Upcoming release from our beloved Canadian label, Defmain Music, konphas presents their new release. “Close your eyes and let your mind wander in a world filled with noisy, noisy mechanical machinery.” This is how System Failure is presented, a sound work made up of four original songs – Propaganda, System Failure, Slave Labor and Renewal.
We have had the pleasure of interviewing him and this has been the result.
Hello! Where can we find you right now? How did you start your day?
Hi, I’m at home in Berlin right now. It’s a great summer day here, so I had coffee and fruits on the balcony in the sun this morning.
When did the idea of starting a project like yours begin to form? Has it always been something you wanted to do?
Well I’ve actually been making music (with traditional instruments) nearly all my life, so it’s always been something I wanted to do. The decision to go professional and the desire to make electronic music and techno myself was basically sparked in 2017 when I discovered modular synthesizers. By 2019 I had some decent equipment together and started making my first tracks. All this coincided with a feeling of having reached the end of the road with what I had been doing before, there was just nothing new and exciting in it for me anymore.Designing sounds with the modular synth was so incredibly refreshing and I kinda felt reborn artistically. Also around that time I actually started going to clubs to see specific artists and not just to party like before, so all these factors came together nicely and led me to where I am today.
How would you define the sound of your latest work?
The System Failure EP definitely had a distinct concept, which was mainly based on field recordings, samples and heavy processing to create an industrial vibe, while not being a purely industrial work. There are a lot of rich textures, pads and subtle rhythmic elements complementing and contrasting each other. With this EP I basically wanted to do something heavy, dystopic and hard-hitting. Though the last track is more on a positive note and has a bit of a 90s vibe. To me personally it’s roughly about the current state of the world, western democracies and capitalism but everyone can and should have their own interpretation.
What artists are you interested in these days?
Oh there’s so many really, it’s impossible to name just a few, so I’m not gonna try ha. You know, with the exception of overly or purely commercial music, I’ve never really had any stylistic boundaries and loved pretty much anything from classical to black metal, so you can imagine there’s a myriad of genres and artists I follow.What matters to me most is authenticity, a clear artistic vision and a sense for innovation, pushing the envelope. That’s not to say that ‘functional’ techno or music in general doesn’t have its place, but I probably tend to gravitate more towards sound exploration and cerebral structures of all kinds.
Can you tell us something about your current or future projects?
On the techno side, I’m working on a new EP using microtonal scales, this time completely from modular sources and with less aggressive kicks.I also have a new recording setup with a 16 track analog mixer and a new interface so I can record tracks in one take and only have sporadic overdubs later if necessary. On the ambient/experimental side, I’ve had a project since last year that is about the sonification of climate related issues. It’s entirely field recordings from earth and nature sounds to industrial noises.Aside from that I’m working on some compositions for traditional instruments as well, right now it’s a piano piece focusing on stacks of fourths and a microtonal piece for two harps.
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www.instagram.com/konphas/
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