Janek Schaefer's album 'Above Buildings' has just been released by Fat Cat Records. It is an understated, yet emotive work that creates much tactile feeling through the use of processed sounds, drones, noise, field recordings and found instruments. It is an album that fans of electronica will be immediately immersed in and newcomers will find inspiring. I really got interested in Janek because of his interest in architecture (my own passion) and its intergral part in any sound installation. As part of a student project, Janek became famous for his student project 'Recorded Delivery' where an voice activated recorder was sent through the post. During its journey it recorded it's environment creating impressions of a world in movement through time and space. It was a simple idea, that seems typical of Janek's work- concepts that seem unspectacular on paper which become tremendous vehicles for sound creaton. His most famous work is the invention of the tri arm turn table that exploits the aural capabilities of a vinyl record. Whether the results are by accident, improvisation or thoughtfulness, Janek's recordings are open to infinite variations. I asked Janek to explain his concepts and approaches.
|
Because of it's very nature, are you pleased with 'Above Buildings' as a complete finished work, or do you feel that there are more ways you could have done it better? |
"The album is a composition. One that I was in control of [up to a point!] I started work on it almost two years ago in theory with a gradual build up of material in progress over that time. When it came to the crunch [agreeing with Fat Cat that we would release an album] I slowly replaced all but one of the compositions with new work grounded in the travel recordings I made in France, Canada, England and America. So in doing this I began to collate a set of independent tracks which I was happy with. It is a snap shot of that period of my thoughts and as such I am very pleased with the results."
| The Shifted Centre Vinyl, Re-Molten Vinyl, Microphone 7", turntable Tri-phonic Turntable all exploit the basic functions of a mundane object. Are you interested in the material nature of vinyl for it's potential for manipulation? |
"Oh yes indeed, this has been the focus of my work for the past three years. Vinyl is a wonderful medium for this with the sound being so physical. Each project has led to the next in a very natural way. More recently I have been expanding my working methods to embrace the whole process of 'manipulation'."
| Were these manipulations discovered by accident or by predetermined need to experiment? |
"It is very true that experimentation and accident form the basis of my working technique. Each new project inevitably led to new ideas being explored in relation to the situations presented. Each idea is both a mix of its new concept and the discovery of that concepts potential via experimentation and accidental investigation."
| The concept of a three tone arm turntable sounds insane. Is that why only you have tried it? |
"When I came up with this idea and invented the Tri-Phonic Turntable I was the only one [to push it so far?]. There have been other people since who have also arrived at a similar place [both with and without knowing about my concept]. The Tri-Phonic is still the most versatile turntable around. This is what it was invented for, to achieve the most possible manipulations of vinyl as possible. Its not such an insane idea when you consider what it does. A record is the most hands on format of sound that there is. It is laid out as a series of physical bumps across a wide flat surface. It is all accessible at the same time. It just seemed obvious to me that you could access it in several places simultaneously."
| Do you believe the function of any sound artiste is to exploit everything available to him? |
"I believe that the function of any sound artist is to exploit anything that is appropriate to their concept."
| Is there not a criticism that this is all done for novelty value and for its own sake? |
"What! This suggests that any form of progress or innovation does not have wider significance or potential. Of course the Tri-Phonic was in fact a new [novel] idea, and I did make it to see what would it could do, but that was only the beginning. The whole purpose of the idea was to enable me to create new compositions, which are a world unto themselves."
| Do you like being called a composer, eg. in the tradition of Phillip Glass or John Cage, or are just a hobbyist? |
"A hobbyist is someone who does an activity in their spare time. This is a full time lifestyle for me. The differentiation between a composer, a performer and a recording artist does interest me, as I am all three. The boundaries are very blurred in my work."
| What kind of audience are your recordings aimed at? |
"From the first moment that I came up with the notion of the Tri-Phonic I had been wanting to go out and find an audience that was, quite simply, of a similar mind to myself. This has been a great revelation, to actually make friends with others who appreciate the kind of 'music' that I make and consequently like to listen too also. What is very rewarding is to meet someone who has no idea about the 'experimental' side of music and to get them to experience it through a live performance. They are immersed in it, which proves to be a great force."
| Is there an intellectual level to a recording like 'Above Buildings' that goes beyond the processes involved in creating it? |
"Well its fairly obvious to say that ideas are very important to me in my work. I strongly believe in the power of intuition when actually making or performing music though. This is usually preceded by the evolution of a concept for that recording, be it a technique or a sound source or whatever is appropriate."
