Name: Salt Queen
Members: Teddy Stuart, Magali van Caloen
Occupations: Producer, engineer, sample label founder @ Samples from Mars (Teddy), creative director, media producer, singer, CGI visual artist (Magali)
Interviewee: Teddy Stuart
Current release: Salt Queen's new single “ARE U OK” is out via Samples From Mars.
Recommendation for New York, USA: The Noguchi Museum in Queens.

If you enjoyed this Salt Queen interview and would like to stay up to date with the project, visit the official homepages of Samples from Mars and Magali.



Are there examples of minimalism in music – and outside of music – that impressed you early on?

I discovered John Scofield’s album A Go Go when I was 16, and it was very transformative for me.

What really struck me was its simplicity - there were basically no chord changes - instead, each song was based around a vamp.



This changed the way I perceived music could be made and enjoyed.

Do you tend to find that, as many claim, “less is more?” Are the notes you don't play really as important as the ones you do play?

I think that “less is more” only works if you have really great ideas - otherwise, less can just be less.

The hard thing about making a minimal piece of art is that since there are fewer elements, flaws stick out more, so you have to make sure you have strong ideas.

For instance, if you’re making a record that’s based on a single loop, that loop has to be something you feel like you can listen to forever.

Do you feel that making music is a process of adding elements until it is done – or one where you chisel away pieces from something that is already there?

Often I start by quickly adding a lot of ideas without judging them, without worrying if there are too many, and without trying to perfect any individual element.

Then, one or two ideas will reveal themselves as the strongest, and at that point I take everything but those elements away, and only add back what’s necessary to serve them.

What were some of the starting points for “ARE U OK”?

I wanted to make a dance track - I hadn’t made DJ-friendly music in years and missed the way I saw people interact with my music in real time.

When Magali came to the studio, she improvised hilarious lyrics about a club night gone wrong, and we knew we had the concept for the record.

How did a minimalist mindset possibly inform the creative process?

The entire track is just vocals, bass and drums. There are no chords or melodies.

The idea was that the narrative of the lyric would carry the entire song, so in that way I think it’s pretty minimal.

Do you like to set yourself limitations? If so, which were some of those limitations for the new pieces?

I do like to set limitations, but it’s not a rule.

Often I’ll tell myself I can only finish a track by editing the existing audio, without adding any more elements.

Thanks to sampling and digital synthesis, there are endless possibilities. What are your considerations in this regard?

I don’t really sample other people’s music, but often I will sample my own music and mangle it to come up with something new.

Would you say that you approach your creative tools with a minimalist mindset?

My studio has quite a bit of gear, and I think it’s really important to focus on only a few pieces for each track.

I have a table in the middle of my room, and often if I’m working on a project, I’ll say, “OK, let’s just put these four or five pieces of gear on this table,” and that’ll be what I use.

That said, I’m not dogmatic about any one approach - I’ll break my rules and introduce something else if I feel like it could benefit the track.

What were some of the most important pieces of gear or instruments for this release?

This release is all about my modded TB-303, the SH-101, the 808, and the MS-20.

“Minimalism is about focusing on what truly matters.” What are some of your strategies for separating what matters from that which doesn't?

I don’t let the gear dictate what I want to do musically. Instead, I come up with the sound I want in advance - based on something I heard while listening to a DJ or in the car - and then I’ll seek out the gear required to make that sound.

That’s how I figure out what matters.

With so much incredible music instantly available, are you finding that you want to take it all in – or that you need to be more selective?

I’m somebody who likes so many types of music and wants to make all of it, but that’s just not possible. So I always have one track that’s heading toward the finish line, trying to reduce that down into the one thing it can be.

But I’ll also be making other music at the same time, which is in a more exploratory, childlike state where I have no rules and I’m not worrying about being too maximalist.

Would you say that minimalism extends into other parts of your life as well?

Definitely. I appreciate minimalist food, fashion and art.