Your set at FIBER 2021 sounds like a new sonic direction in your already quite diverse way of spinning. Can you explain how the set came about and what your ideas behind it are?
This set is a good reflection of the sound I’m into and fascinated by. The idea behind this set was more about keeping the peace, and really giving myself time to play what I like, not making hasty decisions and going deep into the material. In combination with really building towards the point where everything comes together. The FIBER audience takes the time to listen to what the artist presents to them and that is a very nice thing. So there was room to approach a set like this.
The set shows well that you are working on many different scales at the same time, from soft and clicking micro-rhythms – that almost feel like living organisms – to bigger, more technological techniques and patterns. These come together in sound worlds that overlap, merge and mutate. Can you explain how you navigate between all these rhythms and spheres?
I am aware that this sound has to be appropriate in a certain setting. It can look sharp, have illogical rhythms, sound organic and feel very trippy and deep. This interplay of sounds and textures is something I find interesting to work out, because it can go in any direction. But it overlaps in the right way. Choosing music and playing the right tracks is a personal thing and a moment in time. Every artist approaches it in their own way. A lot of tracks I’ve played are from people close to me. These producers all have their own vision on it but generally think the same.
You are active in both fashion, graphic design and playing/making sets and sound experiences. In what way do you connect and merge these disciplines in your thinking and work? And in what way does this interdisciplinary practice seep through into your sets?
I see music, fashion, graphic design, visual art and other art forms as a whole or “Art”. It reinforces, can give more body and a deep undertone to a particular project or individual. Art in the broadest sense of the word is a very important part for me as an artist. I think it is important to be visually strong because that is how you distinguish yourself from the others. But every artist interprets this in his own way, of course. There is no right or wrong, it is where your fascination lies and whether you want to share that with the world. I think it’s good to give an insight into the things I do. Music is feeling. And I get that feeling by observing art and culture. So subconsciously this always influences the things I do.
With the theme of Mutation, we investigate the (im)possibilities of transforming ourselves as human beings/individuals. We also see this as spiritual, embodied or cognitive transformations that enable us to change behaviour and beliefs – or a way of seeing. We explore the ways in which art and music can provide a space or experience for people to do this. What new worlds can we imagine through storytelling and multi-sensory experiences? Could you describe how you relate to this interpretation of the theme?
I think that as a creative individual, I am always looking and trying to change someone’s view or give them a different insight of something. To show the beauty of something because it is not necessarily beautiful to the average person. To be open-minded by trying out different facets and from there creating your own world. Not clinging to one kind of train of thought and doing research on different arts or cultures. I think that music is a big part of this and can mean to strengthen a feeling or, exactly the opposite, to fade it. In other words, transforming.
It is 2021. The world has undergone a radical transformation and we are constantly looking for new answers to this situation. How do you try to deal with this in your artistic work?
I try to focus mainly on my own environment and the world I live in. Also because there is still enough to discover in my world, especially artistically. Curating my own platform/label is also part of it.
This period has made me realise that you can present a label in different ways, and that it is important that you, as an artist, observe the world around you and anticipate because performing live has been disappearing [due to the pandemic].
A label doesn’t only have to be music related. But it can also provide a platform for fashion, visual expressions, sculptures or other forms of expression. Releasing music on vinyl is, in my opinion, a thing of the past, because of the long queues and all the associated costs. So for me, the transformation lies in looking at other possibilities to present music. This can be done in so many different ways, so the search is far from over, but very interesting to work on.
With the new label Omen Wapta you seem to be exploring the boundaries and overlaps of different electronic genres with digital processes and artefacts. The first release works with glitch, microsampling, live coding and granular synthesis techniques, among others. How will the label develop in the field of digital processes and mutations of sound?
The development within Omen Wapta lies more in looking at different ways of expression. From the beginning, the idea was not only to focus on music, but also on fashion or visual arts, it has to become a multidisciplinary platform. Music will always be the dominant theme, but I am interested in various forms of creativity.
Every artist I work with focuses on their own way of producing and that shows in the end result and a physical product. So the second release will be very different, where the focus lies more on experimental techno inspired by more broken-like influences. The third release will be a combination of both. Every release will have a certain similarity. Because this reflects my fascination and taste, of course.
I am also working on a collaboration with the Dutch fashion designer Camiel Fortgens. Together we design and curate a capsule collection. These are items based on existing garments from Camiel’s older collections that are redesigned. by scanning the QR code on the hangtag you can download two unreleased tracks. This is how we try to bring music and fashion together through a collection of 9 items.
The satisfaction of creating something with different artists is something I will always continue to do. And I hope that in the future there will be more room for different kinds of projects within Omen Wapta.
How did you and Deborah Mora coordinate working together? And in what way do you think your work will come together?
The collaboration started because FIBER had linked us together. And I think it was a very good match. I wasn’t familiar with Deborah’s work, but as soon as I looked at it I had an idea of what it was going to be like and why FIBER had connected us. Her work fitted in well with what I had in mind in terms of sound. I told Deborah about the idea I had for this set, and that I also wanted to create space for the unknown. In the end, she anticipated in her own way and there was a good interaction between these two components. Deborah’s work gave the set an interesting indefinable visual feel. And for the listener, you perceive a certain feeling. I think this was subconsciously our idea.