Name: Fenge
Nationality: German
Occupation: Producer, songwriter, composer
Recent release: Fenge's new tape EP Nice to Meet You is out now via Patching Flowers.   
Recommendations on the topic of sound: At the moment I am more into books about the creative process and two I love are We need your Art and Big Magic - These two really kicked my ass and motivated me a lot. I also get a sense of creativity being a universal thing, I mean like there are elements to it everyone involved has to face. Which is nice to see.

If you enjoyed this Fenge interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, bandcamp, and Soundcloud.



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

I usually listen with my eyes open. I also sometimes see colors or have a feeling of a certain color that represents a song for me. I think sometimes I get excited and feel some kind of tingle in my belly. When it is sad or melancholic music, it can also resonate with me in that way.

And there is music, that really calms me down. I found “Variations for winds“ by Steve Reich the perfect fit (mood and length) for a power nap.



The record Promises by Floating Points is another example.



How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

Listening through headphones lets me dive deeper into the music, it's more intimate for me. But also isolating. Through speakers it feels more energizing and somehow more real.

It's an obvious thing to say but you can share an experience through speakers. You can walk around and position yourself, which also changes the way of involvement in the music.

I am thinking of festival experiences with speakers where you can get close to them and be really immersed in the music - or stay a little further away and catch the vibe.

Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

Mount Kimbie is an example for me. When I listen to the music I imagine them having fun while experimenting with sound and referencing other records they like.



Erregung öffentlicher Erregung is a band which sometimes have a really bold sound but on the other hand, they're touching a mood that gets me when I am listening. It's rough and tasteful.



Thom Yorke's Anima is mind-blowing for me. So detailed, immersive but also really broke down. It also plays with sound and lets me really get into the music. This is music I like to hear through Headphones.



Lastly I will name Caterina Barbieri. The pieces I know got a strong recognition value and are soft and rough and like a swirl of sound that pulls you in slowly.

[Read our Creative Profile of Caterina Barbieri]

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?

Whenever a Truck makes this “pfffffff“ sound I am always frightened. I guess loud sounds in general.

The sound of water calms me. I used a sample to imitate this watery bubbly sound in the first track on my EP, "Where am I?", to build up a scenery.

There can be sounds which 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?

The versatile sounds of water are calming to me.

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

I like the sound of shaking off my blanket in the morning.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?

I once went on a trip with some fellow musicians and we made a stop at an old opencast mining I think.

There, we set up the drums and saxophone and It gave a really precise delay sound. It was nice!

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

I think its just my room in my shared flat and my studio room in Leipzig. But I love to play in new places, such as practicing rooms of friends, especially when it’s not my own gear.

This often gets me excited, like playing on a drum set for the first time.

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

In a way, they do. Especially when I am editing or mixing.

Sometimes I think of different sound qualities as having surfaces. Rough, smooth, wet, whatever.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

I think it's really important. Sound can really stress you out and be a constant unrest that you somehow forget, but it’s there and it’s stressing you.

This makes me think of the sound experience I often feel in public parks. There is something about these open meadows that makes the chatter so soft and so welcoming. I can feel calm there.

But something like a constant expressway noise is more of a burden.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

It seems so banal, but when wind is going through trees I am often fascinated by the simple complexity of that event and find it soothing.

Many animals communicate through sound. Based either on experience or intuition, do you feel as though interspecies communication is possible and important? Is there a creative element to it, would you say?

I definitely think it’s possible. I have to think of a story in a book I am reading at the moment where a guy is imitating elks so well that real elks come by.

I think if you want to communicate with other species you have to be creative, because that’s nothing we learn in school. So you have to try something and then try something else and interpret the animal. You have to come up with something, and therefore you need creativity.

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?

I carry ear protection with me on my keychain, so whenever I don’t feel comfortable with loudness, I can put them in.

I am aware of overly loud sounds most of the time and try to not to expose myself to them. I doesn’t always work. For example, when I am really into the music while working, maybe I don’t get that it's too loud, or I wanna turn It even louder to feel it more intensely.

I once had a tinnitus for a day and that was horrible. Fortunately, it went away with some medication.

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

I can’t listen to music all day. I also get annoyed when the radio is turned on at all times, which my parents like to do. When I am exercising I also don’t listen to music. I like it better to selective which music I want to listen to.

I don’t think real silence exists or is nice. But I like calm places like the lake or walking through the city forest near my home. I also like to read while there is no music in the background.

Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?

I think cities would be quieter, there would be more awareness for loud motorcycles in the streets. There would be places specifically designed for a calm atmosphere, with elements like water. Maybe less cars.

Definitely no leaf blower!