As a Matter of fact.
A chat with Noémi Büchi.
Photo by Nicolas Schärer [-OUS]
Noémi Büchi is a composer and sound artist currently based in Zürich, creating an electronic symphonic maximalism for the end of the world. Her music is defined by a delicate blend of electronic-orchestral condensations and textural rhythms. She invokes symphonic and electroacoustic landscapes, creating a music that is as visceral as emotionally charged.
Her past few years have birthed into music and other creative endeavours, whether it is graduating from electro-acoustic composition and computer music studies, having performed at venues in the likes of the SMEM and Kilbi Festival, releasing over 8 albums or EPs since 2021 on labels like -OUS and Light of Other Days, Noémi’s steady work ethic is diligent yet in mass. Seemingly, with infinite ideas to come, they are further expressed by being channelled in a collaborative duo with Manuel Oberholzer (Feldermelder) , adequately expressed as Musique Infinie, Noémi’s sonic tale is one to be heard.
On this day, Noémi has made time to talk to me about her works whilst preparing for a well deserved, restful trip to Turin. Yet the rest is debated for some, as she will be producing her upcoming album there with Manu. Although the chat we had was in a relaxed fashion, Noémi’s long, thoughtful answers are representative of the broadened neo-orchestral-like electronic sounds her music translates to.
In this chat titled “As a Matter of fact”, we discuss topics along the lines of making music in a relationship, the importance of wellbeing & discipline to stay focused and separating your mind into different parts, whether it to relax, work or avoiding the self importance of existing, in a cosmos where the irrelevance of being is sustained with nothing but matter.
Noémi Büchi, as of today, who are you in your own words?
I’m just a human being who looks to represent the reality that we have surrounding us on a daily basis but from a different perspective, on a metaphorical level, or perhaps turning it into an expanded reality. I enjoy the transformation of things that are part of my surroundings. Through music, I translate what I see, hear and feel into a very personal language to me. It’s perhaps a bit of a nonsensical description, but for me, it is my self description of what it is like to be an artist, which I perceive myself as. I want to create something sensitive out of something that emits the opposite, to give depth and meaning to our lives. It’s paradoxical because after all nothing really matters, especially when it comes to art, but then it is a primal need to our existence, to depthen our reality and various other realities.
So in a world where nothing matters, at least on a grand scale, how do you give value to your work, for yourself and for your listeners?
I mean that is an ongoing struggle and differs in level per individual day. Some days I don’t see any sense or value in what I do. And some days I give value to what I do simply through repetition and by simply doing it through very strong impulses I may have and thus drives me into a creative mindset. It’s not so much a envy, but really a need to create. This need is what gives value to my day. I have a very precise interest that perhaps avails to nothing but in this moment of creation, it is so relevant to anything else to me, and that’s what gives it value. When you create something, whether it is an album, a piece, anything of creative endeavour really, the moment that you conclude it, it becomes an extension of yourself. Sometimes it’s a thought written on paper, in my case it is an extension of myself through audio frequencies. I would assume it is a bit like having a child, which is great for Manu and I, since we don’t need to have children. We already made an album together. But of course, to capture this value and moment can be very difficult and disrupting. It is not something you can channel easily at times. I think it relates to some extent to your brain chemistry as well as what is going on in your life at the moment.
To extend this thought, what interests me in creation is the ongoing question of intuition. It is something that interests me for a long time. What pushes us to create, where it comes from. There is a lot of theory going around it whether it is talent or knowledge. Myself, I like to reflect on it; Additionally, something that I enjoy a lot is the question of the aesthetic and style. how different it is per individual and how subjectivity plays a very important role to the artist and to the listener. I am someone who is very sensitive to aesthetics, not necessarily to music. I can be bit of a control freak, so I need things to be precise, orderly and accurate. Everything in its right place. At times it is quite handicapping, this need to be controlling, such as in compositions, how every sound needs to be in its right place. I have very specific imaginations and values that are concrete to me, but when I apply them in real life, it becomes almost oppressing and overwhelming, since you obviously cannot control everything.
