#Caiva : The Message (Munich) // Welcome Raise + Epistolar

If I had to choose a word to define the last 2 years that we lived together, "absurd" will definitely be the most symbolic flag bearer of this period. Shared between unfair or irrational governmental decision, trying to adapt ourselves to rules and laws constantly moving, the past two years acted as an oscillation for our personal and professional lives.

Too coward to find a way to fix it, too lost to be able to understand everything, stay safe in an "absurd mindset" was for me the best way to accept things as they are to finally fight with it, not against it. Of course, my decision of accepting the absurdity of things hasn't come from nowhere,I've been helped by someone that as thought about it a way more than anyone else: Albert Camus.

Into the "Cycles de l'Absurde" series of essays, Camus is proposing a counter exemple of the trendy philosophic fashion of the Jean Paul Sarte's existentialism. Answering with the absurd, Camus is taking for example the "Sisyphus Myths" to illustrate this new way of considering life in its absurd sense.

In the poems of Homer, Sisyphe is the shrewdest of men, he is a navigator, a great trader, a man so sure of himself that he does not hesitate to challenge Zeus. For his audacity, he is condemned to eternal torture: pushing a heavy rock up a mountain which, once at the top, descends to the foot of the cliff.

Ok, let's agree that it's definitely suck at the first sight and for now, you don't really see how I can find this story inspiring and positive. That's where the analysis of Camus give sense to it.

Of course, this eternal torture is absurd. You're putting efforts and everything that you have for something that you consciously know will have to be restarted again in an eternal movement. If we compare that to our life, we all are Sisyphe in a way and the past years has definitely proven that. Struggling to organize events that will never happen, releasing tracks that would never be played in club or having your heart-broken is basically the same thing.

What's wrong with it ? While we are pushing our rocks we are finding ourselves in the irrational, we finally feels within us our desire for happiness and reason. Pushing by our absurd trust for happiness and reason and even if we know that everything will be destroy, at least we're moving. That's what matter the most.

Camus summarize and end his essay with this :

"The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. You have to imagine Sisyphus happy."

Great news ! Thanks Camus ! Let's go back to work, meet new people; create connection and launching new projects! it is not the goal that counts, it is the way. And on. this way we are reaching this happiness and the sense that we are putting in our action.

We are luckier than Sisyphe, we're not alone in this eternal work so may our way be fulfill by this absurd but fair values that we are building through it.

So when Caiva is struggling with her "monkey" and tried to fight against her "Big Wall in Mind" she goes through it, she accept it and she fix it. Look the result, she is entering in the best agency and she is on the best Various Artist of the Year, Epistolar !

Absurd ? Probably. Happy ? For suurrrreeee mein freund !

I'm so glad to make you discover the great personality and music of Caiva, I think that we are just at the beginning of who is she. Keep an eye on Camus and above all pay attention to her! Caiva, please take us higher !

Caiva for Radio Loubard

Hi Caiva ! Such a pleasure to e-host you on Radio Loubard, it was so nice to talk and exchange you by call ! Now, and I’m so sorry for that but we will have to share our secrets with our dear daily readers…Let’s reveal everything but let’s start with a basic but precious question : How do you feel?

Hey, thank you so much for our enriching conversation, it was so nice to e-meet you! I think I’m feeling very energetic at the moment, I’m really excited and a bit nervous about what’s going to happen this year with my music. It’s hard work, but it also gives me a big push of positivity in a time with so many negative things and minds.

We are more than happy to know that everyone here is feeling good ! Could you now please introduce yourself ?

I’m Betty/CAIVA, I’m a producer and DJ and I live near Munich. And recently I’m one of the artists from Raise Agency, which makes me super happy! I would describe myself simply as a musician, even if at the moment most people know me because of my electronic music and especially my vocals. I’ve always been about music, and now more than ever!

You have a special connection with the entire spectrum of music because you have studied musicology and also play several instruments. How do you see your relation with music in a sensitive way ?

Listening to music and making my own music is super important for my well-being. I wouldn't be happy if I couldn’t do it. I think the moment when I dedicated myself completely to music was when I turned down my place at another university to study musicology. And I’m often still surprised how much music can touch me or can save the day.

After a classical and scolar musical background isn't it hard to produce techno music ?

To be honest, I’m not surprised that it’s much electronic sound. It’s even refreshing in a way! Electronic music fascinates me all the more because some conventional methods of analysis, composition and reception simply don’t work anymore. You need to find new approaches. And I’m a bit tired of the old ones.

How do you see the link with this background and the way you're making music now ? Can you make bridges between all of this ?

Of course, it’s all connected. My taste in music and my way of making music is based on what I have learned and heard so far. Sometimes it’s really crazy when I discover one of these “bridges”. For example I was working on a techno track and then I realized that I’ve actually used the same stylistic device as that one guy back in the Middle Ages that my professor was talking about in class.

In classical music or even jazz, most of the musicians are focusing a lot into analyzing the theory and the “mathematics” of harmony and other musical principles. Is this also your main way of producing ?

Composition and music theory can help a lot, of course. But if there’s one thing I learned in college, it’s that overanalysis kills both music and creativity - at least for me. My own ears are the most important tool and the most important critic. Sometimes I compose certain chord or melody progressions to get a special vibe. And sometimes I don’t even know what key my tracks are written in, I simply work with my relative pitch.

Your tracks are always pushed by really melodic and emotional sides supported by beautiful vocals. Techno music is becoming more and more melodic, isn't it your final chance ?

