Thinking In Sound: Charley van Veldhoven Is a ‘Chameleon of all Trades’
Born and raised in the Netherlands and a master on keys, Charley van Veldhoven graduated with a triple honours degree in Music & Technology. She combines her classically trained background with her passion for technology to create music for films, games and interactive experiences.
Highlights in her portfolio include music and sound for the Eurobest Grand Prix winning campaign Adobe X Bowie 75, the multi-award-winning VR game Reducept that helps sufferers of chronic pain globally, and soundscapes for “Your System is a Garden, Too”, a generative audio-visual installation at Disseny Hub in Barcelona.
LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?
Charley> If available, I like to check out the film/animatic and the script first. I take in all the colours, camera movement and the style used. I am pretty sensitive to all these small details and it definitely affects the outcome! Then, I tend to focus on either the emotion or sound.
Emotion: I define a synth/instrument that fits the overall treatment style, and then I play around with harmony and melodies directly to picture to see what’s working. When I’ve chosen my favourite ‘theme’ I start finessing and producing the actual track.
Sound: Sometimes projects don’t need a lot of harmony/melody. If this is the case, I like to start by creating textures and sounds that I feel fit the film. Then I sample and edit those tightly to picture.
LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang - and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?
Charley> I like to do both. I love coming up with ideas on my own, but I do think that when we work together on something with the team we can just push it to another level. Which is really cool! Everybody at Antfood has their strengths and since we are a big team we can use each others’ expertise to create what’s beyond our own imagination.
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Charley> Sometimes you just hit that ‘magic’ moment that you really love what you’ve created! You can ask my colleagues – it’s not uncommon to see me dancing behind my setup!
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Charley> You can see an upcoming trend of brands using immersive experiences to reach their audience. These interactive experiences make people realise what the power of sound can be.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Charley> Two of my biggest musical heroes are Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald. They are incredibly talented and skilled musicians – I love this genre.
LBB> And when it comes to your particular field, whether sound design or composing, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?
Charley> To be honest, I don’t like to listen too much to what other people do. When I was at University (HKU) they taught me to find my own sound and to be creative with it, even when your instruments/equipment/environment all changes. I found this a very freeing way of creation, it opened my eyes and led me to creating the work I currently make.
LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (let's say going through client briefs or answering emails) - are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?
Charley> IT’S COMPLETELY DISTRACTING to me haha. I love complete silence when I need to focus.
LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) - how does that factor into how you approach your work?
Charley> The great thing is that we make music for so many unique projects! Each one requires a different treatment too. As a chameleon of all trades, I thrive in this way of working. One day a project might need lo-fi sound, textural and warm. And another might need a very digital hi-tech sound.
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Charley> A lot of silence (also to give my ears some well-deserved rest). And I like to sing a lot myself, I guess that also counts. There are a few genres that I just really gravitate towards which are jazz, reggae, and gospel. But now and then, I like to switch it up completely and start listening to melodic metal or, say, Turkish folk music for weeks.
LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised Spotify-er…)?
Charley> I think I am a very exploratory Spotify-er. When I find a track I like, I love to dig deeper and search for more tracks and even dig a bit deeper into the genre if it’s something new. I do have huge collections of voice memos with new ideas and recordings of composition starters! I would say almost too many to ever use. Usually, I like to make something new anyway.
LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music (e.g. history buffs who love music that can help you travel through time, gamers who love interactive sound design… I mean it really could be anything!!)
Charley> I love going to museums, reading and doing arts and crafts. When I’ve really experienced art in a museum, for example, the immersive “NXT” museum in Amsterdam or Voorlinden in Den Haag, I feel like it slightly changes my mind and I will go back home feeling inspired with a new mindset.
LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?
Charley> I lived in London and LA for a while, which were very interesting and very different from each other. In London, I used to go to almost every jazz jam session they had available (there is one every day) and met such incredible musicians. One man really made an impression on me, he was this odd-looking middle-aged pocket trumpet player who turned up everywhere and had a very specific sound. It wasn’t the most refined with perfect licks, but this didn’t matter because it was his sound! You could see that he loved playing so much, and that in itself was enough. It came across as such a pure form of musicianship.
LBB> As we age, our ears change physically, and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth - how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?
Charley> To me, I feel like it hasn’t changed that much. But as I grow older, I need to remind myself more often to listen to the music I like, to sing or play piano just for me. Things I learned and loved to do when I was younger. As the world goes so fast these days, it’s easy to let those things surpass you.
