Interview with Thomas Eccard (2 Inventions)

Recently writer and critic Robert Nagle made a list of 11 Incredible Musicians You Can Download for Free. Many of the musicians on this top list make their music freely available on Jamendo, a free and legal music sharing site. Several musicians  appearing on this  list also gave interviews to this blog  (Read the other interviews).  You can also  download a free sampler containing full songs from artists profiled here.

2 Inventions is a team of two Polish musicians Thomas Eccard and  Neal Cerrone.  They live in a small town Mielec (which is actually close to Lutsk, Ukraine, where I lived for a year). They do  electronica with many  kinds of flavors and moods, with a house sound, but also lots of pieces that begin with piano (like Paul Van Dyk). Two words come to mind: shimmering and pulsating. Their album, In Aeternum combines lots of disparate electronic elements without seeming too synthetic or techno. The most remarkable track  I love her reminds me of Daft Punk along with pulsating reverberations which blur throughout the song.  It a wonderful dizzying effect.  The main melody is synthesized piano and South American pan flute (?), while the background is traditional, with various sound effects thrown in for fun. It seems almost ethereal.  Deeper Love is danceable disco containing a sample on a single phrase. It doesn’t really go anywhere, but I really had a lot of fun being there. It’s like party music you pay no attention to until a friend points it out. Loneliness has lots of fireworks, but it doesn’t really begin until midway with the introduction of the soulful melody upon which the rest of the song builds upon. (That’s one quality I like to this electronica: how the long intros build to a dramatic silence, and then the main melody starts–take that, Beethoven!)

Here is an interview with Thomas Eccard.

Can you talk a little about your creative process? What parts about making music are the easiest for you? What parts are the most difficult?

Making music it’s generally a difficult thing, especially without expensive hardware. I must be both a composer and  audio engineer to make the tracks listenable.  Composing is  easy for me – assuming I have the inspiration –  but the technical side of this creative process can be time-consuming and cumbersome. 

How has your biography or geography affected the kind of music you make? What do you think is unique or different about the music you make?

I think geography doesn’t matter. Here in Poland, the kind of music I make – trance/dream trance music — isn’t particularly popular.  But my personal biography might have some effect.

What other musician or musicians have inspired you? Can you name a person who is NOT  a musician who has provided inspiration for your creativity?

My music is inspired by true stories that have  happened around me. For example track "For Niczyja" is about girl who was incurably sick and committed suicide. My music is generally full of emotions that come from my own life and that of people around me.  Yes… my life – this is my biggest inspiration. (Note from Robert: I love For Niczyja!)

If a friend or family member listened to your music, what parts of your personality would this person recognize in it?

It’s hard  for me to answer this question… because my friends don’t ever  listen to  my music :)  My music it’s part of me. My feelings, my way that i observing world around me, my thoughts… all of me.

What is the most difficult part  about being a musician?

"What is the most difficult part  about being a musician … in Poland ?" hehe :)  Musicians in Poland have a very difficult life. It’s  hard to live  only by  composing. I’m still looking for a regular job, and it isn’t easy.

Music seems to be an important part of videos and film now. Have you ever imagined what kind of video or film might be  perfect  for your music? What is the best situation (i.e., time and place) for people to hear your music?

I could see my music appearing in a drama which is sad….even though it can be hard to listen to music in those kinds of films.  Actually though my music evokes a variety of moods; an instrumental piece in trance can have have slow melancholy parts or be fast and full of energy.

Can you think of one event in your life which caused you to decide to "become serious" about music?

I don’t know;  I can think of several;   I graduated from a music school and performed as an instrumentalist. For me, just the opportunity to go to music school was  the  big ‘special event’ in my life.

In what ways do musical people look at the world differently from nonmusical people?

I can speak only for myself, but yes, musicians look  differently at the world than most  peoples. They are searching  for feelings that only music can show.