Therefore what are your strategies to avoid becoming saturated?
You just learn how to let go. Things still do not always come out the way you imagine or perceive them. I tend to be quite anxious also, so to tackle such issues, meditation and yoga are heavily embedded in my lifestyle. It’s what gets me out of this maze.
Nice that you mention that, because I read that you were a yoga instructor prior and during your studies at the ZHdK. I was wondering if you were already making music before this education, as well as have you ever meditated (or have made music for meditation) before on your own music?
I’ve been making music since I was six years old pretty much. I started improvising on the piano, because that's always been my main focus, improvisation. When it comes to electronic music, I studied electroacoustique compositions and computer music in university, therefore my first electronic music endeavours were first digitally, on the computer before I switched to modular and hardware synthesisers. But no, I never made music for mediation, let alone meditated on my own. When I listen to my own music, I consider it like work. I do not create my music necessarily for me. It does happen that I casually listen to it, but more often I stay focused as I am analysing and critiquing it. If I do yoga, I put drones or slow hitting gongs, as this is the moment that I distance myself from composition, to let go and stay away from that part of my mind. Sometimes I even stay completely quiet in a room, especially towards the end of the meditation process, I turn everything off as some disciplines don’t intertwine for me.
Prior to this chat, we talked about the difficulty at times of collaborating with others. This was more in reference to the physical side of the artist, such as working with photographers. Since you have an upcoming music video, how important is the way people perceive you physically? Additionally, since you mention that music is an intangible, non visual entity do you therefore intentionally try to create a physical manifestation of your music via your physical body, texturised, flavoured and filter the same way you would sound design your audio compositions?
It is indeed something that developed unconsciously from me. It also relates to the fact that I applied my real name, Noémi Büchi, to my artist's name. Although I find my name aesthetically ugly, I made rules in my aesthetic ideologies, because for me it is important to put my person on the side as much as possible. In the world we live in, we are exposed to social media platforms that tend to emit more toxicity than positivity, it can be very difficult to put aside your persona. In the beginning, I tried to perform under a character, the protagonist of an artistic idea. It is not at all my idea or my goal, so it is why I hide myself in a certain way because I do not want to put it more upfront. To use my real name is a statement. Yes it’s not the prettiest name, especially when said in Swiss German, but it is a coincidence in life. This is who I was ment to be and what I have to say. I also find that being a woman, you have to be more conscious and careful on how you present yourself. You don’t want to come off as a product, I mean, unless you want to. You need to be careful on how you present yourself physically and need to make a strong stance from the start depending on how you want to position yourself and what you have to say. I find it being a sociocultural matter, a movement amongst women really.
Taking a step, looking at your album titles, there is a recurring theme. With the use of “Matière”, “Hyle”, “Matter”.... where did your concept of matter come from?
It started from a pretty banal idea. When I started recording the album “Matière”, I used a lot of objects as well as modular synths for its creation. For me, there were all forms of material, which I used to make music. It was a purposeful idea to work only with materials, which is applicable to all sorts of things. For instance, you might use creative material under the form of sound palettes. “Matière” was short, precise and elegant. And so you start with a materialistic starting point and push the sound further. I started conceptualising my work around this title because in the end, everything is matter. We are matter. Sound is matter, it’s just vibrations through the air.
What we think of ourselves are simply mental constructions. We are all nothing in a certain way, but we build around us an incredible reality. Every individual has their own story in a certain way. Each culture and society does the same, building a reality that in the end does not exist. The universe solely contains only matter, chemical procedures and that’s it. We shouldn’t think so strongly of ourselves.
And you think that you found yourself in this insignificance relating to matter? A comfortable position of self acceptance or is your journey still a work in progress?
Of course. Upon the realisation of insignificance, it is very freeing. It is pointless to ask yourself where you fit it. That said, we cannot escape completely from our build realities. Through my music, I can select more which realities I am exposed to by creating and exploring them to fill in these gaps of void. I create to identify myself within my work and vice versa.
