Part 2

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

My tracks mostly have repetitive patterns so my main collection of sounds is usually avoiding extremes. Still, I find extremes pretty useful for narration and attention. Thanks to my synthesisers I can mess around with very high or low frequencies. Another thing that I personally consider extreme is to introduce to a track, a completely irrelevant element that gradually justifies its usefulness. I also realise now that I relate extremes with the feeling of surprise. I can be surprised by very different genres and approaches when I get the opportunity to really focus on listening.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

Playfulness is very important to me. It feels nice when I create an environment where I don't know which sonic element is going to be in charge and for how long.  Very often though, because I write lyrics or use recordings, words and melody are short of dictating the final form.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

I think one of the strangest creative experiences was with a track where I use a flute sample, which I really liked in various different pitches. So, I decided to write a melody of a song that can follow the pitch down of my sample, resulting in an out-of-tune singing and my intention to just follow the sounds that I hear, without being based on a root note. This experience was a lesson to just stay focused singing for the present moment, regardless of any technical mistakes.
 

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Besides trying to fit traditional music theory to commercial electronic drum machines, I would say that my way of making music is more abstract and the intentions are defined by "What if'' ideas that I have in my head. I usually spend some time reading manuals and copying ideas from tutorial videos and when it comes to creation, my imagination takes charge.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Making music is strongly related to finding comfort in the way that I express my feelings. It is a therapeutic process that enables me to feel more grounded and confident. I believe that of all the artforms, music is the indirect and inclusive one, because sight, the most powerful sense for humans, is not necessary.  

For the above reason, I consider it the most accessible art for appreciating time in solitude but also the one that can bring people together. People used to meet and feel related with others in record stores, or just in the streets because they are wearing t-shirts from particular bands. In many ways music can become the most political art and thus form strong communities.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

If the coffee is good, most people will agree. For a piece of music, it gets personal. I think that self-expression has to do more with a need than a desire, where instinct takes advantage of the situation where anything can be accepted, without worrying if it is pleasant or nice. I experience it as a very intimate exposure to myself above all, and I am happy that more 'mundane' tasks ask less of me.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is a piece that I frequently go back to and get surprised by the soul and spirit of the composition. There is a strong presence of logic and technique, but in the end, I mostly feel beautifully lost in it.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

To value the creation more than the promotion, through unconventional collaborations, supportive communities, and institutions.