Voices #41
◦ “voices” is the place where we ask, artists reply and you read.
here we got:
RAUSTE
answering some questions. We have already observed his drone / ambient / experimental work here.
[1. IDEA]
■ The A. O.: The track from “Never started never ended” that we prefer is “5 steps”. Can you tell us how it came to light?
► RAUSTE: I needed to close my EP, and I wanted to end it with a positive note especially because the rest of the EP is quite dark in the way it was conceived. I needed some hope. I remembered an old video I took of my son, who was 4 years old at the time, playing the piano for the very first time: 5 notes, 5 movements, 5 steps to a new world. (Fun fact: today, years later, that world completely belongs to him.)
The melody was already there; I just needed to shape it the way I liked by creating different samples, working on pitch, reverse effects, and so on.
The final touch, the element that gives the sequence its unity, is the sampled birds and wind chimes. For this, I have to thank the artist Lonetapes, who kindly shared these sounds with the whole community.
[2. CREATION]
■ The A. O.: How do you usually approach composition? Do you start with a concept, a sound, a state of mind or what else? How do you generally proceed from the initial seed to the complete work?
► RAUSTE: I try to stay coherent with an initial concept, but I usually end up somewhere completely different.
I’d say everything starts from a state of mind, which is the only constant in my creative flow. The rest is mostly a kind of jam-based process, since I usually try to play everything in one take, limiting post-production as much as possible.
I actually find it easier to think about an entire EP (almost like writing a book or imagining a soundtrack for an imaginary movie )than to work on a single track.
[3. FEEDBACK]
■ The A. O.: What do you hope listeners feel or experience when engaging with your music?
► RAUSTE: Curiosity. Surprise. An oneiric (dreamlike) state of mind. A break from the everyday environment.
I hope they never get bored listening to me. I hope they listen to my music the same way they would listen to a dear friend.
[4. IDENTITY]
■ The A. O.: In a world saturated with digital music content, how do you try to keep your sound distinct and personally meaningful?
► RAUSTE: I don’t , I mean, I don’t overthink it, I don’t care much about standing out, and I don’t force it.
I just do what I do, regardless of the medium the music is meant to go through.
I mainly play for myself. The last EP was for me; everything else is collateral.
I’m always thankful for the possibilities the digital world gives me, it makes things much easier, but I’m also aware of the traps that come with it.
[5. INFLUENCES]
■ The A. O.: Mention 3 albums that you consider relevant to your musical path and why.
► RAUSTE: I don’t really know why, music for me is very instinctive and transcendental. But I’ll try:
○ Sonic Youth – NYC Ghosts & Flowers
SY had a strong influence on me. NYC G&F shows that kind of shift in a creative path that really intrigues me: the variety, the multiple layers, and yet the coherence within the masterpiece.
○ William Basinski – Melancholia
Of course, an obvious choice but this work deeply affected how I perceive narrative in musical terms.
It’s not only about sound; it’s about the space in between.
When you deal with a genre where most people suffer from horror vacui, sometimes you need to listen to Melancholia as a reminder of the beauty of emptiness.
○ Pink Floyd – Ummagumma
Maybe because it’s often considered a “disaster,” and I like to disagree.
Or maybe because the fabulous, the mythological, and the oneiric are still present in my ears.
[6. REGARDS]
■ The A. O.: Leave us with a quote you love.
► RAUSTE: “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” (Aldous Huxley)