For some time now, the Polish music market has been missing artists who would play uncompromising electronic music at their concerts. Of this large pool of electronic music artists who flooded the market a decade ago, very few are still active, including: Rysy, Baasch and Ina West. And it was Ina who recently told me about her experiences, work style and opening up to other people. I invite you to read.
While at your concert at the Instytut Festival, I remembered that there are still Polish artists playing electronic music. A lot of them have broken down in recent years.
Yes it’s true. It’s difficult to just perform electronic material that you perform live with a band and treat it as an organic concert. This is not only demanding on the artist’s part, who has to rearrange the electronic material and conduct a series of rehearsals, but also expensive on the organizer’s part. For me, a concert is a story in which I love to involve my musical friends. Over the last two years, I have also been performing solo, but even then I prepare a performance in which I can fully engage, using my voice, synthesizers or bass guitar. I recently asked myself what I would like to do professionally in the next 10-15 years. I came to the conclusion that the most important thing would be to play and exercise regularly, and, privately, to have a family. For most of my life I have practiced playing the piano every day and it is something that is very close to me, spiritual and calming. Music production came to me later and was inspired by expanding my possibilities of expression as a musician. I have the impression that for most electronic music producers, production came first, and over time, interest in playing the instrument appears.
Before our conversation, I read about your education and I must admit that music dominated your life from an early age. I’m glad that you moved more into pop music.
I am a classical musician by education, and my interest in pop music is the result of seeking some freedom in composing and performing. My experience shows that music education in Poland requires major transformations. The current model is highly limiting, oppressive and exclusionary. As a young person, I often experienced violence in this area. Comments like “your fingers are too small, this won’t work” were commonplace. I also had a short episode with a teacher who used very oppressive methods, trying to pinch my fingers with the piano lid. Fortunately, she never broke any of my fingers and in the end, she was the one who took me out of those lessons. I would come to her classes crying and leave crying as well. She thought I wasn’t mentally strong enough to become a musician.
I’m glad this story ended well. However, when I talk to people who graduated from music school, I often hear that it discouraged them from music rather than developing their passion for it.
Yes, although later I was very lucky to have new teachers. For example, to Tatiana, who came to Poland without knowing the language. We had to communicate non-verbally, which was a very demanding but also intimate experience. I felt her involvement most when we played music together – two pianos side by side. Her and the little me who was opening up to feeling. Unfortunately, music schools are still focused on educating soloists, but there are many other paths and possibilities. Tatiana also noticed my fascination with dance and movement, so at a later stage she directed me to an eurhythmics class.
It was a wonderful and invigorating experience for me, I woke up my body there and was given a safe space where I could paint music with movement. In addition, Tatiana expanded my awareness by inspiring me with film and jazz music. During my final piano exams, I always played one piece that was far from the classical canon and the principle of reproductive correctness.
What was this stage of your musical education?
It was the Music School. Fryderyk Chopin in Olsztyn. I was less than 11 years old then.
And before this piano class, did you have any passion for music? How did your adventure start?
My grandfather had an out of tune piano that no one played, and somehow I was always drawn to it. My dad plays drums and his whole side of the family is very musical. In the 1980s, they formed a family wedding band, and the income from playing at parties constituted a large part of the household budget. What I remember very clearly is my grandfather playing a repertoire of war songs on the mandolin.
Did your parents or grandparents try to instill this love of music in you?
It happened on its own. I soaked in this musical space. I initiated going to music school, and my grandfather went with me to the entrance exam. I was 7 years old then. I remember that they qualified me for the violin class, which made me very angry and I protested until they put me on the piano list,
Then there was the Music School in Olsztyn, but then there were studies that also revolved around music.
Yes, at the beginning I completed five years of studies in Polish philology, and after the dean’s leave I finished musicology studies.
Ultimately, however, you did not end up as a session musician, but instead started creating and playing electronic music. Quite an unusual path.
However, I also feel very good as a session musician and I have often been there – with Julia Marcell or in the Tyma Mesa band. I don’t always like to play the first violin. I became interested in electronics when I first heard the album “Kid A” by Radiohead. I remember that I wanted to find out how to create such sounds. Soon there will also be my new things in this genre. I don’t want to reveal everything yet, but I’m definitely at an advanced stage of returning to my roots and organic music.
How much does music theory help you when creating? Do you sometimes find yourself following established patterns or do you break away from them completely?
When you reach such a technical level of playing the instrument that some things come easily to you, you are certainly already well-trodden. Then this instrument often stops being attractive to you and other things start to attract you. For me it was music production, electronic music and bass guitar. A break from the usual patterns.
Ultimately, when I go to your concerts, I can feel the fun of the music, which probably puts everyone on stage in motion.
I’m glad because that was my goal. I had a very strong need to try myself in dance music, to enjoy the beat and movement on stage. I wanted listeners to be able to have fun with my music.
Right after your performance at the Instytut Festival, it started to rain. You got lucky, but other musicians had to face it. How do you react to such adversity?
Varies, it depends on the situation. Once upon a time, I would have reacted differently and there would definitely have been a lot of nervousness involved. Now I’m much more flexible. I have experienced so many different circumstances that I don’t think anything will surprise me. A week after the Institute, we played in Hungary and there was a storm during our concert. A cruel wind began to blow and heavy rain began to fall, not to mention the fact that the stage almost fell on us. People quickly ran to tents to save their belongings. Suddenly there was no one in front of the stage, and then we had to evacuate. These are sad moments, because you have to put in a lot of energy and commitment to make such a concert possible. However, there are some things we have no control over. Later, achieving emotional balance certainly takes several days.
