Interview: VOLTIJ

At 62, Canadian ambient artist VOLTIJ (aka Paul Clement) is proving it's never too late to find your voice. After decades in rock bands, a love for stillness and sound decay led him down a more reflective path - culminating in his first release in 2023. His hybrid setup blends organic textures with digital depth, often drawing from nature and emotional nuance. With influences ranging from Brian Eno to Suzanne Ciani, VOLTIJ's music is both grounded and exploratory. In this interview, he shares insights into his creative process, challenges, and upcoming release 'The Violets Are Blue'.

General info

Artist Name: VOLTIJ

Real Name: Paul Clement, 62

Location: Mississauga, Canada

Social Media / Music Links

voltij.bandcamp.com

How long have you been making music?

Playing piano since age 8 but released my first record in 2023

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 played in rock bands for many years and got my fill of LOUD, and as I got older and more reflective I sought music in a similar vein. In the 80s I got turned onto Brian Eno, Danna & Clement (Tim Clement is my cousin) and Frippertronics. As a youngster, I used to love playing a big chord on the piano, even just a C major, and then listen to the sound decay for minutes at a time. I guess I was playing drone music before I even knew what it was.

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

It usually goes one of two ways. I regularly just goof around on my synths or iMac in a sort of goal-less exploration mode, and amass lots of musical raw materials, then build some of those into songs. Other times I'll start with a specific idea in mind and use it as inputs for songs. For example, my upcoming release The Violets Are Blue has numerical sequences or maths found in nature as the foundation of every song.

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

Definitely a huge inspiration from the natural world, but always striving to have a lot of emotional content in the music.

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

Although my music tends to be dense and sometimes noisy, I take a minimalist approach to composition, preferring simple melodic motifs and using many variations thereof. I wouldn't say that I aim for a specific mood, but given the huge influence I take from nature I try to have a lot of diversity in my sound. My upcoming release has everything from a piano ballad-y type of thing to an harsh drone song about the desert. This reflects my music tastes, and how many of my favourite artists growing up would have lots of styles on their records. Early Genesis is an example. On Nursery Cryme you have a pastoral guitar piece about old friends going to church, then huge prog rock epics like Return of the Giant Hogweed.

Are there any artists that deeply influenced your style?

Tim Hecker, Arvo Part, Larry Fast, Suzanne Ciani, Bana Haffar, Erik Satie.

Gear and setup

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

Hybrid

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

My iMac with Ableton Live 12 Suite is definitely the engine room of my studio, but if you asked me to pick one favourite thing, it would be different every time you asked. The tools that played a huge part in my new record come from the Arturia FX Collection 5, including EFX Refract, EFX Motions and EFX Fragments. My previous release Acouxtic Volume 1 featured Slate + Ash plugins Cycles and Choreographs, which are amazing.

Challenges

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

I'd say having a unique sound is the thing I work hardest at. It's pretty easy to crank out what Tim Hecker calls spa music but bringing personality into what can be a restrictive genre takes a lot of focus. As much as I love listening to ambient I actually force myself not to when I'm working on my own stuff because I tend to be easily influenced.

It's also easy to focus too much on the technical side of it and forget that we're trying to be artists.

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

I forget who, but a fairly well known electronic musician said "I don't have inspirations, I have a schedule'. Showing up and doing the work on a regular basis is critical. The muse won't whisper in your ear every time you sit down to play. On creatively dry days I read manuals or go deep on a tool that I'm less familiar with.

The other thing is to just have fun. It's called 'playing' music for a reason.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I owe a huge debt to the Learning Sound and Synthesis program by Sarah Belle Reid. I am a life long learner and took the plunge on this program few years ago. Aside from giving me excellent technical training, the program, Sarah, and the community around it helped me find my voice as a musician at age 58.

My new release The Violets Are Blue comes out Friday June 27, 2025 exclusively on Bandcamp. It explores man's destructive influence on the natural world on which we all depend.

Whoever you are, your art is important and we need it. Keep making things.