Photo by Camill McOuat
Jacket by Femme Dinterieur
Among the last gens’ cool kids out there- I mean those whose reputation is not just depending on how badass they are and how redundant the commendatory media brouhaha is– there’s a wonder boy who puts his polished endowments to good use. Paris-based ‘producer of sounds’ Dominik Emrich knows what he’s about! Cryptic somehow- for a boy who recounts things with sounds should not have been easy to render sentiments through words-, but so thoroughly honest to sound brutal, at times. His knack does not go unnoticed- I too, deficient in music, really know he has the right stuff- and breaks onto the music- and fashion- scene with a can’t-miss éclat.
FY!- It is said that music people fascinate as fuck!- Oh dear, I said the ‘F word’ in the first line, not so bad to start! ? As a musician- please tell me if you prefer composer, music artist, sound designer or whatever…- are you a ‘romantic Mozart with a touch of Sex Pistols’ badass attitude’ or an ‘absolute music’s Morricone with a Daft Punk’s cool electro vibe’?
DE- I wish I’d make it to the hashtag before it is burdened by meaning. Like the menu code referring to your dessert item.
Never ever put yourself in this shopping caddy. It’s my position. If I wouldn’t have done it – Christ would.
Someone should write “COMPOSER” on a t-shirt, it would have a similar effect to terms such as “PUNK”, “NEW BLACK” or “BORED BEFORE I EVEN BEGAN VEGAN”, the new kids wouldn’t complain; might celebrate it as something retro. But all said I’m a producer of sounds for things I do believe in.
FY!- How did you get into music? I mean, were you one of those kids who did try to produce sounds by banging objects together or, I don’t know, drumming on some pots and pans or something like that? When did you realise you couldn’t go without music in your life?
DE- Actually, I come from visual arts, the installation category more than objects or objective representations. Before stepping into music, it was that what brought me into the space. Attention: A space´s conditions and dimensional circumstances are requirement to what you are going to discover inside. I am a huge fan of German artist Gregor Schneider, who seems to have dedicated himself to just this. I think he´s a revolutionist in the field of visual arts. “To” or “into” the way we watch.
As much as you can’t escape from space, you can’t escape from sound.
You can’t look away from either, that’s what makes it so penetrating.
FY!- What kind of music and artists did influence your taste and the way you compose today?
DE- Scott Walker would be one of them. He’s fascinating because he went through so many things in his life that were immediately mirrored in his music, album to album. From the rise of a young star to last dance disco to dark room. It’s incredible to hear all states of mind and emotional periods of his life represented in his compositions. I guess, a single person’s career interests me more than the sum of multiple ones. Especially watching them passing, fast paced on multiple screens at random.
If you get too influenced by dark rooms you’ll risk losing your internal business manager – the infinite power of creation.
Collaborations also much influence me. I recently worked with Max Turner of Puppetmastaz acclaim, who has totally different ideas about musical arrangement than I do, more classic, maybe, but efficient in a different way. I enjoy learning how other people think (…sometimes.)
Are you aware of your choices in your life? Just kidding.
FY!- You’ve been collaborating for years with the Punk’s First Lady! Yeah, you’re Westwood’s sound designer! How did you team up with Vivienne and how delightful is to cooperate with a mastermind to create a unique environment for the shows?
DE- Vivienne once said something like ‘Punk only existed for a week or so and then it was all marketing’ – I think she knew best what she was talking about. One should be careful in choosing its idols. To create the ideal environment don’t forget a crystal ball in your left hand and some sweets in your right.
FY!- Fashion and music have their own aesthetic but one relies on sight and the other on hearing. While composing a soundtrack for a fashion show, how difficult is it to turn something you see- clothes in this case- into particular sounds people can link with them? Can music differentiate products and give them further magnificence?
DE- It does! It provides the space in which you perceive. It creates the world in which you enter. That’s what excites me. It would probably be impossible to musically address every single given look, but often designers have sections and you can relate those to scenes in a musical composition. But thank you, you’ve just given me the idea of creating a sound for every single dress. It makes me think of Hussein Chalayan. I could imagine him well on that purpose.
FY!- Well, time to get private with a question every musician is afraid of! When in the shower or while shaving, do you hum or create jingles you think are pretty interesting and worth becoming part of a real composition? In other words, what are your most productive ‘inspiring moments’?
DE- It can happen any time. ANY TIME 🙂 I’m not really into rituals.
FY!- If your music had a visual concreteness, how would it be? What is an object or a landscape or a movie scene that visually fits your own style?
DE- Some Teletubbies playing tarots in the elevator of the Eiffel Tower- which frequently gets stuck. Good panic condition.
FY!- Our last question, as usual: What’s really Fucking Young for you?
DE- Don’t believe what’s in the shopping caddy : )
Even journalists are obliged to sit there. ☺