Additionally, people often self-wind…
It happens. It’s many hours of preparation, logistical arrangements, rehearsals, and now also a little person who needs to be well cared for. Sometimes it’s hard to put it all together. My partner also plays concerts and there are situations where we both play on the same day. When it comes to a situation where, for reasons beyond our control, a concert doesn’t work out, it can be very demotivating.
Sometimes you can even be the best prepared, and then unexpected situations occur, such as a shortened soundcheck or, for example, something disconnects while playing.
That’s true. Recently, a funny situation happened to me. I was traveling by train from Berlin to Warsaw to a rehearsal with Artur – the drummer with whom I played at the Institute. The train broke down, and after a long time only one replacement wagon was provided. You can imagine what the rest of the trip was like. Plus me with additional luggage and instruments, which I placed on the lockers at the entrance to the carriage. Just before the final station, I wanted to collect my luggage and it turned out that it was not there. I started to panic terribly, and all the passengers got involved in the search. It was such a stressful event for me that it simply froze me. After a few minutes, someone shouted at me to check the other side. I went there and it turned out that I simply had the wrong side of the carriage…
Beautiful story!
Yes. I even got a standing ovation from the entire car.
Changing the topic a bit, I heard from an interview that you said that you are becoming more and more open to others. Are you able to put this into practice?
I certainly try to be open to other people in various related areas, such as recording instruments, mixing, mastering, producing music videos and visuals. Compositionally, however, it will always be my intimate journey, thoughts, experiences, feelings, search for means of expression, style and a new language. This is a very individual matter, and the uniqueness of this process requires being alone in it. If I invite another person to this space, it is because, for example, we share similar emotions. I’m curious what artists from other areas have to say and what I can learn from them. And the more I know, the more I feel like I know nothing. Curiosity towards other people has brought great results many times. Musically, however, I am becoming more and more convinced that I am already aware enough in the context of music production, recording, creating music, mixing, etc., that I can do many things myself. But that doesn’t mean I want to make them myself. When I’m at an impasse, I call a friend and tell him I need a fresh pair of ears.
Do you then feel that you have to put your ego in your pocket?
No, it’s probably not related to that. I feel more like it comes from observation, curiosity and the desire to experience something new – e.g. when I want to finish a given issue at all costs and I have an idea in my head how to do it, but I can’t do it myself.
Don’t you think that letting another person into the creation process would also be a kind of refreshment?
It could be so, but you need to find the right person to do such activities. The truth is that currently the circumstances were not very favorable for making music with another person. At the beginning, 3 years of the pandemic, and then a pregnancy that required supervision and restrictions on movement. Then the first, very demanding year of being a mother and the mode of taking every free moment for composing and creating. I think that if I couldn’t do many things myself, I would go back to making music in three years.
So, on the one hand, you like to create on your own, but on the other hand, you are currently somewhat doomed to do so. Ultimately, I think it must be very developing.
Yes, but how frustrating it can be sometimes… Some time ago I started working with Nela, who plays the cello and, like me, lives in Berlin. I’ve always loved the cello, but I’ve never played it, so Nela is a mine of knowledge for me. After recording, I also love working with effects, defragmenting, and editing beyond recognition. It seems to me that currently this is the most creative and inspiring form for me.
I also read that when arranging songs for concerts, you also start to involve outside people.
This is exactly what happens. My partner is a drummer, and after many years together, we know each other well enough that he knows what direction I might like and knows the language he speaks. Jakob has a lot of freedom in his interpretation. Another issue is what objectively works and what doesn’t. We can discuss it and look at it from every side.
So your partner actually improvises for a hundred and only then do you arrange it somehow?
Yes, that’s one method. Sometimes, before recording the drums, he asks me what I think would be best. We start talking about what we are missing, what is not worth duplicating, etc. Because we know each other inside and out, this openness is much greater. However, these compositions without drums or cello can still function as independent pieces. He often performs them in this form at concerts. The drum or cello parts are a certain development of a given piece and give it a slightly different form. I really like this human, organic element in the songs.
When we talk about the human element, concerts immediately come to mind. What do you remember about playing with Mes?
My task at these concerts was to replace the parts played by Mateusz Holak on the guitar with distortion. A lot of things evolved later, but that was one of the first times I played keyboards through various effects at concerts.
This doesn’t sound like the easiest task.
Yes, but here comes what I was talking about earlier. I also like being a session musician, so I was very happy when Mes and his entire team trusted me. So far, in my music I use elements that I learned while playing concerts with Mes. Being on the team was a wonderful, light, fun and charming experience.
Well, finally, one more question I ask everyone. What is your biggest dream at the moment?
I think they are coming true. However, I would also like to finish my current material. I’m at the stage where everything is starting to come together and the musical puzzles are starting to fit together. I would also like to start playing with new material.
So can we expect your new album later this year?
Probably definitely in the next one. However, there are still publishing plans for this year. Anyone who was at my concert at Instytut Festival will be familiar with this material, because that’s where I premiered the material from this EP.
IG: @inainawest
FB: inawestina