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Tautvydas Bajarkevicius
is a Lithuanian media art professional
example of soundart
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Interview: 10 questions
1. When did you start making music, what is/was your motivation to do it?
Once I received a phone call from my neighbor (I was living in tenement house). He was annoyed and was trying to explain me, that piano has more keys on the keyboard, and that I could use them. It was about time when my first minimalist experiments were taking their place, I was about 12 years old. A bit later they were recorded in the most primitive way, using tape recorder; also mixing Bach LP’s and football commentaries from English language learning cassette. And there were songs, using 3 piano chords.
2. Tell me something about your living environment…
It has been constantly changing. Now it’s a room with a balcony and window into a bit of green suburban area outside the center of Vilnius.
… and the musical education.
I was attending choir and having piano classes, yet was too lazy for real “musical educationâ€. As most of us, everything with sonic passions started from friends, articles, books, cd’s, videos, internet, and sound itself: lots of influences from various contexts. However, later it grew to theoretical bachelor work on sound art and MA on new media, texts, performances, projects, etc.
3. Is making music your profession? What is the context in which you practice music nowadays?
As for most of laptop musicians, making music as a profession is still an unexplored dream. But sound, music and new media is now a part of my profession, related to contemporary arts (curating, coordinating, etc.).
The context is interdisciplinary – net-releases, audiovisual performances, experimental radio, new media events, spoken words, a bit of theatre.
4. How do you compose or create music or sound? Have you certain principles, use certain styles etc?
It depends on every particular case, but there are usually rhythmic flows, melodic ambiences, pure frequencies, mixed with field recordings and vocal samples, usually something in between digital and organic. A bit of aleatorics (guided contingency), rhythmic machines, lively edited melodic passages and real-time overlays of different pre-composed tracks.
5. Tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment or tools you use?
Almost always – PC, sometimes microphone, sampling of acoustic instruments and field recordings.
6. What are the chances of New Media for the music production in general
and you personally?
It‘s not only about changing tools, it‘s about changing contexts and realities, a whole set of polymorphous intertwingled spaces, modes of being, nomadic trajectories. It gave enormous impulses to sound art and it‘s various perspectives, ways of collaboration and distribution. Despite a reserved distance from utopian engagement, I see new media contexts as a multilayered flow of possibilities – from technical solutions and chamber-studio orchestras to fundamental change of musical thinking and cultural environments.
7. How about producing and financing your musical productions?
Only as an authorship fee in live events, workshops, etc. Also some modest fund-raising for curated low-budget events and festival of experimental audiovisual art “Garso zona†(www.smic.lt/gz).
8. Do you work individually as a musician / sound artist or in a group or collaborative?
Both. But in most cases – as a solo artist. It’s difficult to compare – there are various combinations of inspiration-vibes.
9. Is there any group, composer, style or movement which has a lasting influence on making music?
Lot’s of influences in various contexts and not necessarily musical ones.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a sound artist or musician?
Talking about plans – one audiovisual project in September. October is already too far away. Dreams – what they are always sacred to in their infinity – are about a constant flux of inspirational experiences.