Part 1

Name: Jason Kahn

Nationality: American, Swiss
Occupation: Musician, artist, writer
Current release: Jason Kahn teams up with Dave Brown for their debut as candlesnuffer, Terminal Analog, out via Room40.
Recommendations: I'll just mention two recent favorites:
Barbara Loden's film Wanda
You Nakai's book about the work of David Tudor, Reminded by the Instruments: David Tudor’s Music

If you enjoyed this Jason Kahn interview and would like to know more about his music, upcoming releases and live dates, visit his official homepage. He is also on bandcamp, 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?

I guess all these sources come into play, though I'm not often able to remember my dreams. I wouldn't say my work is strictly political, though I definitely feel influenced by the political and social environments. Probably more than anything I'm working from my own inner dialog, fed by what I'm experiencing in day-to-day life.

The impulse for a new work can sometimes just seem to appear out of the blue. Or it's this gnawing impulse, something like an itch, that keeps at me until I begin to get a clearer picture of what it is I want to do. Other times it's just enough to think about an idea but not act on it. Not every concept is workable.

Every Hand Is Lunatic That Travels on the Moon (2024) Jason Kahn // voice, electronics

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

I often have a completely realized idea of what I want to do. That being said, once I actually sit down and try to follow through with my original plan I find myself investigating other possibilities.

In this sense, chance is probably more important than visualizing the work beforehand, which often provides more of a frame of reference than a kind of road map.

Tainan (2024) Jason Kahn // guitar

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'?

This is more about trial and error with me. Sometimes I try to gather material or ideas and this leads to a dead end. Or this could become a preliminary phase to an entirely different work.

For the most part, though, once I have a more or less concrete notion of what I want to do things tend to fall in place, and I can work with chance and improvisation to carry me along through the rest of the work's development.

Latvian Classical Radio (2022) Jason Kahn // electronics, voice, field recordings

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?

It often takes me a long time to finally sit down and start working. I tend to carry an idea around in my head for a long while and then eventually get in the mood to really start working. I've never found a process to put me in this mood.

I don't need a certain environment or stimulus or preparation. It's just an impulse. And when I experience this urge to start working, then it happens.

Oita 2 (2023) Jason Kahn // electronics, Katsura Yamauchi // saxophone

What do you start with? And, to quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

I can't really say with any certainty with what I start with. Sometimes it's just this vague notion, not even a concept or idea.

I don't know where the creative impulse comes from or how I harness this. Whether this is "created" or "discovered" seems more like a semantic designation than any substantive description of how I would characterize my process.

Lodon (2023) Jason Kahn // electronics, Dave Brown // guitar

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?

I definitely just follow the ideas where they lead me. I might have an overall idea for a book or new musical piece, but when I actually get down to work I might throw everything out the window that I thought I'd already decided on. Sometimes a proposed framework might only be a means to get me working.

I often find the greatest hurdle is just getting started. Once I'm on my way, then things generally fall into place.

I Smile When the Sound Is Singing Through the Space (2023) Jason Kahn // voice, Alice Hui-Sheng Chang // voice

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I try to remain open to possible tangents or alternatives when working. I seldom have a work where everything is already in place from the time I start thinking about what I want to do until I've actually realized the work.

In terms of character, I feel that I'm first and foremost an improviser. I like to bounce off new and unexpected ideas that I encounter along the way.

Eternal City (2022) Jason Kahn // electronics, Ulrich Krieger // saxophone

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?

I find it difficult to define terms like "spirituality." But obviously there are many other facets to one's life other than just a strictly cognitive approach.

Personally, I would say the creative state is a heightened sense of imagination, discovery and inspiration.