KRAMP: Anger As Much As Shame
joeri bruyninckx
How did it all start for you?
stijn wybouw
From a very young age I’ve been playing in bands and collected punk and garage rock tapes.
jb
And how did KRAMP begin?
sw
Mainly I began making DIY recordings and distributing them around – I was always fascinated by that approach. I also started making more and more tape recordings, and this is how I got into KRAMP, my solo project.
jb
What about the name KRAMP?
sw
A cramp is something that bothers you and has to come out in one way or another. In this case, it was the urge to get music out of my system. From the beginning I also found it very important to do everything myself with KRAMP: everything from the recording of the music to the visual aspect of it.
jb
Yeah, you come from a visual arts background. So how did you get into music?
sw
KRAMP is my alter ego that runs through my music AND my visual art.
jb
So these are linked to each other, there’s no real difference?
sw
There’s no difference. When I play live, the visual part is as important as the audio part. Not only for the audience, also for myself.
jb
How so?
sw
KRAMP is like a character to me. I express my alter ego by painting my face red.
jb
Why red?
sw
In cartoons, red is the color used to express anger and shame. When I paint my face red, it’s as if I’m preparing for a ritual. Once the red paint is on, I become KRAMP.
jb
Where did you get this idea?
sw
From black metal bands. This all seems very heavy, but first they isolate themselves and put their corpse paint on.
jb
Your music also has something dirty.
sw
This comes from my fascination for home tapers and lo-fi recordings. I love to manipulate sound until I lose control. I do this by playing recordings backwards, for example, and then recording over these again. I also like to record with old tape recorders, as well as using old instruments or instruments that I don’t know how to play. I then cut and paste these recordings into new compositions – this way I get surprised by my own recordings. The obscurity of the sounds create a “mystic bond” between the recording and the listener, which intrigues me. I love to work fast and I love to record a lot. I like to record with a Zoom or a tape deck, because this way I can make fast and unclean recordings.
jb
Your music reminds me of Aaron Dilloway, Jason Lescalleet and Dylan Nyoukis. But also of older stuff like LAFMS, and even Henry Chopin.
sw
All these artists are great, of course, but what I find most interesting for myself is finding links with other types of music.
jb
Like?
sw
Like folk or non-musical recordings where the experience of music comes first. The sound of my surroundings is also a big inspiration. I find it very important that KRAMP is not about the technical aspect of playing music: it’s about the experience, and about being surprised by sound. I think that’s an attitude I share with the artists you mentioned.
KRAMP kicks off KRAAK FESTIVAL 2020 Friday 28.02 as part of our label night segment. Stay tuned for his upcoming release on our tape waves! In the meantime, get your day tickets for the festival right heeeere.
