In the studio with Pole
“… I put a lot of focus into the sound design, atmospheric composition, and structure, […] it is the one formula that I use to make my sound audible…”
“… I put a lot of focus into the sound design, atmospheric composition, and structure, […] it is the one formula that I use to make my sound audible…”
“My compositions are bound by the parameters of where they were created. And so to prevent my creativity from stagnating, I need to change those parameters every now and then…”
“…I find it very useful to invite people to the studio, to listen ‘through their ears’… even without saying a word, you can tell if a piece works or not just by listening together with someone…”
“… I don’t feel too bothered about complexity, context, relevance, or reinventing the wheel in music…”
“… I find that ideas need time to mature, or perhaps it’s my perception and experiencing the ideas that need time…”
“Some ideas slip away, like beautiful shooting stars. Others, by dint of playing them, begin to structure themselves. But there are no rules…”
“… we like to try to make acoustic instruments sound like they are electronic and electronic instruments sound like they are acoustic…”
I catch up with Uwe Zahn and chat about his sound design, advanced synthesis, and favorite software.
“My pianos will always be my favorite piece of hardware. They are the most complex, honest, and imaginative gear in my wheel barrel.”
Thoughts on sound design in textural, spectral and functional phases; on metric modulations and polytemporal ideas; and on dance music tribalism.
David Toop is an English musician, author, and professor of audio culture and improvisation.