Juan Carlos Blancas
from Spain
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Interview: 10 questions
1. When did you start making music, what is/was your motivation to do it?
Around mid-90´s as part of the electronic music duo Coeval. First it
was a hobby for me, nowadays it has become more a way of life.
2. Tell me something about your living environment and the musical education.
I live in a little town near Madrid. I have no clasical musical education,
i am self-educated in sound engineering and computer music, also in
the last years i have been increasingly more interested into the Acoustic
Ecology movement.
3. Is making music your profession? What is the context in which you practice music
nowadays?
Not entirely, i work in many different areas related with sound, (although
i personally don´t make any differences with all of these and my music).
I usually play (live electronic/tape) in music festivals and sound art events.
I do electronic music stuff and sound design for films, etc.
4. How do you compose or create music or sound? Have you certain principles, use certain styles etc?
My sound works are mostly based on location recordings, so a part
of the whole process has to do with listening carefully to my enviroment
and doing field recordings. I work later in the studio editing and/or transforming
this sources with the computer. Finally i articulate all these material in a very
intuitive way, sometimes i arrange it in a timeline, other in a more complex
generative programming music systems. I am specially interested in the conections
between sound and memory process. I like to see the act of recording and modifying
everyday enviromental sounds as a way of memory modifying.
5. Tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment or tools you use?
Microphones, portable digital recorders, computer with Max/MSP and Pro Tools.
6. What are the chances of New Media for the music production in general
and you personally?
New Media should make posible to more people to express in an artistic way with more
production and diffusion facitlities, also to favour the artist getting more ownership
control over his work.
7. How about producing and financing your musical productions?
I have done this with some of my music, but of course it was in a very underground scene.
8. Do you work individually as a musician/soundartist or in a group or collaborative?
If you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
I have been working in group for years, also i use to collab with other
media artists. At this moment I feel more comfortable working at my own.
9. Is there any group, composer, style or movement which has a lasting influence on making
music?
Yes, a lot of different influences: the noise of the MSX game tapes,
Asmus Tietchens, Tod Dockstaider, Slavek Kwi, Christophe Charles,
John Cage and french surrealism readings, Acoustic Ecology, Andrei
Tarkovsky movies, Thoreau, contemplation of my enviroment, etc.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a soundartist or musician?
To keep on with the same interest and enthusiasm in sound phenomena and listening processes.