Part 2

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please. Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?

I am a night owl so I definitely do not have a morning routine. I tend to catch up on admin in the morning if I am awake and then start my day at lunch. It’s a funny thing and I have wasted years of my life making myself feel bad by trying to get up in the morning to get the traditional routine our society seems to work by but it does not work for me.

My creativity starts buzzing around 9pm so I tend to do technical work in the afternoon and then start producing in the evening until past midnight. I also have a lot of phases where there is too much on and I use any free minute at home to do absolutely nothing.

As I am a freelancer, there is no way I could hold up a daily routine as I could be called for a gig on a moment’s notice and even if they are planned in advance, they’re of course always different so there is no “workplace” you could get used to.

I luckily enjoy the lack of a routine in my work life because it keeps me from going around in circles. Of course we’re all going around in circles technically but on this sphere my life is ever changing.

Can you talk about a breakthrough work, event or performance in your career? Why does it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?

This would have to be my debut album as it kickstarted everything I have done since.

I only started composing and decided to form my own band because I wanted to share my taste to get more gigs in a style that suited my playing. Jazz violinists tend to be boxed into the swing manouche jazz style which is a great style but it just isn’t something I have anything to add to. My approach is much more electronic and modal and before my release, Rosie Turton had been the main player who actually incorporated me into her band with the sound and style that I most enjoy playing. So I started working on my own stuff at the end of 2017, recorded the album in March 2019 and then produced it for another year. Ropeadope Records signed my record and we released it in October 2020 which was just a blessing from all sides because I probably would have just let that year go down the drain if I hadn’t had this release to work.

From there on I’ve played some great gigs with my band and managed to get some incredible producers/musicians to remix some songs from my debut which I am now extremely excited to share.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

I think the ideal state of mind for being creative definitely exists but is not something I can always or want to try and achieve before working. I like to dream of having a calm, large space outside of the city where I could retreat to and work on compositions or practise with focus. But then that’s just not what life has provided for me so far and in the end I need to be creative in whatever space I find myself in.

If I can’t work in my normal environment, I’ll have a long look at my normal environment to see what it is that is blocking me. Usually physical exercise helps with any creativity low I find and of course going to gigs. And luckily I find that sudden bursts of productivity happen at the busiest times or when I’m travelling to a gig or teaching which then reminds me that I maybe don’t need to wait for that perfect space to start working on something.

Of course I hope that my work at some point allows me to leave the city as I really only live in London because I need the scene to survive. But until that time comes I find myself in a state of mind for being creative whenever my creativity feels like popping up.

Music and sounds can heal, but they can also hurt. Do you personally have experiences with either or both of these? Where do you personally see the biggest need and potential for music as a tool for healing?

Of course physically my ears have hurt after standing too close to the speakers at a festival or spending too much time at the club without earplugs. But I think this question is posed more metaphorically so in that respect I don’t think music has ever “hurt” me because it’s not the music that hurts but possibly the people who are making it who are using it as an outlet for their pain. And in that respect it helps them and myself, when I have made music out of pain, to heal from that experience or at least let it go because it has been shared.

Of course there is actually specific music therapy as well which can work wonders and is extremely important but I have personally never studied this subject intently. I do know that just playing my instrument when I am struggling with something has a relieving effect and helps to gain perspective.

There is a fine line between cultural exchange and appropriation. What are your thoughts on the limits of copying, using cultural signs and symbols and the cultural/social/gender specificity of art?

I personally am very careful about using or wearing any symbols because besides the point of cultural appropriation, I believe that symbols and signs have an impact on you and whatever they have been put on.

Generally using signs and symbols of a culture or religion for your own gain that you have nothing to do with is wrong I believe. If you have been studying a culture or traditional music for a long time and you have absorbed it thoroughly by working with people who are authentic and openly sharing then I think that changes things.

I don’t think we can stop ourselves from being influenced by each other and there is almost nothing out there that has never been done before but as long as you make things your own and develop them with your own identity and self, it has no choice but to come out in a unique way and not as a copy of someone/something else as we are all unique.

Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work?

My sense of hearing is directly connected with my back to be precise. When I hear certain singers sing, it sends showers down my spine - funnily enough even if I don’t like the style or the song itself.

I think all of our senses are intertwined and connecting spirit with your senses and body is essential to living healthily. I am very focussed on my sense of hearing as it is my most trained sense so I think a lot of my other senses are triggered by my hearing. I can smell a certain scent and feel a certain mood if I listen to a song from a long time ago that is connected to a strong memory.

I always assume this is something everyone has but possibly not everyone gets triggered by something they hear but rather by another sense.

Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?

Currently my approach to art and being an artist is pretty existential as I am at the beginning of my career.

I was born into a supportive family that has always allowed me to follow my creative path without having to worry about what comes next or whether I might need to change directions after investing a lot of time and money into something. I’m aware that this is a privilege and I therefore try to use my work to employ and lift up others to help them express their creativity. My ultimate goal is to be able to sustain members of my band and team so they can live off my work and their work subsequently.

I definitely have strong political opinions. So far, I have not felt compelled to incorporate these into my work but I’m sure the moment will come. At the base of this is my fundamental need to just create art for the sake of it. Even if I wasn’t able to get paid for my work, I would still do it because that is my expression.

What can music express about life and death which words alone may not?

Music is a global language that everyone can understand. That makes it something that strips us from all our cultural, societal and identical layers if we allow ourselves to listen to it and therefore can really have a deep impact.

If you want to get precise about music expressing life and death, I find that classical composers tackled those subjects best for me. Saint-Saens Danse Macabre comes to mind when I think about musical death, as well as Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 2 for solo violin.

Life is nothing without music or any of the arts for that matter and I think that means that life is in all music.