Part 2
Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?
A typical day in my life is always changing, especially of lately, due to my nomadic life style. But I go through the day according to the project set at the moment. I do a lot of meditation and physical activities (whenever possible). I get very involved in whatever I am doing. I try to live as intensely as possible and this causes me to be open to anything. My Iife has been marked the last years by the desire of learning.
Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece or album that's particularly dear to you, please? Where did the ideas come from, how were they transformed in your mind, what did you start with and how do you refine these beginnings into the finished work of art?
My creative process starts with a conceptual Idea sometimes. After that I would say the best ideas come from outer space.
There is not a final way to describe how I get the end result. I would play the music and play against what is there, or edit until I feel the sound in the heart more than the mind. I tend to feel bored by cerebral processes. They are fun but I tend to not like the results in the end. Of course sometimes I have to use technical resources to solve problems (I did not waste my money or time by attending Berklee College, MIT and Simon Bolivar University).
There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?
The ideal state of mind comes when it comes. I can sometimes use discipline to work on a daily basis but the best state of mind always comes whenever you are not looking into it. I do believe that there is some MUSE influencing inspiration. Again, some of the concepts that I use are a portal to the creative process. I have a very easily distracted mind by the way.
How is playing live and writing music in the studio connected? What do you achieve and draw from each experience personally? How do you see the relationship between improvisation and composition in this regard?
When you are creating or working in the studio the best sessions are equal to the live events. Playing and idea over and over or improvising are part of the creative process that is normal I guess. I do improvise a lot to get seed ideas for a composition.
How do you see the relationship between the 'sound' aspects of music and the 'composition' aspects? How do you work with sound and timbre to meet certain production ideas and in which way can certain sounds already take on compositional qualities?
Both are part of the composition and production process. It isn't only the notes and chords or textures but also the quality of timbres and orchestration colours you get to make the composition to work. And orchestration implies also the electronic or digital sounds produced with new means of sound generation.
Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work? What happens to sound at its outermost borders?
I have done a lot of different collaborations with multimedia and multi art expressions. I do consider all senses when creating art.
We live in a great time to experiment with so many different tools to create very expansive results. I always try to be able to influence as much as possible the senses, the body and the feelings of the audience exposed to the pieces and art I am creating.
Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?
Art is my way of life, my life is art as art is a living manifestation. I am trying to be conscious as much as possible and that would be included in my daily actions and probably would reach the discipline to manifest music in this moment "Here and Now". When one is totally honest with the process I find the results can be of influence to other human beings. I do consider that we are living something kind of medieval times with lots of new toys. We are in the middle of lots of mental and spiritual noise (too much of a narrative matter, maybe we are in the mid of a war). So good music always can heal or remove the headache of too much noise. I realise 'good music' is a difficult term. Good music? Art and music are reality and can be for real at the same time. For when it comes in the right way you have no control at all.
It is remarkable, in a way, that we have arrived in the 21st century with the basic concept of music still intact. Do you have a vision of music, an idea of what music could be beyond its current form?
Quoting Fripp. Music is an essence for itself. We are just channels for music to manifest in this reality and moment. And I have my doubts in terms of this century of being what it should be.
I quote my friend Nestor Villasmil who recently told me "The XXI century is a fraud". I would add, yes we have a lot of technology and resources to do many great things but still the human world has not evolved to the same level as science and technology. I always expect a major change in the level of consciousness of all humans to reach the level to not destroy ourselves. We are in debt to the planet and all the other species that have been here before us.
