Name: Shlomi Aber
Nationality: Israeli
Occupation: Producer, DJ, label owner at Be As One
Current Release: Shlomi Aber's Can't Sleep EP is out via Chris Liebing's CLR.
Gear Recommendations: A Tascam tape machine is always a nice addition to every studio, same goes for a Manley compressor or a Neve stereo expander.

[Read our Chris Liebing interview]

If you enjoyed this interview with Shlomi Aber, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and Soundcloud.  

Over the course of his career, Shlomi Aber has collaborated and appeared on releases with a wide range of artists, including DJ Sneak, and Guti.

[Read our DJ Sneak interview]
[Read our Guti interview]

What was your first studio like?

My first studio was in my parents' garage. When I was 15-16 years old I moved my computer and speakers there as it was too noisy inside the house.

And since I basically spent most of my day there, I eventually moved my bed as well and made it my little cave.

How and for what reasons has your set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear for you?

I already started collecting gear from a young age. At some point I found myself having so many things I don’t use that were just taking up space and decided to sell those I dont use. Since then, it has become my habit to always get rid of gear I don't need anymore instead of letting it gather dust for years and treat myself to new machines instead to keep my self intrigued in the studio.

These days my most used pieces of hardware are my old 70s Telefunken pre amp as its giving my entire music a certain color that has become one of my signatures.

Some see instruments and equipment as far less important than actual creativity, others feel they go hand in hand. What's your take on that?

Hand in hand indeed.

You can be the best singer in the world, but your voice is always going to be more lush with a little bit reverb on it. :)

A studio can be as minimal as a laptop with headphones and as expansive as a multi-room recording facility. Which studio situation do you personally prefer – and why?

Since I use hardware, I will go with the second option indeed.

I wouldn’t go as far as calling a computer and headphones a “studio” (which unfortunately people do today). But it doesn’t mean you can’t make great music this way.

From traditional keyboards to microtonal ones, from re-configured instruments (like drums or guitars) to customised devices, what are your preferred controllers and interfaces? What role does the tactile element play in your production process?

I am very tactile, but only when it comes to the recording process. Once that is done, I'm working on Cubase as a base for arrangements. It's basically more automated.

In the light of picking your tools, how would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

Thanks very good question.

I always saw myself more classic in that sense. I'm a big fan of the old school techno movement and I still think that people like mad Mike or UR are sounding more futuristic than anything out there today.

Most would regard recording tools like microphones and mixing desks as different in kind from instruments like keyboards, guitars, drums and samplers. Where do you stand on this?

For a great result you need to control both equally. I'll say that every instrument should be treated with the same level of attention, even if one is more talent-based while the other is more technical. In the end it's all connected and artistic in its own way.

How would you describe the relationship between technology and creativity for your work? Using a recent piece as an example, how do you work with your production tools to achieve specific artistic results?

I believe technology and creativity are connected - but not in the consensus way most of the people may think. If you mistakenly touch a knob and something cool happens, that doesn’t really make you creative.

But the moment you actually decide that you can use that mistake to your benefit and create something new out of it, that's the creative part.

Within a digital working environment, it is possible to compile huge archives of ideas for later use. Tell me a bit about your strategies of building such an archive and how you put these ideas and sketches to use.

Very true, that's basically the main benefit of the digital word, memory.

I do use digital based samplers sometimes in case that I need to keep working on a project later on, especially as I keep changing parts and the mix until almost the release date of each track.

How do you retain an element of surprise for your own work – are there technologies which are particularly useful in this regard?

The surprise is for me, not for them, if you know what I mean.

I'm not looking to surprise as a “result”, I'm just getting that itch when I actually surprise myself and coming up with something I didn't expect.

Production tools can already suggest compositional ideas on their own. How much of your music is based on concepts and ideas you had before entering the studio, how much of it is triggered by equipment, software and apps?

I don't use any loops or presets in my productions, so there aren’t any obvious influences or similarities leading my process.

That being said, we are always influenced by the environment or from listening to other records. No one is immune to influences.

Have there been technologies which have profoundly changed or even questioned the way you make music?

Yes, indeed, but I dont use those (unfortunately). There are so many easier ways of making music than mine, even easier software as Ableton which are very user friendly.

But I'm not a fan of changes when it comes to my workflow. I'm basically working the same way as I was 20 years ago.

To some, the advent of AI and 'intelligent' composing tools offers potential for machines to contribute to the creative process. Do you feel as though technology can develop a form of creativity itself? Is there possibly a sense of co-authorship between yourself and your tools?

It's always a relationship between the producer and the machine. Most or even all that happens in the studio is a direct result of that relation.

If a producer should tell you he had one thing in mind and he managed to get exactly what he wanted, it is sure to be a misrepresentation of the truth. Producers constantly feed from the moment and from what comes out of it. They're playing the machines until something clicks - not the other way around.

What tools/instruments do you feel could have a deeper impact on creativity but need to still be invented or developed?

Maybe something that can translate the ideas from the mind to the physical word. Like have a loop in your mind and then having it written and sampled to the computer.

In that case though, mistakes and new discoveries will be avoided as the exploring process will be avoided. Which ultimately means death to new development and creativity.