|
|
"I have friends who just fiddle around and never record anything, friends who make music and then never listen to it , but I'm of the state of mind where I like to make and listen to my own work. There is of course an issue of standards. I usually make music with a specific end in mind and I am always amazed with how a track can materialise form nowhere to become such a powerful entity. I am usually in awe of this transition, it seems beyond your experience. Most of my work is made through trial and error, where I try and try again until I reach the point of satisfaction. I am critical during the production stages more that at the end. The exception to this was during the making of 'Above Buildings' where I did shelve many previous works under a 'demo' type section. After having made these over a two year period I felt that their time had passed and been useful as ways of developing the live performances of my album 'Out' on [K-RAA-K]3 records."
| Do you believe critics in magazines are able to make that distinction as well? |
"The very purpose of releasing a record in my opinion is to present finished work. Critics can only judge what is presented to them, and as a result either like it or not depending on all the variables involved. An uninformed opinion from a critic is a waste of time in my book!"
|
Your youth was spent in choir. How fascinated are you by the qualities of the human voice and has choir singing influenced any of your recent works? |
"I really love the power of a good chorus in ancient or classical traditions. I am not a fan of singing or songs generally in contemporary music, although exceptions filter through. There is nothing that turns me off more than a slowed down voice on my turntables and I am not personally influenced by the voice in my current work in any way shape or form."
| After your balls dropped you seemed to have lost interest in sound manipulation. Why was that? |
"Um...after being head chorister I was a teenager at school listening to pop and thinking of girls while being pounded by the need to get things right in class. I wasn't encouraged to make it all up I'm afraid. As soon as I left school and started architecture I was encouraged to make it all up....so the journey to today began."
|
You then studied architecture. Do you still design buildings, on paper, that are informed by your creations (or vice versa)? |
"I was lucky enough to study at the Royal College of Art at a time when the course was in a shambles. We were offered no direction so again I had to make it all up for myself. During this period I created the 'Recorded Delivery' Installation of a sound activated tape recorder travelling overnight through the post. From that point on I designed several buildings which explored the relationship between sound space and place. Visit http://Mstation.org/jschaefer.html for more information."
| How important is the spatial quality of a building if music/noise/electronics is to be appreciated properly? |
"I really believe in the importance of the architecture of an environment to alter the perception and reception of all kinds of music. This applies mainly to its live performance. I actively try to perform in interesting spaces for this reason. A sense of difference and intrigue The situation is equally important too though. How the audience are prepared and what their expectations are all combine to give a certain dynamic. For me, an unusual space and a quiet audience equals a perfect setting for my work."
|
|
"I have always thought that this was a funny comparison and one which I do agree with [in my own way!]. The way concrete takes an imprint from its immediate reality during construction does bare comparison to the approaches of musique concrete."
|
|
"Sure! I am currently in my blue period. I am fortunate to have my own room at home where I do all my work. Every surface is painted cobalt blue [the one they use as blue screens for special effects] It is what I call a galley studio - long and thin. Along one side are all my recording gadgets set out on a long blue surface, with all my records and books and things stored in blue cubes floating above this. Down this end in front of my window is my desk and computer hardware. Exciting hey!"
| You have encompassed many techniques like turntablism, soundscapes and noise. Have you always been a keen follower of all these? |
"Not at all, like I said I was into pop and then techno before I started out actually making music. It has been a rapid voyage of discovery learning about the history of experimental music. That is all I try and collect and listen to these days. Robert Hampson, Philip Jeck,, Alvin Lucier, David Tudor, Martin Tetreault and Fennesz are my favourite artists currently."
|
Above Buildings seems to have been informed by your travels. Is experience of place an important factor for you across all your works, or was that just an isolated concept for this record? |
"The predominant emphasis on field recordings was particular to 'Above Buildings'. My previous work dealt with the constructions of imaginary space and place. Field recordings have always played a role in my work though too."
| Do you believe you are able to make the distinction between a good electronic work and a bad one as created by other artistes? |
"Definitely. We are all different in our tastes and influences. This is particularly to those who also make music as we have an inside understanding of what others are presenting."
