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Hello Wouter, are you alive after so many months on tour? Your biography claims that you‘ve come to experimental music from punk/metal subculture. Perhaps, you‘ve stuck here for a long time? Actually i hear such a crossover not from you only. Why is it so, what are the factors, what do you think? And why usually one wants to linger in this halt?
I am definatly alive! I live for my music, and music is music, for me there are no genres. I just think its not interesting to label stuff. Music is music, i never made a difference in the style of my output. Not that i'm making metal right now, but i know people who really dig metal also dig my music. Same goes for people who like classical music. Combining different thing that all inspire you is what makes music such an interesting form of art!
You present yourself as W. Jaspers as well as Franz Fjodor. What is that? Doubling of personality?
I perform as Wouter Jaspers and Franz Fjodor, it really depends on my mood. Wouter Jaspers is more common lately, simply because I had enough with Franz Fjodor on the posters. I release all my records as Franz Fjodor, it gives me a different character to look at the world, a different way to explore the world around me.
One of my first amazements about you was when i saw this huge list of your planned concerts, which sweep till next year. Usually you can‘t boast of such things untill you aren‘t mainstream artist, or the underground artist doing stuff for at least 10-20 years. How can you explain this phenomenon?
It's all about working hard, never give up and love what you do. When I don't like it anymore i will quit emediatly, but untill then i want to see the world. I want the world and i want it now and rest is something you can do when you are older.
Overall how is this nomadic life to you? Probably you‘ve felt like a gypsie, and not once?
I feel like a gypsy all the time. It's difficult to come back home and stay home for a couple of weeks, it really makes me feel strange. Live on the road gives me asylum, it calms me and gives me a lot of fun. Living in Berlin is no punishment, but it's always more boring than being on the road!
You come to Lithuania for the 3rd time, just this time to Kaunas not Vilnius. What impression has left Lithuania and local audience from the past times? What can you mark, how can you compare Lithuania with those many countries you‘ve played?
Lithuania is always a lot of fun to be at! The people are enthousiastic and Vilnius is a great town. The parties are insane! When i have to compare it with other countries just one thing really pops up: the women are seriously amongst the most beautiful ones in the world.
You‘ve mentioned that you play in solid art festivals as well as in Russian garages. What are the advantages, minuses? Do you have any compulsive experiences, that you‘d like to share?
I saw a guy break his ancles during a show in Vladimir in Russia and still walk for a couple of days after. Russia is an amazing country to tour. The distances are terribly long, but the love you get back from the crowd is worth every second of it!
How did you find tour partner Audrey Chen? Any plans to make collaborative recordings?
I met Audrey when she played a show in my house in Tilburg a few years back. We met again in the States while i was on tour and we had a good connection. We decided it was time for us to tour, also because we both like the same music and the same style of touring: we both go all the way.
Let‘s talk a little about instruments you use. So, what are those and why? I know, you also modify instruments, doing circuit-bending, yes? Any comments about this?
My setup currently consists of devices to pick up electro-magnetic fields, a synth, sampler, microphones, contactmic's and a lot of effectequipment. I really like to search for new sounds, new ways of making sounds by changing instruments and new techniques to process those sounds. On the upcoming tour i will play only new work, so it will be exciting!
Now about the ideological side of your creation. From those cd albums you‘ve released, i understand that big attention goes to different, outlying places for field recordings, yes? Why? So somehwere, but not here, something better hides which you want to catch? What was the most extreme place/situation for recording? Where/how have you recorded your best material so far? And what are the places of your plans and/or dreams?
I would love to record in North Korea, mainly because its so difficult to make it happen. But the recordings you CAN make there are abselutly worth the trouble. The best recordings I made so far were made in Thernobyl in Ukraine. This because the place is deserted and dangerous. Two things you actually hear back in the music i used the recordings for.
VATICAN ANALOG – is the label for experimental music, and you‘re one of the manager, yes? Tell as what is the orientation of this label, what are the artists, and what is the place this label stands in the scene of experimental music of Netherlands?
At this point i run Vatican Analog together with my good friend Staplerfahrer. We are a label, a clubnight, but we are not what normal people expect from us. When we like something we organise it and we let people use our name to organise stuff. Vatican Analog stands for being what you want to be, completely free from genres and peoples opinions.
„INCUBATE“ - annual festival, which, i believe, many people know, who like alternative music, theatre, art from Holland and abroad. This is also the object of your activity yes? Can you enlighten us what kind of happening is this, and why should we visit it?
I worked for Incubate a few years ago. Its a great festival where a lot of different angles and styles come together. The crossover is the most interesting part of the festival. Black Metal together with girly pop, yeah! I like it!
What are the plans for this year both in recording and touring?
I will release some new records: one with Frans de Waard from Kapotte Muziek and one with Steffan de Turck and Jos Smolders. Besides that I will release a book with 25 tourstories and photo's and i will go to Senegal to play shows and enrich my cultural background! 2010 will be busy, but we're loving it!
Anything you‘d like to add/wish to Lithuanian people who read this interview?
I am very much looking forward to my next visit! Lets come together and feast! Like Jim said: they got the guns, we got the numbers. And thats how it should be!
Wouter Jaspers:
http://www.wouterjaspers.nl/
http://www.myspace.com/wouterjaspers
