Hi Rojin ! You’re familiar with composing both acoustic and electronic music, you’re studying composition and sound engineering and you have a very transversal way of approaching music. How would you say this transversality of practices nourish your compositions ?
Besides music, other art disciplines inspire me a lot. I used to be a cinephile! So I learnt a lot from cinema! Also sociology theories shape my musical concepts sometimes for example at ‘taste it’.
I learnt about form, structure and texture a lot while I started to compose acoustic music. Also the times when I was imagining my acoustic music before it was played by musician were somehow special to me. Like when you wait to develop your analogue photos. Also I learnt from describing the gestures, dynamics, articulations to musicians and from the rehearsals with them. These were things, I tried to carry on with me, when I’m making electronic music. But honestly I missed being on stage when I only composed a piece. I couldn’t be part of what’s happening on the stage, which is very important to me alongside the relation with the audience. Besides that, I had the urge to hear louder and noisier sounds, so I stared to compose electro-acoustic pieces and after that I started to do electronic music.
Also sound engineering taught me a lot about acoustics, recording, mixing, production, qualities of different music genres, new technologies, sound design, hearing the frequencies, etc.
During your live set, you use a range of electronic devices and instruments (such as keyboard but also strings instruments) that bring a wide and sometimes surprising sound palette. What are you using for your schiev set ?
I’m not sure yet. I’ll always set everything around me and follow my intuition. I think I would use different synthesisers, Granulator synthesis, A Max Microtonal Synthesiser with irregular clock sequencer, Drum Machine, Field recording, and acoustic instruments such as Santur.
I read somewhere that you’re interested in breaking the fourth wall during your performances. For schiev, there won’t be any as your set will soundtrack a specific moment of our public daily life directly through their headphones/speakers. How do you feel about this dematerialized intervention ?
I personally listen to music a lot. For example when I’m biking to work. During the quarantine I started to listen to music in a more conscious way again. For me that means, listen to music without doing other stuff at the same time. I forgot how beautiful this is!
But now I’m back to my old habits and I’m listening to music while I’m writing or cooking!
So I find the idea to compose for a specific moment of our public daily life very intriguing. It is like soundtracking my own life or other peoples life. Some director would love to have music, while the other prefer the natural environment sound.
We asked you to soundtrack a « focused task ». What are your tricks to help you concentrate for work?
I often work easier in the chaotic environments! It makes me to sink in my world easier. Also wide views with lots of details help me to concentrate on my work better. I try to take breaks after 1/5 hours of working, in order to come back fresh.