For todays Como Las Grecas artist interview we welcome Filterwolf, lets find out more about this artist.
Where do we find you now?
In Munich, living in this magic city since 2006.
Can you tell us a bit about your new record and how it came together?
The album was created quickly in a personally intense and not easy time for me. I had not produced for a long time and suddenly the inspiration came and it produced itself practically as if by itself. Basically, after a couple of weeks of thorough work, it was already finished.
Can you describe a moment or experience that initially sparked your passion for music and how it continues to inspire you today?
I can remember sitting in front of my parents’ radio and the Kraftwerk classic «Die Roboter» from the album «Die Mensch-Maschine» was played. It sounded like music from another planet and I immediately felt that I wanted to recreate, explore and produce these sound experiments myself. And today, of course, I want to feel the same spark of that time in every work I produce.
Are there any lesser-known electronic music artists you feel deserve more attention, and why do their work resonate with you?
Objekt, Lanark Artefax, Skee Mask and Quirke are all fabulous, but not known enough for their grandiosity. They inspire me because they are courageous and pure innovators.
How do you maintain a balance between staying true to your artistic vision and adapting to the ever-changing landscape of the music industry?
By not paying attention at all to what sells, is trendy or fits. Only in this way can you stay true to your own imagination and idea. If you waste a single percent of your time thinking about whether and in which market segment this could fit, you’ve already lost.
What role does improvisation play in your creative process, and can you share a memorable instance when it led to an unexpected breakthrough?
Improvisation is the cornerstone of every track. You go from one improvisation stone to the other and build a whole track this way. Of course, sometimes you have a clear vision of how a track should sound, but without trial and error and the dynamic touch of improvisation, the production work would be in too tight a corset. And as Miles Davis said: Do not fear mistakes. There are none.
Are there any non-musical influences, such as visual art, literature, or personal experiences, that have significantly shaped your work?
Visual art less, rather literature like Seneca, Montaigne or modern philosophers like Slavoj Zizek and personal experiences, but this also not significantly like the music of other artists, no matter what era. From Stravinsky to Aphex Twin and everything in between. There you get plenty of the musical impulses.
How do you approach the challenge of translating your recorded music into engaging live performances, and what elements do you consider essential for a successful show?
In a live performance, everything is more unbridled and less compact or regulated than when producing. You trust your instincts and go with the flow. The most important thing is that you are with yourself, feel the music in your whole body and let the music play you.
What advice would you give to aspiring electronic music artists looking to develop their own unique sound and style?
You have to experiment until you drop, you have to allow yourself to make mistakes and stumble, because that’s the only way to learn. And at some point you find your own way and your own, unmistakable sound.
Can you discuss the impact of technology on your music, and how you see emerging tools and platforms shaping the future of electronic music?
The impact of technology on my own music is minimal, since I produce with the same equipment and software as fifteen years ago. So completely irrelevant to my art if you mean technological trends and tools. With the platforms it’s a different story, as they change the way music is discovered and consumed, and there I personally find the development rather negative, as they bring the depth and overall experience of a musical work to a lower, poorer, more banal level. So the work of a whole year becomes an interchangeable gimmick, which one consumes so incidentally and without intentional purpose.
What’s a project or collaboration that you’re particularly proud of, and what did you learn from the experience?
My band AMPA and the still current project Diaspora Unit were both wonderful experiences in which you went into a real frenzy of continuous exchange on the sound level with other producers and artists. I can only recommend it, because it also teaches you more about yourself and your creative, perhaps previously unconscious, ways of making art.
How do you stay motivated and inspired during periods of creative block, and what strategies do you employ to overcome them?
Basically, I don’t have anything like that, because I know from my many years of experience that you can’t and shouldn’t be creative all the time. You simply gain more experience and wait for inspiration to come, and this is guaranteed to come if you remain enthusiastic and go through the world with an open heart.
Whats next for you?
Just started the production of the second Diaspora Unit album and made the first sketches for the next Filterwolf release. There is also a soundtrack/electronica project with two guitars and a sampler with a fabulous jazz guitarist from Munich.
http://www.filterwolf.de/