{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, Meaning & More","title":"Architecting Atmosphere & the Luminous Darkness of Sound: A Conversation with Matthijs Kouw","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":5539,"description":"“How would you like to spend some time with music that can reconfigure what you think about yourself, about music, and about space and time?” \nIn this episode of The Sum of All Wisdom, Scott reconnects with Dutch experimental composer and sound artist Matthijs Kouw for a deep conversation about sound, space, philosophy, and the spiritual possibilities of composing, experiencing, and listening to music. \nTogether, they explore what “experimental music” really means—not as a genre, but as a position: an openness to uncertainty, emergence, and the unknown. Matthijs reflects on the role of indeterminacy in composition, the architecture of sound, and the idea that music can create spaces for listeners to inhabit rather than narratives to consume. \nThe conversation ranges widely across:\nExperimental music as process and experiment \nDrone music, atmosphere, and “dwelling” in sound \nThe influence of thinkers like Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Gilbert Simondon \nTime, emergence, and metastability in musical composition \nNegative theology and the limits of language \nField recordings, contact microphones, and environmental sound \nWhy cassettes still matter \nThe politics of music distribution and alternatives to Spotify \nMusic as communion, meditation, and philosophical inquiry \nA central thread throughout the discussion is the idea that music can carry us beyond language—toward experiences that resist direct explanation yet remain deeply human and emotionally real. \nMatthijs also discusses several of his recent works, including:\nTransversal \nMeta-Stabilities \nObscurum per Obscurius \nThe collaborative project Irradiance with Gagi Petrovic \nMemorable Moments\n“Maybe the orchestra is not a set of instruments, but the entire world.” \n“It’s more like creating spaces for people to dwell in.” \n“Maybe the soundscape is populated by beautiful birdsong and leaf blowers simultaneously.”\n\nAbout Matthijs Kouw\nMatthijs Kouw is an experimental musician based in The Netherlands...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/WxYkrFS9xG0iifivgXJ8ULNXdp4ij1PBeHoIXb0qWXE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wYjZh/Zjk1NjhmNzU4ZmJi/ZWJmMjI0YWViNmU3/YjEwOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}