Behind TRIGGERED BY NOISE is the Salzburg media artist LUKAS GWECHENBERGER, who with “agalma” presents an impressive debut. His minimalist electronic soundscapes captivate with a conceptual rigor that can generate a real pull. Combined with direct interventions in the sound files, where sounds are bent and taken apart, a great sound art at the cutting edge is created. Didi Neidhart met Lukas Gwechenberger for an interview for mica.
How did the pseudonym “triggered by noise” come regarding?
Lukas Gwechenberger: When I was on the public transport a while ago, I heard two English-speaking people talking regarding which sounds trigger certain feelings in them. I can hardly remember the conversation itself, but the phrase “triggered by noise” stuck.
What is or does “noise” mean to you?
Lukas Gwechenberger: I find the term “noise” quite interesting because it can have several meanings in English and it is sometimes not entirely clear which one is being referred to. For example, a noise can be meant very generally, but also a hissing or noise. In my work, I deal with all three of the above equivalents, although I wouldn’t call it “noise” music, since stylistically it goes in a slightly different direction.
Your music is sometimes very ambient and also reminds of (small) soundscapes. Now when I think of Ambient I tend to think of drones and loops, hence the question: What is the function of noise or hissing in this context?
Lukas Gwechenberger: I’m interested in noise because it can be incredibly versatile. I’m not only thinking of static “sound walls”, but also of percussive or resonating elements. In addition, the different textures of the noise have several ambivalent properties that can be extremely exciting beyond language.
For example, noise has strong organic qualities that can appear just as abstract, inherent chaos that can also appear monotonous, possessing potential that can also subtly and subtly disappear into the background.
The length of the album and the brevity of the tracks is also a bit surprising considering the ambient aspects. That’s 38 minutes with eight tracks. How did that happen? Classic ambient tracks are usually much longer.
Lukas Gwechenberger: Actually, it wasn’t my intention at all to make an ambient album and I don’t think it actually turned out to be one. I say that not because I shy away from categorization, but because I feel some of the defining parameters that define an ambient album don’t present themselves that way. Parallels and influences can certainly be heard in a number of places.
You’re not just a musician, you’re also a media and conceptual artist. What is the overlap here?
Lukas Gwechenberger: As a conceptual artist:in one is very concerned with what certain artistic utterances communicate, I think reflection is quite present in the engagement with the pieces. This can help with certain decisions in the process, but it can also slow down the generation of ideas.
“Sound events as malleable material”
The sounds you work with clearly have a digital origin, but at the same time you are also concerned with deforming and alienating these sounds. What is exciting or attractive regarding it?
Lukas Gwechenberger: I think that the advancing technologization in dealing with sound has made it more tangible in a certain way. While before the advent of recording devices, sound was ascribed an ephemeral character, as developments have progressed this has become somewhat less clear. The possibility of storing sound events and understanding them as malleable material offers an unbelievable range of aesthetic potential that can be directly transmitted and experienced on an acoustic level. The resulting interplay of abstract and concrete sonic objects, i.e. what can be assigned to certain objects and what cannot or only partially, opens up a field that can be very exciting.
Are such transformations and mutations of sounds only possible digitally, or would you also use analogue equipment to achieve effects that would fit into your concepts?
Lukas Gwechenberger: It is likely that a large part of the ideas for processing sounds came from the analogue world and were carried over to the digital world. In this respect, most sounds might probably be produced analogously in some way. I think both cosms have their pros and cons. The fact that I mainly work digitally has something to do with the fact that you can go in different directions without a lot of equipment.
Your tracks are characterized by a certain conceptual rigor, but don’t always seem to strictly adhere to it. How do you see the relationship between concept and production?
Lukas Gwechenberger: It’s always quite a difficult balance, since many of the more appealing ideas often only come regarding if you give yourself enough room to experiment and don’t immediately start consciously assessing whether the approach you’ve just started might end up being exciting.
I did a lot of tracks on this album that didn’t end up being released because some of them felt too far apart and confused the narrative too much. I don’t think I would be able to work out a detailed concept in advance and then implement it acoustically to my satisfaction.
“I’ve always listened to a lot of music with a melancholic note.”
Like many recent albums, yours also exudes a certain melancholy, oscillating between intricate melody particles and dystopian synth pads, sometimes reminiscent of anime soundtracks. Where does that come from with you?
Lukas Gwechenberger: Phew, I can’t answer that specifically, but I’ve always listened to a lot of music with a melancholic note. Perhaps these types of music convey something comforting, in which one feels understood.
I’ve also noticed that beats keep popping up (or hinting at them), but when they do, they either fade out immediately (“DANA”) or appear as granular motes of dust (“gaeta”). What is your relationship to beats, which always stand for a certain kind of “further” (i.e. for something utopian)?
Lukas Gwechenberger: Like many, I like Beats very much, even if you might not notice that in this production. I’d definitely agree with you that there’s something driving regarding beats and in a way that’s part of the reason why they’re barely featured here. It was my intention to do without it as far as possible, also because I wanted to confront it without creating something stimulating that doesn’t seem static without this kind of forward-looking impulse.
On the other hand, there are always echoes or echoes of techno (“o…O”) and raves (“touch”). Is this perhaps a discourse regarding the “lost futures” of the 1990s that Mark Fisher addressed?
Lukas Gwechenberger: Of course, the sound aesthetics of some of the synths that occur are known from other contexts that lie in the past. It is depressing that many of the utopian futures that were considered possible in the past have not materialized or have turned in opposite directions. At the same time, however, I think that the way people look at the past might be somewhat distorted and contradictory.
“In general, I find collaborations artistically very valuable.”
There will also be a booklet with photographs and short texts by the Salzburg writer and media artist Anna-Maria Stadler for the (digitally released) album. How did such a “complete package” come regarding and wouldn’t it have been tempting to make a vinyl edition?
Lukas Gwechenberger: Of course I thought regarding doing a vinyl edition, but in the end I decided once morest it, because I think there are currently some reasons that actually speak once morest it.
In general, I find collaborations artistically very valuable, as they bring something to the work that would otherwise probably not come regarding, in that different artistic approaches inspire each other.
Were there any grants you might claim for the production?
Lukas Gwechenberger: I received two grants for the musical process, but not for the production of the release itself.
What regarding live performances?
Lukas Gwechenberger: Last year I played several performances with this material, and “agalma” as part of a “Performing Sound” in January 2023 in the ARGEkultur Salzburg presents. In May I’m playing a concert in Linz. More detailed tba at: In addition, I am always happy to receive inquiries.
What does “agalma” actually mean?
Lukas Gwechenberger: “agalma” can mean several things. For one thing, it’s a term used in the natural sciences. However, I picked it up from the Italian philosopher Mario Perniola, who then used it for its meaning in Greek, which translated would mean “statue”. In addition to the general designation, it also designates objects that were used as votive offerings.
Thank you for the interview.
Didi Neidhart
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Links:
triggered by noise
triggered by noise (bandcamp)
triggered by noise (Soundcloud)
triggered by noise (Spotify)