SIP - SoundLAB Interview Project

Jiménez, Roc (EVOL)


Roc Jiménez (EVOL)
from Spain

artist biography

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Interview: 10 questions

1. When did you start making music, what is/was your motivation to do it?

EVOL started in 1996.

2. Tell me something about your living environment and the musical education.

I live in Barcelona. I have no classic musical education. I am a self-trained computer musician.

3. Is making music your profession? What is the context in which you practice music nowadays?

All my work has to do with music in one way or another; be it making music on EVOL, working on projects for our ALKU record label, teaching, or working for some music-related organizations in Barcelona.

4. How do you compose or create music or sound? Have you certain principles, use certain styles etc?

The computer is my main instrument, and my main areas of interest are algorithmic composition, noise, and the musical application of fractal geometry and other mathematical phenomena to audio synthesis. Generative software plays a big role in all my works.

5. Tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment or tools you use?

I work with programming environments/languages such as SuperCollider, Max/MSP and Pure Data. However, EVOL is a collective project and it has included several other instruments and sound sources, both electronic and acoustic.

6. What are the chances of New Media for the music production in general
and you personally?

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7. How about producing and financing your musical productions?

That largely depends on each specific project, but EVOL works are fairly easy to finance, so the record label takes care of it.

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?

Even though I am the core of the project, EVOL is a collaborative effort. Occasional EVOL members and/or collaborators include Danish composer and multi-instrumentist Jakob Draminsky Højmark, British sound artists Joe Gilmore and Joel Ongthorne, Spanish writer and sound artist Anna María Ramos, and British video artist Andy Davies. I enjoy the occasional interaction and input from other artists. That is also the reason why I have invited several artists (Dave Phillips, Peter Rehberg, Erik M, Cock ESP, Kazumoto Endo, Wobbly) to re-mix some of the works on the ‘Punani’ series.

9. Is there any group, composer, style or movement which has a lasting influence on making music?

Too many to cite here.

10. What are your future plans or dreams as a soundartist or musician?

To keep developing the ‘Punani’ series. Next chapters will be released on the UK label Entr’acte and the American label Raw Special Effects. ALKU will soon put out a CD by Zbigniew Karkowski and the late Helmut Schaefer.