Name: Pigments
Members: Robin Helm, Stief Eschemann, Tim Auris
Nationality: German  
Current release: Pigments's self-titled debut album is out via Pop-Up.

If you enjoyed this Pigments interview and would like to stay up to date with the band and their music, visit the trio on Instagram, and Facebook.  



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Stief: When I listen to music, it's like embarking on a sonic journey that evokes a tapestry of emotions and images. The magic of sound, especially in our indie electronic pop band, creates a unique experience. It's not just about playing notes; it's about creating a sonic landscape that takes the listener on a captivating adventure.

Physiologically, there's a tangible response when the music resonates. It's like an electric current running through me, an adrenaline rush that comes from hitting the right notes and syncing up with the electronic beats. The music becomes a visceral experience, and I can feel it in my heartbeat, in the way my fingers dance across the strings.

Robin: I often use music to influence my mood in a way nothing else is able to. Just with the choice of music I can transform my overall emotional state, that directly influences my heart rate and can even turn to physical tension or relaxation.

Being a designer by trait, I always find visual metaphors for music or vice-versa. Analytically, I think of music in terms of tension and harmony, space, vibrance, texture, rhythm, size and composition, all aesthetic traits that can be translated directly into visual design. But when listening, I just focus on how my emotions are molded by the music.

How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

Stief: When I put the headphones on, it's like entering a sonic cocoon. The intimacy and direct connection to the music is unparalleled. Every nuance, from the subtlest guitar riff to the intricacies of electronic beats, is right there in my ears. It allows me to dive deep into the layers of sound, capturing every detail and subtlety that might be lost in other listening environments.

On the other hand, listening through a stereo system enhances the communal aspect of music. It transforms the sound into a shared experience, filling the room with a larger-than-life presence. The dynamics and spatial elements come to life in a way that headphones can't replicate.

When our band's tracks are played through a well-tuned stereo, the electronic elements dance around the room and the guitar tones resonate more broadly. It provides a sense of immersion that allows the audience to physically feel the music, and as a guitarist it's gratifying to see my contributions blend seamlessly into the broader sonic landscape.

Tim: I’m always worried that people on the outside world who don’t listen to the music on my headphones think I behave strangely.

Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

Robin: There are soooo many! But “Everest” by Klangstof is in my opinion one of the greatest sounding records ever. The way all the sounds are placed in the stereo field and the highly detailed dynamics are so immersive. Listen to this on headphones!



When it comes to overall sonic creativity, Radiohead probably remain my number one.

Tim: Talk Talk with their masterpiece Laughing Stock.



The way they use space, room, pauses, silence and minimal sound to create a unique tension and atmosphere is inspiring.

[Read our Time Friese-Greene of Talk Talk interview]

Stief: I love Innerspeaker, the debut album by Tame Impala. His ability to give the vintage psychedelic rock a modern touch and really sucking you into a sonic universe of its own really left an impression on me.



Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

Stief: As an indie electronic-pop band, we're deeply attuned to the emotional power of sounds. Certain synths and textures evoke nostalgia, creating a sonic landscape that resonates with both joy and melancholy. The ethereal arpeggios or dreamy chords elicit a spectrum of emotions, forming the very essence of our musical identity.

These emotional responses are a result of our collective experiences, that speak to universal feelings of love, loss, and everything in between. In essence, the magic lies in crafting a sonic tapestry that mirrors the intricacies of our emotional journey.

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

Tim: My smacking and slurping dishwasher.

Robin: No specific sound comes to mind, but I love it when you are listening to music and some random sound (like an ambulance driving by) suddenly perfect fits the music harmonically or rhythmically. These kinds of serendipitous experiences are always fun.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?

Robin: Back in my uni days I got the opportunity to spend an hour in a huge anechoic chamber in an acoustic research lab. It is something that is just so out of this world that it is hard to describe the experience, but since there is literally no reverberation at all (a state that can never be experienced in real life), all sounds are eerily bone-dry and your own voice is amplified inside your skull.

You lose all sense for the space and after a short while it becomes disorienting and really confusing. And since the entire room is acoustically uncoupled from the outside world, it is so silent that you even start to hear the blood pumping through your body. A very weird and amazing experience!

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

Stief: Absolutely, music and sound can indeed have material qualities in a metaphorical sense.

During the production of our album, our way of working with sound was akin to sculpting or shaping an intangible substance that has the power to evoke emotions and tell stories. Each note, instrument, and effect becomes a crucial building block for the entire composition.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

Tim: I think acoustic health and silence of nature is important for mental health. That’s why I live in the countryside.

The acoustic pollution of the cities makes my head shake.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

Tim: I’m always quite touched by the sounds of trespassing cranes above my house. Their calls sound timeless or primeval like they have been there for thousands of years. They trigger a deep longing for something I’m not even sure about.

Robin: I used to work as an assistant nurse in a cancer hospital many years ago. The beeping of the heart monitors is a sound that really left an impact on me. Though it is a manmade electronic device devoid of any life, it is a direct representation of the fundamental rhythm that makes us living beings.

The moment a heart stops beating and the rhythmic beeping slowly turns into a constant flatline is an experience that can leave no conscious human untouched.

Many animals communicate through sound. Based either on experience or intuition, do you feel as though interspecies communication is possible and important? Is there a creative element to it, would you say?

Tim: Well, if you know cats … There is this theory that they only meow in the presence of humans.

Robin: Interspecies communication is absolutely a thing. But for the most part, body language is more important than sound I think. But there is definitely creative elements to the way animals communicate by sound among each other.

The Tui bird (the national bird of New Zealand) has amazing vocal capabilities and is able to perfectly imitate any sound is has heard before. They combine all their craziest sounds to create the most complex and interesting song to attract their mates. If this is not creative, what else is?

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

Robin: I used to have an annoying stress-induced tinnitus as a young adolescent. It fortunately went away after a couple of years. Nowadays I always wear earplugs when going out to loud bars or concerts, just to keep my sanity (nothing worse than drunk people screaming right into your ear).

When making music, we use in-ear-monitoring to keep the volume in check. You really don’t want to mess up your hearing, for us as musicians it is something really sacred.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

Robin: True silence has become so rare these days. I feel like many of us have become kind of numb and desensitized by always having some kind of noise or sound around us, so for some people like myself it can feel overwhelming and scary when the silence makes our own thoughts come through.

I believe that it is important for us to actively seek out moments of silence and to reconnect with our own inner voices.

Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?

Robin: I often ask the question: “If you had to choose, would you rather be blind or deaf”? I believe that losing your eyesight would disconnect you from things, but losing your hearing would disconnect you from people and society. I feel like the sound of a voice can bear way more personality and emotional truth of a person than any look ever could.

So even if you hopefully never lose either of your senses, focussing on listening over just looking at people is possibly always a good strategy when it comes to personal connection.