How has your experience been in just over 18 years of producing music and with fourteen albums under your belt?
"Actually, the thing that caught my attention at first was the drum machines, but what really caught my attention was programming a synthesizer and then composing in some editor or writing inside a sequencer using your favorite patches. It's what I've been doing for the last few years. Also, I think that together with other friends we have learned during this time, shared the love for music, we have played live and so on. In my particular case, I could add that it has been quite a difficult job compared to other responsibilities, but in the end I think it has been satisfactory.”
How would you describe what you are doing as a Chiodata?
"I used to describe it as ‘Baroque Ambient’, a personal definition. Now, technically it's two or more patches moving forward on a timeline; it's like playing the same thing in parallel, but with different synths, going through several scenes in each track and there is always a melodic and emotional component over the abstract. Apart from this, I like that it can be used for meditation or to spend a moment of rest doing nothing.”
Tell us about the Japanese label Umé Records that released your latest album "Lucestas" as Chiodata in December 2021.
“Umé Records is a label run by Zefan Sramek (aka Precipitation) in Tokyo, publishing limited cassettes editions mainly focused in ambient music. It has been an honor for me that ‘Lucestas’ was released by this imprint and to be part of the catalogue. Zefan is the one who has also been making the designs in collaboration with the musicians who provide some photographs. For his part, a regular colleague, Jared Carrigan, masters most of the records, also puts out music under the alias V. Kristoff and also works at Jungle Gym Records, an excellent label with a beautiful catalog."
What were the source(s) of inspiration for the making of "Lucestas"?
"I was trying some synthesizers, programming and saving the patches that I liked the most and then I wanted to try something that had caught my attention before and that in theory represented new possibilities: The use of an arpeggiator with LFO. It was with this tool that I was experimenting and controlling and defining above all the melodic part, and what was interesting was modulating in real time some parameters such as the speed and the octave range of the arpeggiator. This feature is perhaps rare or at least new to me. Things were coming out that I liked a lot and I was capturing very quickly all the material used in each song. In short, the album collects this experience together with a particular way of working with Midi. There is something subtle and mathematical in the process that aroused great motivation in me and these ideas inspired me. I would like to develop them further. This all happened in 2019."
How has the pandemic treated you in your musical creation?
"It has been a very complex time, I was still doing various songs and trying out some new equipment, but I realized that when there is stress and anxiety there is damage to hearing. Temporarily at least. It is like when one is exhausted and anxious about something right and everything sounds garish, mainly the electronic equipment, so I had to get check-ups and in the meantime I have amassed a lot of files that sound badly. However, I am very interested in continuing what I started in this period".
It seems to me that the experimental electronic music scene is in good health in Chile. What is your opinion?
"I have realized that there are many people making music and covering various styles and I hope that people continue to live this way. The Pandemic has also affected a lot getting together to play or listen to music. It would be very nice if things start to develop better and that many new albums could be release.”
Do you have any projects in the near future?
"I have several songs done this year for a new album and also with a friend, Rodrigo Arriagada, we want to do some songs together. Apart from all this, I have a great motivation to continue with this work.”
Guillermo Escudero
April 2022
Interviews 
