What is music?

This is a large question. I've honestly been confused in the exact terms as I always run into someone who will come out with a new definition or new theories that will confuse me a bit more.

But from everything I read and hear, I think there are a few things I will always consider music, call it a Pheek-googlism:

- Music is a soundtrack of a certain era.
- Music is a reflection of one's inner world.
- Music is a series of sounds interpreted through someone's ear.
- Music is noise.
- Music is silence.
- Music is a universal language of sounds put into a message.
- Music is an imprint of an emotional statement.
- Music always has a logic in itself and doesn't make sense to anyone who doesn't dive in.
- Music always affects living beings.

I could go on... but I really prefer saying this question is one which will never be answered, as there's so many definitions we can't really apply any to it.

Hypothetical situation: At Mutek this year your show is placed at the top of all the acquisition lists by major label talent scouts, which sets off a huge bidding war. Every major label on the planet offers you a +5 million dollar advance, but you must sign on the dotted line and accept their control over your image and musical direction for three albums. You can decline, you can sign and accept the overlord's control or you can sign and then subvert the system from within. Which would you choose and what would you do with that choice?

There are a few running ideas that pop to my mind. I think I could never bow to someone's will when it comes to music. I would really get a serious lawyer to clarify the contract. If I ever sign such a deal, I would do it for the money, work seriously for 3 years and then go on with superextremenolimit projects from there. But I couldn't resist to have an alter-ego to be able to express myself as I want, as I need to do.

So far I really did all my music as I wanted to do it. I'm slowly trying to go back to my roots, where I just did what I liked, but with the experience I have now, I will have more flexibility. I know if I can't do exactly what I have in mind, I get depressed.

Bottom line, I'd sign... I'd do it. Mainly because the money issue that can follow a person all his life would then be taken care of. But I would be a bag full of tricks and have tons of little projects on the side. I don't think my project Pheek could ever be bought but I really would feel tempted by the money to be able to take on the projects I dream of. The money would give me a chance to realise a few dreams: having a club, a restaurant, a bigger label and other artistic projects.

Somehow there are moments where I feel like I should stop everything I do because of money issues but when I think of that, I recall Jules Vernes who had to stop writing because his wife was asking him to work to pay the rent...

Your music is minimal yet still retains a feeling of complexity and progression. Each song has a soul. Your Manifesto reads like a description of evolution itself. How is a Pheek track made... how do you imbue these basic minimal elements with such a vibrant life?

Thanks for the very flattering comments! I recently said in another interview that I see every track I do as a living organism. The way I work is part of my very neurotic view. I believe songs have a life and their own logic, a balance. A single detail could change the whole ecosystem.

To start with technical aspects, I mainly work in Ableton Live and try to find a hook, an idea that will be the core of my track. Then I work on everything around that idea and finish by adding percussion.

I usually then stop and go back to other tracks and start new hooks. I always have about 20-30 tracks sleeping. I really believe in letting projects sleep for a while. With distance, I know more about a track's potential and also, if I like it.

I eventually come back to a track and take every separate sound and process it, finding variations or sculpting it into a new form that could seriously affect the original idea. I will find as many various options as I can, then rework the hook. When I get loaded with a bunch of ideas, I start working on the storyboard and the structure of the track.

When this is done, I spend a few days shining the song with details, various spatialization tricks and rearrangements. Lastly, I usually work on the 3rd dimension of the track with headphones to add subtle backgrounds and leave clues, hints and easter eggs to be found after a number of serious listening sessions... sometimes they refer to other works to come or past tracks. I'm fascinated with Mayan art and I believe every single song should be linked, just like a piece of jewelry. Codes are fascinating and I can't satisfy myself with easiness.

I think all that time spent on it makes it live. But mainly, like the songs, to take moments of sleep helps me so much. I often take naps while I produce.

Speaking of evolution: you are an artist and entrepreneur who understands the interconnectedness of people and life. People are changing, society is moving. In our current climate of big politics, big media, big money, what should be the role of an artist?

I come from a background of psychology and social science, so I believe this has left a trace in my work. To answer this one, to define the role of an artist, I need to refer to my definition of music.

Art itself is a personal metaphor, a way to let go of inner conflicts and a way to achieve something beyond ordinary life. It also can be a simple exercise with no special goal. I once heard a physician declaring that practicing art is the highest level of spirituality as it's assembling chaos into order. Just looking at past stories of tribes and shamanic ceremonies, I believe in this view.

Many professional artists aren't very conscious of that aspect in their work and are in danger of becoming dependent of their follower's approval, thus becoming what we often point to as "commercial." That form of art isn't bad in itself, it puts fantasy into a lot of people's life. But it's a missed opportunity to create a second world, a private art gallery. The problem is there's not much support for such an approach because it's not really accessible to larger masses who aren't interested in supporting a media that demands dedication in its appreciation.

Tim Hecker once told me his view of his art is a political statement against the usual 9 to 5 routine. It's a good thing some people like him and I can live off music, because we're trying to carry ideas, values and sounds into an artwork we'll leave behind for other people. If it reaches out, then the mission has been accomplished. This is more important than bigger masses following us.

