STORYTELLING MUSIC & SOUND

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I am very dedicated. I will go all the way. Luckily my tendency to be perfectionistic is, lately, very much counterbalanced by the joy I recovered in improvising and allowing myself to be guided by intuition. This makes the dynamics of decision-making way easier. I tend to "know & feel" faster and more skillful, that something is just right.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: I know I am able to produce work that is quite accessible or even simple in a sense. My dream customer is open to some experimenting that will lead to the right atmosphere or features that are essential. To tell a story you need to be willing to explore new possibilities. You cannot always rely on clichés even though those might have worked before. Apart from experience or taste, quality is also defined by features that are fresh or might open up the future.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: In a non chronological fashion..... I was a teacher, composed soundtracks and library music, recorded and produced bands, did voice tracking for computer games, audio books and commercials and composed and engineered for audio-tours. I did theatre / live-sound, location sound, worked as a sound engineer for radio and television
 and as a technician in the audiovisual industry. All of this started after I gave up a study for social worker quite a while ago. After that I studied sonology at the conservatory and I followed the Audio Engineer course at the SAE.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Work on trusting your intuition! Since there are so many possibilities, plugins, sounds, devices etc.. you basically have two options. Systematize and use models and templates OR work on a very specific approach, define very specific features that describe or suit you best. Of course this is dynamic, non-eternal. It will change as you change.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I compose and produce music and sounddesign (often for image or the arts), work on audio post production (5.1. / 2.0 mixing, restoration etc..) and I facilitate recording of music and voice-tracks. Next to this I am involved as a musician in projects (guitar, electronics, exotica or mixing) and in teaching (mostly ) sound related subjects.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I used to do triphop, downbeat electronica, alternative rock for bands I was playing in as well. I played the guitars, fiddled with electronics or did mixing. Some years ago I reinvented the joy of exploring sound and all it's possibilities and the happiness of intuition. Nowadays I incorporate experiments with field recording, granular synthesis, modular synthesis etc... in my music & sound work. Often next to acoustic or electro-acoustic instrumentation. I cooperate in and initiate art projects, explore immersive (3D) sound and reconsider ways of composing music or organizing sound. I went back to my "sonology roots", exploring the world of music and sound but the core of my work (still) lies in the synergy between image and sound.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Use my intuition, diverse background and experience to build a strong atmosphere that brings across a story or sound image.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: David Lang, Mark Hollis, Thomas Dybdahl, Alva Noto, Olafur Arnalds, Johan Johannsson, Kaki King, Brian Eno, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis, Archive, Steve Tibbets, Jana Winderen, Portishead,, Scott Walker, Janek Schaefer, Jim O'Rourke, Fennesz, Loren Connors, Noel Akchote, Tuxedomoon, Stars of the Lid, Hiatus, Sigur Ros, Nils Frahm, Swans, Asgeir, Ruichi Sakamoto. Jon Hassel, William Basinski, Lhasa de Sela, Qasim Naqvi, John Cage