Name: it's me?
Members: Matthias Tschopp (woodwinds, modular synth, keys, electronics), Jürg Zimmermann (horns, modular synth, tape machines, electronics)
Interviewee: Jürg Zimmermann
Nationality: Swiss
Current release: it's me?'s album Modular Music Machines is out via Unit.   
Recommendation for Zurich, Switzerland: The Walchturm in Zurich is a venue I like to visit to discover new things.
Shoutout: Samuel Shepard with Floating Points

If you enjoyed this Jürg Zimmermann interview and would like to know more about his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, and Facebook.

[Read our Matthias Tschopp interview]



Many artists have told me that they're in discovery mode when working with the modular. What are some of the things you recently discovered while working with your own set-up?

With the modular, you're in a constant design mode.

Because you have endless combination possibilities, you're always changing and optimizing, and you also get more and more entangled in ideas, which makes me want to start from scratch. To unplug all the patch cables and restart, finding new ways to do the same thing and developing new ideas with new patches.

There are artists who can realise their ideas best with a traditional – or modified – piano interface, others with a keyboard and a mouse, yet others by turning knobs or touching screens. What's your preferred and most intuitive/natural way of making music and why?

For me, it's primarily the trumpet. Initially, the idea was to further process trumpet sounds and explore new sonic possibilities, perhaps most comparable to a guitarist's pedalboard. Gradually, I've broken down this idea.

Modular offers so much more, and now it's a combination of both. Modular is an ideal format for experimenting, exploring, and researching ...

There is a worldwide community around modular synthesizers. How would you describe your involvement with it and its role for your creative development especially in the early days of your modular journey?

For me, it was my son Linus who started with a modular, and of course, he was familiar with all my experiments with trumpet and guitar effects. He then said, "the modular could be something for you too ..."

I had already installed a piezo pickup in my trumpet mouthpiece a few years earlier, which was ideal for further processing the trumpet sounds. I then bought the Koma FieldKit FX and an input module from Befaco and used them for my first solo performance.

I was thrilled to perform the trumpet for a longer period of time in a solo performance.

Modular synthesizers allow for the most diverse and personal set-ups. What were some of the most surprising/inspiring configurations or ways of playing the modular that you've seen?

For me, the videos on YouTube by Hainbach, and Sarah Belle Reid with her unconventional approaches, were an important source of inspiration. Also the exchange with Matthias Tschopp and Linus, my son. Together, we began developing and building the Modular Music Machines for our it’s me? project.

Also the music by Floating Points, Jon Hassell, and Antoine Berjeaut inspired me.

[Read our Hainbach interview]

Can you take me through the evolution of your modular system up to your current set-up? What are aspects you consider when buying a new module?

I started with trumpet delays (analog, digital, granular), and also integrated external devices such as tape delays, tape loops, reel-to-reel recorders.

Then I added sequencers, random generators, LFOs, sampler VCOs, quantizer, drum modules, and a performance mixer to gain some clarity and speed up the process in a live context.

Which modules incisively changed your way of making music – and why?

For me, as with Matthias, it's the capabilities of all the modules combined more than one particular module.

Portability has been one of the main drivers for music production over the past years. What importance does mobility have for you when it comes to production – and what strategies for making the modular portable have you developed?

I built myself four identical modular cases out of walnut, two of which can be folded against each other. I usually need two of them for our current "it's me?" project. When we started the project, it usually took us one to two days to get our setup running the way we wanted.

Over the last year, we've mainly worked on simplifying and optimizing it. The next step will be to simplify my case even further for transport.

With a keyboard and a traditional synth, I would instantly know what something would sound like if I pressed down the keys a certain way. Would you say the same is true for the modular and certain patches and modules? How does working with wires, cables, and plugs change your perspective on music?

For me, it's important to know how certain patches work so I can react quickly.

However, coincidence is also an exciting component, comparable to improvisation in a band context. There's always an interaction between me as a trumpet player and me as part of a modular soundscape.

Many modular set-ups still do not support saving patches or quickly switching between them. What possible benefits or inspiring consequences does this quite severe limitation have for your own music and creative practise?

It's crucial to know your modular system very well and always know what changes which parameters.

However, it's helpful for me to have digital modules in addition to the fully analog modules that allow certain parameters to be saved. This expands the possibilities without losing the magic of modularity.

I am under the impression that choosing the modular is not just a musical decision, but somehow extends into other parts of one's life as well. Can you reflect on this a little bit?

Yes, it's like in many situations in life: you have to understand the complex interrelationships between many parameters and relate them to one another …