While I can sound extremely intellectual and serious, I'm taking this pretty much lightly but with a consideration in the back of my head. One thing that speaks for itself is when I finish a song, I feel like my life makes sense and I have this very warm feeling of accomplishment. Those signs remind me why I do music and also, why everyone is drawn to it, to creation or simply to be hooked on listening to music in their best or worst moments.

As the driving force behind the highly successful Archipel, one of DE-BUG's top 10 netlabels of 2006, what do you think about the recent deal between Apple and EMI to release the majority of the EMI catalog without DRM? Artist compensation is obviously something you feel strongly about, so if you create the perfect distribution model of your dreams, what would it be and how are artists supported financially? Is the health of sonic culture simply a question of educating the populace?

People will always find the fastest way to get what they want, as fast as possible. This explains why downloading music is answering a need, a wish we all had for years. I'm not going to retrace the story of music and its distribution, but we've come to a point where information and art are moving very fast, thanks to the Internet. I guess the ideal distribution model should be some kind of iPod, easy to use, with permanent Internet access that offers ANY music you need. I don't see a better scenario. People could pay an amount per month and that money would be distributed equally between all artists who were played. I think the bulimic aspect of downloading music would then stop as people would just have a private and play-on-demand radio station that answers their instant crave. We're not far from there, really... not far at all.

You're commissioned by a large synthesizer manufacturer to develop a next-generation, environmentally friendly music-making device, which will run on magic and the spark which ignites when conscious beings make eye contact. Its basic synthesis method will be derived from the essence of nine naturally occurring sounds. Will you describe the sounds you've chosen for us?

Nine is seriously not enough to cover all my favorite sounds. But if I was really limited to 9 sounds to build that bank, I would cheat and make something like this:

- A deep and low pitch male voice. I think voice is one of the most securing sounds we can ever hear. I'm not a big fan of vocals in music but I appreciate them more and more, especially after a long night of techno driven beats.
- A soft female voice.
- A deep low pitched sine wave that would be close to either a very warm kick drum or a compressed heartbeat.
- Watery, slowly moving wave sounds in a plastic and warm environment with subtle reverb.
- A morphing sequence of a square sounds going into a saw wave and then into a formant-laden, noisy texture. This über-synthetic sequence would be perfect to morph with other sounds to create hybrids and since it would be long sound, I could isolate parts upon my needs.
- Some latin percussion loop. This is always the base of every percussion.
- Sound of snow falling in a forest. This is very subtle but to me, it's the most calming sound.
- Vibraphone.
- Harp.

I would make a complex patch for the synth and rearrange it myself so sounds would come out randomly, in either surprising or subtle ways. It would always be a hybrid of 2 or 3 sounds, alternating in length and pitch. I would hope the synth could create beautiful, short or long, environmental sounds.

How do you use the Daevl.Plugs?

In many ways... I mainly use them in the studio. If I refer to my text above about track production, I could say I use the plug-ins in the moment of processing but also during the "shining moments." The plug-ins can either be very subtle or seriously alter the sounds. Using them live should come soon. My favorites are Hilbertspace and Threep. I think ever since I bought them, I have used them in all my new songs. One thing I can mention is that I use plug-ins in general as complicated chains. I have fun with the Daevl series as I think they're stylish and tweaky.

What will music and individual creation be like in the next nine years? The next thirty-six?

Very hard to predict. It seems like computers and free downloads are creating a highly democratic opening for music. Being more accessible and easy to make, it could bring out new genres earlier, ideas we never thought of and of course, a bunch of people who will be famous for 15 minutes. Sounds like everyone will be able to create their own bubble at their own pace.

I think music will become brighter, warmer and you will see a lot of genres existing all together. New bands making old school music and old bands trying to make the new avant-garde sound. History might just be repeating on and on, but I think people could fall into heavy consumption of music easily acquired, thus taking away a lot of credit to artists. On the other hand, you might see a lot of purist who would only buy vinyl.

The future of music will be strongly influenced by its consumption. Artists have always been attracted to distribution of music, mainly because one the strongest feelings you have when you finish a song is that you want to share it with the rest of the world. When you find a new record you love, you also want to share it with the rest of the world. With communication getting easier, this is just being reinforced and music will just travel faster.

Maybe the whole image of music will be centered on needs more than artistic visions.

Last year Social System made the top 5 in Quebec, you released En légere suspension, Archipel flew up the digital ladder, you toured the world-around (some places twice!) and are scheduled as a featured Mutek artist at end of May. What's next for Pheek, Archipel and your interconnected world?

It's a question I ask myself pretty much daily. The future is always a huge question mark which keeps things exciting.

I really would like to work on a series of records or releases and take all the time it needs. I've been working more and more on my music but I have been getting slower as I have more and more to cover when I produce.

The Luciano No Model No Tool project is one of the most stimulating ideas I saw in quite awhile and would like to contribute in that direction, which would also be a new direction for the Archipel Samplepacks.

The labels have also been slowed down by various issues and I would like to bring them to a better and healthier path.

Moving to Europe has been haunting me. Not sure if it will happen but it's something possible.

Working with other nerds to have my own series of plug-ins. :) And a custom made controller, too, which will lead me to a more fancy live act.