Interview with Kim from Dreamhub
By Bert from Percussa
Please introduce yourself and your creative work?
I am based in Copenhagen, Denmark and have been serious about music for the last two years. I started out more than 20 years ago playing in a few bands. My main electronic project is under the name Dreamhub where I compose and perform deep ambient, space music and chillout. Besides that I am a visual artist (which is why the AudioCubes fascinated me so much) and also work with music for film and TV.
In your projects, who has been your source of inspiration?
Many people, such as Brian Eno, Steve Roach, Ian Boddy, John Sierre and Jean-Michel Jarre.
For readers who haven’t heard about your work, can you point them to some references?
It’s probably easiest for them to go to my website (see the link at the end of the interview). I have self-published three CD’s and an EP – and I have a free iPhone app, which has been downloaded now more than a thousand times.
In your career, which are the achievements you are most proud of?
In december ’09 I got the chance to perform live on TV at the Official COP15 Ecumenical service in the Cathedral of Copenhagen. I performed three times, and during a reading of Desmond Tutu. Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince Consort where among the audience of 1500 people. It was a very special event – you can find the clips on my YouTube channel (see end of this interview for the link).
How did you end up doing what you’re doing now?
Uh, I guess passion, devotion and hard work – and the inspiration and encouragement from other artists and listeners.
Can you give us some insight into your creative workflow?
Composing mostly happens at night – when the world sleeps. I always start with a sound, or a thought of the type of sound I want to achieve – and sometimes end up somewhere else. I might start with stretching or mangling with fieldrecordings or samples, twisting knobs on softsynths and adding effects, untill I get a certain kind of emotion, vibe or feeling in the sounds. I often suddenly find myself caught in a creative flow and mostly I continue for hours – kind of getting caught by the track. If I can’t get the creative juices flying, I mostly do more boring work like warping samples, categorize stuff, practice setups and read manuals.
How did your work evolve throughout the years?
I think the style of my music has evolved over the past year to a more focused or clear style, and that I am more focused on performance and effects now than earlier. Early on I started focusing on filmmusic but have gotten more free and artistic in my approach to making music. Also, I try to improvise and experiment a lot more now than earlier on in my sets; accidents can be a great way of discovering new stuff.
What exactly got you interested in AudioCubes?
Videos on YouTube and forums buzzing about them.
How was your first experience with AudioCubes?
A bit frustrating 
I was too impatient! I have now learned that if you want outstanding results you’ve got to invest some time. I did that – and now I really love working and performing with them.
For you, what is the relationship between art and technology in your creative process?
In my world, technology and art can be the same. I think that the AudioCubes clearly shows that. To me, using the technology in every way I can is so interesting, because you can do things, that you sometimes can’t even imagine before they happen.
How many AudioCubes are in your setup?
Currently I only have two – but after experiencing the great impact they have on the audience, and after having used them more – I definetly would like more cubes in my setup. When performing deep ambient music, there is not a lot to look at for the audience – but the AudioCubes definitely changed that. Also in certain situations when utilizing a more audience-involving installation, I would like them to be able to change the music and sounds by interacting with the
cubes. Can’t wait for that.
For what type of work have you used AudioCubes? (e.g. live, studio, …)
Only live – mostly for plugins that really has and audible effect on the sound – that way it’s clear for the audience, that when I use the cubes it has a direct impact on the sound.
What other music technology tools do you use regularly?
My main DAW is Ableton Live. Then I mostly use Ni Reaktor, Kontakt, Absynth, and Spectrasonics Omnisphere – and a lot of other FX-plugins and stuff.
Can you recommend AudioCubes to other people?
Certainly! If you are serious about live performance and having fun at the same time, they are for you.
Links:
http://www.dreamhub.dk/?lang=en
http://myspace.com/dreamhub
http://twitter.com/dreamhub
http://dreamhub.bandcamp.com
http://www.youtube.com/thedreamhub
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