Name: Ewa Justka
Occupation: Instrument designer/Educator
Nationality: Polish
Recent release: Ewa Justka's Don't You Want Followers? is out now.

If you enjoyed this Ewa Justka interview and would like to know more about her music, visit her on tumblr, and bandcamp. Her unique instruments can be found on the Heretic Machines website.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects, and colours. What happens to you physically when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

None of the above. I rarely listen to music, usually when drunk.

Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

Not certain sounds, but definitely certain musicians. i.e. the sound of piano might be shite if played by, let's say, Taylor Swift or a child, and might be fantastic when played by Glenn Gould. One cannot separate sound itself from the musician.

The same could be said with Roland TB303 which is one of my favourite instruments. David Guetta would probably play it horribly, while Jeff Mills would probably succeed quite well.

[Read our Jeff Mills interview]

Actually I quite like harpsichords, too.

When did you start writing/producing music - and what or who were your early passions and influences?

I never started producing music. I just started making instruments.

My early influences are Autechre and Glenn Gould. David Tudor too.

When did your instrument-building start?

Fifteen years ago or so. It started from making very simple things: oscillators and delays. Now I make eurorack modules but I'm not sure if I will continue because the market is oversaturated and, to be frank, things don't sell very well.

I might get back to stand-alone instruments. I'm working currently on a drum machine (with my partner, aka Manifold Research Centre).

What are currently some of the most important tools and instruments you're using?

I don't really make music anymore. But when I do, I use drum machines, wavefolders and flangers. Resonance filters too.

Which albums or artists do you love specifically for their sound?

I'm gonna repeat myself: Autechre, early Aphex Twin (Universal Indicator), loads of obscure '90s acid and hardore Dutch gabber.

I also enjoy Glenn Gould, as mentioned before, and (especially harpsichord -based) baroque music: Henry Purcell, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Domenico Scarlatti and so on.

There can be sounds that feel highly irritating to us, and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. (Generally I hate current pop music except for the pop from the '50s to '70s, aka easy listening music, the Beach Boys and so on and some great '90s house.) Modern tech-house, current techno DJs. (Generally current techno is horrible.)

Berlin-based DJs, crying babies and people who speak loudly, or too much, especially when they say stupid things. High-pitched voices.

There's probably more. Generally anything modern kind of disgusts me. :)

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

Drum machines and flangers. Short delays. Wavefolders and distortions. TB303 distorted. Any space with reverberations.


TRI VGA Sequencer Image by Ewa Justka

What are among your favourite spaces to record and perform your music?

Any place, providing there's a good sound system. I played once in a cave, which was cool (due to its reverberations).

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

I guess when I play a heavy kickdrum and sit on a subwoofer. :)

How important is sound for our overall well-being, and to what extent do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment reflects its overall health?

It's not important for these reasons. I don't like any spiritual / new age / hippie theories stuff. I used to listen to the BBC a lot before they became completely woke but now I listen to podcasts/audiobooks.

I guess comedy helps with my mental health, especially very dark comedy. I recently listened to a brilliant interview with David Sedaris and I really enjoy his humour/the way he thinks.

I enjoy Adam Buxton less, although he can be funny sometimes, or used to be. I know this is not much about music/sounds. :)

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard, and if you're suffering from these or similar issues, how do you cope with them?

Yep. I definitely have a tiny tinnitus as I tend to play live very, very loudly. However, since I was cancelled I had no gigs, really, and no income. So I guess that's sorted. :))))))

We can surround ourselves with sound every second of the day. The pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself, and what importance does silence hold?

Cool that you mention Glenn. I've been completely obsessed with him/his character/his interpretations of Mozart and Bach, for many, many years. I think, quoting Einstürzende Neubauten, silence is sexy. :)

I also prefer the company of people who don't 'over-talk'/are shy/know when to speak and value silence.


Delayed Twin Oscillator Interview Image by Ewa Justka

With more and more musicians creating than ever and more and more of these creations being released, what does this mean for you as an artist in terms of originality? Who are some of the artists and communities that you find inspiring in this regard?

I think there's very little original music. Artists are mainly copycatting other successful ones; easy to see in the 'female-techno DJ-bimbo' industry and how many female musicians copy 'the queen of modular', Caterina Barbieri. (I'm not a fan; it's tedious and pretentious.)

I generally feel like all good artists have been cancelled, because what makes an artist good is speaking the truth and being unpretentious and direct. If you do that in the arts, you will be cancelled.

I seriously cannot care about the current state of electronic music; it's absolute garbage, full of perverts and 'bimbos' - all ideologically depraved and virtue-signalling. So I cannot think about any good artist at the moment.

I used to like Pan Sonic - one of my favourite Finnish electronic duos - but Mika Vainio died a few years ago.

[Read our Mika Vainio interview]

What's your view on the role and function of music as well as the (e.g. political/social/creative) tasks of artists today - and how do you try to meet these goals in your work?

I don't like combining politics with music. I try to be apolitical until I've been told that women have penises and if I disagree with that, all of my gigs and workshops will be cancelled. (They were.)

So no, I'm totally against political art; however, don't force me to align ideologically with something I disagree with. I generally have a contrarian nature, so I will probably do the opposite just for the sake of it.