Let’s mingle with: Trevor Algatt

Could you introduce yourself in a few sentences?

A few years ago I would have been able to be pretty concise with this – I would’ve said I’m a writer and actor. These days, as the search for Self continues, I’m less certain. I swim competitively year-round with a U.S. Masters swim team in Los Angeles… and I’m not really happy unless I’m making or working toward something creative.

Tell us how you got into music in the first place and what you’ve done since?

When I was a kid, my Dad gave me a tiny little boombox with a cassette tape of Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required. Ever since, I’ve had a slight obsession with music and the people who make it. I taught myself piano and guitar, formed a band in high school, and recorded a 3-song EP that never saw the light of day. After college, I put music on the backburner and focused on my acting career. Now, however, I have the sense to realize I can give time and attention to both… and both are the better for it.

Why did you choose this particular song to remix? How did you approach it?

I’d never even attempted a remix of someone’s music before, but I really enjoy the subtleties and creative nuances in Minutia, and being part of the process by following your tweets and blog. So when Mingle came about I thought it’d be a great way to not only get involved with an artist whose work I really enjoy, but also to challenge myself.

I chose Breathing Underwater because it has a certain bitter-sweet feel to it – like reaching ahead to something beautiful while still looking to and holding onto something meaningful in the past. I felt like there was a lot of room to play in there, musically.

The first thing I did was assemble the stems, mute everything but the vocal tracks, plug in a MIDI instrument (I think it was a Fitch cello at the beginning), and just let things lead themselves from there.