Interview: illlumen

In this interview, I talk with illlumen, the musical alias of German artist Jens Neinhardt. With roots in modular synthesis and a flair for storytelling through sound, his ambient work blends emotional contrast with sonic experimentation. We discuss his creative process, influences like Harmonia and Jon Hopkins, and the role of vintage gear in shaping his dystopian soundscapes. illlumen shares insights into avoiding ambient clichés and embracing the freedom to simply be. Dive into the world behind the textures.

General info

Artist Name: illlumen

Real name: Jens Neinhardt

Age: 42

Location: Euerdorf, Germany

Social Media / Music Links

illlumen.de

instagram.com/illlumenofficial

illlumen.bandcamp.com

soundcloud.com/illlumen

How long have you been making music?

I’ve started making music in 2003.

Do you release music under a label or independently?

Independent

Creative process and inspiration

What drew you to ambient music in the first place?

I guess it was the immersive aspect of music. I have to admit that it wasn't "Ambient" music in the true sense that led me to it. As a young boy, I listened to his record collection with my father and I remember being fascinated by the passages in the music that somehow carried me away and the colourful images that this has created in my imagination. These included albums by Pink Floyd and Kraftwerk, but also more obscure artists from the New Age genre.

Later, after I started making music myself, I learnt to critically question this longing for dissolution of boundaries and to experiment with breaks and supposed genre boundaries. However, I am still interested in the stories within music - I have actually become a storyteller myself.

Can you describe your creative process when starting a new track?

That depends entirely on whether I have an idea in advance or not. Sometimes I start experimenting directly with a patch on my modular system and then work from there - but just as often there is a basic idea (or rather a question) at the beginning of my work, which I then explore in more detail during the process. Working with hardware (especially the modular system) helps me to overcome overly rigid ideas and musical structures, which I often tried to achieve in the DAW in the past. It took me a little longer to learn how to play again. But it's all the more fun now!

Where do you find inspiration? Emotion, nature, science fiction, or something else?

I would say that everyday life and the emotional challenges themselves probably have the greatest influence. Beyond that, it's the questions mentioned above that I also like to be guided by. The lyrics I wrote for the album Federland have very different sources of inspiration: (esoteric) science fiction, novels and sometimes film scenes that have resonated deeply with me. It's a pretty big field from which I draw inspiration. Maybe that's why I've explored such a wide range of genres so far.

How would you describe your sonic identity or the mood you aim to create?

At the moment, I like to play with contrasts and explore certain textures that are the result of the interplay of instruments and effects. This brings out very different moods and emotions: everything from dark and menacing, ominuos – but also cheerful and lively elements. I always find it exciting when it comes to bringing these elements into a narrative context. The transitions play just as big a role for me as the highlights of the pieces themselves. 

What has fascinated me for some years now is the juxtaposition of analogue musical elements like tape machines and the early digital technology of the late seventies. I love exploring the resulting grey areas and experimenting with different layers that illuminate and interact with each other. In Tausendkristall, I deliberately limited myself to the instruments and effects that would have been available in a studio in the 1980s. The result is a kind of fictional dystopian setting that would have been inconceivable without this kind of approach.

Are there any artists that deeply influenced your style?

Harmonia, Nathan Fake, Jon Hopkins, Stars of the Lid, Kontext, James Blake (just to name a few).

Gear and setup

Are you using hardware, software, or a hybrid setup?

Hybrid. For me it's the best of both worlds. I use the DAW with the corresponding plugins and my hardware (OP1, Novation Bass Station, Novation Peak, Moog Matriarch and the modular system) in equal measure. I then tweak the recordings (improvised or with sequenced harmonies as a foundation) in the DAW until a coherent picture emerges.

What’s your favorite piece of gear or plugin, and why?

Spontaneously I would have said: Moog Matriarch. With this device, I've learnt again what it means to play. No matter what I do with it, it feels like a single sweet spot. You have direct access to everything relevant. What you see is what you get - and the hardware is also very well thought out. Similar to the Peak, the device encourages play and experimentation. I could dedicate an entire album to the bucket brigade delay alone. Maybe I even will. And I've only just started using the patch points and connecting them to the modular system.

Challenges

What’s been the biggest challenge so far in creating ambient music?

That may sound contradictory, but not to let myself be drawn too much into drones and monotonous atmospheres. Without contrasts, things quickly seem bland to me. As nice as it is to be drawn away to other worlds - reality also has its relevance - and its beautiful sides. Ambient music in particular has the tendency to drift into irrelevance. My music should not just be a means to an end, not a mere fulfillment of needs. For me, it is important to question these processes and to constantly accept new artistic challenges.

How do you stay motivated or inspired when you're in a creative rut?

To be honest, it helps me the most to move on to other things. I have taken art and music far too seriously in the past. There are so many interesting things for me to discover in the world. And this endeavour to always be productive has strong capitalist traits, I think. If you can afford to just sit there and do nothing, that can also be a great benefit.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

At this point I would like to refer you to my website, where you can find not only more information about me and my work, but also many of my drawings and paintings. I've also created a second Soundcloud account (soundcloud.com/illlumendemo) where I share sketches and loose ideas that might give you an idea of what else is happening in the studio outside of the albums.