16 - Wilhelm Yells

Author

Giannis Kampiotis
October 14, 2022

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Wilhelm Yells

Coming from Melbourne, he finds DAWs limiting. Hardware allows him to explore but also inspires him in his music.

He dropped out of music lessons but that did not stop him from making music. 🎶

Read Time: 5 minutes 📰

The Setup

Gear List

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

I took lessons as a child for piano and trombone, but I didn't have the attention span to read music and learn theory (a big regret!). I used to pretend to read music in front of my teacher while trying to remember by ear what note I needed to play next, I guess the lessons stopped shortly after that.

When I was in university a friend put me onto Ableton and the process to make music with some like-minded mates started there. They were far more talented when it came to playing instruments so I stuck to sound design and production. After a few years of doing that and having a couple of local radio stations play some of our music it kind of fizzled out as we all moved away.

I spent a number of years in New York and guess I bottled up a lot of energy to make music again, but felt relying on a DAW wasn't helping me make the music or sounds I could hear in my head.

When I moved to Melbourne I studied up on hardware and tried to work out what instruments would help me with a creative process, more so than the actual sound they made.

The process is a deep hobby of mine, so the result of making music is simply an outlet for me. If I get to share it and people care, amazing.

What's the one thing in your studio you can't live without?

I can live without any hardware, but that scenario won't result in what I am hoping to make.

My modular rig has been a really eye-opening addition and I only want to add to it over time. It has completely changed how I think about sound design and oddly has given me a great appreciation for music I don't finish.

What's your process?

My biggest issue working in a DAW is I would always start with a bass line or melody which would almost always ended up feeling really boring.

With my setup I get to start by simply exploring. Creating interesting patches, finding something that feels captivating. If that leads to something that I could build a song around I start working with other instruments and create a general structure for a song, record it and save it down.

I have been building a great library of ideas which at some point soon I'll come back to, listen with fresh ears and put some structure around.

How would you explain your style?

I don't have a sound yet, or at least I don't think so.

I would like it to resemble the electronics I am working with and the world outside. Something organic.

Has this journey of building a hardware setup changed the way you think about music or life in general?

Absolutely - it has helped me take the next step in understanding what a creative process should look like.

I wasn't getting that in a DAW.

What’s your ONE tip on music-production or creativity?

Something to try for some; let things sound chaotic to start and work your way backwards.

Chaos exists everywhere in science, it's human nature. How you chose to tame it becomes it's own character.

A book/movie/article that fueled your creativity?

'Reminded by the Instruments: David Tudors Music', by You Nakai

How can people find you?

In Case You Missed it

For jams, knob-twists and pad hitting videos go to G.A.S. Instagram

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