Name: Left Hand Cuts Off the Right (Aka: Robbie Judkins)
Nationality: English
Occupation: musician
Current Release: Free Time/Dead Time on Brachliegen Tapes

If you enjoyed this interview with Robbie Judkins visit his website or his Facebook page 

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?

It can come in various forms. Sometimes I have an idea of a set of sounds or a composition in my head - a melody on the zither or piano or imaginary textures I want to create that I focus on and play and refine. Almost every day I will play something, whether it’s rehearsing a piece I know or just improvising and often an idea can form from this. Often, I’m preparing for a live performance and sketching out how it will be, then improvise, compose and record, listen back weeks or months in advance and make adjustments before I perform. Other music and sound also impacts the creative process too, there are particular pieces I yearn to recreate or do my own version of, or I will hear a motif or combination of sounds in someone else’s work that I want to recreate.

Sometimes I hear sounds in the everyday from workplaces, in shops, in the city or when travelling that I record on my phone or Zoom recorder and either use this as a basis for a new piece or as an accompaniment to an existing work. Unfortunately, I don’t collaborate with as many other people as I would like to. Setting up a time and space to experiment, play and record often develops into something exciting.

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 always have to remember that the idea in my head will never quite make it onto the recording and that allowing for changes, errors and adjustments during the creative process is perfectly fine. Some planning and some chance is essential. Not getting the sound you want can be frustrating but a mistake, bum note or unheard combination can take your work on a different path.

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'?

For albums and performances as Left Hand Cuts off the Right, I wouldn’t say research guides the work, it often happens alongside or contributes to the work. For example, reading David Frayne’s ‘Refusal of Work: The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Work’ was both an illuminating and empowering read for me personally and helped put the work I made for Free Time/Dead Time into context. During the creative process of actually making, you start to find connections and it starts to make sense.

Sometimes, a phrase from a book, radio or TV programme will stick with me, most recently in Olga Tokarczuk’s book, Flights, where she writes, “Every movement turns into a return…” latched onto me like an earworm and became the ghostly nudge I needed when making a new album based around repetition, minimal movements and faint progressions. Otherwise, research can be reading about other composers’ way of creating; most recently I’ve come back to reading interviews and insights from Eliane Radigue as well as listening to and reading interviews with Aaron Dilloway and Charmaine Lee.

For specific radio projects or commissions the research is paramount at the start, specifically into history and politics. If your work is part of a programme with a theme, it would be ignorant to ignore the context.
I do make early versions of many pieces before I feel they’re ready to be sent out into the world. Occasionally, first takes are released, but more often than not I chop and change before I’m happy with it.

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?

Setting time aside to do anything creative is important. As mentioned, sometimes the impetus to create or be inspired happens in the everyday or when I’ve not planned to make something - having a highlighter, making notes on my phone, recording sounds etc all helps. These times can inform or lead the work but allocating time to edit or record is vital. Generally, I have water and maybe a tea or coffee and a snack but otherwise, if I have my equipment, I’m comfortable and I can see and hear it all I’m fine. Performing or playing with others in different places means you adapt to the space you’re in which I also enjoy. What I have found too is that during bouts of sickness, I’ve often created or made more work.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

The first note or sound can be tricky, it’s just getting past it and feeling comfortable and at ease with what you're playing. I’ve recorded improvisations that may be 20 - 30 mins long but only found 3 minutes of it actually worth using. Once you start you wrestle and resolve whatever you’re making.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

As mentioned, a lot of it isn’t worth developing but something will shine through. Then it’s whether I want to keep working with these parameters (certain instruments or sound sources, ways of playing, specific textures etc), start afresh or at times the next experiment I make is a response to the first and may sound very different. Practically, the work emerges through recording and listening.

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?

For me there’s a sense of escapism but giddiness too. Once a combination of sounds and textures clicks -  it's a rush. During performances, I feel myself getting carried away at times, losing track of time or feeling in some way more liberated whilst still being anxious. Personally, I don’t have a faith but creating and listening can feel like there’s another presence or indescribable situation that takes you out of your usual state.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

I find sharing work with others, specifically those whose work and opinions I respect and admire helps a lot. Presenting your works in progress with some context and what your aims are to another person has given me deeper or alternative insights into what I was making.

As well, presenting the work to someone who has never heard it is helpful to get you out of your own head where you often focus on errors or annoyances. Producers or engineers often talk about a set of ‘fresh ears’ during the recording process - leaving the recording for a day or afternoon, letting your mind rest and then coming back helps a lot.

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?

I’ve left pieces for several years before I felt I was ready to have them released. Some just felt too personal and therefore too daunting or I just didn’t feel were ready. Even once the mechanics of getting a release sorted (titles, release date, artwork, a rough press release etc) with whichever label I’m working with I may make some changes before it’s mastered or pressed. At this point it’s minor changes - slight EQ changes, mixing or cutting out any perceived or unwanted glitches.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

With my own work as Left Hand Cuts off the Right I record the majority of what I do myself and mix all of it. I have done a very basic master for some of my releases but in recent years I have given it to someone else when the label has a budget for it, which has been a much better option. The recent masters Tasos Stamou did for Free Time/Dead Time made it sound so bright and full, as well as bringing out other sounds I had overlooked or not heard in the original mixes. I do ask the engineer what process they take in mastering and trust they are familiar with similar music and sound.

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?

Usually it’s a sense of relief but also nerves - glad that it’s ready but nervous about how it will be received. There’s pride as well, knowing it’s done. Putting albums out can take a long time so I’ve usually already been working on other projects in the meantime so I have no problem returning to a state of creativity.

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?

Making a great cup of coffee is satisfying and can be more so if I’m mindful about what I’m doing but it’s not the same as making music or sound. I find other tasks or activities in some ways help the creative process - walking, cycling, cooking or reading without distractions (radio, social media, music etc) and at times working other jobs or even housework can help, in that you think about something else or thoughts settle and eventually blossom.