A l’occasion de sa magnifique sortie sur Prologue, Tim Westcott aka WNDFRM a répondu à nos 10 questions. Pour en savoir un peu plus sur lui, le natif de Portland, Oregon, nous a écrit ces quelques mots.
« I like to play with tones, drones, ambience, field recordings, rhythmic and percussive elements… They are all textures and layers to me, mix and match, modularity, much like the lego bricks I obsessed over as a child.
That and all the science fiction movies and TV probably had a great deal of influence on my abstract aesthetic. I resonate inwardly with the open spaces, the ephemeral, the aleatoric, the occasional and difficult to observe…
I strive to find the right balance of motion and stasis, and when rhythm is involved, to imply motion and change without actually changing much at all.
This is a minimalistic approach wrapped in atmosphere and tonality.
Early listening for me was Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jarre, Tomita… through periods of hiphop and discovering techno and the english IDM scene in the early 90’s. From there I started to reduce and dive further into the more static nature of labels like touch, 12k, Raster-Noton, etc, but always with a ear immersed in floor-oriented DJ mixes.
Living on the west coast of the US and Canada my whole life, and being a part of the music community here in Portland, Oregon, has been invigorating, and also allowed for a very DIY approach to the craft. There is a lot going on here, a lot of community and collaboration… much of it takes place in a very ‘underground’ fashion. Not on the big magazine radar, just yet.
I’ve been working with music and sound for over 20 years, and it’s taken me awhile to share. Doing my best to change that now, thanks for listening. »
Le track idéal pour détruire un dancefloor ? Best track to slaughter a dancefloor?
Well, I don’t DJ upbeat music, and my knowledge of current floor-fillers is pretty skint… but Mills always gets me moving, and The Bells is an absolute stormer!
Le track idéal en after ? Best track for an after party?
Nana April Jun’s « Ontology of Noise’ release is deep, sonorous, fetal.. my kind of after-party.
Le track idéal pour commencer un set ? Best track to start a set?
Best’ is totally dependent upon the set and the room and the time and the audience!
However, Noto’s Xerrox series often ends up in the starting position in my ambient sets… it’s a great way to let the room know that it’s time to head for deep space…
Le track idéal pour avoir le smile ? Best track to make people smile?
If this seminal track doesn’t make you smile, you don’t like music. this is my professional opinion. Orbital were visitors from the future in the late 80’s.
Le track idéal pour se délecter d’un 18 ans d’age dans un fauteuil au coin du feu ? Best track with an 18 year old wine sitting in a rocking chair next to the fireplace?
I discovered Phill Niblock several years ago, and was initially intrigued… however it took a few years for my listening habits to allow for the depth of his micro-tonal compositions to really sink in.
If one is going to sit, sip a complex beverage, and meditate on the fading embers of a fire, Niblock is good company.
Le track idéal pour replonger en enfance ? Best track to dive back into childhood?
For me this is a reminder of my six year old self… soaking up Kubrick’s minimalist, modernist interpretation of cislunar and planetary transit, rogue/higher intelligence, our relationship with the cosmos, and the ‘sense of wonder’, all accompanied by the surreal works of Ligeti and others.
To this day I have never been so profoundly imprinted by any film’s atmosphere or soundscape.
Le track idéal pour te réveiller ? Best track to wake you up?
I used to have this on a old mixtape… it took a long time for my mental database of Detroit techno to catch up.
If I hear this anywhere I am paying attention!! so lush and far-reaching… fire up the warp drive.
Le track idéal à n’importe quelle heure ? Best track at any time?
I choose a subtle and delicate subtext of my listening habits… I never get tired of Bretschneider.
Frank’s excursions in synthesis and texture are always compelling, immersive, and rich with detail.
Le track idéal pour caractériser tes productions ? Best track to characterize your productions?
I was really happy with this remix.
It’s a bridge between my dubby/ambient techno material and my more drone/soundscape oriented work.
Le track idéal pour résumer tes inspirations musicales ? Best track to summarize your musical inspirations?
After all is said and done, Autechre’s alien, percussive soundscapes were probably the most immediate and influential sound when I started to hit the ‘record’ button in the early 90’s..
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This list was fun, and extremely difficult to fill out. Thanks for the interest and thanks for listening!
