INTERVIEW TO MUWN
Today we did an interview to the experimental, noise, ambient composer Federico Bixert who release his work under the alias "MUWN" from Nice, France.
(Originally published date: 17 January 2021)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRqpWKMj7bUJ4-kpIcIeag
https://www.facebook.com/MUWNPROJECT/
- First say welcome to this written interview for Cian Orbe blog.
Thank you so much for the invite, it's a great joy to be here.
And thanks so much to all the viewers for visiting.
- What is the meaning of MUWN name?
MUWN is an invented name, it talks about the harmony between people and with the universe. I created it using letters that have personal meaning, and also it was guided by the sounds. MUWN is pronounced “MIUN”. The sound evokes the moon, which represents the feminine archetype, the night, the dream, the intuition, the receptivity, the mystery…
- Do you release music only under MUWN name? Do you have other active or past music projects or monikers?
Currently, MUWN is my only solo project, and there is the duo project “Suyuin”. We started it in the beginning of 2020 with Ken Jamison of Crepuscular Entity.
The 1st Suyuin album was released last May, and the 2nd album will be released very soon.
There are also several duo albums, and they were released under a name combined with the partner's project name, like this one with my friend Theofil Tsiolakakis “Where The Spirits Dance”, released under the name “Mean Flow & MUWN”, or “Renaître” with my friend Eric Jovet, released under the name “I,Eternal & MUWN”. There are also several collaborations, like the recent one with Pete Swinton : “Pete Swinton & MUWN : Invisible Sunday”, the nice album with David Nadeau, where I reworked some of his tracks. All of these duo albums were a beautiful experience, and I hope that there will be new duo albums this year.
In the past, I have collaborated for several split albums, and VA compilations of industrial noise music under the name of Federico Bixert.
- Which are the concept behind your music, how you categorize your own work?
MUWN was born of a deep desire, a vital need to experiment, to explore different techniques, using physical or virtual instruments, the voice, the noise, field recordings, different styles of music, all kinds of sounds, as a material to model, sculpt and combine, harmonizing them to tell stories, to question, to create paintings, travel and explore.
If there is a general concept, an underlying idea, when I record music and compose, is to achieve a balance, a harmony, between the part of intellect, feelings, emotion, improvisation, then I would even say in a certain way, the free expression of the body, that this either by using machines, the voice, physical or virtual instruments…
Like many underground musicians, artists, my music is always experimenting and using everything, although everything has already been tried more or less already, to keep exploring and reinventing.
Then I can say that MUWN is experimental in general, including noise, ambient, dark, electro, improvisation....
- Favorite music genres?
The emotion is essential, and then I like to listen to all kinds of music, from traditional to experimental, minimal, kraut, progressive, cold wave, ambient, etc…
- In what year did you start making music? which was your first band/project?
MUWN really started in 2014, before I had several collaboration experiences with local bands, musicians.. since 2000 more or less.
In 2004 I was a founder member of a band named Burning Giraff (without the 'e', cause there is a band with the name “Burning Giraffe”, that we didn't know when we created the name).
This band was experimental rock, with psychedelic improvisations.. I was playing drum, percussion...
We were experimenting in live, during almost three years. Then we wanted to record an album and started to work on it, but before we were able to make it, life has led us on different paths. We decided to stop the band. It was a very nice experience.
- Which inspiration you have from the place where you live? There's some inspiration from your country in your music?
The life around me, everywhere I am, is an inspiration. The nature. The contact with the nature is important, and I often go to walk in the forest, the mountains, near the sea… There are also the museums, in general, and from my place, when I go to see the paintings of Matisse, Yves Klein, Gustav-Adolf Mossa… for example, then there are sounds and music playing inside of me.
In my country, I was also inspired by the music of Christian Vander, his authenticity. There are also composers like Pierre Henry, Pierre Schaeffer, bands like Gong, singers like Jacques Higelin…
- Which are your favorite music projects and visual artists, manga-ka, or animes who inspire your work?
