Words on III-II.
from an original interview by Joeri Bruyninckx
for Gonzo (circus) / may 19th 2015
The rather abstract titled 'III-II’ features rhythmic and minimal pieces reminiscent of both Aphex Twin and Eliane Radigue, not surprisingly, two artists who also worked with the ARP 2500.
The ARP 2500, the first modular synth by Arp, went into production in 1970. It is quite rare and, because of the high price tag, was mostly sold to professional studios, like the former ‘Centrum voor Elektronische Muziek’ in the Netherlands, currently fused with the Worm Studio in Rotterdam. It's a pretty unique synth with its own way of patching, via a matrix switch panel. What appealed to me the most, apart from its sound and features, is its very distinctive look. I really love the work of pioneers like Raymond Scott, Roger Roger, Mort Garson, Tom Dissevelt, the BBC Radiophonic workshop and so on, and also the atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s, with technical innovation everywhere. This is also very apparent in the design of the 2500: compare it to a workplace, sitting behind a control panel in a factory. There's this certain seriousness and thoughtfulness i like which is often forgotten nowadays.
Mainstream music equipment is usually promoted with the aim to create bite-sized beats and pop music instead of providing tools for the truly creative soul. For me the tactile work with audio equipment is very important, it is personal and inextricably linked to what you get out of it. Therefore, the new modular scene is so interesting, not only because it feeds the need to manually create a personal set up. It is more scientific rather than insisting on what you need to do musically with the equipment.
You approach making music in a scientific way? I ask you this because I have just read a piece about a workshop in San Francisco in the '70s where both John Cage and Terry Riley participated. Both were asked why they made music. Cage replied: "As a way of doing research“ Riley said, "For the pleasure of playing."
I wouldn’t say i approach making music scientifically, it’s rather the ritual of making that music, playing it, the moment this music is made, there is a nuance in there. On the one hand, there is that sense of research, this empirical feeling you get by using electronic equipment in an improvisational manner. And of course there is some knowledge attached to it, knowing what you're doing, but at the same time you may find that, by the complexity of the modular equipment, you can let go and get physically absorbed by it. There's also a certain dialogue, a bond between man and machine. So it's a little of both, an enjoyable quest so to speak.
What share has improvisation in your music?
When I started making electronic music, I had a preconceived idea of how to do it: by sequencing and programming. I studied midi in detail, computer programs, sampling and the like. Eventually it mainly became a technical situation. Setting notes, entering rhythms and patterns. I was also looking for fit ways to perform live. The first time i got the opportunity to work with an analog patchable synth a whole new world opened for me. Although in the beginning i began using it together with programmed sequencers via midi-cv, I discovered the freedom of the minimal approach. Not coincidentally the euro-rack world entered my sight. I started to put together a modular sequencer; a combination of different modules where, in a live situation, i have the freedom to choose different paths. As a result, I simply stopped programming and decided to only do live sessions. I literally look at it as an improvised journey: I startup something and we'll see where we arrive. That's very exciting. Each moment may take a different path, derail, modulate. You find yourself in situations you don’t set out from the start. You feel every moment. Feel one with controlling the system. Of course you work within boundaries, it's not that you improvise in an empty space but it feels more free than when you think twice about each note.
I think your music still remains tight and bright.
I think I'm someone who tries to do things as orderly as possible, in my own way.
The album took 2 days to record and was mixed in one day. How do you determine actually a recording or she is or is not appropriate for an album?
If I make recordings i am not doing it specifically for an album. After recording i group tracks together that fit a mood or idea. I recorded a lot of material at the Worm Studio; spent about ten days there. Two tracks already ended up on "Spoel", a tape I made for the German Sicsic label. That specific album has a mix of different recording sessions. For the Ultra Eczema record it’s only tracks from Rotterdam since those accidentally worked together beautifully. On day five and six I recorded mostly rhythmic stuff, filled with interwoven patterns. It made a great combination as a whole. The final selection and mixing and mastering took much longer than one day, though.
Should a record tell a story?
To tell a story with a record, how minimal it may be, is ultimately the goal, yes. It can be very conceptual or impressionistic, just provide an idea. With "III-II” it’s the idea of rhythm and derivatives, branching fractions, math. On "Venndiagram" it’s geometric figures, circles, cutting lines. On “Kustvaart in de Ruimtezee” a kind of pre-modern vision of space, as in the" What and how' children's books from the 1950s and 1960s. I kinda like ‘the conceptual’ let’s say.
The title of the album is rather abstract.
It started in a playful way: the lowercase letter L and the letter i on a computer are the same characters: vertical lines. The arrangement of several of these signs also refers to Roman numerals, I've connected them with a horizontal line. It is no more than a character game, which just again has something elusive, mysterious.
Maybe I should’ve started with this question, but what are DSR Lines?
My mother used to work for a harbour company from East Germany, it was called DSR-Lines. As a child I constantly wore this T-shirt with the name on it. There's also the link with the ADSR envelope on synthesizers, a link with data communications in ISDN and RS232, and so on, things that decided for me to eventually use that name for my musical project.