Name: Tal Sandman aka Sandman Project

Nationality: Israeli

Occupation: Guitarist, composer, producer
Current Release: Sandman Project's Where Did You Go? is out via Batov.
Recommendations:
Listen to the amazing music of the artist called Kutiman.
The Five Powers by Stephen Folder (book)
The Myth of The Seven Shaman Worlds by Zohar Shalom

[Read our Kutiman interview]

If you enjoyed this Sandman Project interview and would like to stay up to date with her music and tour dates, visit her official homepage. Tal is also on Instagram, and Facebook, and has a personal website on the page of her label, Batov.



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?

My inspiration comes from everyday feelings and experiences. There is no one single sources of inspiration that drives my creation as much as is the combined experience or life as a whole.

I tend to be in deep awareness to the spirit of the overall vibe that surrounds me. This awareness brings me sparks of inspiration that translates into my musical writing and creation. Although I can definitely say that in that blend of things, the effect of my personal and intimate relationships has a significant effect more then others.

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 feel that I don't ever create my musical ideas from scratch. New melodies, beats and musical flows swim in my subconscious mind at almost any moment. The only thing I can choose to do is to either follow their trail or not.

Once I choose to ‘‘fish out‘‘ a musical idea, I don't visualize the final shape of my inspiration, but am definitely able to feel its future potential.

I don't decide what will be the final outcome of my finished work and I always keep a flexible approach and an open mind to the final outcome. (even if it greatly differs from what I thought it might come to be in the end).

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'?

Meditation is a powerful tool that I use for the good of my overall well-being and especially for my preparation phase. A 40 minute meditation session clears unwanted noises in my consciousness and brings my a pure sense of focus.

Another great tool that helps achieve precise results is my new “life partner“ … my very special Looper. With my beloved looper machine I can easily build new musical parts while keeping focus on my original ideas.

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?

The spirit of the city I live in gives a tremendous influence to the shape of my mindset and my music. My ritual for getting into a creative mindset is taking a walk in the beautiful city of Jaffa. Strolling the streets of the city and breathing its air creates an atmosphere that is hard to explain.

The view of the culturally mixed architecture and style of the city connects me to its roots. The mesmerizing sound of the moazzin captures my soul into a timeless pocket dimension for a short while.

Seeing my wonderful neighbors from different communities live together as their kids play innocently in the streets reminds me of the peaceful way of life that I wish would spread across the world. Feeling that many different types of people and backgrounds can be brought together into one place reminds me that there is also a place for me to stand out in the world with my own uniqueness.

Going out for a walk helps me breath all of these elements in and come back to my studio at home  feeling more creative then ever.

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?

In my experience, these two motions play a role in my process and balance each other out. I navigate through them both as I create.

I like to keep a flexible approach and let things flow while let my sense of control take over when needed.

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?

In my view, there is an infinite amount of possible ideas. With the years I have learnt how to navigate through this infinity as I let new directions pull me. Even while being pulled to new domains of color and vibe I can still keep a “monogamous relationship“ with the my original train of thought.

As for all those ideas that came into the sea of my awareness but were not fully incorporated into my music, I never let them float away completely. I record most of the ideas that come by and keep them in my favorite folder called “Groove Bank“.

Some of these lost ideas were given a proper place on my recent two albums and some are still there, waiting to be given a breath of life.

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?

The primal existence of music is an aspect of the spirit. Music, for me, is a channel to the higher being that makes us whole.

To be in the moment is the element of spirituality that comes through my creation process and it is a day to day practice.

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?

For me it's pretty simple. I tend to very quickly come to acceptance of a final state in my art.

It took me many years to understand when to stop making changes and refinements. But today, when it's done, I just know.

When you're in the studio to record a piece, how important is the actual performance and the moment of performing the song still in an age where so much can be “done and fixed in post?“

The organic and live performance of my music is where the magic happens. I reach my musical ideas from a live state of mind.

I bring my ideas to the band where we let these ideas prosper and grow in a live playing environment and I record my albums in a totally live recording.

The moment of magic between me and the players is what I'm aiming for and it is far more important than any post work.

Even recording a solo song is usually a collaborative process. Tell me about the importance of trust between the participants, personal relationships between musicians and engineers and the freedom to perform and try things – rather than gear, technique or “chops” - for creating a great song.

Before our relationship as professional musicians, our group shares a relationship of close friends. When there is love in the working space, there also tends to be an openness to accept other musicians' ideas.

Our fused cooperation is an element that affects the way my music behaves. It's important to note that its super important for me to trust myself and in my choice of band members that I let inside my personal space of creation.

Once I trust my self, the other band members can feel that they have a place in music and can more easily trust themselves to bring them selves out.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? In terms of what they contribute to a song, what is the balance between the composition and the arrangement (performance)?

Finding the right mix and mastering is an inseparable part of creating an album.

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?

I know of this experience from other creators, but for me this feeling is not something that I ever felt. As soon as I release new art into the world my mind is instantly set on the next tunes I wish to work on.

If budget wasn't an issue, I would like to release an album everyday!

Music is a language, but like any language, it can lead to misunderstandings. In which way has your own work – or perhaps the work of artists you like or admire - been misunderstood? How do you deal with this?

There is a Hebrew expression saying “There's no point in arguing about matters of taste and smell.“

People will always have various thoughts and experiences from all types of art. I don't take their thoughts personally in any way. I don't judge them for having opinions on art just as I don't judge myself on the type of art that comes from my doing.

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?

Music is my way to feel a part of the human heartbeat as a whole.

Creating and sharing my music to the world puts my creative expression at its peak. It's the sense of touching a great number of ears that amplifies the effect of creativity and makes music greater than any other medium that I use for creative output.