Reggy Van Oers is the artist who is releasing records on Affin since the label started in 2008. So natually, our “focus on” series had to start with a few questions for him.
Joachim Spieth: When you look back at your releases from “Sabre” to “Pristine” what do you think of the evolution of your music and what do you think of the development of the label since you started to release there?
Reggy Van Oers: Looking back at my first releases I can see that they have the same kind of feeling than my later releases, though the individual sounds have less weight to them because they were processed in a different way. My approach to producing music has always been very minimalistic but I think the development in the structure of my sound and the emphasis on the main theme of a track has made it more recognizable. The development of the label over the years has a bit of the same. In the first years Affin released a lot of artists and also a very wide range of music. The last two years I see a change in the number of artists, it’s way less than before. All have a different sound but still I think this resulted in the fact that the sound of Affin has become more recognizable…
JS: “Pristine” your latest 12” is an integral release and the tracks sounding homogeneous. How do you manage to get this kind of atmosphere into your music?
RVO: Usually I start with making soundscapes of some sort. Each sound that I record will be processed multiple times in a slightly different way which enhances the sound that I started with but also creates some kind of tension. By layering the recordings, making small changes by sending several fx chains to each of the recordings, a certain evolution exists what makes it more detailed. I like to keep it somehow restrained so it becomes more of a flow on top instead of right in your face. Maybe because of a clear pattern in the build-up, a slow evolution in the tracks, it becomes more atmospherical in a way… I guess…
JS: What are your essentials in the studio to work out such a density on your sounds?
RVO: At the moment I use a computer, some fx plugins and a lot of patience. I’m mainly working with compressors, distortions, filters and reverb/delays. I have a little recording device that I take with me when going to the supermarket for example. Just record 5 minutes of what happens around me on the street. When I listen back to it, I cut what I like or think that I could use. A “field recording” let’s say what I’m processing through different fx chains. In “Pristine” I’ve used around 3 minutes of these kind of recordings. Also I would say my studio space is an essential for me, I’m really used to the acoustics of the room by treating it in a way that I know how the sound would come out like I intend it to be. As for studio gear, there are some things on my wishlist for the near future, but I haven’t made up my mind yet what I would like to have first!
JS: What is basically inspiring your work? Do you have passions or interests that you’re following as constantly as your love for electronic music?
RVO: Daily life, classical and film music, art performances, minimalism, conceptual thinking. In my work I try to express my feelings that are often contradicting…warm and cold, happy and very sad. All of these things I will try to capture on my new label “Telemorph” with the first releases scheduled after summer. A platform for collaborations with like minded artists and with a special space for solo projects. At the moment I’m getting a lot of inspiration from a new concept called “morph” that I run together with Zoran Pillay. A serie of label events that we launch from the 15th of May in Amsterdam and Groningen. This goes beyond just another techno event. We are going to incorporate movement, music, visuals and interaction with the people willing to absorb… Soon more about this!
Joachim Spieth 