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Part 2

In how much, do you feel, are creative decisions shaped by cultural differences – and in how much, vice versa, is the perception of sound influenced by cultural differences?

It does influence a composer quite a lot. Especially when you look at all the different kinds of music that were written during the romantic period, you can strongly say where the composers are from. You can always hear the German (R. Strauss), French (C. Debussy), Russian (P. Tchaikovsky) or Czech (L. Janacek) musical language. Nowadays it might be a bit different as people are much more international, so the cultural differences might not be as strong as they were over a hundred years ago. We have a lot more influences from all over the world and that makes it much harder to hear where the composer is actually from.

The relationship between music and other forms of art – painting, video art and cinema most importantly - has become increasingly important. How do you see this relationship yourself and in how far, do you feel, does music relate to other senses than hearing alone?

This is a very important aspect in my work; I am a huge movie lover and especially the melting between music and images. I also compose music for films, but for me the greatest thing is when an existing piece of music finds its place in a movie or TV Series or something else. This can create something magical, like nothing else and I hope that a few pieces from my new album find a place in some perfectly fitting image.

There seem to be two fundamental tendencies in music today: On the one hand, a move towards complete virtualisation, where tracks and albums are merely released as digital files. And, on the other, an even closer union between music, artwork, packaging and physical presentation. Where do you stand between these poles?  

I understand why people are trying to find new ways and methods to reach people in our digital time, but I truly believe that a record (as in vinyl) will endure every change in music technology, especially now, with the renaissance we’re experiencing. 

For me there’s nothing greater than getting a new or old record, putting it on, listening to it closely and experiencing the artwork, the lyrics/notes. You can never get this with a digital file. I don’t care much about CDs, but it is still a far better way to enjoy music than a file. The most sad thing about the digital age, is what it has done to people’s minds and how they think about music now in general. For most people, music has lost its value completely, which is just unbelievably sad.

The role of an artist is always subject to change. What's your view on the (e.g. political/social/creative) tasks of artists today and how do you try to meet these goals in your work?

I am a composer of instrumental music, so no words are carrying a message, I also tend to step into the background and let the music speak for itself. Of course people should relate to me as the creative person behind the music as well, but I don’t think that it should be based on political or personal opinions. 

Music-sharing sites and -blogs as well as a flood of releases in general are presenting both listeners and artists with challenging questions. What's your view on the value of music today? In what way does the abundance of music change our perception of it?

I don’t believe that the huge amount of releases we face each and every month changes the way we value music in general. There are so many different things happening nowadays and people do relate to things in their own way, which is fantastic. Not everyone needs to know every album that’s been released, but as long as good records find the right ears, everything is fine. As I said before, the only thing I believe that is affecting the value of music in our time is the fact, that people have lost sense of how much an album costs, as most of them only listen via Spotify or download stuff illegally. This probably will take a long time to change back to the way it’s supposed to be, but hopefully it will. Because if nothing changes a lot of artists have to stop making music and the variety we can experience today will vanish soon.

How, would you say, could non-mainstream forms of music reach wider audiences?

If I only knew the answer to this question! But, I think the best way to get your music out is playing live concerts, as many as you can. Also, I think nowadays a lot of people discover music through movies or TV, blogs or Youtube; even an advertisement can bring your music to the right ears, something that was a no-go only a few years ago. In the end, I think it doesn’t really matter, where or how people discover the music, as long as they do and keep on sharing it with other people who might enjoy it or find it interesting.

Usually, it is considered that it is the job of the artist to win over an audience. But listening is also an active, rather than just a passive process. How do you see the role of the listener in the musical communication process?

Well, you've got to win over an audience especially when you’re playing live and that is in fact a very difficult thing, because every different city, every different venue, the lights, the instrument, the chairs, the day, all these things affect the vibe of the evening and as a performer you have to adapt to these things every night differently. As a listener, you listen to the music at home, or at work or wherever it’s best for you, and I always have the feeling the more people know the music, the more they can give to the vibe of the live-performance.

Reaching audiences usually involves reaching out to the press and possibly working with a PR company. What's your perspective on the promo system? In which way do music journalism and PR companies change the way music is perceived by the public?

It’s a tough question. I believe that any way people are able to find new music is good, but music journalism can also create the wrong image for listeners. I think it’s always best if listeners are able to create their own perception or image of the music, but often this way you will not reach a very big audience. I have a feeling that nowadays people are desperate for a story behind the music, which often has nothing to do with the music itself It’s usually just a tool for a much better promotion, and this I find very bad.  

Visit Carlos Cipa's website at www.carloscipa.com


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