Sebastian Plano - The magic of the one-man ensemble

The latest addition to Denovali's ever-growing modern classical catalogue, the young Argentine Sebastian Plano writes pieces that blend the acoustic sounds of his origins with an electronic contamination that makes delicacy a diktat. Acting as conductor of a potential ensemble made up of his own multitude of instruments, his music reveals a peculiar and mysterious balance between a romantically tinged languor and an extreme attention to aesthetic detail, held together by a thread of pure magic that stands as the defining trait of his soundscapes. We chose his own words as a guide to discovering a vivid and delightful sonic universe.

Can you start by briefly telling us your story? There's very little information out there about you...

I come from a family of musicians from Rosario, Argentina: my father is a violinist, so is my sister, while my mother preferred the viola. It's almost as if they were waiting for a cellist when I was born, so they could form a string quartet! I started playing cello at seven and composing at twelve: five years later I left Argentina to continue my studies. Since then I've lived in Italy, Portugal, the United States, and I've recently moved to Berlin, to be closer to my label. I always studied classical music, but in 2010 I decided to change course and dedicate myself entirely to electronic music, eventually self-producing my first album the following year.

Along this path, “Impetus” sounds a bit like a kind of return to your roots, given how much more acoustic it is compared to “Arrythmical Part Of Hearts”…

The idea of using less electronics and bringing in more acoustic instruments was at the heart of the project that led to “Impetus”, right from the start. I wanted this new work to have a different feel, so I set out to find a balance between these two types of instrumentation: the result is a work that, while remaining electronic at its core, reaches purely acoustic textures in certain passages, allowing the listener to perceive more nuances within it.

What has changed in your life over these two years?

A lot, definitely. Even though I'd been making music for years, I hadn't released anything before 2011, more by choice than by circumstance, so much so that some of the tracks on my first album had sat archived on my computer for a long time. Back then my intention was to keep studying classical music and become an orchestral musician, but around the same time I started getting interested in completely different musical worlds like jazz, tango, rock and electronic music. After the good response to my first work, I began to build up a huge amount of energy inside me, which is also what the new album's title refers to: some of the best memories of my life are tied to these past two years, during which I worked on its creation.

If there's one thing I found incredible about “Impetus”, it's its choral quality. How did you manage to record, all by yourself, an album that in every respect sounds like the work of an ensemble?

Well, the reason is that I actually spent eight years of my life within the walls of the Conservatory. Two years ago, I got a master's degree in chamber music and performed in a lot of concerts. On top of that, I'm someone who loves a challenge, so I found it downright exciting to record parts with instruments I'd never learned to play. Playing all the instruments myself gives me total control over the interpretation, and I consider that a defining feature of my style. That said, I equally enjoy the idea of collaborating with other musicians, especially live.

What elements played a decisive role in inspiring this work?

Definitely the transitional state I was in during the period I worked on it: after so many years I was no longer tied to any school, and that, first and foremost, finally made me feel free and independent. I also had the chance to work on my music from the first minute of my day until late at night, knowing that whenever things weren't going the way I wanted, all I had to do was step away for a bit and focus on something else. One of the things I loved doing was reading up on the lives of other musicians, from Miles Davis to Fela Kuti and Jeff Buckley.

Another really interesting aspect of the album is its delicacy, that sound which is at once romantic and meticulously detailed. Is that a personal perception, or the result of a specific approach?

I think it all comes from the fact that I tend to try to reproduce a particular color or meaning through every single sound. I pay very close attention to detail, sometimes even too much, so much so that I often find myself having to push past it in my work, setting aside at least part of the brain's "filter". To record an instrumental track I'd be one hundred percent satisfied with, I could spend hours, maybe days: I'd be capable of recording a cello line fifty times before losing every last doubt. In those cases, then, I try to focus more on searching for the feeling and the magic behind a melodic line rather than obsessing over detail. And I think that duality is at the heart of what you pointed out: I follow my instinct, letting each piece grow into its most intimate form, while at the same time searching for the perfect harmony between all the elements that make it up.

How much did your collaboration with Jeffrey Zigler of the Kronos Quartet influence the "cello" side of “Impetus”?

By the time I worked with Jeffrey, I'd already recorded more than half of “Impetus”, so if anything it was the other way around! What's certain is that I decided from the very beginning to make the cello the primary instrument in my compositions, since it's an instrument capable of giving a defined shape to the sonic structure while also evolving in a subtly nuanced way.

Do you agree with those who call you a "modern-classical" composer?

Well, I suppose I used to be, but at the same time I don't think I am anymore. I've composed and performed works for solo cello, string quartet and orchestra, but all of that is now part of my past. Right now I'm more interested in the more emotional, less academic side of music, even though I obviously still compose using a strictly "classical" method and only bring in electronics at a later stage. I'm just as fascinated by the prospect of working in film scoring, choreography, theatre, and any field that lets me step beyond the boundaries of music alone.

I've read, among other things, that you recently asked for financial help via KickStarter to release both "Impetus" and your upcoming EP, "Novel". How hard is it today to actually get your own work out onto the market?

Well, it all depends on how much you have on hand to finance your projects yourself, and also on how much you're able to do on your own. Once you need to record in a studio or hire an engineer to handle the mixing, you can easily end up needing really substantial sums. It's no coincidence that "Novel" was recorded in a studio, while "Impetus" was recorded almost entirely in the studio apartment where I lived in San Francisco, apart from the piano parts, for which I managed to get a room at the Conservatory. I also did the mixing entirely on my own, and thanks to that I managed to finish everything with a relatively small outlay.

How did you eventually manage to pull it all off?

It certainly wasn't easy, I got very little sleep during that period. But then Denovali offered to release "Impetus" and also to reissue my first record, so now they're both coming out!

So the connection with Denovali was a decisive step. How did that come about?

Quite simply, a few months after "Arrythmical Part Of Hearts" came out, I got an email from Timo at Denovali offering me a deal. I didn't sign right away, because I wanted to take some time to weigh up other offers too, but during that period I watched the label grow a huge amount, and I soon realized that the right thing to do was to become part of their increasingly fantastic catalogue, which keeps growing and opening up to different worlds to this day.

Yours is also the third Denovali release, after Piano Interrupted and Greg Haines, to bear the mark of Nils Frahm. How important was his contribution?

I brought Nils the tracks already recorded and mixed, and he handled the whole mastering process. I'll admit that at first I didn't understand some of his suggestions - things like "it'd be nice to throw a bit of dust in here!" - until I walked into his studio and saw all those wonderful analog machines: at that point I went along with it, and I also followed some of his suggestions about the track order. I'm very grateful for what he did, and we worked really well together, so much so that I plan to dust off my tracks a lot more in the future.

Do you plan to bring "Impetus" to the stage, maybe in a theatre with a string quartet?

I almost certainly will! As we've already mentioned, I played a huge number of instruments on the record, and I don't think it would make sense to bring everything along, just as I don't think it would be physically possible. But the solution you mentioned is exactly what I'm working on, and I hope to pull it off very soon.

And then it'll be "Novel"'s turn?

Yes, although unfortunately I had a nasty experience on the very day I finished recording with Jeffrey: my computer and memory drives were stolen, along with years and years of work, including most of the embryonic ideas for what could have become my next album, which I was planning to release next year. Now I'll do my best to recover and rewrite everything I lost. In the meantime, "Novel" should come out in May next year, and before that, if all goes as I hope, I'll have some European dates between November and December where I'll perform "Impetus" live. I also hope, next year, to be able to take part in the next Denovali Swingfest.

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