| If you had an ideal roster for your label, who would you have on it? |
"As Above: Robert Hampson, Philip Jeck,, Alvin Lucier, David Tudor, Martin Tetreault and Fennesz"
|
|
"Definitely, I still have a fond place in my heart for Techno. The music I make is for stationary people on the whole, and there is nothing I like more that moving madly to techno."
| Please pick two tracks off 'Above Buildings' and talk us through their creative processes. |
"Tone-arm Two: The dominant source
material chosen for manipulation in this track was all the faulty
sounds that my Tri-Phonic makes. The loose connections of the
tone-arms mainly. It was a fast process built up on computer,
developed as an antidote to the previous tracks. It is very broken
in its flow. The format of the composition grew very organically,
as I didn't have a pre-determined structure. I just wanted it
to make itself.
Light over Las Vegas: This was a live composition, built to grow
and flow, build and fade. The source materials here were the
random sounds of the casino grafted into the essential sound
of Las Vegas - electricity. While I was waiting to catch a bus
to The Strip at dusk the street lamp next to me burst into an
incredible hum/buzz. I took a contact mike recording of this.
Back in the studio these were processed and than played and collaged
live. The great pulses and shimmerings eventually fade into the
ever beautiful sounds of a stuck stylus gradually working its
way across the disc."
| How much of your recorded music is influenced by the results achieved from playing live? |
"This was the only thing that I did for many years, until my more recent combination of the computer interface. It really is bloody amazing what we can do to sound in the current age. Performance has been key to influencing my personal sound and approach to it. I was though more and more interested of trying new ways of breaking up the flow of my initial recordings, and the computer is where this is taking place."
| Is there a different creative process between something for CD and something specifically for sound installation? |
"Ah, now 'sound installation' is a whole different zone. I put my artists badge on when I do this and the work is strongly associated with the place / space involved. For Installations I do not perform but instead make a specific work, which presents itself. For a performance the music can happen most everywhere with each improvisation being different to the next. My installations are usually not musical but instead focus on the nature of sound in a broader context."
|
Have any of your installations gone embarrassingly wrong and is that part and parcel of experimental music? |
"The best example of something unexpected happening was captured by my sound activated dictaphone. I knew that the everyday sounds of the movement of this parcel through space would be fairly interesting but I was unprepared for when it hit the early morning sorting office. The staff there were obsessed with trying to out do each other telling tales of their supposed sexual exploits from the night before. Nasty stuff to anyone's ears, but damn funny."
| You have a collaboration with Robert Hampson as Comae. What is that going to let you express as opposed to solo work? |
"It is a very natural progression. I have never been keen on the notion of improvised collaborations but somehow the hyper-critical Mr. Hampson and I have totally hit it off in the studio and on stage. The project has allowed me to explore live composition with a lot more space around my actions, responding as we do to each other. From the first moment, robert didn't want to talk about what we did, which is rather hard for me. Just do it was his statement. This approach dictated that we survive on our shared instincts. Fortunately our goal is a common one.
| I have 'Hz' by Main. How has a work like that influenced you? |
"I've been trying to get a copy of Hz for a while now. I normally only like to own one [or two at a stretch] albums by a particular artist as this is what you become attached to. Main is the first time I have been keen to collect the lot. I didn't know about Main until I met Robert, it was a beautiful revelation to me. Very much in my orbit. Firmament ll has to be my favourite so far."
| How did you hook up with the guys from Fat Cat? |
"Back in the summer of 1997 I had just finished making my Tri-Phonic Turntable. I was hunting for more performance opportunities, when a friend of a friend of a friend [who used to be a member of The Buggles] offered me a slot at Madame Jo Jo's in Soho [London]. Hosted by a suave guy called Count Indigo this was an Easy Listening night through and through. My short, vibrant set seemed to create an extreme set of opposite responses. It's the only time that I've been heckled and also the only time the resident DJ, spurred on by the excitement of his friends, passed on my demo tape to Mr. Howell at Fat Cat who offered me my 'big break'. The rest, as they say, is history."
| Are the labels you are recording for big players in the electronics scene or do you feel you are resolved to a life of obscurity? |
"I hope that I've already made it to the surface of the pond of obscurity. The Guardian, of all people, named Above Buildings as the 'CD of the week' in their On The Edge section just before christmas so I think that I'm crawling on the land of un-obscurity!"
|
|
"I have nothing to be angry about with my music!"
