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From the Scene: Andreas Tschopp on time and space

Andreas Tschopp03-31-20264 min. read

In the 'From the Scene' series, musicians from the Moods universe share their thoughts. In the current issue, Andreas Tschopp reflects on time and space.

It's 24 March and I only have one day to write this text. It's a snapshot, without long planning or editing. What moves me? First and foremost, the fact that I only have one day is directly related to the task. The fragmented nature of freelance work is a typical situation and a perpetual challenge. Time And Space The greatest wishes come back. They have been written down several times in every notebook for decades. I don't seem to be getting any closer to finding a sustainable solution. However, I am temporarily closer: embracing the joy of the process rather than becoming obsessed with the result. Happy days are those when deepening succeeds.My favourite books either take place over 1,000 pages in one day or over a hundred years in 300 pages. My musical world works in a similar way at the moment. I recently premiered my solo programme and released it on the album What If We Align Our Breath. It condenses my musical history into 30–45 minutes of music. My bands, on the other hand, have spent 14, 17 or 20 years developing their own unique styles. Musically and spiritually, as a group.Time is relative; it runs in all directions. For me, the most inspiring thing is when someone can change their perspective in this way. They jump to another time level and outwit the gravity of the conversation.Blogs and similar formats can provide a springboard for this. Perhaps even more so if they function as a conversation than if you report on yourself. For example, on splatz.space or in Bomb magazine.My three favorite print subscriptions: Bomb, Wire, WOZ. Print subscriptions = time, deepening Happy days are those when flow is involved.I'm writing this text on the train, travelling to and from Sankt Gallen, with no obligation to keep moving. The GA travelcard is the most sensible luxury I can afford. I wander through cities without a destination, keeping all my senses open. My own Zurich. Cities that are new to me but also foreign. Cities that I have come to love and visit again and again.I was literally watching the water in motion. Observing the randomness, unpredictability and consistency of the waves for hours on end. They are both organic and chaotic.One movement causes the previous one, resulting in the next. Nothing arises from a standstill. Rest is not stagnation; it is power. I seek this flow in the creative process, in both small and large arcs.Artists who inspire me in this regard, explicitly and implicitly: Richard McGuire, Meshell Ndegeocello Happy days are when I learn.New sounds, created independently or donated from outside sources. New instruments, whether digital or analogue. Languages, even if only to scratch the surface or decipher a script. Movements. The happiness you feel when you discover a new movement sequence or a way to relax in Feldenkrais. Random rabbit holes. The exhilaration and luxury of having the time to absorb it all.My last Rabbitholes (according to Youtube history): isiZulu, sp404, feldenkraisLearning through exchange: Being questioned by friends and strangers. Realising how difficult it can be to be open to the softening of certainties. Then comes the joy and dizzying sense of possibility when learning triumphs over the need to be right. What was just now: What If We Align Our Breath
Trombone, my main instrument for the last almost thirty years. Recorders, my first long-standing musical passion. Transverse and alpine flutes, ocarinas, made by my grandfather. (Or my aunt's, I can't remember exactly) Effects, tape loops, cymbals, bells, samplers. And in the center, trigger and motor: Kudu horns, traditional signal horns from South Africa. Sounds from the most diverse times and places, logically connected by chance. Like all of us in the end. What If We Align Our Breath? What's coming up next: SKYJACK Tour, including at Moods
For over ten years I have been lucky enough to be in South Africa on a regular basis and to make ever more and deeper contacts with the music scene there. The center and constant of this relationship is this band, SKYJACK. What a gift to make friends on other continents through music, to create together. Music, possibilities, energy, insights.Deepening, flowing and learning together.More about Andreas Tschopp: Website / Instagram

Andreas Tschopp at Moods

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