33. Oval

Berlin denizen Markus Popp has been creating music under the name Oval since the early 1990s. His earlier albums brought a new sound to the world of electronic music that would come to be known as "glitch." On first listen, one might think they had a damaged copy of the album before eventually falling under its lilting trance. He designed his own audio software called "ovalprocess" that was accessible only at installations at a few galleries in the early aughties. Popp never made pop music, but his style became a part of that landscape around the turn of the century. Markus recalls a certain Icelandic siren asking for permission to sample one of his songs: "When Björk called me, my first reaction was who gave you this number??"
After exhausting his equipment, software, and sound library, he took a long hiatus, returning a decade later with a new frenzied, post-rock, drum-laden soundscape that built a new structure on his initial foundation. In the years since, he hasn't slowed down. His latest release on Thrill Jockey, "Scis," finds Markus putting progressive electronic beats to work in tandem with new explorations in synthesizer music. He has recently scored a German radio drama, the source material of which is the foundation for a work in progress (sneak preview included in this episode). He likes his burgers vegetarian, but isn't too picky about the fixings. And for the last couple of years, he's been offering his expertise by way of coaching sessions to creative types of all sorts, myself included. Markus joined me via telephone on this episode from his home studio in Berlin to discuss all of this and much more.

Recommendations

If you’ve never heard Oval, the 1993 album “Systemisch” is a great place to jump in.

Here is a trippy music video for "Improg" from the latest Oval release, 2020's "Scis:"

From the 2011 album "O," here is a beautifully choreographed dance video for the song "Ah!"

It's really hard to find this excellent 2003 side project "so" on any search engines, but well worth checking out.
This a collaboration with Japanese singer-songwriter Eriko Toyoda, and it's fantastic. You're very welcome.

And if you’re interested in one of Markus Popp’s one-on-one artistic coaching sessions, look no further: