Pieter Nooten
If the name Pieter
Nooten is familiar to you, you are aware that he
has been away for quite some time. An on-and-off-again
member of Xymox (of the classic early 4AD records
roster), Nooten has always been an enigmatic figure
working just outside of recognition – even
within the underground scene of which he was a part.
The jewel of
his past is the gorgeous, essential late-80s collaboration
with infinite-guitarist Michael Brook, Sleeps With
The Fishes, which continues to inspire up-and-coming
musical experimentalists. Nooten’s
compositions even found their way onto the records
of the seminal 4AD ensemble, This Mortal Coil.
Now, years after his early-nineties departure from
Xymox (he left well before the dodgy records), Nooten
resurfaces with Ourspace, a record of subtlety and
restraint containing the kind of music it takes years
of experience and perspective to put together.
Pieter,
it’s been far too long since
you’ve put out a record. What has been going
on with you during your time away?
I have been all over the place
to be honest. but mainly I’ve been keeping
a low profile and being tired of the whole music
industry, working for media, theatre, and magazines.
Do you see the musical
landscape in 2006 as having changed much from the
last time you released music?
I have no idea. I do not listen
to much music other than baroque. There is so much
good music around and so little opportunity to get
it released. MySpace is a real invention in that
respect. Since I’ve
signed in, I hear absolutely stunning material.
Describe the process
you went through creating your brilliant new album,
Ourspace.
Ourspace consists of material that has been lying
around for some time, yet some tracks are more recent.
Some I am happy with, some less so. I am currently
writing new material and will be cooperating with other
musicians, singers, and producers. Only a few of the
tracks on Ourspace have been produced using high-end
equipment, which bugs me, to be honest. Most tracks
started out as bedroom recordings, using an out-of-date
computer. Yet, working in absolute solitude, they have
that intimate, quiet feel I AM happy with. I find most
'ambient' music a bit too detached, technically perfect,
but self-aware, and to some extent, self-conceited.
I have been trying to bring back a bit of a human feel
to the genre, and not bothering too much with the sound
as belonging to a certain genre.
The bulk of the album
is instrumental. Was this intentional, or did the
material just lead you that way?
No, no, really. I am happy
you ask. Actually, most of the tracks I wrote with
vocals in mind. Mind you, it’s difficult to
find vocalists who meet my demands, especially in
Amsterdam and Holland. Next time things may be different
as I am looking around for singers (also on MySpace!).
I do not like my own voice that much. Anka (who co-produced
my album) really encouraged me to sing, myself, and
she is very bossy so I had no choice.
Geographically, where are you
at these days? Are your surroundings playing a part
in your work – either
in a collaborative or creative sense?
Amsterdam is a lovely place to live in. It is small,
has gorgeous architecture, but it is also rich, bourgeois,
and a tiny bit small-minded in spite of everything
we want tourists to believe! Yet the beauty of the
place does indeed inspire me.
Ourspace is so multi-textural.
Besides synthesizers, what other instruments do you
play?
I am trying to stay away from using synth textures
and electronic sounds as much as possible. It is a
technical thing and I just don't think it is original.
Presets are easy to use, especially in this kind of
music. You stick a plugin into your audio software
and press a key, hey presto: ambient! Yet digital sounds
are extremely tiring to your ears and mind. So I use
and create multiple sampled sounds which I 'found'
myself. I am not bothered with things sounding too
clean-cut or having a pleasing quality to them; there
has to be a rough edge to it all.
Tell us a little about
I-Rain, the new label that has released your new
album. Are there plans to release the album in the
U.S.?
Absolutely! We have just started
this whole project. Our main focus at this point
is online but we are looking into licensing deals.
Obviously this is going to take a lot longer than
throwing our stuff online as we are able to do now
and selling through iTunes and the I-Rain site. Allthough
it’s interesting to us that so
many people are ordering the real, physical CD as well
from our site.
Among many of the new,
younger generation of electronic musicians, your
collaboration with guitarist Michael Brook, Sleeps
With the Fishes is greatly admired and cited often
as an influence. What are your thoughts on that album
nearly twenty years later?
I am honoured. Working with Michael was inspiring.
The combination of my melodies, harmonies, and his
ability to experiment with music, his approach to turn
it around, created a special, deep, and multi-layered
sound. It worked from the moment we set foot in the
studio! I would love to work with him again. His new
album is fantastic.
Ourspace has become
one of our favorite records of the year. Please tell
us you have plans to continue making and releasing
music?
Thanks again, I am honoured, and yes: I am back and
brimming with ideas and inspiration. The next album
will be absolutely stunning. I cannot wait to get it
out there.
In the spirit of the
Ixmae concept, can you provide for us your seven
current favorite CDs?
I am afraid I can't. I really do not listen to much
'popular music'. People who know me realize that it's
my strength in keeping the material authentic and personal
(with that touch of naivety); I have no 'ambient' influences.
Mind you, I have been hearing some great stuff on MySpace.
If you insist, I'll admit that I do mostly listen to
baroque music. I always have. I still consider Bach's
'St. Matthew's Passion' to be an all-time masterpiece
of unbelievable depth!
4AD
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