Infinite curiosity and following a dream ends as in the case of Ania Suda, a modular specialist and live act master, who, starting from European clubs, returned to Poland to get the domestic music scene. During this year’s Audioriver Festival, we caught up with An On Bast, who talked to us about her experiences with sound.
Dominic: How did your music career develop internationally?
An On Bast: Let’s start from the beginning. About 16 years ago I decided that I would make music in my life. Because it is something I love and despite having completed two studies, law and philosophy, I decided that I wanted to lead the life of a musician, electronic producer and, above all, play live acts. And that’s how it started, it immediately became my job, because that’s all I did. At the beginning, I was making quite unpopular music, or so it seemed to me, so the logical conclusion for me was that I wanted to perform for various international audiences, to have someone to play for at all. I wrote to various clubs and festivals around the world asking about the possibility of performing. What’s more, back then it was passing and many places actually invited me. In the first year of my activity, I played in Norway, France, Netherlands, Greece… simply in response to an e-mail like “Hi, my name is Ania and I would like to play there”.
Dominic: Those were the times when there was a different proportion of DJs to clubs. It would probably be more difficult now.
An On Bast: I immediately knew that due to the genre of my music, I wanted to open up to the world and I didn’t want to be assigned to one place. It happened the same way. It happened that while playing in one club, another promoter saw my live act and soon I was playing in another place. And when it was noticed in Poland that I was playing abroad, I also started playing here – although it was also a consequence and coincided with the fact that I was selected to participate in the Red Bull Music Academy in Melbourne in 2006. Leaving aside the stories about the beginnings, I have been cooperating with Rafał Cały from C&C Bookings for 10 years, who represents me in terms of bookings and deals with the organization of my performances. Besides, there have been and are happening a lot of exciting events on my way, which ultimately make me release music and perform on international arenas. It is known that one of the most important points on my path is that Carl Cox will release my album in 2021 (my second album on his Awesome Soundwave label will be released in November this year). I have my audience in Australia, where I played several times, I was invited to China for two tours, so it just happens.
I know that if you want to be someone – in terms of profession – then develop and improve yourself to become that someone all the time. There is really no finish line, it is a continuous process.
Dominic: I have already heard several opinions that in order to be noticed in Poland, you must first start playing abroad. Do you share this point of view?
An On Bast: Perhaps, while I have never thought about marketing, I am guided by music. I know that if you want to be someone – in terms of profession – then develop and improve yourself to become that someone all the time. There is really no finish line, it is a continuous process. Work with discipline and consistency, with the internal motivation to constantly be better for yourself, and the power of this motivation may be noticed by someone, improve someone’s mood or life. This is my path, rather focused on the truthfulness of the message, the beauty of sounds and spreading simply goodness in a specific and at the same time very general sense. I approach it with enthusiasm, my motivation is to give people joy, for me these are extremely important values that I put in music, because at the same time I contain them in myself and they flow from me. If it works, in the sense that someone takes something good for themselves, then it is a success and it gives me meaning in what I do.
Dominic: I understand you perfectly. Do you also play DJ sets or mainly live acts?
An On Bast: I play live-acts from the very beginning, I have been fascinated by the possibility of creating a musical journey based only on the flow of single electron lines – translating my inventiveness into the operation of devices such as synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, sequencers. There is a lot of strictly playing: keyboards, melodies, simultaneous recording, looping and modulation. I love live acts because then I have control over every sound and I can create music on the fly, so at the same time I care about the quality of my energetic message. I do DJ sets, maybe a few times a year, but these are special occasions that also give me the opportunity to explore other music. So it’s an additional pleasure for me, but I couldn’t do it every day.
Dominic: So tell us something about your setup. Do you have any permanent favorite synthesizers?
An On Bast: At the center of the improvisation is a modular synthesizer composed and matched by me, complemented by an Octatrack, filled with samples recorded by me, melodic motifs, mainly polyphonic, which cannot be obtained on stage from one modular 84HP box. There is usually also a synthesizer with keyboards, a Korg Minilogue or OP1, on which I play improvisations during the performance, which I record to the BOSS RC-505 looper. All these signals are added together in an analog effects mixer.
Dominic: Do you also use Octatrack as a sequencer?
An On Bast: I used to, but now I have modular sequencers, so I use those. Additionally, I’m back to using the Boss RC-505 looper because I also take my synth with me, so I play and loop to free my hands. I love playing live. Sometimes I also take a Roland TR-8S drum machine and Analog Heat, which gives me an analog stereo filter and saturation.
Dominic: That’s a lot of equipment already:) Have you ever had a fuck up during a performance?
An On Bast: Sure, more than once! It happened that Octatrack did not want to talk to me or that the MIDI module in my once small modular device disconnected and it had to be soldered, but only after the performance. Fortunately, I had a looper with me… it was a huge improvisation:) So sometimes there are different situations. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you have no choice but to keep creating. It is beautiful that through such a space you can build an energy field, connect with people and be in this together.
Music is, above all, a language of communication, it is invisible, and we experience its power. It is beautiful that through such a space you can build an energy field, connect with people and be in this together.
Dominic: Do you get it then?
An On Bast: Sure, I’m already used to the fact that this may be the case. Music is, above all, a language of communication, it is invisible, and we experience its power. It is beautiful that through such a space you can build an energy field, connect with people and be in this together. I am the point generating this energy, and then I get it all back and these are the most beautiful moments when playing live. Beautiful experience, I love it.
Dominic: What are your plans or dreams for the coming years?
An On Bast: I just want to play, share my joy, in the language I feel best in. We have lots of plans and cool events. We start in November with the release of my eleventh album, I think I can already reveal its title: “Tender Perceptions” – ten songs will be released on Carl Cox’s Awesome Soundwave publishing house. We will announce a tour with this material in the near future. New continents and new releases are coming in the new year, so I can’t wait. Meanwhile, after a wonderfully intense summer season, I’m slowing down a bit, resting, playing more tennis, tidying up my studio and the immediate space in general, so that from November I can set out into the world with a new musical story.
Dominic: Thank you Ania very much for the interview. It was a great pleasure to meet you in such wonderful circumstances. I can’t wait for your next great performance!
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SoundCloud: An On Bast
Facebook: An On Bast