Interview: Tim Aldric

Tim Aldric approaches ambient music as a threshold between inner experience and the outside world. Inspired by Brian Eno, cosmic scale, storytelling, and the strange poetry of sound slipping in from real life, his work explores the space between contemplation and imagination. In this interview, he talks about building music through experimentation and happy accidents, shaping Interdimensional Field Recordings: Sanctuary, the Heat Death of the Universe, balancing concept with atmosphere, and why "finding your sound" may be the wrong goal entirely.

General info

Artist Name: Tim Aldric

Age: 31

Location: The Netherlands

How long have you been making music? 19 years

 

Social Media / Music Links

timaldric.bandcamp.com

 

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 heard about ambient a couple of times and never listened to it during my music career. One day about three years ago I decided to finally listen to this Brian Eno I had heard so much of on one of my walks.

I had always heard music in one of two ways: as a representation of a world within myself, or as something external to enjoy. When I listened to Ambient 1 on that walk, some environmental sounds seeped through transparency mode and I was questioning if they were part of the music or not. I started to view ambient as a membrane between the internal and external world and became hooked! So now I have a third way of listening to music.

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

Different tracks are born in different ways and for me it depends on the genre I am working in. For some of the more alternative/pop music I make I generally get the idea of a melody stuck in my head when going about different things during the day. I will record those on my phone and get back to it later. With ambient I am more inclined to just open my laptop and start experimenting. I will try some things out with glass or chimes or guitar and process those and try to get something going. A lot of those songs/ideas get abandoned and/or scrapped for parts later when I work on something I am excited by and remember that one synth/reverb patch I used a few months back. Try to see if it will fit or not. This allows happy accidents to occur. For Before the Beginning for example I dragged and dropped a MIDI from another project I knew was in the same key. And it lined up somewhere near the end to make this beautiful harmony I wouldn't be able to write without trusting that idea of just trying to see what happens.

What kinds of experiences or environments tend to inspire your work most?

For Interdimensional Field Recordings: Sanctuary, the Heat Death of the Universe the environment that inspired my work were “things and happenings outside of space and time”. I have a fascination with how futile human consciousness is against the vast backdrop of interstellar space. I really hope some other form of consciousness is out there so it is not just us holding the candle away from the cosmic winds you know. But yea it is mostly nature, human interactions, introspective thinking or cultural changes that will inspire me to make music.

What atmosphere or emotional space are you trying to create with your music?

With Interdimensional Field Recordings: Sanctuary, the Heat Death of the Universe I tried to sculpt a space where you can submerge yourself in to experience what happened before time existed and after time existed. And then everything in between. And whatever emotion that evokes for you is the emotion that evokes for you. For myself the music makes me contemplative.

What moment made you feel like you had truly found your sound?

To anyone trying to “find their sound”: it doesn't exist. I tried to “find my sound”, but I believe it doesn't work like that. Your sound is not something to be found. It is just a result of trusting your own taste and being influenced by the artists your influenced by, and you using the tools, ideas, and friends you have “at your disposal”. Nothing else!

How important is storytelling in your work?

Storytelling is the focal point in all of my projects. I enjoy listening to and creating music that has story integrated into the concept, or at least some concept that ties an album or song together. It doesn't need to be the hero's journey every time. But if all your songs are tied together in some way I think it adds to the craftsmanship and passion that an artists has. Think of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, their albums are usually very conceptual and telling a story.

What makes a track feel “finished” to you?

I have a hard time answering this. I can spend ages tweaking knobs to change things most people will hardly notice. Or they would only notice in a side-by-side comparison. And of course I will tweak the knobs. Because I like the craft and enjoy the details that might only be heard by a few people that are involved with the genre itself. But at some point I tell myself “this is just the soup du jour”. Because some days I enjoy listening to one part over the other, and will make an adjustment to reflect that, and the other day I will just revert that change the tiniest amount. For the same reason as I will enjoy listening to experimental music one day, and something else the other day. And when I get to that part I will just tell myself this is ready to be abandoned. I will follow some steps the same way each and every time to make sure I don't miss something when I prepare for a mix. And when I get to the “soup du jour”-thought I will make someone else listen to it to see if they would change something. But mostly I will be happy to finalize it and leave it as an artefact to be found. Now I can focus on the next thing.

