Nothing complicated

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?

Music is enhanced when it is experienced with stimulus for the other senses.  Visual art at a show and the feeling of a packed venue make for a much more intense experience than just hearing a track.

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 think it depends on how much money you have. If you have the funds, producing a vinyl album is very gratifying. It's good to have the digital option as well though, since that is so vital today.

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?

Music is ever changing, and always evolving, so its the artists' job to keep things interesting. We just try to produce the songs that we hear in our heads and hope the audience will enjoy them. We feel that if we do, then they will too.

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?

Because of the internet, people have so much access to listen to music and they are used to getting it for free. It takes a lot of work and thinking of new ways to get revenue for an artist to keep their music valuable.   It can cost a good bit of money to produce something that sounds like we want it to sound. So we are always working on ways to make people perceive our music as something that stands out and is valuable enough to spend money on.  We feel like downloading for free and sharing music is cool as long as it leads to a fan that might come to a live show or buy a record later.

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

Bands just need to get out on the road and play shows. That is the best way to get new listeners and the best way to make contacts. Now is the best time for musicians. The internet is changing music.
Usually, it is considered as the job of the artist to win over an audience. But listening is also an active, rather than just a passive process.

Please recommend two artists to our readers which you feel deserve their attention.
Moonlit Sailor, The Velocity Raptors (UK), Youth Lagoon, El Ten Eleven, You Slut!, Godspeed You Black Emperor!

Read and hear more PAN at post-echo.com