EXPLORING THE VAST MUSICAL COSMOS OF BLACK SPACE

Any artist’s creativity journey is an exciting adventure, full of myriad twists and turns. Take the musical mission of Swiss producer Alvin Juvet AKA Black Space. Over the last few years, he’s developed an exciting reputation for himself on the deeper, emotional side of melodic techno on labels such as ICONYC and Hive Audio. Yet, eight years ago, his earliest endeavors were more of a tropical house and dubstep nature.

These twists and turns continue on a more nuanced level as he develops his collection of hardware synths and digs deeper and deeper into his sound and creative process. All the while juggling an intense day job in finance.

Fresh off the back of a series of releases on ICONYC – the single “Dark Har” and both “System Passant” and “Limbo” on the ICONYC 5 album – we called him up to find out more about his ongoing creative journey, his love of space and what twists and turns we can expect to enjoy next.

Ready for take-off?

Black Space: It’s definitely two different worlds. My current job is an internship as I’ve just finished my studies.

Are you on the problem-solving / analytical side of banking?

Black Space: Yes. If I have to describe in a nutshell the role I’m in, then when you see in the news that the central bank has been pumping money into the system, well, I work in the department that makes that happen or not happen.

Then making music in the evenings and DJing on the weekends. A perfect balance…

Black Space: Exactly that. But it requires a lot of organization and compromise. I say no to a lot of after-work events and even to a lot of social invitations from friends because I just want to make music. And if I don’t make music during the week, then during the weekend it’s even more complicated because I’m DJing.

The compromises one has to make to pursue a life as an artist. I was thinking that a lot of production and studio creativity is problem-solving. So, I was wondering, if you applied similar logic or solutions in the studio that you do in your day job?

Black Space: There is a lot of problem-solving, but essentially they are very different processes and ways of using your brain. During the day, being logical and having to use numbers, then coming home and making music. At points, I was finding it very difficult, but then I realized I was using the same processes and solutions, and that wasn’t the best way to do things. I have to be in a very different mindset. So now, I don’t get the bus or tram home, which gives me more time to make my mind clear from the logical reasoning and I can listen to music in the meantime and get into the right frame of mind.

Ah, good idea. What’s the scene like in Geneva?

Black Space: I’m in Zurich now, but only recently. I’d say in Zurich there are more opportunities and the city pushes you more creatively than in Geneva. But Geneva is my home town, so I have a different influence from there.

Tell us about ‘Dark Har’. Yan Menge, the singer, is an old friend of yours isn’t he?

Black Space: Yes, he’s a friend from high school. We’ve been doing music for eight years. It started with tropical house – Kygo style – and before that, it was melodic dubstep, which was quite funny. Both Yann and I have similar minds, so we both enjoy making music together.

Then I took a break for two years doing music on my own. Then I made the track “Vinsobre” on Einmusika with him, which was really nice, so we started making music again. I think “Dark Har” is a very different track for us. It's a lot darker and it was nice to record with him. It’s funny because we heavily processed his voice with lots of FX, which was a lot of fun.

Brilliant. It’s interesting how some of your earliest influences and productions were dubstep. I think it’s cool how Skrillex was a gatekeeper for a lot of artists and how people always find their own sound. You’ve gone from a very extreme sound to something a lot more subtle and emotional.

Black Space: It’s true, but when you look over everything I’ve done over the years, there’s one consistency which is the melodic aspect of each track. For example, Seven Lions was a big influence on me. He makes heavy music but still very melodic, and that was a very big inspiration for me. Also, acts like Camo & Krooked, I’m still a big fan of them now. I don’t produce it anymore, but I still listen and I am always working on my melodies.

Melodies convey emotions!

Black Space: Yes, exactly. It’s the point I try and do with my tracks – convey emotion. Sometimes melancholic, sometimes happy, it depends on the track and context.

It sounds like you’re finding your sound and groove and ability to convey emotions even more so than ever before.

Black Space: It’s funny because all the new tracks I’ve made are done with new synths I’ve just bought recently. They have character and help you create the sound you want.

Has it always been an ambition to develop a hardware collection?

Black Space: I’ve always been a geek and fascinated by technology, so I guess it was only a matter of time. I originally got a Moog Sub 37, but I realized I didn’t have the knowledge of how to use it. It’s much easier to use VSTs, but I really wanted a polyphonic. Not just as a tool for my tracks, but as an instrument to enjoy playing in my home. Then I found the brand Udo, which is based in Bristol. The point was just to have an instrument I could play without any production. Something that’s expressive.

I read in an old interview with you that you wanted to learn piano. Did you do that over lockdown?

Black Space: I play every day on this instrument, and I’m getting better, but still learning. When I was using VSTs, I was drawing notes on the computer. I knew the basic rules, but when you play with your hands, it’s very different. It’s real life. It’s faster to find the melody now. When you physically play, you can feel it and you can also feel when it’s wrong.

Yeah, that’s totally true. Are you finding a lot more happy accidents when you’re improvising?

Black Space: Yes and now I understand the pros when they say a physical instrument is different to a VST when it comes to happy little accidents because you cannot control everything. When it happens, you have to record it – that’s the magic of it.

Do you record a session and make your own samples?

Black Space: It depends. In the beginning, I was using the instrument to receive MIDI from the computer and use the sound from it. But now I record everything I do, improvising and cutting bits of the recording I like for my track. It’s more complicated to use a real instrument in a workflow because you control less, so in a five-minute take, around 90% is trash, 10% is okay, and then around 1% of that is worth using. So it’s a lot of work. But when you use VSTs, you can go, “This isn’t good,” and you can modify the parameters. You can be a lot more precise. You can hear the difference in “Dark Har”. The bass has been recorded live, so it’s a little rougher than the releases I’ve done recently on Einmusika, where the bass is more controlled and very sharp in terms of sound.

As humans we’re not all sharp though, are we? Imperfections are the soul! You’ve got a natural groove…

Black Space: Yeah, sure. I think it’s a natural balance between control and flow, because if you don’t control anything, then it’s chaos. But if you don’t flow enough, then the track hasn’t got a life of its own.

Amen! So tell us about your love for space…

Black Space: I really enjoy creating ambiance in my tracks and having sounds that really make the background of the track. That’s the space I really want to create in my production. It creates the atmosphere, sense of space, and mood in my music. I’m also obsessed with music from sci-fi films – the techniques they use are a lot like ambient music and for me, that’s also essential.

Eliciting an emotion… Like a film without a score wouldn’t have impact.

Black Space: Yes, definitely. It’s as important as the characters.

Finally, if you went to space and could only take three albums to listen to, what would they be?

Kiasmos – Kiasmos. These guys are a duo from Iceland who have had such a strong influence on me. I just love the music they made together and listen to it so much. It’s a big influence on me.

M83 – Hurry Up, We Are Dreaming. This guy makes movie soundtracks, so he understands the importance of ambiance. It’s really melancholic and emotional. This album is perfect for me. Everything I have in my tracks is inspired by this album.

Stephan Bodzin – Powers of 10. Stephan is a master of the ambiance, and I love how he mixes weird sounds with powerful basses. For me, he is the Skrillex of melodic techno. He introduced a new style in the melodic techno scene and around 2017 every tutorial was how to do the Stephan Bodzin bass. He made it famous!!

These albums are based on the experience I’ve had seeing the artists live. I’ve not seen M83, but Kiasmos and Stephan’s live shows are amazing.