Alongside his remarkable contribution to the series, we sat down with Reggy van Oers to find out more about his creative process, his Telemorph imprint, the Morph events venture and his upcoming projects.
- Hi Reggy, thanks for taking time to chat with us. We are glad to host you on Paradox. What have you been up to lately?
I have been playing and finishing some new music for the new year. Besides that i have been relaxing a bit more and took it easy to start fresh this year.
- Congrats for your first album “Taciturn manner”! Looks like it has been hugely well received by the techno community. What has been the most eccentric/funny feedback you had on the album (on the internet or during the gigs)?
Thank you! I have been receiving many positive reactions from a lot of people. It has been nice to see that this also included messages and feedback from very different type of artists, in some occasions very surprising to say the least. On the other hand there has been reviews on platforms that i still don’t really understand. For example this one: “If you think that Reggy van Oers is a rather stupid and typically techno inspired name for an artist, his sound will definitely confirm the techno inspiration, but will possibly blow you away”.
- Imperative bias is one particularly interesting track in the album in terms of rhythmical structures as the patterns are complex and shuffled. What’s according to you the added-value of those kind of rhythmical structures?
I have intended the album to be very slowly evolving and continuously changing throughout and within the tracks. To keep this restraint mood but still have full tension, the structures need to be more complex and alternating. Because of this a sort of hypnotic flow appears which in Imperative Bias enhances particularly by the double kick lines that work together but also work against each other.
You’ve created your own plateform Telemorph in 2015, where actually the album was out. Was the name choice related to your passion for cinema and visuals?
Well the name, for me, had to represent what i wanted to say with the label. The music i have been releasing till now has a strong cinematic feel to it while every release is still different within the spectrum. The tracks are built on multi layered sequences and patterns all morphing together. Next to it, all the tracks have been made with an experimental background or story behind them.
- What is the most challenging thing in running a label? And the most exciting one?
The label is still very young at the moment. The releases till now I already had in my mind and fitted within the vision. The challenging part will be for sure to build from this concept and to see where it leads. This actually is also the most exciting part at the same time.
- The first release on Telemorph was a collaboration with italien deep techno artist Claudio PRC. How did you guys work together? Did you need time to find the right collaborative method of work?
The label is still very young at the moment. The releases till now I already had in my mind and fitted within the vision. The challenging part will be for sure to build from this concept and to see where it leads. This actually is also the most exciting part at the same time.
- The first release on Telemorph was a collaboration with italien deep techno artist Claudio PRC. How did you guys work together? Did you need time to find the right collaborative method of work?
At the time we met in the studio our individual sound and output was very close to each other. We already knew what we wanted to say and what kind of direction we wanted to take it. After some experiments and by manipulating field recordings we got things going quite fast. We wanted both tracks to share the same feeling but evolve in a different way.
- What is the setup you usually have for a live performance? Do you keep a space for improvisation based on audience reactions?
I just work with a laptop and a controller. I have all parts of my tracks in single audio channels which I can modulate and control with send effect chains. In this way I have the freedom to change every part of the original tracks making them sounding as I wish. I usually focus a lot on the modulation of the soundscapes to experiment with them and creating new sounds. This results in very deep and hypnotic patterns underlined with strong beats.
- In the following interview, Zadig speaks about the facts that in the past, no one would be surprised to hear different genres of electronic music in one night. Do you think this still would be cohesive given the higher number and complexity of subgenres in terms of sound textures and structures?
I completely understand what he says and I think he’s right. Nowadays I have noticed that there’s often a concept connected to a night. The way the music develops and evolves is (usually) thought of. As you said the number of sub genres also makes it possible to have a nice flow throughout the night. When I go out dancing I really have a strong preference of what I want to listen to. For me the build up and transitions are very important. This probably is because this is the way I perform myself. I really take the audience on a hypnotic trip and trying to tell my story to them. So, changing within the genres wouldn’t make too much sense for me personally.
- You’ve played in Beyrouth/Libanon last summer. I guess that was your first gig in a middle-eastern country. How special was the vibe there? And do you think eastern influenced sonorities would fit well with your music?
It was indeed a very special time for me. I really didn’t know what to expect at first. The people were very open and willing to absorb the music. Probably that kind of sonorities could be interesting to incorporate with my music, maybe one day it will happen naturally, let’s see.
- Another highlight gig last year was probably the one at Khidi in Tbilissi. Lot of artists made pretty nice feedbacks about their experiences in that venue. How was yours?
Both times were very nice. Khidi has a very dedicated crew, great people! The first time I played a long closing set as the crowd stayed and kept dancing, there was a great atmosphere I’ll never forget. The second time I played a 10 hour b2b with my friend Deepbass which always is an experience. After some hours we’ve invited the residents to join us making it a crazy night to remember.
- You’re also throwing an event series called Morph where the focus is put on the audiovisual aspect of a broad range of electronics. The last edition have hosted Murcof, Dubit, Dadub and yourself. Do you try to keep a balance between clubbing and concert atmospheres in those events or are they intended as pure concert performances?
With Morph we invited the artists of one label and offer them complete freedom. Starting with ambient sets to end with deep driven techno to showcase the sound of the label. There’s a perfect balance between the concert atmosphere and dancing. The last event we wanted to focus on a broader range of electronics by inviting artists that are my personal favorites. This was purely a concert focussing on very intense sounds and musical structures. It was also the perfect time and place to premiere the live set of my album. People were seated or laying down enjoying their trip as the film was projected in front of them.
- What would be the other dutch events you would recommend?
Almost everything what 4D sound does is really recommended to check out.
- How did you came out with this mix for Paradox?
For this occasion I made a hybrid set, which I never did, existing of my own productions and remixes I’ve done lately and 2 tracks by others. I wanted to focus on the evolution of my productions of last year in one mix. I’ve used parts of tracks as layers mainly adding grooves on top of the existing ones. I wanted to try it and hope you guys like it.
- What kind of non electronic music do you listen to usually?
I listen a lot to Jazz and classical music, this is also from where i take a lot of inspiration in my productions.
- What new artists/labels would you recommend to check out at the moment?
A new artist to check out is Massa. He’s the owner of the label Hidden Traffic from Barcelona. I like his work and view on atmospheric techno. We will be doing a VA together on his label soon.
- What’s coming up next for you and on Telemorph?
I will be releasing some tracks on Informa, Affin en Hidden Traffic. In the first half of 2017 there will be a new collab on Telemorph also. At the moment I’m working on some ideas and thoughts which I will use for an album maybe by end of the year.
Thanks a lot Reggy, we hope to see you very soon somewhere, keep the cinematic vibe on!
Love and respect