ARTIST OF THE MOMENT: Mjulev
Today, we are excited to introduce the artist behind our latest label release, Carlo Thommen aka Mjulev. It was was a wonderful full circle moment when his album landed in our inboxes as Carlo has been a fan of Delayed for quite some time and we’ve interacted with him throughout the years. We love these types of interactions with artists, who believe in what we’re trying to accomplish and connect deeply with our vision. To chase after the growing producer, or search through the unknown for fantastic music, that is what we strive to do here and highlight with both our label and platform. With that in mind, grab a coffee and wade through our deep dive on Mjulev and his inspirations behind, ‘Clouds Are The Better Birds’.
Your album ‘Clouds Are The Better Birdsʼ is mostly ambient, quite spacious- sounding yet it is also quite dense in terms of the sonic palette used. Each track has a lot of detail, using little ear candy sounds, clever effects & textures that float over one another. Can you talk us through the production process a bit?
I love getting up early in the morning when the world is not yet so much in motion; it's my most productive time of the day. For this album, I took my laptop and a coffee to the balcony and tried to create a sound space in Ableton that captures the moment. I let this loop run for several minutes while I observed my surroundings. Anyone who has ever listened to ambient music, looked out the window, and watched the leaves move in the wind might understand the feeling I was trying to capture. After a certain time, I recorded the loops and played them live. With this basic structure, I then went into my studio in the basement, made all further edits, and completed the tracks.
There are what sound like a fair amount of field recordings in there - rain, some percussion sounds, maybe some stuff that is a bit more blending in & less clear. What are they & where are they from?
The sound design is a mixture of recordings made directly on this balcony and those previously made at special locations. Over time, I have collected a large number of samples that I continually reuse. Many sounds were also created through experimentation, and I enjoy browsing the Max For Live community for instruments to use in my tracks. In Max/MSP, exciting sounds are constantly being created, which I record and typically save as loops or samples. This process results in a treasure trove of sounds that I browse through and further process during production.
What are some of the specific tools (plugins) in Ableton you were experimenting on those sounds with? Are there some synths or processing tools that you were particularly fond of during the making of this album that you used throughout?
I'm a big fan of 'Simpler' in Ableton! I use it in almost all of my productions. For the album, I've often paired it with 'Bouncy Notes' by Dillon Bastan from the 'Inspired by Nature' pack. If you pre-record a melody loop and slice it in Simpler, you can continually recreate this melody using a sequencer. That’s also why I view Ableton not merely as a DAW, but as a musical instrument. The possibilities that emerge from such experiments are limitless and can be endlessly replicated. By simply swapping out the sequencer or applying a new effect, new loops are constantly generated from the same sample. Generally, I have developed a habit of primarily using Ableton's internal tools and integrating them with M4Live tools. My absolute favorite tool is the MDD_Snake_V3.2.3, which I consider to be one of the best Ableton sequencers I’ve discovered so far.
On the topic of Max/MSP which is such a fun & never-ending world of creativity - you have created a couple of Max for Live tools yourself over the years which was super exciting to see when we first discovered you. I (Aspetuck) have used a couple of them, one of which was a really clever modulation sequencer which I don’t think is released yet & the other is a random midi note generator called Mira both of which are so fun to use for quick ideas / happy accidents. Why did you decide to start making these tools? Was it inspired by your experience using modular gear? Were you creating something that you could use within your own production process?
When I realized the potential of integrating Ableton with Max/MSP, I was compelled to learn it! The prospect of programming my own music production tools was irresistibly appealing. Given my appreciation for the element of randomness in music, it made sense to develop modules in this vein. 'Mira' evolved from the desire to enhance and customize Ableton’s internal 'Random' MIDI effect to better suit my needs. In my experience, it pairs exceptionally well with Simpler. The modulation sequencer you mentioned operates on the same principle as the MDD_Snake_V3.2.3 but is specifically tailored for modulations. It’s not quite complete yet, but I plan to release it soon! In fact, when brainstorming ideas for Max/MSP projects, I often draw inspiration from modular synthesizers and individual modules. Both modules I’ve discussed are counterparts in the analog world and are readily usable. I have several more concepts I’m eager to explore in this field, and I find it incredibly exciting that Max/MSP allows me to approach music from a completely different perspective and work on music without actually playing music.