|
|
"Only to the point of where I became totally enthralled by the Election caper last year in america. I loved the unfolding madness of it all. Like a good game unfolding, keeping you glued to the seat. [But only to discover that the rules don't mean anything in the end and the opponent was allowed to cheat.]"
|
What kind of things concern Janek Schaefer the citizen? |
"Making a living in London. Fuck it costs money to live here!"
| Do you feel like a revolutionary simply because your music is not mainstream? |
"I'm only revolutionary in the sense that I make records spin slowly!! I don't think that my ideas are necessarily revolutionary just new in a climate of investigation."
| What aspects of environmental consciousness interests you the most and why? |
"The realisation and fact that too much rain will mean that there are parts of our island that will become lost to the elements. It's taking us from within. as its not just the sea that will rise, the sky's will fall too."
|
How do you rate the urban area where you live as a 'green conscious' place? |
"It's a fucking great metropolis, eating away at the earth. An amazing hybrid of activity, and one which gives us little boxes to put our glass and paper in."
|
|
"My next plan for world celebrity status is the realisation of my 'Skate' LP. This is a reversing of the rules of the record. Instead of being a continuous stream of sound, it will be scattered with very short arcs of sound across it's surface. The needle will randomly find and play these fragments of sound and will, I think, form quite a rhythmic composition. Different every time as the turntable, the stylus and the 'performer' will never play it the same."
Everything to do with
Janek Schaefer. For info or to order stuff from his label first
get in contact: janek@audiOh.com
>
Forth coming projects:
2001 catalogue no. Rhiz 009 CD 'Comae' Debut album with Robert
Hampson as Comae on Rhiz Records, Vienna/Berlin.
» 'Skate' Single sided LP collage of very short scars of
sound on the record. [Invented cutting technique.]
» '3x3x3' CD/installation collaboration with Martin Tetreault
& Robert Hampson
» 3" CD for Staalplaat. exploring zero revolution
vinyl and no record turntables
» CD collaboration with Christian Fennesz & Robert
Hampson
» 3" CD studio collaboration with Philip Jeck for
[K-RAA-K]3 records
» New solo CD album for Sub Rosa records
>
Projects:
1976 'Journey' composition
and improvisation of 1st sound collage aged 6.
1994 'Architectural cleaner required'
composition of 2nd concréte collage at the 1994 Architectural
Winterschool
1995 catalogue no.AudiOh! 01 10xCDR
'Recorded Delivery' Sound activated tape recording of parcel
in post for'Self Storage' exhibition with Brian Eno & Laurie
Anderson organised by Art Angel. London
1995 'MFA 040695' Sound collage commissioned
by Andrew Onräet for RCA degree show. London
1995 catalogue no.AudiOh! 02 Cassette
Album '95 Degree Angles' Lo-fi electronic collages
1996 'Uleybeast Herd' Endless loop
cassette/ 3D installation commissioned by Prema Arts. Uley village
1996 'Craftwerk' Sound installation
commissioned by Urban Salon for 'Objects of Our Time' exhibition
at Crafts Council
1996 catalogue no.AudiOh! 03 Cassette
Album 'Disturbed in Disguise' Created for group show 'Public
Views 2'. London
1997 'Trap' 3D/Sound Collaboration
with Pierre D'Avoine & Dianna Burrell for Fused exhibition
at the RIBA. London
1997 'RAM' Sound Installation commissioned
by Urban Salon for 'Portable Architecture' show at the RIBA.
London
1997 'Tri-phonic Revolutions' Premier
of my 3 arm bi-directional micro vari-speed turntable at the
Urban Salon. London
1997 catalogue no.AudiOh! 04 33xClear
vinyl reverse play LP 'His Master's Voices' 1st collection of
Tri-phonic collages
1997 'CX Symphony' Music/Video commissioned
for touring group show of cinema in Citroen CX by Jackie Chettur.
1997 Performance alongside Project
D.A.R.K. at the Cyber Theatre, Brussels
1997 Performance by invitation of
the Radio Science Orchestra at Madame Jo Jo's, soho. London
1997 catalogue no.AudiOh! 05 Cassette
Album 'HITS' Collection of my most popular least unheard chart
exploding collages
1997 'Beeeep' Voiceover [as featured
on Channel 4 news] for the Architecture Foundation 'Roadshow'
Video Beacon.
