Name: David Uribe aka Dsum
Nationality: Colombian
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current release: Dsum's new album Water In The Moon is out July 5th 2024 via Back Door.
Recommendations:
‭Book:‬‭ Labels Making Independent Music by Dominik Bartmanski and Ian Woodward.‬
Artwork:‬‭ All‭ digital artwork is made by Kiel D. Mutschelknaus.‬ ‭
Music: Blue album by Danny Daze‬

If you enjoyed this Dsum interview and would like to know more about his music, visit him on Instagram.

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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 feel music is a space filler; I like the way how waves can transport the sound and magically set‬ ‭moods and take listeners on a journey; music can make me happy or sad, can take me to a memory, or‬ ‭can inspire me.

Many times, I’ve found myself dreaming alongside music even when I’m awake.‬

‭Entering new worlds and escapism through music have always exerted a very strong pull on me.‬ ‭What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to listening to and creating music?‬

Music with a message always comes from a mind that was a certain scapegoat.

As I said before,‬ ‭music can make me dream, and when I’m writing or recording, I always have to think ahead and set my‬ mind‭ on a situation, a feeling, or a space, or sometimes into a combination of these, finding the mood I‬ ‭want to add to my message.

Like a time traveler who is sending messages to the future.‬

What‭ were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through‬ experience?‬‭

My first experience as a listener comes from 80’s music that my older brother used to listen to when I‬ was‭ a kid.

But my first steps into making music were later, learning guitar as part of one of my school‬ classes;‭ those classes gave me the spark to start experimenting with music, and fun fact: lots of time‬ ‭found more joy playing my own progression either than learning famous songs from the era.‬ Later‭ in my teenage years, I found myself as an electronic music DJ.

Since then, with tons of listening and‬ a‭ little pinch of experimentation, it has been a complete journey of learning. For me, the biggest gain is‬ ‭being able to finish my projects and get out of the perfectionism loop.‬

‭According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences‬ ‭between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since‬ ‭then?‬

I totally agree, the older I get, the more I feel the music that influenced me at that age is the base‬ of‭ my taste. As I said, my music influence came from older brothers and cousins. We used to play lots of‬ rock‭ n roll, hip hop, and later more electronic sounds like freestyle, Miami bass, trance, and house music.‬

Since‭ then, I think there have been a lot of changes in music and, for me, lots of discoveries, especially in‬ ‭electronic music. But my taste is still circling around those sounds from the early days.‬

How‭ would you describe your own relationship with your instrument, tools or equipment?‬

This one is a great question! For me, it has been a combination of the musical, technical, and‬ ‭experimental concepts involved in music these days. I would say my “instrument” is my whole studio and‬ ‭the “relationship” is the fact of knowing how to use my setup.

I can have a great melody idea in mind, a‬ ‭good patch in my synth, or a happy accident part of the experimental side. Still, if I’m not able to record it‬ or‭ arrange it with more instruments, it could be frustrating and take the inspiration away.

So, now, for me‬ it ‭is important to build that confidence of being in the studio and knowing what I’m doing, the more I feel that‬ my‭ tools are extensions of my body, the more I feel I’m creating my own music.‬
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Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted‬ ‭sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?‬

Often at parties, when I play my DJ sets, I’m looking for more dance-focused music.

When I’m doing‬ projects‭ more focused on a concept, I love the idea of creating an “out of space” type of feeling or sounds‬ ‭more like a sci-fi vibe.‬

‭Are you acting out parts of your personality in your music which you couldn't or wouldn't in your‬ ‭daily life? If so, which are these? What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to‬ ‭music?‬

Electronic music has been my lifestyle for many years, and it reflects a lot of my personality and‬ ‭certainly is an escape from some of my feelings.‬

If‭ music is a language, what can we communicate with it? How do you deal with‬ misunderstandings?‬‭

Music is definitely a universal language. One of the good things about music is that it can express lots‬ of‭ messages, and I think it is one of the most powerful tools for being heard.

Misunderstanding can‬ ‭happen, especially with instrumental music. It may be hard for the listeners to get the message, but it can‬ also‭ give everybody an imaginary understanding.‬

Making‭ music, in the beginning, is often playful and about discovery. How do you retain a sense‬ of‭ playfulness and how do you still draw surprises from tools, approaches and musical forms you‬ may‭ be very familiar with?‬

I am always trying to step out of my comfort zone, so I try to explore different genres or different‬ ‭configurations of my instruments.

Also, listening to references and music I like inspires me all the time.‬

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?‬ In‭ how far would you describe them as “musical”?‬

Everything is sound as a product of vibration, and rhythm is also a form of nature, like our breathing or‬ ‭our heart.

I think these concepts are definitely musical, and lots of time, are the inspiration for many‬ ‭conceptual ideas in music.‬

‭There seems to be an increasing trend to capture music in algorithms, and data. But already at the‬ ‭time of Plato, arithmetic, geometry, and music were considered closely connected. How do you‬ ‭see that connection yourself? What aspects of music do you feel can be captured through‬ ‭numbers, and which can not?‬

Certainly, music theory is kind of numerical, but it is definitely not easy to capture human expression‬ ‭as numbers.

Algorithms can help digitize many musical ideas in the recording process, but machines can‬ ‭never express what human feelings do.‬

How‭ does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about‬ life‭ by understanding music on a deeper level?‬

As I said before, music can bring messages, and lots of artists and writers can use that to reflect‬ opinions‭ and feelings about their lives.

For me, making music is more like an escape. Sometimes, if I'm feel‬ing ‭happy or sad, I use music to drive these feelings out, but it doesn't always end up sounding like those feelings.‬

We‭ can surround ourselves 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?‬

By nature, we are born as listeners. From our breath to the noise on the street, we are getting hit by‬ waves,‭ some of us take a lot of attention of that, some others just live life without thinking about it.

But‬ ‭yes, we don’t know complete silence! In my case, sometimes, being in a quiet space is a healthy habit‬ that‭ I can enjoy.‬

Do‭ you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from‬ something‭ like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you‬ ‭couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?‬

I like the way you describe the question because I’m obsessed with the habit of making coffee, and‬ this‭ can help to explain my opinion about this question. Some people just make coffee, while some others‬ find‭ passion in learning about it and see it in a more artistic way.

The same thing happens in music;‬ sometimes‭ you see passion in the performance, and sometimes you don't, and I think this is what makes an‬ ‭artist more interesting and unique.‬

If‭ you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see‬ and‭ hear?‬

Well, music is going so fast these days, which is not a bad thing, and good music is still out there.

But‬ ‭in dream life, I would love to see more music with an artist concept and not commercially oriented that will‬ ‭disappear with the passing of time.‬