Having releases on vinyl, cassette and CD, and referring to your recurring concept of matter, was it a conscious decision to release on tangible formats to concretise your concept?
No, not at all. It is more coincidental and for merchandise reasons, decided by myself and the label. The format my music gets released on held little importance to me in the beginning. When “Matière” came out, I did not have so much emotional attachment to it because it was more a study of sounds, a demonstration of technique, as opposed to an emotional cathartic release. Even the artwork is simplistic in layout. Nowadays, I am more of an opinion on what format my music gets released one and could see myself only doing streaming and digital. Otherwise CDs for example, I would not mind. I love and grew up with them so that would make sense. Or USB sticks. But since I do not have a personal connection to vinyl, I don’t feel the necessity for me to have my music specifically released on it.
Performance for Stadt Sommer at the Rote Fabrik, 29th of July 2022. Photo by Francesca Camilla.
Do you need a certain, perhaps specific and regular, atmosphere to work in or do you switch around studios?
My studio is actually situated at my home. I am very sensitive and influenced by my environment. Although I work a lot with the laptop which is transportable, I feel most comfortable in my private domicile. The more experience and knowledge I gain from the comprehension of what makes the quality of a sound and space when I am creating, the more meticulous and aware I become with my surroundings. This principle has evolved either through my studies, working with Manu and my own trial and errors. I now know the value and importance of having a really good space, whether atmospheric or acoustically treated, that I need more of my creative process. I have had experiences with studios that are not situated in my home, but prefer the comfort of my private domicile. After all, I am an orderly person. I like to have things at hand, such as my own kitchen, nearby area to go for a run, all things that I previously mentioned that are essential for a productive and diligent workflow.
I also do everything from my flat. It’s both for financial and convenient reasons. However, especially during the pandemic, I found myself stagnating at times. To elaborate, I had difficulty separating my creative and work mindset, to a relaxed comfort zone. How do you separate these two mindsets since you are working from home?
Indeed, you have to force yourself. I come from an athletic background. I did a lot of sports when I was young and still today, so I maintained a lot of discipline and focus partly from this. You build these habitual traits and you have to preserve them constantly. The same applies to resting, I need to force myself to relax because I am a very nervous person. It comes to the point where you have to force yourself into each mindset. It’s nice also to bridge these mindsets with other creative related activities that equally require a process. For instance, i enjoy cooking a lot. You decide on a dish, go to the market to get these ingredients, do “mis en place”, talk with someone, drink a cocktail, taste and savour.. all of this is also a process that relates yet separates between my other work and relaxation mindsets.
In reference to an interview you had with 15 Questions, I was wondering with (what I consider) such a strict schedule, where do you find inspiration and new producing techniques in order to break out of the box?
The thing is that I can get enthusiastic about the most mundane things. It’s an accumulation of thoughts that occur in my subconscious. Even when I think I have no ideas, they are evidently in my head. It just means I need to sometimes work harder to find them. I don't really find myself needing to find time for inspiration. To go back to the interview I had with 15 Questions, since a good portion of my day is already planned, it is important that I leave some open space in my day for it to be interpreted as I please. It is important to have some unknown in the creative process. That’s how I get out of the box.
When it comes to the technical side, since Manu has a lot of knowledge in hardware and synthesis , he helped me a lot. I probably learned a lot more about gear through him than I did my whole time studying, although my studies did help me a lot regarding compositional aspects. Obviously, some issues I might come across regarding the functionality of my equipment tends to be debunked via online research.
