15 Questions to Pleq
Tobias FischerHi! How are you? Where are you?
Thanks I'm fine. I am in Warsaw, Poland.
What’s on your schedule right now?
I'm currently waiting for the limited edition of the third collaborative album I produced with Anna Rose Carter, which will be released on Rural Colours. Next – a cassette released on Chemical Tapes (containing four tracks), which I've worked on with Spanish producer Lauki. An album with Philipe Lamy, released on Mystery Sea. Then, there's an album recorded with Hiroki Sasajima, which we're preparing for taâlem. A Mini-CDR with Polish cello player Natalia Noelia Siebula will be released on Heath Death Records. I'm really looking forward to my collaborative album with Offhesky. We have created very cinematic, ochestrated experimental music. We are in the progress of looking out for a label willing to publish our material. Most important to me is a compilation with Harry from the Audio Gourment Netlabel. We are the main curators, bringing together sixty artists, each of which will contribute a track of one minute duration. All income will be given to Japanese victims of the tsunami. On the compilation you can find Autistici, Pjusk, Jacaszek, Marihiko Hara, HIroki Sasajima as well my track with Japanese composer Shintaro Aoki.
How would you describe and rate the music scene of the country you are currently living in?
Hmm, where I am, the electronic- and experimental scene is underdeveloped. We have still got Jacaszek, who has chosen his own path. Tomasz Bednarczyk is definitely resigning from ambient in favour of new wave electro. I was sure that we were all headed into a good direction, that there would be more of us. That has turned out to be a fallacy.
Do you see yourself as part of a certain tradition or as part of a movement?
Stylewise, me and Jacaszek are different. I still think that we are part of the same experimental stream in Poland. We are not resigning from it. We are sure to keep on going.
In terms of composition, what do you consider your main challenges?
Connecting instrumental aesthetics - mainly from cello, piano and violin - with dirty industrial sounds is my biggest challenge. Often, I have a problem finding a suitable stabiliser, who will avoid chaos from destroying harmony and order. Nowadays, that' my main modus operandi. I can' t play the instruments myself and I don't want to sample them. That's why I adore collaborating with composers who are open to experimentation.
In which way, would you say, is your cultural background reflected in your work?
Difficult question, I don't really identify myself with the culture of my country and it's not affecting my creations.
How do you see the relationship between sound and composition?
It's a natural influence, it depends on the factors allowing for correct creation, something substantial. In my case, this relation is not always upheld. Occasionally, the structures of particular compositions will not reflect the sound, which was its point of departure. Although a correction is based on this interaction, I'm constantly trying to work on it. If this relationship remains intact, I will have realised my original intention.
How strictly do you separate improvising and composing?
Improvisations are accidents in most cases, something I don't depend on and they're not my intention. I don't have a musical education - I finished philosophical studies, which is why I have a different attitude to improvisation. Composing is deliberate and thoughtful, it implies a certain intent while delving into individual sounds.
What does the term „new“ mean to you in connection with music?
Personally "new" means "modern classical" to me, which will dominate all music. This novelty translates into the skill of balancing "classical" values with current technical evolution. It sounds as though everything is incredibly evolving, as though it never stops. I don't know what will be new in a couple of years, but connecting "modern classical" with industrial is the equivalent of the new for me today.
Do you personally enjoy multimedia as an enrichment or do you feel that it is leading away from the essence of what you want to achieve?
I'm not avoiding multimedia, but I'm not a massive fan of new toys. I'm more interested in sound itself rather than the tools allowing me to create them.
What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion? What’s your approach to performing on stage?
I think that classical instruments in conjunction with a laptop are the way to go, unfortunately I only rarely see this happening. In most cases, the instrumentalist I am collaborating with are living too far away from me. When playing live, I try to not focus on visualisations. I adore playing in the dark, just me and my laptop and two candles. This happened recently, when I played in a cathedral in Leicester. My intention is for people to be able to focus on the sound and reject the visual.
How, would you say, could non-mainstream forms of music reach wider audiences without sacrificing their soul?
You can't. It's difficult without sacrificing yourself.
You are given the position of artistic director of a festival. What would be on your program?
Music, art, performers, installations, exhibitions, food - everything important ...
Many artists dream of a “magnum opus”. Do you have a vision of what yours would sound like?
It would be an overly confident vision. I have never thought about it because I know that what I create would never blossom into this dream, Secondly, I have no dreams. I rather put myself a certain goal, and then look for funds to realise it. If you were to put the question to me thus: Is your destination a "magnum opus?“, then I would simply answer: No.
Pleq Discography:
Lucid Dream (Halbsicht) 2008
Intelligible (77industry) 2008
The Lost Beauty (October Man Recordings) 2008
But It Does Not End There (Crazy Language) 2008
The Fallen Love (vu-us) 2009
The Metamorphosis (U-Cover) 2009
Pocket Full Of Blue/ w. Seque (U-Cover) 2009
Absorbed By Resonance (mAtter) 2010
Sound Of Rebirth (Impulsive Art) 2010
My Life Begins Today (U-Cover CDr Limited) 2010
The Seed/ w. Segue (Databloem) 2010
Our Words Are Frozen (dataObscura) 2010
Good Night (Basses Frequences) 2010
A Minute Of Extra Thinking (Envizagae) 2010
The Dawn Came Behind The Fog/ w. Marihiko Hara (Twisted Tree Line) 2011
Ballet Mechanic (Basses Frequences) 2011
Good Night Two (Progressive Form) 2011
Recommended Pleq Interviews, Articles & Mixes on the Web:
Pleq Interview on Headphone Commute
Pleq Mix for Sgustok Magazine
Pleq Mix for the FUSELab Podcast Series
Pleq Mix for Headphone Commute
Pleq Mix for Futuresequence
Homepage:
Pleq