Interview: Morek

At just 21 years old, Amsterdam-based artist Morek is carving out a unique space in the ambient music world. Drawing inspiration from nature, emotion, and long-form storytelling, his sound is deeply immersive and evolving. Using only software: primarily FL Studio and Surge XT, Morek builds layered sonic landscapes that express the inexpressible. His upcoming album Inhail promises to be a milestone, following the emotionally rich Flicker. We spoke to Morek about his creative process, influences, and the journey so far.

General info

Artist Name: Morek

Age: 21

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Social Media / Music Links

on.soundcloud.com/5h7dHw9gLLxenTZz6

instagram.com/morekofficial

How long have you been making music?

2 years

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 was always drawn to albums, long form musical expression in general. The way that a work that is longer than a simple song can build a mood, a soundscape, a world even is incredibly alluring to me, and you could argue that there is no genre that does it better than ambient music. Listening to ambient music is incredibly entrancing to me, and was from the start. It gives an incredible experience to the listener, at the same time creating a sometimes very vivid image, setting a particular mood, and leaving so much space for the listener to interpret it in their own way.

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

I am very sound driven when creating music, especially ambient tracks. I don't ever really sit down with a concept for a track in my mind, maybe a general mood but that is it. I like browsing through sound libraries, seeing what inspires me, starting with a single sound, chord progression, even just a noise, and then slowly building from there, adding more and more layers onto it. It always starts very simple and grows piece by piece.

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

I find a lot of inspiration for my ambient pieces in nature. In secluded places in particular, ones barely touched by humans. Forests, mountain trails, seasides. Emotion is also a big driving factor for me when creating music. I tend to think that some things are just impossible to explain through words, and music gives you the avenue to finally be able to materialize those feelings, in a very abstract way but still.

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

Ephemeral and flowing. Always changing, but always putting expression first. I like to create soundscapes that evolve over time. 
I want my music to express me as best as I can make it. Often I would not be able to describe it, I just try to create tracks, compositions, albums that when I play back I think, "This is exactly how i'm feeling".

Are there any artists that deeply influenced your style?

Definitely Grouper and Tim Hecker. I aspire to create works as impressive and influential as AIA:Alien Observer or Virgins.

Gear and setup

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

Software. So far basically everything I made is full FL Studio.

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

I use Surge XT for most of my synths. It's a free vst plugin, nothing too flashy, but it allowed me to improve my sound like nothing else did so far in my music creation journey.

Challenges

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

Mixing and mastering. I find the process both very tedious and often difficult. It did however let me learn a lot about sound design and audio engineering. I would say though that I still have a lot to learn in that regard.

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

I pivot to different types of music. I love creating music in general, and when I can't find the inspiration to create ambient work I try my best at different genres, often still leaning towards electronic. 
In general I tend to not push myself too hard when uninspired though. I let myself take a break from creative work, focus on other things, and over a few days or sometimes weeks find the motivation and inspiration again.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I am currently working on a full ambient release, album called Inhail. I started working on it last year in February, so this is something im really looking forward to sharing, and hopefully it happens soon. 
My last release, Flicker, is an album very dear to my heart. I think it shows my strong suits as a music maker in a lot of ways, sound selection, composition, atmosphere. I hope the readers will find it an exciting listen, and a good introduction to my music.
I would also like to shoutout a hiphop collective called Assembly Sounds. I produced for a few tracks on their new compilation album Volume 2: REDACTED. The music is much different from my solo output, however, I am very thankful for the opportunity they gave me to show off my production, improve and collaborate with other artists.