An Interview Matthias Gusset

With ethereal melodies, Matthias Gusset’s new piano track “Almost There” sounds like the soundtrack of an anime yet to be discovered.

• Describe your sound in 3 words

Wistful, soothing, subtle

• Your music does not pose major technical difficulty. Your left hand is beautifully minimal. What is your creative process like?

I play one note repeatedly until I feel the resonance of the room and a shift in awareness. From that point I can open up and let music happen. Sometimes it’s more like I hear or feel something and try to get closer to it by playing and trying until I get there which isn’t always the case of course. I don’t really care about complexity, because it’s not what my music and it’s message is about. Besides I wouldn’t consider myself a virtuous pianist, so why struggle with it, when I can let go and concentrate on what’s really important for me – the feeling.

• Who is your favourite pianist? And which are your major music influences? 

I’m a huge fan of Arvo Pärt’s more subtle pieces. For me his compositions feel transcendent and reduced to what really soothes the heart. For other music genres I would name Marc Hollis and his work with Talk Talk. The Albums ‘spirit of eden’ or ‘laughing stock’ are just overwhelmingly spiritual and free from borders like the ego.

• Is songwriting a talent or a skill? 

I always have to find new approaches, ideas and sometimes technical challenges for the creative process of writing a song. This feels like a skill that I had to learn and adapt again and again.
Maybe you can call the ease of someone expressing his feelings a talent, but on the other hand I think it’s mostly dependent on one’s past and what formed them. I can’t really tell.

• Your music feels like it could work perfectly as a movie theme. If you were asked to rescore a film, which one would you choose? 

Thanks, that would be a dream come true. I love the art of the studio ghibli movies, so maybe I would choose ‘Princess Mononoke’ even though it already has a perfect score.

• One last thing we should know about you?

If you are into Lofi-Beats and Gamemusic you can check out ‘Kappa Mountain’. A new formed project with my friend ‘Audio Dope’.

• Thanks Matthias Gusset

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