Imagine a doomed pianist caught in a nightmare, a technical jazz player reborn in a universe where free jazz is obsolete and the listeners crave IDM.
Brussels drummer and producer VAAGUE explores this collision with “Modern jazz?”, a beautifully chaotic and irresistibly challenging piece that redefines the relationship between technical prowess and electronic rhythm. Read our discussion below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Punchy drummy riddim
Modern Jazz? feels delightfully chaotic. What is the main idea behind it?
I wanted the listener to feel what’s going on in my head when I make a new song. That progressive chaos is really present in my modus operandi, having all these different elements appearing and disappearing. It’s like trying all the possible combinations of a tangram but there’s always a shape that doesn’t fit. When you start putting some light on that specific piece, that’s where it gets interesting. You can use one single idea and try to mold it in many different ways until you reach that moment of satisfaction. And that moment for me is the very end of the song, where all of the elements come together to unveil this powerful finale!
The concept of a “doomed pianist trapped in a nightmare” is vivid. Can you walk us through the technical steps of turning prepared piano samples into a rhythmical layer that competes with the drum pattern?
One day I came across this very obscure sample bank of roughly cut prepared-piano samples. I’ve always loved that sound because it made me think of a weird drum that would be played in a water-filled bathtub. I basically started fooling around with a sequencer where I had originally programmed a pretty sophisticated drum pattern. Then I replaced all the drums sound by these prepared-piano samples. I loved the result so much! It felt like that bathtub was filled with SPARKLING water ! I made adjustments so it could fit my original beat and that made the DNA of the song!
How would you describe the progressive refinement in the sound of SHORTCUT compared to Oktopus Mekaniks, particularly how you’re pushing into UK Garage, Drum & Bass, and Post-Dubstep territory?
I think it just came naturally because I was listening to that kind of music when I made the record. I was at that time on the road promoting the release of Oktopus Mekaniks in Europe so I spent a lot of time sitting on trains and planes listening to music. I was listening to a lot of Bass Music from Ivy Lab, Sammy Virji and Megra for example and that led me to dig more into UK Garage and Drum and Bass. Dug a lot into Metalheadz as well. I felt particularly close to the energy that this music offers. The thing that was different from the previous releases is that I spent a lot of time on the computer experimenting with sequencers and samples of my own drums. Whereas before, I would jam in my rehearsal space and try to come up with new patterns. I guess this is where it gets its « human vs machine » vibe from.
You cite Aphex Twin as a major inspiration.Having personally witnessed him playing live more than 25 years, could not imagine that moment that he would be so relevant after decades. What unique quality makes music so impactful?
When I think of Aphex Twin, I think of freedom. In my opinion he’s a contemporary music composer. There’s this immersive linearity that he manages to create by making a pattern almost the same but it actually never is! Tracks that would feel repetitive at first glance are actually always variating on some level. I also love the fact that you can listen a hundred times to the same track and discover something different every time. In today’s music industry where commercial standards seem to have a depleting effect on sophistication, it feels great to have artists like Aphex Twin that unequivocally still offer that level of creativity. For a young artist like me, that’s really inspiring.
If the music of VAAGUE was a film, which film would that be?
I think it would be a remake of the first episode of « The Matrix » co-directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and The Monty Pythons.
In which place or state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
In a club, either quite early or very late and ideally, I’m playing it live with my hybrid drum set-up!
What isn’t a crime but should be?
I could say: toppings on a waffle. But I’ll go with: fascism.
Thank you!
Follow VAAGUE
Instagram/Facebook
Follow our Spotify playlist Waves Eclectic feat. VAAGUE
Secret Eclectic 