BY LILY BRYANT
It can be hard to imagine music that doesn’t fit neatly into boxes.
As listeners, we’re used to genre-specific radio stations and Spotify playlists. As musicians, we categorise ourselves as ‘classical’ or ‘jazz’ or ‘contemporary’ artists, and often seek inspiration from within these confines.
So what does it look like when we separate music from sets of arbitrary rules, and focus on creating music that is completely true to our own imagination?
Cue Connor D’Netto and Ben Baker, the two musicians behind cello and electronics duo we are breathing. They are both classically trained, and have their own impressive lists of individual achievements. But together, their expertise allows them to create music that is uniquely their own – music that doesn’t fit into any box.
We spoke to the duo about their debut Australian tour, and how they create a sound that is so innovative and individual.
You describe the work of we are breathing as ‘unconstrained by style or genre’. What drew you to this approach to music making?
Connor D’Netto: I don’t think we were necessarily drawn to making music with any specific approach, we were simply drawn to making music together! We wanted to make music, regardless of style, genre, influence, whatever.
I feel like we all, as music creators of whatever variety, shouldn’t feel boxed in by different musical norms of traditions – in whatever fields we work in. If you’re drawn to an interpretation of that sonata you’re playing that’s influenced by something outside the classical music world, why not see where that takes you?
For Ben and I, we put all our ideas on the table. [The styles] just happened to spread right across the musical spectrum, so we went with it.
Ben Baker: I think the most important part of this project is that we are trying to create music that draws from any musical interests that we may have. There’s something very liberating about creating music in a way that is unique to one’s own life experiences and passions.
You both hail from backgrounds rich in contemporary classical music. But how does this training benefit you when composing outside this genre?
BB: I think that all genres of music have the potential to inform one another.
Personally, contemporary classical music gives me access to unique ways in structuring songs and pieces, along with an openness to sounds that may at first be unfamiliar to me. However, I don’t think that being trained classically makes me better or worse at creating my own music, it just has an effect on my musical DNA.
CD’N: It’s funny, I hadn’t really thought of it that way. I think about the complete opposite. I guess that’s coming from being an ‘art music composer’, predominantly: getting to look at things from a different perspective is refreshing. It’s one of the most interesting things about getting to see into Ben’s practice, since he has so much experience in folk music, jazz, improvisation, free-playing, etc.
I guess where the classical background helps the most on this project, besides the way it influences our personal musical palates, is that it gives a way of structuring and notating our music in the way that makes sense to us.
Across your tour, you’ll be collaborating with a number of local artists. Why is collaboration so important in your musical process?
CD’N: Collaboration is one of the most important aspects to me in all of my projects. It’s the best way to learn. You get to learn from and through the experiences of others. You see not only new ideas, but new perspectives, and that’s the most exciting and inspiring thing.
BB: Music is a social engagement. It brings people together and encourages musicians to exchange their own musical ideas and personal tastes. It’s important for us to share the stage with other artists so that we can engage in this dialogue together, and challenge each other’s palates.
Improvisation is an important feature of your performances. How does this process allow you to better engage with both the music, and the other musicians on stage?
BB: Improvisation gives me freedom to express what I want to in that given moment. It calls me to sense the atmosphere of the space and give back what I think the audience is asking for with their general vibe. Every performance could be drastically different because of this element, and that definitely makes me feel alive and like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.
CD’N: I definitely agree with that. Through the freedom of improvisation, not only do you express how you feel in the moment, but you also are drawn to connect with the other musicians on stage, with the audience. And creating something that [exists] for the very moment – it’s actually really personal in that way.
Your roles in your duo are that of both composers and performers. What effect does this have on your compositional output?
CD’N: I think being a performer, or having a performance background of some variety, is so incredibly important as a composer. It grounds you in the practice of creating live music. It teaches you from your own personal performance experience the realities of bringing music to life – from performance and performability to rehearsing the music, to how an ensemble will approach playing together.
For me, having a background as a classical singer, but also having played violin and piano for years, has made the world of difference to everything I do.
BB: What’s nice is that I don’t have to spend time thinking about whether what I’m writing is feasible or playable on my instrument. What I end up writing is based on my own instincts and improvisations.
Also, when you perform your own music, there is no mystery to be solved when you are reading off your own sheet music. Since the music came from your own mind, you have the most accurate interpretation of the music. In this sense, being both a composer and performer makes us more like a band than a new music ensemble.
What are your words to advice to composers looking to find their own voice?
BB: Listen to music as much as you can. Try to think about why you like certain styles and share your ideas with friends. If you are drawn to a specific sound, never be afraid to try making it for yourself.
CD’N: Get out there and experience as much as you can. Travel if you can afford it, but at the bare minimum, listen to as much music as you can across the spectrum. Go to gigs as often as you can – not just classical/orchestral/chamber music (and contemporary classical, of course), but go listen to bands, hip hop, electronica, everything.
Also, go to the art gallery, the museum, the theatre; experience as much art as possible. You never know what will hit you, what will inspire you, what will make some sort of difference to your music.
See Connor and Ben perform as we are breathing on their debut Australian tour. The duo will perform with Kieran Welch and Loni Fitzpatrick at 7pm August 14, Simply for Strings in Brisbane; with No Compliments at 7.30pm August 18 at Hares Hyenas in Fitzroy, and with Extended Play Festival of New Music from August 25-26 in the City Recital Hall, Sydney.
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