We sat down to learn about electronic music origins, sounds, future endeavors and more with “GONE,” the rising star of the electronic music scene and also mentioned among the industry pioneers.
The Electronic Music Studio in Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), founded in Cologne by Werner Meyer-Eppler, Robert Beyer and Herbert Eimert (the studio’s first director), was based on Meyer-Eppler’s 1949 book “Electronische Klangerzeugung” and its accompanying thesis “Elektronische Musik und Synthetische Sprache.” This defined the studio’s continuing theoretical character, based on electronically synthesized sound, in stark contrast to Schaeffer’s concrete acoustic approach to music at the GRN in Paris. Nowadays, WDR is known as the “Mother of All Electronic Music Studios.” It continues to offer talented artists the opportunity to embody their musical ideas. One such artist is Kevin Deredec.
“I performed live at Switzerland’s festival Les Jeudis Electro, and the energy was insane. One of my best memories since I started my project. The sound system was truly top-notch, so it helped amplify the energy of every drop,” Deredec shared.
Electronic dance music can stimulate our minds in ways that go beyond just auditory pleasure. Deredec, known as "GONE," transports his listeners through his music to times of darkness and loneliness, enveloping them in immersive soundscapes. The name “GONE” adds to the intrigue as he does what all great artists do – create.
“The name ‘GONE’ is about what happens after death. I think this is a fundamental problem of humanity. Religion gives us answers, but it’s really hard to imagine nothingness without even realizing it. When I compose music, I always do it spiritually to keep it as pure as possible,” he elaborated.
One of Deredec’s iconic songs is “Saved.” The song conveys a level where self-realization and expression are a means and a goal. More precisely, we can feel the broadest expression of various creative disciplines, which contain many contrasts, such as abstract-concrete and individual-social, in the notes. “I try and accompany on my acoustic piano. Sometimes I can create a simple texture on my computer. There are no rules; I think the most important thing is energy,” he continued.
“I usually hear something in my head and record it on my phone,” he said.
He stated that the Turkish techno scene is dynamic and promising. “The open-mindedness of the new generations is evident. You know how to do it with artists like Uğur Project, Ferhat Albayrak, Fred Lenix and Beegee. I also have a special relationship with your country. I think electronic music is an important part of Turkish youth culture,” he said.
While “music theory” may bring dry and theoretical information to mind, the reality is quite different. Music is widely regarded as a universal language; like any language, it has its own grammar. Therefore, studying music grammar is much more exciting than expected, encompassing the elements that come together during composition, improvisation, performance and listening. For anyone in the field of music, an understanding of music grammar is a must-have. However, this begs the question of whether composers need to possess technical skills in addition to musical ones. “When you know the theory of music, I think you can create emotion by manipulating the principles of harmony. It is total freedom for me,” he explained.
“Music theory and hearing education is the most basic area of music education, as it includes all of these elements, namely the grammar of music. I started playing the piano at the age of 6. Classical music was indispensable to me. It helped me learn harmony, music theory and emotion. I also studied drums and classical percussion. In a nutshell, you can make up for one thing with something else, and that can yield great results. As I said before, no rules,” he added.
When comparing music produced at a national level with works created internationally, achieving the desired sound quality is often difficult due to economic limitations. As a result, it is essential to support independent artists to enhance their work and create high-quality music on a national level. This support can come in funding, access to professional equipment, and opportunities for collaboration and promotion. In addition, investing in independent artists can cultivate a thriving national music industry and showcase our culture’s diverse and unique sounds to the world.
Deredec also said that ambition and passion are the keys to understanding music’s power clearly and distinctly and turning it into systematic knowledge. “Today, you can learn music theory and production skills on YouTube and share tracks with the world on platforms, even if you are an independent artist. You don’t need to be rich; your ambition and passion will be the right path,” he said.
The mental output is soft information that has not yet been reduced to a language. Many external and internal elements influence creating one’s mental work. This is the knowledge that we can reveal even by observing ourselves. Many factors, from weather to personal health, from immanent culture to economic situation, direct a person’s mental output. This mental output can be any idea, image or theme. Despite all these situations, Deredec revealed his uniqueness in the final analysis. In this direction, the artist finds the opportunity to transform his mental output into music with the help of various tools. That is an add-on or hardware without which it cannot work. “I use analog and digital gears to get the best of both worlds. My favorite synth ever is Novation Peak. It has a warm and futuristic voice. I recently bought an OBX8, and it’s a beast,” he said.
Deredec provides information about the technical equipment, working environment, DAW program and equipment they use for their electronic music. Preferred reverb, delay, compressor, and EQ plugins are essential.
“I would say the most important thing is room acoustics, good speakers and good headphones. It can save you hours of mixing mistakes. It is much better to use a few tools and know them well than to have tons of them,” he said.
He continued: “My favorite echoes would include Blackhole, Valhallas, and the EMT 140 from Universal Audio. About delays, I use Echo, an Ableton stock plugin. Timeless from Fabfilter is also great. The best compressor is Presswerk from u-he; I also use Glue compressor from Ableton, which is a great tool.”
Isn’t it fascinating how the most abundant thing in the universe is, on the one hand, an enigma? One of the most exciting studies on space is “dark matter.”
All visible and perceptible matter makes up only 5% of the universe. The rest of this theory is known as “dark matter,” which does not emit or reflect light and is the shadowy counterpart of ordinary matter. Frankly, I was very excited to talk about such an essential subject as astronomy while having a musical interview with Deredec. Because, of course, music is a sound system that is shaped in harmony and symmetry with the universe, in connection with the laws of the universe from which they are derived, and that reflects the balance points of the universe.
As a result, Deredec is on his way to becoming one of the artists who best encodes harmony between things in the universe. “My first EP titled ‘Sources’ is of science fiction origin. This is a tribute to the origins of our planet. I created this universe around the concept of dark matter hidden in ancient caves on Earth. This extraterrestrial being has the power to influence humanity for good or for bad. You will discover more,” he said.
“But my favorite song among my creations is ‘Space.’ I put my heart into it, and this music means a lot to me,” he said.
