‘World of Sounds’ experimental musician and composer Vu Nhat Tan answers our questions. Plus, he put together a playlist to get you in the mood!

Vu Nhat Tan has taken his classical piano training and run wild and free. His sounds have spanned the globe from Ulaanbaatar to Chicago, but his upcoming ‘World of Sounds’ tour has him on Hanoian home turf. Organised in collaboration with upcoming talent Nguyen Hong Giang, their tour of the city includes five sessions that explore various aspects of experimental and electronic music and feature some of the city’s leading musicians in the field. Expect sounds from Tri Minh, Dao Anh Khanh, Dee.F, Nguyen Hong Nhung and Nguyen Do Minh Quan.

“I love the noise from concrete drilling machine”

&: What is your favourite sound?
Vu Nhat Tan: I love the noise from concrete drilling machines and other machines that can be found in the Old Quarter. The punching machines, paper or iron cutting machines… even that of the vehicles jamming the streets can be enjoyable somehow.

&: Experimental music seems to be really taking off exponentially over the last few years. What do you think is driving this?
Vu Nhat Tan: It is not entirely true [that experimental music is taking off exponentially]. In Vietnam me and the first experimental music group were very active from 1991 for the decade up until 2000. There was quite a lull after that. In the last one or two years, experimental music has made a comeback thanks to a younger, more dynamic and creative generation of artists. They will probably be the ones to take this kind of music much further.

“Experimental is real.”

&: What intrigues classically trained musicians, like yourself, about experimental music?
Vu Nhat Tan: It’s the creativeness, the freedom to explore and express.
 Experimental music is not a genre. It’s an expression that is not limited by any borders, any genres or the influence of great predecessors. ‘Experimental’ is real. Since it’s an experiment it can be good or bad, people may like it or may not, and you can get lucky, or be faced with some hoodoos. Experimental artists [can] feel lonely at times.

&: What do you listen to, when it’s not experimental music?
Vu Nhat Tan: I listen to various genres. On cold and rainy days, I turn on some cheesy music, aka “V-Pop”. It’s not just about listening to the tunes, it’s also about finding out what is on the mind of young people nowadays, what they want to do or to present through their music.

&: Who inspires you in the experimental music scene and why?
Vu Nhat Tan: Nobody specifically. I approach experimental music from different angles, many kinds of music from various time periods and through a lot of people. 
In 1989 at the age of 19, I first listened to contemporary vinyl records given to my dad by overseas Vietnamese every time they visited Hanoi. My father was a traditional Vietnamese music researcher. I listened to them on a Melodia phonograph made in the Soviet Union. At first I only heard background noise, then I made out sounds and I thought it was a special kind of music.

working..

my first working day in the Rocher Palmer Cultural Center in Cenon a small town by Bordeaux, with Eddie Ladoire

hôm nay là ngày làm việc đầu tiên tại Trung tâm Văn hóa Rocher Palmer thuộc thành phố nhỏ Cenon cách trung tâm Bordeaux một con sông hoặc 10 phút lái xe, từ hôm nay đến đầu tuần sau, hai người sẽ cùng sáng tác/xây dựng phần soundtrack/nhạc điện tử cho phim “Bao giờ cho đến tháng Mươì” (đã cắt bỏ âm nhạc, âm thanh và thoại gốc) dài gần 2h liền

đây là các thiết bị và máy tính dùng cho chương trình

here’re our toy for a long gig about 2hrs non-stop

   

Bordeaux, Sunday_Jan.26,2014

Bordeaux mưa nhiều và lạnh, trời đất ướt sũng vì mưa. Mùa đông không phải là thời gian du lịch ở Bordeaux vì.. mưa và không còn cánh đồng nho nào đang làm rượu cả, cây cối trụi lá trơ thân khẳng khiu nhưng nhìn thì tuyệt đẹp như tác phẩm điêu khắc

bữa sáng thông thường như thế này

bữa trưa hôm nay thì thế này, thịt vịt đỏ (loại vịt nuôi lấy gan làm pate), khoai, carot và củ ngọt, rượu vang tươi (có thể gọi là rượu nhưng thực tế nó nằm giữa công đoạn ngâm trái cây lấy men và rượu thành phẩm, Bordeaux có hàng trăm loại rượu vang và hàng ngàn thứ rượu vang tươi tự chế như một đặc sản của vùng này)

hôm nay là ngày chủ nhật buồn vì trời mưa lạnh và các cửa hàng đóng cửa hết, ở Pháp luật bắt buộc tất cả các cửa hàng trên toàn quốc phải đóng cửa ngày chủ nhật, trừ cafe và tiệm ăn, dân Pháp gọi chủ nhật là “ngày chết” vì không biết đi đâu, họ đùa là chính phủ muốn ngày chủ nhật để vợ chồng ở nhà yêu thương nhau và sinh con đẻ cái, hoặc những người cô đơn thì liệu mà tìm đến nhau chứ đừng ra đường ngày chủ nhật

this is a boring Sunday as it’s raining and the shops all are closed by law, so we went to Arts Museum and have cafe by the rain in the romantic old town

     

tiệm bán đĩa than cũ, CD cũ, nhưng không có cassettes cũ:)

the second-hand CD and vinyl records, but no cassettes which is i’m looking for but..

   

và từ nhà anh bạn Andre’ nhìn qua khung cửa..

Andre’ home’s windows

 

Bordeaux SIGMA revolution Arts Festival 1970-1990 remembering is open at the CAPC [Musee d’Art Contemporain de Bordeaux]

the city of Bordeaux opened SIGMA as a Revolution Artistic Festival from 1970 but it was stopped about 1990 due to the financial problems, no money for contemporary arts and have not enough supporting from the new mayors who want to stop that revolution era and changed to a POP culture which is interested more and more young people than the old ones who are from the revolution

i was lucky to attended today an contemporary/electro-acoustic music concert by the Bordeaux Conservatory of Music

 

Bordeaux in the winter from the window of Musee d’Art Contemporain and in the river side

 

Bordeaux new beautiful urban area

 

we passed by an Antique shop in the old town, all the things i loved are here

  

and then, have a so delicious diner by my new organizer, Andre’ who have a big collection of vinyl records included many of Vietnamese vinyls recorded from 1930s and up to 1980s and specially, the cassettes which i like it so much

  

we’re ended with Kraftwerk the first and famous German electronic music group from 1970s – 1990s

thanks Andre’ and your wife for taking me the whole interesting today, and

I love French food, so much!