1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?
If I had to choose my favorite knob on a device, it would be the Control All in Elektron boxes.
I just love the possibility that one knob allows you to completely flip a sequence and transform it into something completely new. At the same time that option allows you to new realms of sound design, it’s also a great performance tool.
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
I would say that for me, any Elektron box that I have, I can have fun and use it alone. At the moment I have an Elektron Digitone2, the Digitakt 2, and the Syntakt, and most of the time I like to use one machine at a time to take advantage of their full capacity and push my creativity to the limit. The only thing I miss at the moment is any kind of granular engine or machine for the Digitakt 2. For example, I’m a huge fan of granular synthesis, and I wish to see Elektron approach that sometime in the future.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?
For the holiday, I would take the Elektron Digitone 2. It’s a box totally capable of being used alone for making beats or tracks. It has drums, multiple synth engines, effects, and a powerful sequencer. Also, it’s a pretty versatile box for any type of music or sonic exploration. So no limits exist on this device, which allows both fun for holiday breaks and studio work.
If I had to group a complete setup, I would take the Elektron Digitakt 2 for samples, the Syntakt for analog drums and mono basses, the Digitone 2 for FM synthesis, chords, pianos, and melody work, and the Novation Peak as my favorite polyphonic synth to complete the melody part on the Digitone.
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
The only software I use at the moment is the Maschine DAW from Native Instruments.
Several times I thought about making the move to the hardware and purchasing the Maschine Plus, but I like to have these two types of setups, one hybrid for music producing and one totally DAWless that usually takes me to the jamming realm. So for now I’m happy about not changing anything.
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
No regrets. I usually keep gear rotating, mostly because I love to explore different types of hardware, but I hate having too much, so things don’t collect dust for a long time. I keep the only ones I love, but more important for me is the utility I give to them. All the instruments I had have an important role in how I did improve my music and in helping me understand what types of devices fit the most with my particular way of making music.
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
I have produced most of my music with Maschine from Native Instruments. I worked with it alone for several years, so over time it was that combination of hardware and software, all in one, that allowed me to make most of my music. But the Elektron workflow was the thing that changed the most my view and the way I work nowadays. I was never a fan of sequencers until I put my hands on one Elektron device and understood how powerful it can be. It’s super inspiring the way you can record modulation or make live changes super quick. Also, I have learned a lot about synthesis language by spending a lot of time with one device at a time. At this current time, nothing inspires me more than just grabbing an Elektron box and playing with it with no purpose at all.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
If I had to start over again with the knowledge about music production I have today, I would pick Elektron Digitone 2. It’s my desert island device at the moment; I just love its versatility, workflow, and the sonic diving that the device allows you. Also, 16 tracks and voices, combined with effects, a bunch of modulation, and the powerful sequencer, offer almost everything I need if I had to start over.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
At the moment no piece of gear annoys me; if that’s so, it’s time to go.
But I’m still using a DAW to produce at this point, so if I can pick a computer as gear, this is it.
9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
It’s really hard for me to pick one trick; I love tricks, and I try to learn as many as I can.
But lately I’m using more and more ghost notes both on melodies and drums. They add a lot of groove and expression, and on melodies they work great to shuffle a bit on a harp or a sequence. When you decrease the chance of playing them in sequence and lock some parameters to them, they work great to spice up a bit something that you want to keep playing for a long time but have some unpredictable notes showing up now and then along the way.
Sometimes simple and classic tricks are those that work the best.
Artist or Band name?
Ikigai Cosmonaut
Genre?
Electronic experimental music
Selfie?
Where are you from?
Lisbon, Portugal
How did you get into music?
Music was with me since I was a kid. I started to build my own instruments by the age of 5 or 6 years old. At 11, my father gave me an acoustic guitar, and 2 years later, I moved to an electric one. I never had any music training; I have always been self-taught, and the thing I loved the most was composing.
Producing electronic music came later in my life, when I realized that it was possible to make music on my own and not depend on a band or anyone else. I always felt this need to overflow, tell stories, and express my emotions through sound. But the thing I love the most about making music is this kind of conversation you have with gear while creating.
What still drives you to make music?
Curiosity. I’m a super curious person, and my drive has been learning more and more every day.
Getting lost in a world of endless exploration, with no previous decision made in my creations, is something I’m super into. I never know where music is leading me, and I just embrace whatever I’m feeling at that moment. Music for me is a capture of a moment and the relationship you built with the gear you have. The road between getting lost and found at the same time is super motivating for me.
How do you most often start a new track?
Having no rules is always how I approach music making.
Usually I sit with the gear I have and start sonic exploring until I find something that translates what I’m feeling at that moment. Once I find something that clicks with me, it can be a loop or a specific sound, I keep on building upon that.
Making music for me is like having a deep conversation. I put myself on it and try to understand what music is trying to say or needs.
I don’t believe in formulas; for me, music is a capture of a present moment.
How do you know when a track is finished?
Usually I build the body of a track pretty fast and lose a lot of time on details that most people will never listen to, but for me, I know that one track is finished when the message or story behind it translates through the sound itself. Technically, I’ve learned that I will never be totally happy about the final outcome because I keep on learning and searching for a perfection that doesn’t even exist, so with time I learned to accept it and send it to the world at the point I feel that the feeling is there.
Show us your current studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard is the same I keep on giving back. Fall in love with the process and not the outcome. As long as you keep passion and self-discipline about music, the best part is the moment you put yourself into it and just enjoy every minute you spend doing it. Have fun, and build your own language of expression.
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link
Singularities Album :
Being curious, I have always felt attracted and fascinated by everything that is unusual and irregular, so, even before moving forward with the creation of the album, there were already some themes in my head that I would like to address previously, so it made sense to attribute a “singularity” as a motif to each track, either in its truth or in the interpretation that I decided to attribute to it.
Singularities was born from my will to celebrate everything that is unique, so my intention was to create one distinctive sonic aesthetic, for each track, in the way they can live alone as a single or as a group in one big singularity, represented by a journey while listening to them together.
https://ikigai-cosmonaut.bandcamp.com/album/singularities