All of this to say that I still consider myself quite a debutant, I think we’re all debutants forever somehow. So I try to learn things on my own the best I can in order to stay authentic to my sound, process and myself really. After a while you get more comfortable with yourself and in my case, I learn the most through perseverance and curiosity. I never start with a concept. I usually start with a random, vague idea, and then develop it further until something interesting comes out of it. Most of my albums start from nothing, and the idea is developed and pushed over time, as I capture moments and feelings of my life that occur throughout. I don’t really like to work with the idea of concepts. I find it limiting in your creative journey, to set things out as rules, because there are things, unforeseen circumstances, events that might occur to you that might affect and shape the initial end result you were trying to achieve. Sometimes you shape things along the way of creating, so I don't like to limit myself with such rules to match a concept that was conceived months ago, but not necessarily relevant or applicable for tomorrow. The unpredictability of things is partly what gives me great pleasure in making music. You’re just playing around after all, like a kid, and it's very important for me to maintain that because otherwise you might miss out on something, a different direction, in the process. So I like to be as free as possible in that sense in order for me to be able to explore and break inner boundaries, as opposed to following a concept which might feel too much like a guideline, a rule book if you will. The “conceptual stamp” comes at the conclusion of the album, as a way for me to reflect on what I created and accomplished during the period of making an album.
Photo by Jean-Marc Avila.
Speaking of breaking inner boundaries, some people make this happen by working with other people to get external insight. I saw in an interview you and Manu gave separately, at a different time, that each of you find it difficult to work with other people yet successfully work as a duo under the name Musique Infinie. How did all of this occur?
Last year, Manu heard and took interest in my music and therefore invited me as a guest for an event he was hosting for his label OUS at the Bad Bonn, in Bern. At first, we were in a relationship, but then got together and the process came quite organically. We sat down next to each other, shared some thoughts and ideas, which led to hours of recorded material. After some restructuring of said material, we both really liked the results and started to release it as Musique Infinie. We chose this name because we felt that this project is infinite. Infinite ideas, infinite sound, a never ending journey. It plays a bit also with our musical styles, between Manu’s endless drones and my cascading symphonic like melodies, the possibilities in the sound spectrum becomes infinite. What we like a lot is that besides our personal side, which is very powerful, we find our music very special in the sense that we have trouble categorising it. It is very dense with electronic sounds simulating an orchestra but yet has some pop music overtones. We find comfort with the balance of our voices in this project, we both feel they are heard in the music, so to speak. Even in or out of the studio, because sometimes we also play live together, has also been done with extreme ease.
A recent gig we had that underlines this was to soundtrack a Ukrainian silent film. Although we spoke a bit about the sounds, patches and other performance material we might use, we were essentially unprepared. But the next eighty minutes worked out great and the result was blissful. Although we performed live, what came out of this performance was something more. The recordings proved the outcome to be more elaborate than we expected. We were satisfied that what we had performed that night could be used as pieces.Thankfully the gig was recorded, therefore the music from this live recording will be used for our second upcoming album.
Being in a relationship did not affect our creative dynamics. Since I know Manu’s music very well as well as him as a person (and vice versa) it was comfortable exploring new styles because of this familiarity, whilst preserving our own distinct styles. It was a pleasant surprise how well they compliment each other. In a way, when performing together, we feel that each of us are “doubled,” merged and channelled into Musique Infinie, so our creative output is immense. You’d think this might be frustrating having so much material, but really it’s the opposite. Having shared values and ideologies, such as honesty, has helped maintain our personal and professional relationship healthy.
Finally, I'd like to leave off with a question from the aforementioned 15 Questions interview you had in 2021. The question being “Can you talk about a breakthrough work, event or performance in your career? Why does it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?”. You gave the answer which you answered “I think I'm in the process of precisely that ... Ask me again in a year.”. I would like to be the first to ask you for an update on this matter.
Definitely my first large work, my album “Matter”. It's a very personal thing on this album. The different tracks, with the corresponding titles, represent the different mental states and phases one goes through while processing a traumatic experience.
By composing this music, I have relived whole experiences on a mental level, and have been able to “digest” them properly once again. I have learned to articulate them anew through music. You could almost call it a kind of therapeutic composing, even though I'm not a fan of publishing private things. But in this case, it was a very important thing for me to do and I tried to articulate it from a personal thing, something universal that can appeal to many people who had to or must go through painful experiences.
