Virlyn

Virlyn: Live in Zurich

Virlyn aka Frédéric Vanderlynden is a sound artist from Belgium, whose passion for music was ignited at an early age. As soon as he was able, he started recording his favorite tracks off the radio and making mix tapes using an old-time mixer he acquired for a small price. After discovering the music of artists as The Future Sound of London, Laurent Garnier and The Orb, he soon began to search for ways to record his own sounds and mixing them into self-made tracks under the artistic alias Virlyn. Where first he was focused on learning how to make electronic breaks and beats, he later became more interested in ambient sounds, experimental electronica and soundscapes.

Meeting the artist. An Interview.

EndTitles proudly presents his live performance recorded at the 8. IOIC-Stummfilm-Festival, Zurich in December 2017. ET met the artist for a quick chat to talk about the upcoming release.

ET: The recording for «VIRLYN: Live in Zurich» was made in December 2017 during the Zurich Silent-Film-Festival. You composed a soundtrack for three animated shorts by Winsor McCay, one of the first animators of the early twentieth century. Do you see the album as more of a soundtrack or rather as a live-recording?

V: It’s definitely more of a soundtrack, intended for the three shorts. I paid special attention to every scene in order to support them with the right atmosphere by adding sonorous details specific for a certain visual segment and of course by matching the rhythm with the pace and the content of the story telling. On the other hand, I made sure to broaden the soundtrack, adding sounds and depening the musical atmosphere, so the set could be listened to as a separate, self-contained performance.

ET: What was your instrumental approach for the album?

V: For my musical approach I use classical instruments, mainly recorded with friends and musicians, and electronic elements which I mix into an organic symbiosis. Beside this I like to use own field recordings I make during travellings. They add an exotic touch and help define the overall atmosphere of a track.

ET: Best loved hardware vs. Best loved software?

V: I don’t use a lot of hardware, besides my Zoom H1 Recorder for field recordings and recording instruments. In addition, I use typical hardware like the Akai LPK 25 Keyboard and a LPD8 controller. For software I like to keep it simple: I cut my samples with Adobe Audition and mix them into songs with FL11.

ET: Thank you, Virlyn.

Frédéric Vanderlynden aka Virlyn is a sound artist from Belgium, whose passion for music was ignited at an early age. As soon as he was able, he started recording his favorite tracks off the radio and making mix tapes using an old-time mixer he acquired for a small price. After discovering the music of artists as The Future Sound of London, Laurent Garnier and The Orb, he soon began to search for ways to record his own sounds and mixing them into self-made tracks under the artistic alias Virlyn. Where first he was focused on learning how to make electronic breaks and beats, he later became more interested in ambient sounds, experimental electronica and soundscapes.

In his early twenties he got a degree in history , film and visual culture. This did not only keep him interested in cinema but also sparked his interest in atmospheric music and sound design; a genre and direction of music making he’s still exploring. Since then his music is evolving into an organic symbiosis of classical instruments and an electronic transformation of field recordings. He also got intrigued by the use and alteration of recorded vocals and spoken word, which he incorporates in his soundscapes.

Another influence on his music is the exploration of different places around the world; where he can search for and record the sounds of traditional instruments in the hope to capture the vibe and spirit of a specific place and time.

Photo by Kris Germann

He was able to apply his method of designing music to a theatrical adaptation of Herman Hesse’s Steppewolf and a modern dance performance in Istanbul, for which he wrote and produced the music. In the meantime, he also released new work via the Belgian electronic label Xtraplex Records (Wolk EP) and the Canadian netlabel Spiritech Records (Scratch Book EP). In addition, he was collaborating with the sound designer AN MOKU on a project that resulted in the release of the album “Of Mirrors” on the American label Already Dead Tapes & Records. The same year, in 2013, he released his album ‘Man Asleep’ on cd via the Polish label Etalabel; an album based on the French novel ‘Un Homme Qui Dort’ (1967) by George Perec. In 2014 Subterranean Tide Records released the EP ‘Aguirre’, a fictional soundtrack for the Herzog movie “Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes” (1974).