Here’s Kantocast 017: Vecdaud - “Tapetum Lucidum”!

Salih Gafer(Vecdaud) is a producer and live performer of electronic music. He is also a researcher in Sonic Arts at the Centre (MIAM) of ITU where he is focusing on audio programming and immersive audio practices. He started his career as a producer/DJ back in 2014, and he co-founded the electronica duo Ikaru in 2017.

In 2020 he announced a new solo project and named this endeavor Vecdaud, releasing two singles: Mongun & Unulla. In 2022 he released his debut EP Sirkupu via Kanto Records. A rework followed this EP to Martin Kohlstedt’s track GOL. Lastly, he released two singles (Yuva&Gaye) to announce his second solo EP Sunozan & to launch his new independent recordlabel, Soma Tune.

*What pushed you towards music production?
I wasn’t directly born into a world that is hyper-connected to the internet but I am one of those people who saw the transition from dusty streets to website links, blogs, and social media. Since I’m 6-7 years old I’m interacting with a computer where I discovered sound is a medium that deepens whatever you are up to. To me, at first, this thing that I was “up to” was computer games. It is where I learn to install files, crack software, and collect illegal audio files. (Surely I avoid these now but back then, these were the "normal".) I started collecting music to make playlists while I played games. Then, these collections found their way into portable music players. I enjoyed sharing my personal curation with my peers. Then, someday a friend who is enthusiastic about hip-hop beats introduced me to the digital audio workstation named Reason. This changed everything. I remember my first automation where I manipulated a simple filter cutoff, I was so impressed. To this day, this ability to shape sounds to express my ideas, my feelings, and being able to build a narrative with it like the language itself... this shakes me up. So, what fuels my artistic path is still the enthusiasm of this child. I see, I think, I do, I reflect, I repeat. 

* Do you think music interconnects with culture?
Yes, inevitably. I think the milieu we live in shapes our output broadly. With the age of the internet, this milieu became larger but still, we are in the early adoption phase. Regarding the effect of it on my production, I either try to isolate myself from certain narratives that I think I shouldn’t reflect, or I alternate within narratives where I found the meaning of life. Then, I try to melt these influences I've got from my environment to a point of idiosyncrasy. This gives me a ground to express my inner voice freely and allows me to reprogram my reality if I think it is a necessary thing to do.

* Do you get inspired by any other form of art?
Surely. I often have fun mixing art forms which is becoming easier each day with new computational tools. This inspires me to focus on my primary thrill, sound, in new ways.

* What makes a set a good one?
Selection, reinterpretation, engagement.

* What’s the process you follow when bringing tunes together?
Instinctively I plan ahead. Although I don’t think anything is out of tune at any time, I genuinely try to make my mixes "in tune". Also, I stretch the tempo of a given track around +/- 10-12 BPMs at maximum. I care about this because I perform with Ableton Live and to me, beyond this space, audio files start to reflect too much that they are in manipulation of some sort. Other than these technical facets, I care about my narrative a lot. To me, “a good set” should have distinct “chapters” instead of the feeling of the same track repeating for 3-4 hours. Therefore, I read the circumstance that I will interact with, then I start to build points of stress and resolution around it.

* What would you like to say about your podcast?
This podcast contains a blend of some original material and material I have edited specially for Kantocast listeners. If it “talks” to you, don’t just pass by, express what you heard. Loves!

Kantocast 017: Vecdaud - “Tapetum Lucidum”

psytrance mix
#soundcloudsundays #soundcloud

Psytrance mix one

yeah i just layered a bunch of random logic stock loops and messed around with the distortion (probably added too much distortion, idrk what im doing)

idk what this is i just made a song with a bunch of stock logic loops

Imagined by Oceanvs Orientalis, Kanto Records is an art collective that does not believe in existing moulds.

New tracks tagged #SoundCloudSundays