Definitely! I love that it gets more melodic and more back to the 90’s as I’m a fan of trance music. I think right now people are more open to melody and harmony again, so it’s my chance to even bring voice and real instruments into the game.

I think that it’s so great to hear vocals on techno tracks because this genre has so many senses when you’re hearing it and feelin it but it’s a music that mostly has no words on it to tell a story. What do you think about that and why do you love to put original vocals on your track ?

For me, my vocals are more like an instrument, for example like a synth. I love to find new ways of designing them and I like to use them to create a special atmosphere. Most of the time I have the vibe and melody and harmony first, and then I write the final lyrics. Of course, the lyrics mean something special, but I think the main story is still told non-verbally. I hide messages in the rest of the music, too, which can get really neardy. For example, the synth-melody in “Take Me Higher” goes up (and down again) like the stairway to heaven.

Between your musical background and your vision of music, I really see your music as a success of hybridization and mix of inspiration. What do you think about hybridization in music ?

I think it’s one of the most important things. You know that feeling when you discover for example a new artist and you’re so excited and blown away because you’re experiencing a mix of music you thought wasn’t possible? I love moments like this. And honestly I don’t have a choice because I couldn’t choose one from so many great genres.

We can hear that you’re also playing with contrast and paradox in your music. Is this the same thing for your life….?

Definitely! I’m a very cheerful person, I love to talk to people and to laugh, and often people can’t believe that I produce genres like hard-techno because I’m “ too sweet and innocent”. And I have a very deep, overthinking side that’s almost withdrawn. likes to be alone a lot and that’s responsible for most of my lyrics. I had struggles because I thought I need to put parts of my personality in the background - how stupid! Now I love every part and I think that it makes me stand out that I have so many different sides.

You were saying to me that you resolve some issues that you have with this “Big Wall in my mind” ! What was the big wall and how did you find the way to destroy it ?

Oh yes. The big wall I built to tell myself that I can’t combine everything I want in my music. Acoustics and electronics, softness and hardness, “main” and “underground”. That I need to make decisions first. After I finished the first tracks, I finally understood that I didn't have to choose and that the only thing standing in my way was myself and not a big wall, it was gone.

We are sharing something together except of course our love for Jakob ! We both have this monkey in our mind, playing with us 100 games on 100 ideas dispatched on 100 dreams and desires separated on 100 subjects. Who is this monkey and how are you dealing with him ? Give me advices!

I’m so sorry for Jakob, but the monkey is way more important here!! Yes, I hate and love this little monkey at the same time. He’s always there, especially when I want to sleep, study or talk to people without thinking about 100 other things. But on the other side I never have to worry about my creativity. The monkey always has so many great music ideas, it would be enough for the next 3 years. I manage to quiet the monkey by writing down all the ideas to get them out of my head and by physical work, like growing vegetables and fruits in my garden.

Note from the interviewer : You can clearly see that Caiva is taking care of her garden, never see such a green lawn. Congrats !

One thing that I have to admit with you Caiva is that I was not knowing you at all and you finally arrive with this amazing track “Take Me Higher”. My question is the following one :

How the fuck did you pop up, from nowhere, to an EP on Lobster Theremin ??

I’ve been incredibly lucky with Lobster and I’m so grateful to them for releasing my first solo EP! The helping fairy behind the whole thing was Julian Muller. He heard one of my tracks and asked me for vocals for his masterclass and EP. We started to work together for more collabs that will be released this year and that mean very much to me. I learned a lot from Julian and he also sent some of the tracks to Jimmy from Lobster. It’s funny, because until now I’ve worked so much for my music, but more in the underground, without many releases. That’s why I’m so looking forward to this year and to all the upcoming releases!!

You’ve recently entered into the agency and also family Raise booking ! What

is the story behind you're meeting with the crew ?

Yes, I’m super happy about it and feel very comfortable with them so far. They first contacted me about the remix for Epistolar and we got along really well. And then they asked me if I was looking for an agency again. To be honest, I wasn’t looking for an agency at all, but I felt this crew just had my vibe from the start. And then there was of course this funny Murder-on-the-dancefloor-video of you and Jakob that did the rest.

How do you feel inside the roster ?

I feel like I fit in there very well. Everyone makes their own special sound and experiments a lot, and besides the music everyone is super friendly. And there are artists who also use a live-set-up and instruments or vocals, like Darzack. But I think I have to buy a French dictionary and a ticket to Paris soon!

You also, for our huge pleasure, did the last letters of Epistolar ! How did you conceive this track ?

I love the concept of this project! I worked primarily with the harmonies and melodies from the Krl Mx track. I especially loved the synths he used, so I tried to change and design some of the sounds and then I built my track around them. I tried to transform the heavy and banging drums into a slightly softer track that reinterprets the synths and presents them in a completely new context, especially with the vocals.

What do you think about this concept ?

It’s super exciting. The phenomenon of remixes alone is very exciting, but with Epistolar the listener can really follow exactly how each artist puts their stamp on the track. It’s like a journey to all the musical worlds of the artists. And I’m really happy to welcome you in my world, by the way!

What are now the next steps for you dear Caiva ?

I’m really looking forward to the next few months because some very important EPs and other tracks will be released. We are also working on a music video and I’ve also planned really cool collabs with other artists. Hopefully gigs will be possible again soon. And I really want to make an acoustic album, at least my crazy monkey wants to do that!