There are so many : the bands of Christian Vander : Magma, Offering... Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, David Bowie, The Cure, Joy Division, Mercury Rev, John Coltrane, John Zorn, Fred Frith, The Smiths, Can, Peter Hammill, Tangerine Dream…. Then there are a lot of painters like Yve Klein, Henri Matisse, Gustav-Adolf Mossa, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali… Also some choreographers, dancers, like Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.… All kinds of artistic expression can also be a source of inspiration.
- How do you see the current experimental / ambient music scene?
Alive. All the friends, and music projects I met and discovered these past few years, participating in compilations, music projects, etc..., are very inspirational, and stimulating. Keep going my friends, it’s beautiful!
- Favorite experimental / ambient composers?
Fred Frith, Steve Reich, Boards of Canada, Tangerine Dream, the David Sylvian ambient albums (I also like his other albums), Brian Eno… there are a lot! And I want to mention all the friends and music projects that I am currently working with, or that I meet while participating in projects. They are all very interesting and exciting.
- Do you make live performances?
Yes, there may be times when I do live performances, but with MUWN I haven't yet. A while ago I was preparing it for MUWN, but it’s delayed for now.
Recently I did a live intervention during a training on nonviolent communication. I had prepared an ambient track beforehand, and on top of it I played live with ambient percussion, moving around the room, playing a few seconds around each participant, who kept their eyes closed during this time.
- Which is your favorite song or composition and album created by yourself?
I love all my babies, and it’s nice to see them living their own life now. But for this interview, I want to say the track “La mort L’amour La vie” which is Paul Eluard’s poem that I set to music . A track that I composed thanks to you Cian Orbe, for your project “Sound Poetry Compilation”. I had already composed spoken word, but it was the first poem that I put in music, and it was a great experience. I was surprised by the result, and I like it very much.
For
the album, I want to mention “Mystical Girl” that was released on Kalamine
Records, the netlabel of Zumaia. [LINK: https://kalaminerecords.bandcamp.com/album/mystical-girl ]
-
Tell us about the concept & the creation process of one of your latest
works " "DREAM 6 "
self-released [LINK: https://muwn.bandcamp.com/album/dream-6 ]
The Dream series mainly brings together compositions that have been published in different compilations. The tracks were made to work together, here it’s a journey through fantastic, science fiction, war and human destructive madness.
- Tell us about the underground music scene in France or in your zone, and which are your favorite artists from your country?
There is a great underground energy scattered all over France.I discovered a lot of great artists like Phillippe Neau, Gildas Brugaro, Eric Jovet, Zumaia, Fab Wycz, Michel Mnomized, Yann Pillas… And I’m thankful that I had the chance to collaborate with most of them. They are all among my favorites.
- Any anecdote that you want to share with us in the creation of some track?
Yes, I can tell something about the track “Sceptical Girl” from the album Gauecko. It was like a challenge. A friend asked me if I could compose a track using only one sound as a base, adding effects to it, manipulating it as I wanted, etc.. The sound is the first one you can hear in the beginning of the track. All the layers were made using this only this sound.
- Any news for 2021 in your music project or future collaborations?
Yes, there are so many projects maturing both for collaborations and for solo. For example, we are already thinking with Ken of a third Suyuin album, and we are also planning with Pete Swinton to make a new collaboration. Then, in my wishes of new collaborations or collaborating again, there is Theofil Tsiolakakis, Wilfried Hanrath, Ewald Wostefeld, Nicholas M. Taylor, Tim Jones… For the solo projects aside to continue the Dream series, I will release the second part of “Secret Garden”, and there are several albums in the works, including a poem album project, that was inspired by Zumaia after he listened to the track for your “Sound Poetry Compilation”, then he asked me if I would be interested to make a poem album. It was a great idea and it stayed in my mind.
- Any other thing that you want to say to your listeners?
Yes, I want to thank them all so much for the love and the support. Take care of you always and keep you safe. Much love.
PS : I want to say sorry to all the friends, music projects,... that I could have forgotten to mention here. You are part of it also. Love you all.
