If you would go fishing to the wide and deep lake next to mount dub, you can expect to find Van Bonn sitting there – right in the moment to catch huge delays and frequency modulations to create the next dubby excursion, which he is known for.
Recently he did a remix for Insect O.’s “Forest Of The Monkeys”. It has been released alongside edits of the label head’s “Atacama” full length by El Choop, Idealist and Patrick Zigon.
We had a chat about his inspirations for his remix, his studio stetup and some of his favourite places in his new home Denmark.
What was the key moment that hooked you up making musix?
I am not sure if there is a single moment that hooked me up with music. Sure, there are several early childhood memories that are connected to music. The music during these events also reflects several adjectives that I still find in the music I create and enjoy today: deepness, abstract sound design, electro acoustic instruments, dominant rhythms and heavy (ab)use of fx, silence and the like.
You played drums in the metal/hardcore band Muad’dib and createdambience and fx in the instrumental rock outfit Long Distance Calling. What got you finally into electronic music?
As mentioned above is electronic music present in my life ever since. But as my musical taste covers a lot of genre I also have had other musical influences in the more ‘handcrafted’ music such as death metal or epic guitar music interpreted by bands like Neurosis, ISIS along a lot others. So music is a steady companion in my live. The record that pulled me to dub techno is Fluxion’s Vibrant Forms II. I got to know his music by chance but I was entirely hooked from the first second.
After releasing music on labels like Traum Schallplatten or Telrae you started your own imprint Van Bonn Records. What is the idea behind it?
Simply put, the idea was to create a frame (the label) that releases myown vision of sound.
For Insect O.’s “Atacama Remixes” you did a remix of “Forest Of TheMonkeys”. What was the inspiration for your remix?
Usually the direction and inspiration for remixes happen while remixing. It is certain aspects that happen through manipulation of the original sounds or the combination of the sounds I add.
In this case the tune has a contrast between the quiet steady groove and the deep chord/pads. Just after the first session to listen to the original sounds, I played a round of Fifa. Accidently, I kicked a cup of coffee that was standing on the floor. After cleaning the floor the sole of my shoes made a sort of smacking sound that had a certain crispy character right away. I recorded it and put it on top of the groove. It is the sound that sounds a bit like a clock.
From what do you draw your inspiration in generell?
Life. I do not believe in theories about writer’s block or exercises tobe creative just after. It is a continuous approach and way of exercising. I believe that a life full of various interests and events result into the ability to be inspired quiet continuously. Every experience adds up to it and will enable one to be inspired.
Can you tell us a bit about your studio setup and your workflow?
I produce entirely in the box. Live is the DAW that I use in connectionwith Push and some other midi controller. I love my Adam monitors but also enjoy producing and mixing with headphones. I often find that plug ins are not considered as much as equipment as hardware when thinking of other interviews. Which I think is missing the target. That being said plug ins I use besides the ones in Live are from Arturia, UAD, UH-E, Valhalla, D16 and Fabfilter, just to name a few.
Recently you moved to Denmark. Do you have any tips to visit?
Denmark is a beautiful country and I am happy to live there as I always felt attracted by the north. There are actually quiet some places that I recommend visiting. The island Als or the area Thy for example. Also the beaches of Rømø or Fanø should not be missed. Same goes for Jammerbugten and Skagen. I understand Denmark as a country that has its own beauty that lies in the nature just in front of your house door. Thinking of the Copenhagen area, there is Dyrhaven and the museum Louisiana that I recommend to visit as well as Schønnemann, the best place to enjoy a couple of Danish Smørrebrød.
What can we expect next from you?
Hopefully some new tunes and releases. Maybe a liveset – who knows
What is the idea behind the mix?
I created a mix that tells a story musicwise and that covers some dubbyvibes of different degrees.
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Track list
- Philippe Cam – Rotterdam – Traum
- Radius – The Advent of Babylon – Echospace
- Federsen – Rose Bay (Ecologist Dub) – Fifith Interval
- Insect.O – Forste Of The Monkeys (Van Bonn Remix) – Etui Records
- Truncate – Truncate Dub – Truncate
- Sawlin – Industrial Orange – Get Physical
- Thomas Fehlmann – Window – Kompakt
- Pole – Raum 2 (Dj Tennis Technoid Version) – K7
- Zzzzra – Ultime Menace Philosophique (Mildiou Remix) – Entropy
- Deepchord – Azure – Soma
- Leif – Koku (Feat Donna Lea) – Fear Of Flying
- Sensorama – Echtzeit – Ladomat
More informations:
ETUILTD014 Insect O. – Atacama Remixes
Van Bonn on facebook
Van Bonn official
