Marc Melià: Channeling the Synth Stylings of the World's Masters
advertisement
We live in an age where synthesized sounds have taken on a life of their own, emboldened and swelling with an overabundance of effects, pre-recorded beats, and layers – so many, in fact, that you often can’t make out who’s controlling what; the synthesizer or the human counterpart behind it. Not so with Marc Melià, the Catalan multi-instrumentalist and composer whose extensive career (which includes playing with the well-known pop band Lonely Drifter Karen) is founded on breathing life into the synthesizer with the simplest of ingredients.
Invoking Terry Riley, Phillip Glass, Daft Punk, and J.S. Bach, the Brussels-based artist is a mastermind of sound design and analog sounds, crafting wonderfully tender sonic compositions that squeezes the synthesizer (the Prophet '08 is his weapon of choice) for all it’s worth, hitting the sweet spot between classic minimalism and cinematic soundtrack. It's truly stunning stuff.
advertisement
The artist will swing through Beijing during his nationwide tour, performing at DDC on Thursday, May 30, alongside AEM Studio, a Beijing-based classical pop outfit who have just returned from a stint at SXSW. I chatted with Melià about how he brings his love of classical music to the synthesizer, going solo, and the need to put limitations on yourself.
Melià creates expansive compositions using only a minimal synthesizer setup
There’s a purity to the way you utilize and breathe life into the synthesizer, eschewing excessive embellishments for inspired compositions and the perfect marriage of sound and harmony. What led you to the synthesizer?
I studied classical piano since I was about eight years old. My parents are both amateur musicians and they brought me to see concerts since before I could even speak, so playing music is something I grew up surrounded by. I landed in the synthesizer world a little bit by chance. There was a time in my life where I was changing apartments every other year. As it was not very convenient to move a piano every time, I started to look for alternatives. This is how I ended up buying my first synthesizer, which was actually the Prophet '08. Although a synthesizer has keys like a piano, the fact that you sculpt your sound opens a whole universe of possibilities for the pianists who approach the instrument for the first time.
For the last ten years, you’ve been composing, producing, and playing music in various bands, most notably, Lonely Drifter Karen. What's the difference between composing with a band and composing for yourself?
I have been composing music on my own throughout my entire life. Some of the songs I composed years ago were songs that ended up being played by the bands I was playing with at the time, but most of them actually never saw the light of day. Actually, for every song that I end up using, I have countless ideas that end up in the garbage. I think in general I prefer to compose on my own as composing is a very intimate process and often I feel intimidated when doing it with other people.
Who are some of your synth heroes? What do you believe is needed to stand out from the rest?
I'm not at all a synth gear freak. I actually have little idea about brands, the differences between synths, and so on. Although over time I learned how to use my own synths pretty well, I'm not the kind of guy who spends a lot of time trying to design a complex and rich sound. Very often the most simple sounds, like a simple saw wave, are the most musical ones for me. I don't really have lots of synth heroes either. I just can say that I love the music of Caterina Barbieri or Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith for instance. Very often I'm compared to classic synth composers like Vangelis or Jean Michel Jarre and even though I find some of their works interesting, I would not call them references for my music.
Your music has a very cinematic feel to it. Have you ever considered scoring a film?
I have actually done music for a few films and documentaries. The difficult thing about writing music for films is not to overload the composition. When the only medium you have to express yourself is the music, you obviously have to say everything via sound but when you work for a film you need to leave some space for the images. And knowing what not to say is sometimes more difficult than knowing what to say.
You refer to the Prophet '08 as a "mythical synthesizer" – could you embellish on that?
I believe calling the Prophet a "mythical synthesizer" was an idea from my label for the press release. That said, I very much appreciate this instrument. The beautiful thing about creating your own presets or modeling the ones that come with the synthesizer is that after some time, you fill the instrument with your own sounds. This makes every Prophet unique after passing by someone's hands.
Of his instrument of choice, Melià says: "Every Prophet is unique after passing by someone's hands"
You seem to relish a minimal setup when recording and performing – why so?
The minimal setup forces me to reduce my palette of options. Limitations help me to be creative and not to get lost in-between the endless catalog of instruments and effects that are nowadays available to anyone. We live in a society that constantly offers you new products and tells you that the ones you have are obsolete, and music is not an exception to this. People have been making marvelous and extremely imaginative music with technology that is a million light years away from what we have right now.
While this isn’t the first time you’ve come through China, it will be the first time you’ve come on your own – are you excited to be back?
I'm very much curious to see the reaction of the Chinese people towards my music as it is so different from the music I played with the band I came with the other times.
Catch Marc Melià play this Thursday at DDC. Tickets are RMB 80 advance or RMB 100 on the door, and support comes from local electronic classical pop band AEM Studio. More details via the QR code on the poster.
Photos courtesy of Marc Melià
advertisement
Want to know what awesome events are happening in town? Scan/Extract the QR code above to get the list of our Editors' Picks.
Got something to sell? Looking for a job? Or an apartment? Then scan/extract the QR code above to visit our Classified Ads.
Do you have what it takes to be a True Runner?
Scan/Extract the QR code above to check out our current job openings.
The Beijinger
Always something fresh
Scan/Extract this QR code to follow us!