How did you get your start down the production path? Was it an immediate draw or more of a long burn of rising interest? Did you have a prior musical background, and if so, how does it influence your productions now?
Music has always been a part of my life in one way or another. During my youth, I had the opportunity to learn several instruments, but I never practiced long enough to truly master any of them. It was only when I discovered electronic music 13 years ago that I fully grasped what it means to immerse oneself in music and music-making. I have invested considerable time in this area and still approach it with the same fascination today. Knowing how to construct a scale was certainly helpful, especially since I had a period when I learned to play the piano and was introduced to most of the basics of music theory. However, arranging elements and assembling them in a way that would normally require a whole band isn’t something one learns in piano lessons. Perhaps that’s why I remain so captivated by this field. It draws you in, challenging you to grapple with a diverse range of fundamentals, continually pulling you deeper into the rabbit hole of electronic music production.
Compared to your prior releases, both self and on other labels, this is a pretty big change in sound from dance-floor focused to ambient, that seemed to have started a few years ago. What was that transition like for you?
These worlds have long coexisted side by side. I make a conscious effort to avoid becoming stagnant with Mjulev, always steering the project in new directions. The most important thing for me is to always be able to do what I enjoy the most. I see many examples of artists who strictly adhere to a single music genre in their sound development and find themselves questioning their entire project with every change. I don't want that for myself.
That approach of being very free & easy-going with your process & musical output is so important but I find a lot of artists tend to struggle with it & often have self doubt or just feel pressured to keep their project extremely linear musically (especially with all of the distractions from social media, etc). How do you keep such an open-minded perspective?
At some point, I decided not to take myself or my musical output too seriously. I want to have fun and enjoy producing music because it often serves as a balance for me. That's why, a few years ago, I decided that music must remain a hobby for me. It’s a hobby in which I invest a lot of time, but also one that I don’t want to force. Since making this decision, I've felt much freer and find myself questioning my music and myself far less.
Tell us about the name of your project, Mjulev. What does it mean / where does it come from?
Mjulev has now been around for two and a half years and represents the evolution of my old pseudonym. It doesn't carry any special meaning. The name originated from reading my old name backwards, and to modify it slightly, I simply added the 'j'.
Was there a specific time of year or location or state of mind that inspired this album?
For a long time, I have listened exclusively to electronic music. I appreciate it because it doesn't impose any particular emotions on me. Ambient music plays a significant role in this regard, as I perceive it to be the freest genre of all. It allows me to create spaces and experiment with my musical approach. This genre was also my biggest inspiration for the album. Whenever the conventional rules of music feel too oppressive, I find refuge in Ambient.
What artists are really inspiring you at the moment?
I listen to many different artists. Thanks to streaming algorithms, I constantly discover new ones who actively influence my music. However, the greatest influence is 'Traumprinz'—just one of his pseudonyms. I frequently return to his productions, and no other artist reminds me so profoundly of why I continue to make music and start the loop from the beginning.
There are quite a few wonderful producers, including yourself, from your city & nearby that we can think of right away: Ben Kaczor, Morphing Territories, Garçon, Agonis, Varuna, Timnah. Can you give us a glimpse into the scene in Basel & greater Switzerland?
I am very pleased to be mentioned in the same sentence as these artists. Basel is like a village, and all these people are part of my extended circle of friends. I really enjoy listening to their music, and there are many more talented artists where they come from. Switzerland, being a relatively small country, means that the proximity to other cities fosters a sense of familiarity among us all. However, I sometimes wish the scene were a bit more open and didn't convey a sense of everyone competing for themselves; much could be gained from greater collaboration. But perhaps this isn't a phenomenon unique to this place but rather one inherent to the art world.