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Delicate Noise: Finally finishing Filmezza

  Tobias

Filmezza seemed very much an album with a special mood - what prompted you to allow others to penetrate its shell and lay their hands on the material?
After spending close to 2 years doing the album, I was ready for it to be released and really wasn't planning on reaching out to other people to remix my work. But after a few weeks of getting really positive reviews, I started looking for new musicians that I thought could bring something to the table and I wanted to hear my music interpreted thru other people. Being my 2nd CD, I never had anyone remix my music, so I thought this would be a positive experience for me.

 

Was part of the idea to see how far your original vision could be taken?
Filmezza was the type of album I always wanted to make; even when my first CD 'Diversion' was released I was already planning on going into this direction - the downtempo electronica shoe-gaze sound. But to achieve that was another thing. Once I started Filmezza I fell into the trap of not liking what I came up with. At times I would work on songs for weeks and then just get rid of them. I knew where I wanted to land with this album but I was having a hard time getting there and I guess that's one reason it took 2 years to finish.

And then to hand over my original ideas, that took so long to other people to remix, was a whole new thing for me. It was a new experience for me to let go and realize that yes, Filmezza was done... finally.

 

Remixing is often a question of big names. You instead decided to go for highly personal choices ...
I wasn't too familiar with their music, which was good because I did not have a preconceived idea of what it should sound like. Also I started looking more at iTunes, to see what's being released and by whom... and I started approaching musicians that I liked and that I thought could work with my sound and that were kind of on the same page with me. Only after I secured all seven of them did I realize that they were all from different countries... France, Japan, UK, Iceland, Italy, Canada and Spain. It was totally not planned. After listening to their own music, I heard myself a little in each of them. And I think that's what made me comfortable in contacting all seven of them.

 
Were they given complete freedom with regards to track selection and their approach to the remix?
Yes, I sent them Filmezza and they picked what they wanted to remix. Their music touched me personally and I knew handing over Filmezza to each artist, it would be in good protective and musically talented hands.

 

Was it important to you that "Filmezza Remixes" felt like a veritable album in its own right?
I was prepared for this because I realized I gave permission to seven different artists to remix my music and I didn't know what they would come up with. I knew that they did good work in the past and I liked their sound but you know... would they satisfy my taste and would I like their interpretation of my music that I worked on for 2 years. And the answer is yes!I think all seven of them, in their own special way, made me sound better and enhanced my songs with their vision.

 

At times, remixes can open even the eyes of the original artist to certain aspects of their music, which they weren't even aware of. Did that happen with some of these tracks as well?
Sure, after hearing the remixes, you can hear what other direction I could have taken this album. But isn't that what remixing is about? Believe me, I could have worked on this album another year but there comes a point where you have to feel satisfied with what you're doing and I came to that realization while working on Filmezza. And because of that I think I have grown tremendously as a musician. Not to say that you shouldn't take your time on your own material, but I think once you know you've got something, lay it down and keep it.

 
Which direction is the next full-length taking?
Funny you should ask that... I have it all planned out already. I have not started working on the album yet, but it's all in my head already. I can see the end result pretty clearly. I'm taking a new direction (kind of) and I am going more into the ambient world, where each song sounds like 'the ending of a song', if you know what I mean. Or to put it another way, it's almost like seeing a car accident in slow motion. What would that music sound like? The people seeing the crash, other cars slamming their brakes, the faces, the expressions of everyone involved - but in slow motion. I am heading for a big project where each song will have its own video already on DVD, when you buy the CD. (It will be a CD+DVD package). Basically digging deeper and more intensely introspective. And after that, who knows, maybe I'll flip things around and do a disco album... just kidding.

„Filmezza Remixes“ is out now on Lens Recordings.

Homepage: Delicate Noise
Homepage: Lens Records