Black Forest bred Fejka just remixed Swiss pop duo Odd Beholder turning the original song into an melancholically yet beautifully sounding piece of electronic music. Shortly before the release of his en’Lighting’ remix release on Sinnbus Torture the Artist spoke to Brian, how close friends call Fejka, about his preference for melancholic soundscapes and female vocals, the elements that inspired him to remix Odd Beholder and – since the new Star Wars movie just hit cinemas around the globe – his perception of the dark side of music and people. Also you can listen to Fejka’s remix of Odd Beholder’s track ‘Lighting’ exclusively and in full.
Torture the Artist: Hi Brian, tell us something about your day!
Fejka: Hey! I’m just having breakfast before I finish my new Liveset for next Saturday. I will be playing at SEMF (editor’s note: Stuttgart Electronic Music Festival) in Stuttgart, the biggest indoor Techno festival in Europe.
Torture the Artist: What made you move to Berlin?
Fejka: Actually, I’m in Berlin as part of a six month long internship with my university in Stuttgart, where I am studying Audiovisual Media. Time passed by really fast as I am already moving out by the end of the year, but I really love it here.
I learned that music or art in general should always have an untold space for imagination.
Torture the Artist: In your biography it is said that your artist moniker ‘Fejká’ is more of a feeling than a name. Where does your moniker derive from and what feeling do you wish to convey to others?
Fejka: The name came up accidentally but I don’t want to reveal what it means at the moment, not just yet. In terms of feelings it’s really hard to explain what I want others to feel because in the end, people always will feel different than you do when listening to the music. I focus more on myself while doing music and sometimes, even I don’t know what I really want to express, it just happens. At first I was becoming frustrated, not being able to find a straight line of expression but then, I learned that music or art in general should always have an untold space for imagination. The less I tell people how to feel, the more they will feel it. I just let the music speak for itself.
Torture the Artist: How close or far are you to an ‘absolute sound’ at the moment?
Fejka: That’s a pretty hard question to answer, but I’m getting closer to it. My perception of ‘perfect’ music is always changing, based on the inspirational inputs I get. I usually need to reorient myself time after time again.
Torture the Artist: What was the challenge of remixing an Odd Beholder’s track ‘Lighting’?
Fejka: It was definitely the guitar. I really loved the melody of the chords but I just couldn’t make them fit into the tempo of everything else. I ended up looping and layering the only part of the guitar which fit nicely with the rest, creating this slightly hypnotic loop.
Torture the Artist: What made you decide to remix the track in the first place?
Fejka: I like its vibe. It is much darker and totally different from a typical guitar and vocal song.
Torture the Artist: Where does your preference for melancholic female vocals come from?
People who are perfectly happy have nothing to tell.
Fejka: Maybe it’s just a taste thing, but I’m not sure why. I do love female vocals more than male. What I really pay attention to when looking for vocals, however, is fragileness. It makes the song sound more vulnerable and emotional, well, at least to me personally.
Torture the Artist: In a recent interview with Michael Thalheimer, a German theater regisseur, he said that ‘an artist’s motivation to create something is pain’ and that artists as well as the stages do not exist to please somebody, but to come as close as possible to a truth and these truths are painful. How much pain lies within your music and do you find Thalheimer’s approach suitable for the electronic music scene?
Fejka: I don’t know the origin of my melancholic nature, but there is truth in this statement for sure. My mother always told me that people who are perfectly happy have nothing to tell.
Life isn’t always fun so people need music to compensate for the feelings that are far below the surface.
Torture the Artist: Would you say that people in general are more ‘evil’ than ‘good’ and therefore enjoy music with a darker twist over positive vibes?
Fejka: I wouldn’t say that people who listen to darker music are ‘evil’. I can only relate to the electronic music scene, but I think that positive music, simply does not reflect the minds of our society. Life isn’t always fun so people need music to compensate for the feelings that are far below the surface. There are some people who would deny that and listen to positive music all their lives because they may be too frightened to let music reveal their true feelings.
Torture the Artist: What’s a track or artist you would like to remix?
Fejka: I’ve always wanted to remix The xx or London Grammar when I was younger, but I can’t find my favourite artist to remix right now. Every band, every song are unique so I really wouldn’t know where to start if I could decide it on my own.
Torture the Artist:What kind of song/track would you like to produce, but does not fit your current style?
Fejka: This is a subject I am really aware of. I know that my music is very melancholic, but I indeed have some unfinished songs which have nothing to do with this sound. These songs are full of sunshine and groove, and more indie orientated. Without them I would probably have the self-impression of being depressive just by looking at my music collection haha
Torture the Artist: Your track ‘Ghostlight‘ was used by Elie Sabb during the Paris Fashion Week in October. Name a designer you would like to work with on an upcoming fashion show, and why?
Fejka: Even though I like to express myself with clothing, I don’t really know anything about the fashion world so I can’t name one.
Torture the Artist:What’s your preference for an outfit when you DJ and how does it differ from something you wear on a regular basis?
Fejka: It doesn’t differ at all from my regular outfit. I wear nothing special when I play shows.
Torture the Artist: Would you like to change the world?
Fejka: I think I just discovered the meaning behind ‘Torture the Artist’…
Torture the Artist 