Which artists (or even non-musical influences) have shaped your artistic vision?

My artistic vision is shaped by a bunch of experiences tied to seeing or experiencing some artists for the very first time. There's Flying Lotus, because without Cosmogramma I wouldn't be producing. Mahler, I once sang in the Amsterdam Concert Building in a choir for his 2nd symphony. Without that experience I don't think I would use strings and other orchestral elements that often. KGATLW with their quick and DIY approach to things. They're amazing to see live. They showed me that a strong performance and strong concepts/songs can shine through any form or style of production. And that music theory can be used as a story/song-writing tool as well as analyzing. Kendrick Lamar showed me how great a well-crafted story-driven record could be. There's Brian Eno because he showed me music could be philosophical as well, and I started to read more about what others have thought about music. And maybe I should mention The Needledrop here. Loads of music I heard for the first time I discovered through that channel indirectly influencing and expanding my taste.

 

Gear and setup

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

I have electric, acoustic and bass guitars. Percussion I will record from physical sources as well, with the exclusion of drums. I don't have any hardware synths, so a lot if what you will hear is Slate Digital's ANA2 and Ableton's analog and operator.

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

My laptop! I do everything with it.

What piece of gear completely changed your workflow?

I don't have one unfortunately!

 

Challenges

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

Trying to find that balance between “wall paper” and “interesting to listen to” without become overbearing.

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

I try to work on multiple projects at the same time so any idea I have has a place to go to and not a lot is wasted. I don't get creative ruts usually. Maybe go for a walk?

How do streaming platforms affect the way you release music, or what is your relationship with those platforms?

Unfortunately they're a sort of a necessary evil. Your audience is there, but the streaming platforms require you to make artistic concessions. For example you cannot stylize your track names a certain way. You cannot have text on your album cover that is not part of meta data. And now an algoritm determines what gets recommended to someone. And not a friend or family member. And it would be better if we could go to a situation where organic discovery is the norm; and the power of releasing music to your audience and earning an income as a musician is more geared towards the artist and organic discovery instead of filling the pockets of a large inefficient organisation and an algoritm designed to increase your engagement with the platform. Spotify pays artists peanuts, and meanwhile their CEO is richer than the top 5 artists worldwide.

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?

I think the impact is huge. But who cares about some AI-avatar that generated music? If the Olympic Games get a robot-category then the robots will for sure surpass the humans at some point. Give the robot wheels and he will outpace the fastest human sprinter. But who cares? I certainly don't. I care about the human limitation. Individuals that are pushing that boundary are the people who inspire me and others to make the most out of our lives.

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?

It's inevitable that people will use these tools. And I am cautious about it. My belief is that it should not make the creative decisions/output but they can serve as tools to brainstorm ideas with. And if you try that it will ask you to engage more with it and it will kiss your ass about the beautiful idea you have. But in all seriousness. If we start outsourcing human imagination and creative output to the machines we are doomed.

What are you currently working on?

Pop/RnB album on Saberbear Tusk, a Death Metal side project, and the next instance of Interdimensional Field Recordings for Tim Aldric. Really excited about all of those projects!

What advice would you give to new ambient artists?

Try to figure out what you enjoy listening to and try to see what inspired those artists. Usually people are pretty open about their inspirations. This will allow you to learn some things you can implement in your own work, or at least experiment with. It can open new avenues, or maybe you find some obscure artists. Make music for yourself first. Listen to it in different rooms, play it in a different room then where you are and see what draws you in. Try to listen to your music during normal day-to-day activities where you would normally listen to other ambient artists and see if you can get the same experience. Write down every thought that comes to mind when listening to your music. Trust your intuition and taste.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

For sure! Interdimensional Field Recordings: Sanctuary, the Heat Death of the Universe comes with a short story you can read on timaldric.com. It's called Known Gateways.

 

The sound of Tim Aldric