JODI CAVE
TOKAFI
15 QUESTIONS TO JODI CAVE
When
does a term like "unobtrusive" turn into a compliment?
With Jodi Caves "For Myria", it has happened quite
naturally. The result of years of studying and experimenting,
this fragile and tender work is as short as it was amazing,
as precise as it is touching. In just seven tracks, most of
them barely touching the four minute mark, Cave sets musical
objects into motion, sending them off into a sleepwalking mode
of naive exploration: The pieces on "For Myria" are
little landscapes, small islands of sound on an infinite playground.
Their peace, harmony and tranquility is a direct result of a
positively restricted instrumentation - each track is built
using a carefully selected array of sources, which are often
held and played in close proximity of the microphone. Despite
the dreamy character of his music, Jodi Cave is not a New Age
shaman, but an academic with a heart instead, led on by an insatiable
curiosity: You can almost see him smiling while listening to
"For Myria". As a consequence, it has ended up a work
which will gladly fade into the background if necessary, filling
the room with a soft mood of positivity. Some may call it unobtrusive
for that reason, but as you should have gathered by now: In
this case, that is a recommendation.
Hi! How are you? Where are you?
Hi. I'm in my flat in Glasgow. Feeling pretty good thanks.
What's on your schedule right now?
Not working on any new recordings, but I have started producing
some instrumental scores - something that I haven't done for
a while now and hope to spend a lot more time on. I'm helping
my friend produce some of his songs, and also preparing my live
setup for a few shows around Europe in February.
What's your view on the music scene at present? Is there
a crisis?
No, I don't really see any crisis! I listen to all sorts of
music, and can usually find something new that interests me,
even if it doesn't directly relate to what I do.
Do you see yourself as part of a certain tradition or as part
of a movement?
Not really. Saying that, I am using a laptop, which has a huge
impact upon the way that I think about sound, and performance.
I suppose that alone would help categorize me somehow, and of
course I don't mind because it is a tool I'm using almost every
day.
What, would you say, are the factors of your creativity? What
"inspires" you?
This changes all the time, depending what I'm reading, looking
at, listening to. The scores I am working have a strong visual
component, and I guess they are informed by various approaches
to form in the visual arts. This is creeping into my recorded
work too, a kind of organic organization you can hear on 'for
myria'.
How would you describe your method of composing?
On the computer, I'm usually starting with some recorded sound,
and trying to draw whatever music is already present in the
material, by means of improvisation, and experimentation in
the studio. I see it as an attempt to tune into, or articulate
an organic/dynamic form, letting the sounds arrange themselves.
The real challenge is to inject just the right amount of my
own will on the piece, something I feel that I will struggle
with for a long time.
How do you see the relationship between sound and composition?
I guess that a composition will always have some sort of human
fingerprint. Even if that is only setting up a process, giving
an instruction, or recording/selecting sound.
How strictly do you separate improvising and composing?
As I said earlier, when it comes to electro-acoustic composition,
they are part of the same process for me. I spend most my time
listening, and very little time playing/doing, and in that sense
I suppose that some of my favourite improvisers are approaching
sound in a similar way. But obviously, I am more of a composer,
not an improviser.
What does the term “new" mean to you in connection
with music?
What is recent? Or now? I think that a lot of people interested
in new (or at least experimental) music, are searching for something
ground-breaking, or totally different, which of course is very
difficult to imagine, what with the developments of past century
behind us. For me the only way to produce something new is with
from within, with a clear and open-mind, and with total dedication
and personal integrity.
Do you personally enjoy multimedia as an enrichment
or do you feel that it is leading away from the essence of what
you want to achieve?
Recently, I'm more interested in the possibilities of pure-sound.
I guess that seeing my scores, because of the way they are conceived,
may help a greater appreciation of the piece. When it comes
to computer music in concert, I want the sound to speak for
itself.
What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion?
What's your approach to performing on stage?
This depends entirely on the music being performed. I saw a
whole bunch of late-period Feldman concerts last year, by John
Tilbury and members of the Smith quartet. The playing was so
sensitive, with only the most necessary movementS¹absolutely
beautiful. So I guess, when it comes to appreciating a good
performance, it is a matter of necessity: If you are going to
watch a band play lively music, then a lot of energy on-stage
is entirely necessary.
My performances are hardly performative, but I feel this is
the best way to present my work. Laptop shows are commonly met
with criticism, because people expect something to watch when
they go to an event. But for me (and other artists I have spoken
to) it is the most effective way to present sound work in a
standard live concert setting, encouraging the audience to listen
first.
Do you feel an artist has a certain duty towards anyone
but himself? Or to put it differently: Should art have a political/social
or any other aspect apart from a personal sensation?
I can't answer that in full here, but I'm interested in the
total-abstract nature of sound, and so suppose it is an entirely
personal experience. At the same time, because my own political
beliefs, I wouldn't criticise any artwork that might advocate
positive change or expose social injustice.
How, would you say, could non-mainstream forms of music
reach wider audiences without sacrificing their soul?
Well obviously, mainstream music is just that because it fits
neatly in our day-to-day lives. Most people don't have the time
to immerse themselves in something different, and so maybe some
music will only reach a smaller audience, and occasionally those
middle-brow, middle-class, 'cultured' types.
There is always that intriguing middle ground between pop and
experimentalism, which has its fair share of media exposure.
I suppose it is from here that some people decide to dig a little
deeper and look for something more challenging. So maybe we
needn't try too hard - I suppose that I'm most grateful for
those individuals running independent, smaller scale labels/websites/magazines
that people can find if they want to.
You are given the position of artistic director of a
festival. What would be on your program?
Ohh, that would be fantastic..! A bit of anything, and everything
that I like. Which I guess would make me the wrong person for
the job.
Many artists dream of a "magnum opus". Do
you have a vision of what yours would sound like?
No, not at all! I'm too young to have ambitions like that!