1998 'The Ideal Home' Multi room
sound collage for the Oyster House by Nigel Coates at the Ideal
Home Exhibition.
1998 Performance alongside Project
D.A.R.K & Disastronaut, at Cyberia London & Manchester
1998 catalogue no.AudiOh! 06 Cassette
Album 'Cross Talk' Lyrical music played forwards and backwards
simultaneously. Commissioned for 'Masquerade' exhibition at London
Printworks Trust. London
1998 Performance at Loop#2 club night
for Fat Cat Records. The Riverside, Newcastle
1998 Performance at the International
Symposium of Electronic Arts 98. Liverpool
1998 Performance at 'Scratch Crackle
& Pop' one day vinyl celebration at The Phoenix Gallery.
Brighton
1998 Performance at Rough Trade 10th
anniversary, Covent Garden
1998 Performance at Tactical Bar
Fat Cat 12" launch party, Soho
1998 catalogue no.12FAT023 Split
12" with Pan American on Fat Cat Records. Series curated
by Dave Howell from 'Obsessive Eye' mag
1998 Performance in Hasselt, Belgium
alongside Matt Wand, V/VM, Foehn, Third Eye Foundation &
Antenna Farm.
1999 Performance at Slack Sabbath
Brighton Arts Club.
1999 Performance at 'Mind The Gap'
architectural installation, House of World Culture, Berlin.
1999 Performance alongside Pole &
Semiconductor at Brighton Arts Club.
1999 Performance at Sonic Mook Experiment,
The Scala club, London.
1999 Performance at The Lux Cinema,
alongside Philip Jeck, in association with The Wire magazine
1999 catalogue no. Airmile 72 Red
7" 'Recorded Delivery' on Hot Air records. 600 edition.
1999 'Car Free London' 2xRandom CD
Soundtrack for exhibition at the OXO tower with the Urban Salon,
London
1999 Performance at Scotland's Secret
Nuclear Bunker alongside Main, Disinformation & Scanner
1999 Performance series at ZKM +
Kunst und Technik [GDR] alongside Nicolas Collins, Disinformation
& Yo!ensemble
1999 'OMA Rem Koolhaas:Living' exhibition
soundtrack's and graphics for the ICA show. London
1999 Performance at 'Instant Music
Meeting' alongside Phil Durrant/Richard Sanderson
1999 Presentation and performance
at 'What Is Sonic Art' symposium, Middlesex Univerity
1999 catalogue no. K3017 CD 'OUT'
on [K-RAA-K]3 records. 2x 30 min Live performance.
1999 Performance at Imp club night,
Sheffield, alongside Robert Hampson, Antenna Farm, Autechre &
Squarepusher.
1999 Selection as 'Sound Designer
of the Year' for the Creative Review annual exhibition. London.
1999 Performance duo with Philip
Jeck at Twe, Belgium, for [K-RAA-K]3 records.
2000 Performance aboard the 'Batofar'
boat, Paris for Fat Cat alongside Gescom and Foehn.
2000 Performance at 'Futuresonic
<00>' Manchester.
2000 Performance at 'Extrasensory'
alongside Bernhard Günter, 291 Gallery, London
2000 catalogue no. Diskono 011 off-centre
7"'Wow' Track on disc pressed eccentrically on 7" to
induce tone fluctuation.
2000 catalogue no. The Wire Tapper
6 Special Edition The Wire Cover 2xCD featuring my track 'Accident
Assistant'
2000 catalogue no.AudiOh! 07 CDR
'Return To Sender' Recording/Installation at the Lighthouse Gallery,
Wolverhampton.
2000 catalogue no. FAT SP02 CD 'Above
Buildings'. Studio album for Fat Cat Records, London
2000 Comae US/Canadian inaugral tour
playing at NYC [Tonic & Knitting Factory]: Pittsburgh [supporting
Godspeed..]: Cleveland [Speak in Tongues]: Chicago [Empty Bottle
& Chicago Arts Institute]: Detroit [contemporary Gallery]:
Toronto [Teds Wrecking Yard]: Montreal [FCMM festival at Ex-Centris]:
Winnipeg [Send & Receive Festival]: Brussels2000 [Vacant
City]
2000 Headline concert at 'National
Phonographic' at The Dutch Architecture Institute, Rotterdam.
2000 catalogue no. E.R.S 120/07 LP
'LOCKers' 2 tracks on selected various artists locked groove
LP
