Name: Jephté Mbisi
Occupation: musician
Nationality: Congolese
Current Release: This Lake Is Successful on Ed Banger
Recommendation: Satyricon by Frederico Fellini / Space Escapade by Les Baxter

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When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

As far as I can remember, I’ve always been writing/producing/playing music in the sense that even before I had the chance to actually produce I was doing it in my head. I listen to music with the utmost care. My parents listened to music from my home country (Congo DRC) and great pop music such as Sade, Phil Collins, Police etc

Some people experience intense emotion when listening to music, others see colours or shapes. What is your own listening experience like and how does it influence your approach to music?

I see scenarios when I listen to my music. That's why I say that my music should be seen and my films heard. Otherwise it really depends on the type of music I hear. Great chord succession makes me scream out loud.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

I am very happy and thankful with everything that is going on with me. God is good. I have great trust in my gift and am my own cheerleader. It’s very cool being able to share it with more people through my collaboration with Ed Banger. My process stays the same, it’s the ecosystem around to push the music that is evolving.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

I identify as a person who enjoys what he does. My main ambition is to push myself until I am totally satisfied with what I hear or see. As a listener, I am very curious and seek to understand different genres. I prefer artists that are not afraid to take risks and push themselves.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and art?

Self trust, open mindedness, attention to detail and fun.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music?

I think that originality and perfection makes timeless music. Perfection not in the sense that everything sounds perfectly good but more like that everything together sounds perfect.


Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

Music of the future is a continuing tradition. Artists inspire each other to do more better and push boundaries.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

I work with FL (fruity loops) and the rest is not to be disclosed. My most important tool is my mind.
Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.
My days are pretty much like everybody else’s although I probably listen to more music than many.  Music keeps me inspired and when I feel it, I execute it. That’s when I go to the studio, shut everything off and enjoy the moment.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

I really can’t describe it. Ideas flow very intensely. Per example, I was on a train ride to Paris and fell asleep. When I woke up I had the entire story for Les Contes du Cockatoo (my first film) figured out.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

I prefer being by myself unless I am with people I trust to be in the same mood or add things that can take my piece further. I’m alone most of the time. It’s a private moment.

How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?

I hope my work helps people keep an open mind. Music in society is as important as oxygen or water. We all need it.

There seems to be increasing interest in a functional, “rational” and scientific approach to music. How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?
 
Music is science, there's a method to the madness of music. Scientists need to be in a flow to discover, create and push boundaries. They probably do it with music in the background too. Rational musicians just like rational scientists are good at executing, not inventing.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. 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 express my real self through music. In other situations, society requires us to be more self contained. Like interviews for example. How can one really express a feeling? A feeling is what it is, it’s raw, it’s real and often hard to talk about.

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our ear drums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

A lot of artists put their soul into their music. It’s not just notes, it’s a feeling that is diffused like radio waves straight to other people’s souls.