Insides: Paul Ebhart

Due to Covid-19 we are in lockdown with clubs being closed. As we still want to keep up with musicians and DJs around, and feel that digital streams are irretrievably lacking the social energy of live music events and are not able to compensate for it, we are looking for consolation in words. In the end music is a social practice. Insides features voices from Vienna’s electronic music scene, looking to exchange ideas, find mutual inspiration and exit strategies, entering personal realms.
18.06.2020
(c) Anna Breit

Hello, how are you?

I’m alright

Where are you right now?

At home

Which sounds surround you?

The usual constant sounds of the Wienzeile, which are cars and people chattering.

Have you been productive so far?

I’ve been productive at the beginning of Corona as I had actually time for myself. I realized that the everyday life is quite exhausting and I often don’t have the energy to dive into making music as much and as honestly as I wish to.

What are you working on?

On my own music and my final thesis at the elak.

What inspires you right now?

Playing in a band

Reading material you can recommend?

R. Murray Schafer – “The tuning of the world”

Realizing how loud our sonic environment is and how stressful it is for me as well. Turbo capitalism is loud as fuck. I really enjoyed the reduced volume of my sonic environment during corona. Sounds that are usually masked have been given more space. It made me feel way more relaxed. As soon as everything kind of returned back to „normal”, I felt stress is coming back.

To listen?

Really love the sonic happenings in here – great listening experience by Christina Kubisch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S16JVA_VX7s

Constantly amazed by the composed sonic quality of Parmegiani:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R70XhXyDDuY

Also really dived into this album during Corona:
https://lullabiesforinsomniacslabel.bandcamp.com/album/and-the-light-beams-will-guide-the-way

Mixtape:
This turned out to be the mixtape I listened to the most in recent months.
Mental dirty chicago house tape from a special DJ. Thx Noel for turning it up in the best possible moment and Luna and Julius for listening to it together so often!
https://soundcloud.com/the-nation/tape-archive-series-insert-tab-3-1995-segmenttraxx-dirty-blendstwo-100-minute-cassettes

To watch?

“Turbo capitalism is loud as fuck.”

What’s your opinion on live-streams? You see any alternative ways to support the music community?

Huh, has been an intensively discussed topic these days. The thing is: in general I’m not a fan as many of us. The things we perceive in this saturated internet world are already too much to handle.  Even before Corona all those streams and especially the DJ sets in social media platforms really annoyed me. Overstimulation.

On the other side and especially in these times, it’s probably something we shouldn’t fight against and more look into what could be possible with this format. And if it’s the only way for musicians to present their output and earn something…
But if I have to choose I definitely  decide for a listening experience in a shared space. It’s just a totally different awareness towards sound, when you can feel the person performing and can feel the sound in a room the same way as the other listeners. Music is a collective feeling that really gets lost in a virtual stream.
Anyway I will be performing a DJ-set on the 23rd of June at the Angewandte Festival x Donaufestival hookup.

What are you missing most?

It is definitely listening to music in a public space and to dance of course!! I remember one of the first times I was meeting friends again. We went to Neuwaldegg, had a precious day and ended up in my apartment, where we listened to music for hours and realized how valuable it is to listen to music together.

What are you afraid of?

I’m afraid that people will get used to experiencing music in the way the current situation requires.

What will change you think?

Hmm, hard to deal briefly with it. But I think as quick as everything turns back to where it was I do not think that something is going to change. Will be different though if pandemics turn out to be something we have to deal with more often.
I would like politics and society to question more their consuming behaviour and to try using more local products or services.

What is the gig or occasion you were most looking for, that was cancelled in this period?

I should’ve played a Dj set at Donaufestival (which in a way will take place via the stream I was talking about earlier) and a Live set in Kunsthalle Darmstadt, which got cancelled. Also would have travelled to Minsk and Sofia due to a Willi Dorner piece, where I would’ve done soundregie, which I also was really looking forward to.

Are you still able to pay your rent?

Luckily yes.

(c) Philippe Gerlach

Paul Ebhart