Hi Ludo! Are you doing?

How did you get started creating music?
I am 20 years of age right now and I started creating music in 1999. Some years before 1999 I started keyboard lessons in music school and in 1999 my parents bought a pc. I bought a midi cable for it and started making songs in Cubase Lite. (which is a very LITE version of Cubase).
In 2000 I discovered some shareware/freeware music software and I started working with those (ditching the midi part) I made experimental rhytmic tracks and I released them under my Multi-Panel alias from May 2000. In 2001 I finished my first demo called "Plaion" which featured my voice and mostly ambient/rhytmic tracks. No guitar though, I bought the acoustic guitar in the Summer of 2001. In 2002 I created 10 tracks using the guitar and my computer software. Those 10 tracks are Alone in The Field. (so as you see it's actually quite an old album) Only released in 2004 on Unschooled. (they contacted me in 2003, I signed a deal with them and they thought re-releasing Alone in the Field would be a good idea and I agreed).

Would you like to tell us about your first musical experiences?
There are some memories that are sticked to my mind, but I don't see why they are so important really... (you know.. I mean why am I remembering those things??) Anyway, strangly 2 involve Queen (a band I don't like and I don't remember liking them at any time) still I can remember dancing on the table, as a young kid, when there was this big Mercury Died concert. (remember that one? I think it was at Wembley). Another one is listening to a Queen tape at some related familiy. As a kid I was a big fan of Bruce Springsteen (must be my parents influences) when I was like 7, we (= me + friends) playbacked several Boss songs at class (including Dancing In The Dark, which had this videoclip I was quite scared of)
I've been a music fan all my life really cause I also remember watching Top 40 programs way back to 1991 (when I was only 6 years) One of the best experiences I ever had in a cd shop was when I listened to Bjork's new single Yoga (of the Homogenic album) that one blew me a way. And I spent all my pocket money on it EVEN THOUGH i knew my dad would buy the album.

What was or is the general idea behind this project? Where does the name "Multi-Panel" come from?
Hmm. Back in 2000 when i started releasing mp3's online as Multi-Panel me and a friend where always tossing up "bandnames". We always wanted to start a band but we never did. I think this friend of mine had a keyboard which said "Multi-Panel" on the back of it. (was it a Casio? I don't know anymore) I tossed this name... but he didn't like it. So I kept it for myself. (or better phrased, i remembered the name when i needed one)
The general idea behind the project is just releasing music. I don't have a lot of output though... I only create like 10 songs a year really. (or less) music is my hobby, my way of dealing with inspiration. (I used to write stories before i got into music by the way, so before i was 13-14...).

Are you able to give a definition to the music you compose?
There's been a wave of laptop folkish music right? (manitoba/four tet/gravenhurst) I guess it could fit in that definition... just indie underground kids, who know their way with computers but they love Nick Drake as well.

To what is your album "Alone In The Field" inspired?
Which are the motivations, which have lead you to realise such CD?
Which are its musical contents? Which kind of atmosphere have you underlined most?
You know this is a pretty tough question (the inspiration one) I need to think back to 2002. hmm 2002. Ah, I remember in 2001 I encountered the icelandic band Mum. I am sure you know them... so i thought hang on... I think my mother has a Hohner Melodica... (which has a nice accordion like sound) I got a cheap microphone. I need to use those... So i did on "Plaion" (the demo) Then I discovered Fennesz and well you can guess it... he used guitar and he inspired me to use it as well. (though when I bought it (the guitar) I already realized it would enter my music somewhere.sometime)
I really like reading books.. so a big inspiration for Alone in the Field were books by Kerouac (On The Road) and especially the entire John Steinbeck oeuvre (East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath etc. etc.).

What do you yourself appreciate in music/sound? Do you hold any memorable moments with music, certain songs that trigger memories?
I like listening to sad music I guess. I also prefer a lo-fi, first-take is ok attitude. (most of the times) probably every song triggers memories.
My first rock album I bought was Eels - Beautiful Freak.. certain songs of that one bring me back to a school camp back when i was 12 (or something) and I was playing the eels tape for a girl, I guess we were looking for slow dance songs (you know... kids disco, there's always HARDCORE dance tracks AND slow dance songs, to dance with a girl) but Eels was just too sad for that.. (she said, and I guess she was right) I also remember sitting outside with a Walkman and the same eels tape, and then some other kid was telling me about how you could user your hand as a natural speaker (you'd put your headphone on your hand.. and then the small tiny ears on your hand would... well... vibrate or something... I don't know if he was fooling me hahaha).

