Two and a Half Questions with Tim Arndt

In your words, what is the dominant mood or state of being that you're trying to convey with your music?
I think it's probably obvious that I typically compose in what would be described as a melancholic aesthetic. That's really not so much a function of mood or what I'm specifically striving for as it is my trying hold pieces somewhere between major and minor keys --- not wanting the music to be too happy or too dark. Maybe contentment is the mood I'm trying to convey. I'm usually trying to produce something more ambient and atmospheric than winds up in the final mix. I keep saying my next record will be beat-less...we'll see if it ever comes to fruition.

I love the subliminal background conversations in your tracks. Can you reveal the source of some of these recordings?
Most of the field recording material on my records has been from the audio tracks of video I've recorded, often when traveling. In early works, like on "Go Out and See", I just picked up old video tapes at random and sought out passages of audio that fit the music. Sometimes I know the people talking, but most often I don't. On "Of Soft Construction", and especially on "L'Eixample" the recordings were more purposeful and less random. In fact, the audio on L'Eixample was even more upfront in the composing process - specifically recording airport noise for 'departing gate' or church bells and crowds for 'santa maria del mar' (SMDM). I was composing this record in my head through that trip and knew which field pieces I wanted to pick up to make it complete.

What were some of the most memorable moments that you took away from travels to Barcelona?
While it's probably a little simple for me to say visiting "La Sagrada Familia", I have to highlight it because it's true. I've never seen anything so magnificent in my life, and it was during the morning I spent exploring it that I decided I wanted to make it and the whole city the focus of my next record. From there, little moments easily turned into inspiration for specific pieces; Parc Guell at sunset, walking in the Mediterranean after pitchers of sangria in the afternoon, or waiting in the airport to leave the city I so quickly fell in love with.

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