EISM is a cross-genre electronic project developed by Bucharest-born artist and producer Marius Copel. EISM’s first studio album, Ecstatic Technologies, has been designed as a sound engine for endless stories and uncharted depths. An intimate journey through luminous nights and nocturnal middays.
Now he presents Tughra 0.02, his latest release and this is the result.
Hello! Where can we find you now? How did you start your day?
Hello! I am writing this from a small chamber in a medieval Italian town, with two main streets and five churches. A labyrinth of narrow paths that really inspires me. It seems repetitive but is very different from corner to corner. Though, not very Ibiza-style, as you can imagine. I am here for a period of time, with just a pair of headphones, a controller and my Ableton. But these creative restrictions could work well.
When did the idea of starting a project start to take shape? Has it always been something you wanted to do?
I’ve been around the music world for two decades, in different ways, but this specific project, Electrons in Slow Motion, dates from 2015. And It has been the most challenging and rewarding until this moment for me. I always envisioned to develop a project that is as free as it gets in means of personal and artistic intentions.
How would you define the sound of your latest work? What is the concept behind?
The latest single, Tughra 0.02, is the second instalment of a series that has a main intention: to materialize a personal sonic signature in different aesthetics and genres. Unrestricted in any way by the imposed or conventional norms. So Tughra 0.02 is a mix of deep and dirty drums and high flying electric guitars on top of flowing (and kind of warm) bass layer that might not seem from the same street corner in the beginning. Still they meet in the end, as planned. The statement that I am trying to make is that art should be about personal expression, not pre-established frames.
What artists are you interested in these days?
I am always interested in the work of artists form other fields. From the visual masters to the experimental poets. Everything has the potential to inspire or make you wonder. Music-wise, I discover new works every day. New for myself, at least. It is amazing the access that the internet gives us all, to explore musicians form all the scenes and all the eras, instantly. From Handel to Daniel Avery in a glimpse. This creates and interesting mix in the back of my mind after the audition. It makes me believe that powerful music comes form the same, metaphysical, place. No matter when and how it was made.
How do you manage to combine such disparate genres? How do you manage to give them unity and harmony? What do they have in common for you?
For me the main intention in the process is to let myself go. To not restrict the composition because you are “supposed” to use this instrument or that scale or chord. I am too curious to find out how to very different synth voices and instrument timbres work together, in a scale that I do not fully know. It’s like I am the owner of the house that they come to party in. I’m trying to be a good host, that’s all. And maybe harmony comes. If the conversation has quality and and an interesting story behind, things go in the same direction, in the end.
How would you define your sound?
My sound has taken several shapes in the last works, but what they have in common is the flowing, rugged and eclectic structure that binds them. What is certain, I do not like the crystal-clear sound aesthetics. It is kind of boring for me. In the same time I love the feeling of spatiality and depth. And the visual/cinematic taste that these bring.
Can you tell us something about your current or future projects?
I’ve got a new live act designed that I started to showcase. I am planning a series of shows that will involve also other fellow artists, that will be called “Cinematica.Live”. An audiovisual performance ground. Later this year, I will release a new full album and a separate EP. Two materials on different paths. I am trying to expand a bit my sound journey.
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