Music helps to...
Live

Can you tell something about your creative process?
For Alone in The Field most of the songs were created by jamming on the guitar until i got a nice loop. Then recording and editing the loop and after that added layers of vocals and electronics.
The new album (Train Times for Sway) has more programming and less acoustic guitar.
When making an album... no... when making music you go trough STREAMS of inspiration. most of the times an album is made in like 2-5 months… the time after that is spend on finetuning... so it's not like I have 30 tracks and I pick out the best. I only have like 15 tracks and then I start finetuning those and maybe deleting some of them until i have an album that feels like it flows naturally and it shouldn't get boring so I try to keep the playing time under 50 minutes.

Differences between this release and the previous one.
The previous one, was only a demo. I like to give you a scheme:

first demo "post olympic blues": only electronics
second demo "plaion": "electronics + voice"
first real cd: "alone in the field": "electronics + voice + acoustic guitar"
second real cd (out this summer) "train times for sway": electronics + voice + acoustic guitar + electric guitar + bass + violin + piano

so you can see the progression clearly. :) the new cd is a little more stripped down I guess. there are some real minimal tracks on it featuring only voice + guitar and manipulated violin & piano. Or only manipulated violin.

What artists or bands have had the biggest impact on you?
What are your favourites currently?
As mentioned above directly inspirational were Mum and Fennesz… Also Nick Drake had a big impact on me. (one day I read an essay in a magazine about him... I immediately went to the public library, got Pink Moon (best cd ever!) and a songbook... excellent day!
Current favourites... especially Sufjan Stevens, I really love his Michigan cd… basically everything he's done really. (A Sun Came his debut was also very good)
Julie Doiron's latest album Goodnight Nobody deserves a recommendation as well. I've also been listening to Jandek a lot. That's a Texan atonal folk singer. Makes for a fascinating listen. I am featured on a Jandek tribute. Summersteps records is releasing it in May. The first volume featured Bright Eyes amongst others. This one will feature Okkervil River (I really love their Down the river of golden dreams album, be sure to check it), Mountain Goats, Six Organs of Admittance etc. etc. (and me.. as I said) i made a bluesy stomper... 2 minutes... out of tune guitar... crazy vocals, it was great fun to make.

What can you tell us about the scene in Netherlands?
I am too much of a loner to be in the scene really.. if we seperate electronics & postrock... I think Kettel and Clone do well in that part of the music scene... Postrock... well there's Volkoren and the bands that surround this label (also Sally Forth recordings).
One thing that can be said is that the real music scene is in Amsterdam & Utrecht. One of the best labels is Excelsior Recordings. They got an artist called Spinvis (who's also featured on Pet Series) but on the compilation track he doesn't sing... normally he does... and he sings in dutch... it's very sweet sad music... I think even though italian listeners wouldn't understand the lyrics, they might still like it... there are Air influences and Beck and maybe even some Boards of Canada… really really good.
One of the best dutch albums is Beach, Blanket, Bingo... by Merry Pierce (released in 2000) for the fans of pavement/guided by voices/lo-fi genius.

How does your sound change and evolve in the future?
What do you think about it? Do you have any ideas about new sounds or themes to experiment?
I am really curious if I will make the step to TUNES. you know... like iron & wine or sufjan stevens... or maybe i'll take a turn and return to more soundtrack kind of material... I am not sure. I've been really digging tiny soundtrack mood pieces lately. like Badly Drawn Boy did on About a Boy or Joe Hisaishi's Spirited Away or the American Beauty soundtrack.
on the other hand I still have the dream to fill an album with folkish guitar tunes... (one day I'll hope to make it).

Future projects? Is it coming any new release?
There will be a new album out this summer. It will be called "Train Times For Sway". It will feature a more electric guitar sound... but still warm moods. I also recorded a violin player for it and chopped up his playing... I also recorded a real piano (sampled it) A Dutch female singer by the name of Pien Feith sings along with me on several tracks. She's a big talent, definitely inspired me making this new album. (her voice is a bit like Cat Power) lyrically the album is a little darker dealing with the bomb attacks in Spain (this happened while I was in my creative rush for this album)
The album will have 13 tracks: playing time 42 minutes. I think there's more variation this time. there's drum programming, there's a guitar folk tune, there's electrical guitar, there's a little bit of postrock, there are tiny soundtrack pieces, there's triphop-ish beats even.

Any final words?
I am glad that you (& others probably) write your website in Italian. I think the internet needs to be multi-lingual. really. :)