any other Mountain Oasis artist, who would it be and why? Trent Reznor [of Nine Inch Nails]. I'm a big fan of what he does. We've talked about working on something together a number of times in the past but it's never happened. I've now moved from the U.K. to Los Angeles and don't live too far away from Trent, so maybe it's something that has a better chance of coming together now.
It's almost Halloween — do you have a costume planned? I have a house that looks very much like a small Disney castle, so I intend to open that up for the kids in our area. A costume will be necessary, but I'm not sure what to go for yet. I think a vampire will probably work best. I've got smoke machines and all kinds of stuff set up. Creatures rising out of coffins, zombies and a vast pile of candy. We don't really do Halloween [in the U.K.], so I'm really looking forward to it.
What song are you most excited about performing live? All the things from the new Splinter album. It's always a mixture of exciting and vaguely terrifying to be playing new songs, but a lot of the new stuff is big and powerful so it's fun to play live.
Gary Numan performs Saturday, 8:15 p.m. at the ExploreAsheville.com arena.

Morgan Sorne of avant-pop act Sorne

If you could have another Mountain Oasis artist remix one of your songs, who would it be? I would be honored if Trent Reznor remixed one of my songs. He was (is) one of my musical heroes.
If you had to play a set acoustically, how would you go about doing that? Everything I write begins with voice. It is the core of my songcraft. When I perform acoustically, I use either simple percussive instruments, an old guitar or a toy piano to accompany my voice. Sometimes I recruit other vocalists to sing the harmonies written for each song, or I invite the audience to sing with me, which has worked very well.
Do you have anything special planned for your Mountain Oasis set? I have made a cover of Nine Inch Nails' song "The Becoming" off of the album The Downward Spiral, which I plan on performing as a part of my set.
Sorne performs Saturday, 9:15 p.m. at Asheville Music Hall.