voices #43
◦ “voices” is the place where we ask, artists reply and you read.
here we got:
Tó Anjo
answering some questions. We have already observed his ambient / electronic work here.
[1. IDEA]
■ The A. O.: The track from “Dwam” that we prefer is “Inbound”. Can you tell us how it came to light?
► Tó Anjo: This is the track that really got the album process going for me, and since its inception it felt like an opener. There’s the sound of a train arriving at a station and people stepping out on the platform which kind of divides the track in its two sections and this, along with the title of the song, really ties everything into the theme of arriving somewhere and starting something new. Most of the tracks came after this idea and as a continuation of this sound.
[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?
► Tó Anjo: Unless I’m chasing something very specific or working on something like a film score, I’d say that most of my work comes from a place of experimentation, playing around with sounds and parameters until something catches my ear. Usually at this point some sort of image or concept starts forming in my head and I start chasing that idea. I’m a very visual person in this sense, so films, travelling and imagery in general are often in my mind and serve as inspiration, more so than feelings or state of mind. I’ve never been someone who can, for example, take a feeling of sadness or heartache and pour that into a song.
Taking the image that forms in my head and turning it into a full song can be tricky, since I often get attached to this initial concept and struggle to let go of ideas or sounds even when they are not working in the mix. It’s something I’ve been trying to improve upon. But when it feels right it’s often a fast and smooth process of finding a song structure and then working to embellish it.
[3. FEEDBACK]
■ The A. O.: What do you hope listeners feel or experience when engaging with your music?
► Tó Anjo: Honestly I stand by the idea that when I release a piece of music out into the world it no longer really belongs to me, nor is it my place to tell people what it means or should mean to them. I have my story with every song I’ve listened to and I like the idea that each listener has theirs with my music. That being said I do keep a hope that people listen close to it and that it feels like some sort of soundtrack to their lives that brings more meaning or at least introspection to their every day. I think even if we’re doing ambient music we as musicians never hope to just be background noise with no identity or meaning.
[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?
► Tó Anjo: I think the way I build my sonic identity and keep things personal is often just allowing my imperfections and gaps in my knowledge to kind of shine through and not be hidden. I never aim for my music to be perfectly produced and pristine in its sound. I think, especially in the ambient world, there’s already plenty of music like that. Instead, by trying to have these tracks as a sort of musical diary they end up shining through as a reflection of who I am and a snippet of who and where I was when I worked on them.
[5. INFLUENCES]
■ The A. O.: Mention 3 albums that you consider relevant to your musical path and why.
► Tó Anjo: Tough question! I have to start with something in the post rock world because that’s where I got introduced to instrumental music and slow, minimalistic passages.
I’ll pick ○ Sigur Rós’s untitled “()” album. Not only was their music very formative for me, but the first time I saw them live in 2013 was genuinely life affirming and some of the songs from this album still have a huge impact on me.
○ The Microphones – The Glow, Pt.II. I could pick a number of Phil Elverum’s releases from over the years, but this really captures what I love about his music. It’s deeply personal and raw, yet incredibly evocative. Its ability to conjure images in my head as I listen to it is something I really strive to achieve with my music. It also teaches me that lyrics don’t always have to be beautiful, refined pieces of poetry to be impactful, which ties in to what I said earlier about musical identity.
○ Jon Hopkins – Singularity. I had dipped my toes into some electronic, beat-heavy music before with artists like Aphex Twin, but I never really connected with it until I listened to this album. It is, again, incredibly evocative and emotional and an absolute masterclass in production. The way it combines Jon’s classical training in the piano passages, the ambient sections and the super heavy electronics in the more energetic moments is truly incredible and really opened my eyes to electronic music production.
[6. REGARDS]
■ The A. O.: Leave us with a quote you love.
► Tó Anjo: I was trying to think of something that was general enough but also had some specificity that could resonate with the readers and listeners of this kind of music. Since I mentioned film as a big source of inspiration for me, I will go with this one.
“Movement is made more meaningful in the context of stillness.” (Andrei Tarkovsky)