Clairvoyant Bot creates ambient music as a space for balance, intuition, and open-ended interpretation. Working from dreams, abstraction, and the freedom of structureless sound, Portland-based artist Richard Thomas builds pieces that leave room for listeners to find their own stories inside them. In this interview, he talks about letting go of preconceived ideas, shaping music with Pigments and Ableton Live Suite, the influence of Drexciya, Autechre, and Kompakt’s Pop Ambient series, and why finding your voice is the hardest part of making music.
General info
Artist Name: Clairvoyant Bot
Real name: Richard Thomas
Location: Portland, USA
How long have you been making music? 5 years
Social Media / Music Links
Do you release music under a label or independently?
Independent
Creative process and inspiration
What drew you to ambient music in the first place?
What drew me to ambient music was the freedom of the genre, especially the way it can exist with little to no traditional structure. I like that a piece does not have to move through the usual expectations of verse, chorus, climax, or resolution. That openness gives the music room to move, breathe, and become something without having to follow a fixed path. It allows a sound or atmosphere to simply exist for as long as it needs to.
Can you describe your creative process when starting a new track?
My creative process usually begins with letting go of preconceived notions. I try not to force the track into a specific shape too early, because that can close off possibilities before the piece has had a chance to reveal itself. Instead, I listen for the sound, mood, or initial idea that seems to want attention, and I let that guide the next decisions. The track slowly becomes clearer through that process of following rather than controlling.
What kinds of experiences or environments tend to inspire your work most?
My dreams are probably the strongest source of inspiration. They offer strange images, emotional fragments, and atmospheres that do not always make logical sense, but can still become a powerful starting point for sound. A dream can leave behind a feeling that is hard to explain in words, and music gives me a way to stay with that feeling a little longer. I am interested in that space where something feels familiar and unreal at the same time.
What atmosphere or emotional space are you trying to create with your music?
With my music, I am usually trying to create a sense of balance within myself. The process becomes a way of finding an internal center, especially when thoughts or emotions feel scattered. Ambient music gives me enough space to slow those feelings down and place them somewhere. Hopefully that feeling of balance can come through in the listening experience as well, even if each listener finds their own version of it.
What moment made you feel like you had truly found your sound?
I felt like I had found my sound when I could not get the music out of my head. It was not necessarily a dramatic moment, but more of a realization that the sound had stayed with me after the track was finished. When something keeps returning to you after you have made it, that is usually a sign that it has connected with something deeper. It means the music is not just an exercise anymore; it has become part of your inner world.
How important is storytelling in your work?
My music has no words, but I still think listeners can find their own stories inside it. I do not feel the need to direct the listener toward one fixed meaning. Even if there were lyrics, people would interpret them through their own lives, memories, and emotions, so I prefer leaving that space open. The absence of words can make the music more flexible, allowing each person to project something personal into it.
What makes a track feel “finished” to you?
A track feels finished when adding something else starts to feel superfluous. There is usually a point where more detail does not make the music stronger, it just makes it heavier. At that point, the piece has said what it needs to say, and any extra layer would only distract from what is already there. Knowing when to stop is part of preserving the atmosphere.
Which artists (or even non-musical influences) have shaped your artistic vision?
Drexciya, Autechre, and each Pop Ambient release from Kompakt records have all shaped the way I think about sound, atmosphere, and electronic music. They each approach electronic music from a different angle, but they all show how much can happen inside texture, repetition, mood, and abstraction. Those influences helped open up a space where abstraction, texture, and feeling can all coexist without needing to explain themselves too directly.
Gear and setup
Are you using hardware instruments, software, or a hybrid setup?
I work with a software-based setup. That keeps the process flexible and lets me focus on shaping sounds inside the computer without needing a large physical setup. I like having everything available in one place, where I can move quickly between sound design, arrangement, and editing. For the way I work, software gives me enough range to explore ideas without adding unnecessary friction.
What's your favorite piece of gear or plugin, and why?
My favorite plugin is Pigments. I can make an entire track using only this instrument, which makes it feel very complete and inspiring on its own. It gives me enough range to build melodies, textures, and atmosphere without needing much else. I like tools that can become a whole environment rather than just one sound source, and Pigments has that quality for me.
What piece of gear completely changed your workflow?
Ableton Live Suite completely changed my workflow. It gave me a more direct way to build, arrange, and develop ideas, and it became the center of how I work. The way it lets me move between experimentation and structure is important, because I can follow an idea while it is still fresh and then shape it into something more finished later.
Challenges
What's been the biggest challenge so far in creating ambient music?
The biggest challenge has been trying to do something different. Ambient music allows a lot of freedom, but that also means you have to keep searching for your own angle, your own voice, and your own way of approaching space and sound. Because the genre can be so open, it is easy to drift into familiar textures or moods. The challenge is to keep asking what makes a piece feel personal rather than just pleasant.
How do you stay motivated or inspired when you're in a creative rut?
When I am in a creative rut, I try to step away from the music itself. I read a book, watch a movie, or listen to different music genres. Taking in other forms of art or unfamiliar sounds usually helps reset my perspective. Sometimes the best way back into music is not to push harder, but to feed the mind with something unrelated and let inspiration return from another direction.
How do streaming platforms affect the way you release music, or what is your relationship with those platforms?
I like Bandcamp. It feels free and open, especially for left field genres that do not always fit neatly into mainstream streaming categories. It gives artists a place to share work without needing to shape it around an algorithm. For music that exists outside the center of popular taste, that kind of openness matters, because it allows the release to be presented on its own terms.
What are your thoughts on AI's impact on music and art? Have you, in any form, used it in your approach to creating and shaping ideas?
AI is here, and I try not to let it bother me too much. I am aware that it is part of the current creative landscape, but I do not want it to become a distraction from the actual act of making music. I use Max for Live within Ableton, and whether that uses some form of AI, I honestly have no idea. I am more focused on what I can do creatively with the tools in front of me.
How do you see AI evolving in music and art? Are you cautious about it, or do you think it will increasingly function as a tool within creative workflows?
Right now, AI seems to be better at basic pop forms and has difficulty with more complex forms of art and music. I think it will become a tool, and like many tools, people will respond to it in different ways. Some people probably did not like drum machines when they first appeared either. New tools often create resistance at first, and then people figure out where they do or do not belong. We'll see where it goes.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on short pieces with percussion. It has been a lot of fun, especially because the shorter format and rhythmic elements bring a different kind of energy into the process. Working this way gives the pieces a sense of movement while still allowing space for atmosphere, texture, and the more open-ended qualities I like in ambient music.
What advice would you give to new ambient artists?
Don't expect fame and money. LOL. Make the music because you are drawn to it, because you need to explore it, and because the process itself gives you something worthwhile. If the motivation comes from outside rewards, it can become frustrating very quickly, but if it comes from curiosity and the need to create, the work can keep giving something back to you.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
For me, the hardest part about making music is finding your voice. And that voice can change over time. It is not something fixed that you discover once and keep forever; it changes as you change, and the music changes with it. The important thing is to keep listening for it, even as it shifts.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave one!