Name: Florestan Berset
Nationality: Swiss
Occupation: Guitarist, composer, improviser, producer
Current release: Florestan's first solo album, Answer to Gravity, is out via Unit.
Recommendations for his hometown of la Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland: Just go in and let your senses drive you where they want!
Topic that I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: Well I'm passionate about Aïkido, a Japanese martial art that means a lot to me. So I can explain you some techniques like «kotegaishi» or «iriminage» ... but you’d have to come on the tatami!

If you enjoyed Florestan Berset interview and would like to know more about his music and current live dates and releases, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, and Soundcloud. 



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?

The creative space is a mysterious place, sometimes tangible and very real, almost physical, and sometimes more abstract, as if more distant and diffuse. For me, the impulse to create comes from a natural need to connect with this space.

I can't really say that the sources you mention play a ‘direct’ role, in the sense that I don't create by saying to myself, ‘Ah, today I'm going to write a song about this dream, or about this sadness, or about this event.’

But of course, every experience in my life influences my relationship with this space and the space itself.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I almost never visualise a work before creating it – I visualise the space I mentioned before.

For me, the first creative instinct must be free from all constraints concerning form, harmony or any other factor – it is only in a second stage that planning, reflection on form, instrumentation, etc. take on meaning.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions’?

Of course some intentions need to be present. But I'm not particularly a research guy or one for early visions. I am most often surprised by the creative energy and I start from there – rather than a preconceived notion or idea.

I mostly don’t write or improvise music «on purpose,» with a pre-conceived idea. Sometimes pictures are present when I'm playing, improvising. Sometimes the pictures and the meaning come weeks, or even months later …

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

As I said, I think that every experience influences and shapes the creative space. I have rituals that are good for me personally: meditation, movement, Aikido, solitude, reading, but also concerts and social connections, sport … In fact, I just try to be as close as possible to knowing my needs, and that brings the discipline that allows for creative momentum.

A discipline of the mind, body and emotions is important as a creative person – but I don't understand the word discipline as something rigid and strict, but as an impulse, a framework that allows you to anchor yourself and experience things as close as possible to the original, organic experience – without too many conditioned filters.

But now I'm getting a little far from the question... :-)

For Answer to Gravity, what did you start with? If there were conceptual considerations, what were they?

I started with some of my own compositions, some recent and others older – from 2018 or thereabouts. I also started from improvisation.

I varied between improvisation and composition takes. There wasn't really a concept, it’s just two aspect of music that I like!

Tell me a bit about the way the new material developed and gradually took its final form, please.

I first recorded a first batch of takes in 2022, alone, over the course of about a week. There were some good things, but I wasn't completely convinced yet. Also, some technical issues prompted me to reschedule a recording session in early 2024 to redo, correct, improve, and finalise certain takes and also record new tracks.

At first, I was sceptical about mixing two sessions so far apart, but in the end I think it was a good idea because my personal evolution was able to be reflected in the album, which I think is nice. I'm not sure you’ll recognize what was early and late - but for me it was quit an interesting feedback.

Then, as I had a lot of music (like 3 hours or something), came the tricky part which was to choose the pieces to include and leave out for this album and in which order they would appear.

I think it's a really interesting and difficult part of the creative process, which consists of giving a clear form and a ‘narrative’ to creative material, in my case, ‘raw’ material. If you don't want to start from tradition in terms of form of the music, it's a difficult part, because only your own subjectivity has to make decisions and come up with an interesting and coherent discourse.

I often say that it's more about removing material (overdubs, retiring less convincing parts) to get back to the essence of the music, and that's where all the mixing and editing work comes into play. I tried to create a well-rounded and complete album that touched on different aspects one’s life and was as close as possible to the fluctuations of human life, or at least as I perceive it.
 
Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

No, I don't like to be in control; I think it's an illusion.

It's much more beautiful to be able to react to external and internal changes and accept them in order to shape the process.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

Yes, of course, there is a spiritual dimension.

Creating is a way of being in touch with oneself and with the world at the same time, of connecting with the earth, the sky, other people, trees, everything we love. It is a timeless space that holds a profound mystery.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

Yes, over the years I have noticed that it is necessary to let things rest and ‘simmer’, because my judgements, ideas and reactions to a piece can change a lot over time.

Also you have to forget a bit about how you felt when you played this piece, because this judgement has the tendency to take over when you listen again.

Music and the accompanying artwork are often closely related. Can you talk about this a little bit for your current project and the relationship that images and sounds have for you in general?

I was very excited about working on the artwork – firstly because I love pictorial art, but also because it's a very powerful element in relation to the music on an album, which already directs the listener's attention.

I wanted something sober, and that's where meeting Stefanie Kunckler, the cover designer, was superb. She is a very sensitive person who quickly understood what I had in mind and came up with this magnificent analogue collage!

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Oh yes, exactly, I feel that. It's part of the game, and that's where the discipline I mentioned earlier comes into play.

Taking the time to accept that void and get back to work isn't always easy.

I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about or the impact it had on them – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

I think most of them were moved and appreciated the sound aesthetics of the music. Many also really liked the cover art, which seems to perfectly match the music.

I think this music has the power to bring people back down to earth for a moment, with the only task of being and contemplating. That's what I observe when I listen to it with other people or when I give a concert.

Once, someone said to me, ‘It's the perfect music for falling asleep to,’ which was a great compliment for me, as we live in a extra fast world with a lot of sleepless people … :-)

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing 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?  

Of course, creativity is present at every moment, and we should celebrate that.

It is also closely linked to joy, so open your heart and compose a great symphony, or a good cup of coffee, or a nice story for you kids …