Jurgen Winkel

Artist – Producer – Musician – Performer (SONICrider, BLIND, LSDice, The Phonons, …)

Who are you, and what do you do?

I’m Jurgen and in love with sound and vision as long as I can remember, when I hear sounds I “see” visuals and when I see visuals I “hear” sounds.

Sound wise I started recording music from the radio with a cassette recorder on the primary school and it became a collection where synthesizers played an important role, Pink Floyd was the favorite. The next step, record little parts of the recorded music on a second cassette recorder, modulating the speed and the love for sounddesign was born.

Visual wise I got fascinated by natural “art”: sleeping outside for the first time as a kid discovering the stars and universe, walking along the sea studying the rhythm of the waves, traveling by train while the world passes by. Later on I cooperated this fascination creating visuals where the natural flow is the red line.

During my study in Eindhoven I met a guy who performed with poems; I told him that I heard sounds in my head supporting his words. The band BLIND was born and became a industrial, rock, electronic duo band: we toured from mid eighties till mid nineties in Europe, released a couple of albums and live we used 8 mm movies (filmed by us) as part of the stories we told.

Beside BLIND I began sound design for local artist, dancers and movie makers, slowly I got a massive sound archive that I didn’t use for the projects. Creating tracks using that archive became SONICrider.

As SONICrider I use modular and DIY gear as main instruments creating from ambient till experimental techno: when I play live I use visuals like we did with BLIND. I constructed my modular gear like members of a band: drums, bass/guitar, synth, percussion, sounds, each case can be used stand alone when I do collaborations:
– LSDice: experimental acid/dance (David plays 2 MC 505’s)
– The Phonons: ambient jazz (Siem plays a bass guitar)
– Gijs van Bon (a light artist): I create live sound touring with his installation where a 2 weeks visit on Taiwan playing at a light festival was a fine high light.
– Several one time collabs.

Since the C-virus ruled the world I zoomed in on (which I did occasionally) creating visuals, telling stories. Some of those visuals are presented at festivals around the world where I as musician probably never would have attended in person.

Modular music is very suitable making (ambient) drones that exceeds regular playtime: it was hard to find a label releasing this tracks. So I started EAR (Emotional Analog Resonance) and at the moment there are 33 monthly releases done.

Living from the music I create is sometimes hard so projects like mixing (sometimes live), mastering, lessons in synthesis and organizing modular events are a welcome add.

What tools do you use?

It all started with 2 cassette recorder and tools to manipulate the speed. The machinery I used in BLIND was a Roland 909, 2 AKAI samplers (one with keyboard and midi), Roland drum pad and a Roland Juno 60.

Hardware stayed the main source creating most of my music where working in the box mostly is mastering tracks. In the box arrangements as “commissioned art” are a second path using Ableton manipulating recorded pieces from my hardware or field recordings.

Searching for a visual ad while playing live I use Ableton, VDMX and DMXis (light control); these visuals are part of the expression, “the story I tell”. Using VDMX opened a world of opportunities manipulating the visuals with the live sound: via an UAD interface I use sound filters to control VDMX. The visuals move from abstract to real material all shot by me. “Although electronic music uses sampling a lot, I always use own material, it feels like it should be”.

VDMX pushed me in a creative direction to start with a visual and add sound/music as a “soundtrack”, slowly entering the world of short movies, an exciting exploration.

The mentioned hardware is a collection I built over 40 years and in the studio the early gear is there still working well. Beside Tape recorders, Moog synths, other hardware (drumcomputer, synths, DIY instruments), modular gear is the core. The cool thing about modular gear is the fact you can built a new instrument for each project like a painter creates new colors.

“The Sound And Vision Lab” in the center of Eindhoven is the homebase creating music and visuals, carry out mix and master jobs, coach and teach: sounddesign, synthesis, Ableton, VDMX and creative thinking. The studio is ready all the time to stream a live performance solo or with friends/musicians.

Tell us about some of your recent and upcoming projects!

I recently released an album on ” Cyclical Dreams (Argentine)” called ” A Mental Reset”. This second album of a trilogy drive the mind into a reset “we need to act to keep our planet a healthy, peaceful and safe place. The first album of this trilogy (also released by Cyclical Dreams) called “ELAPSUS” or “escaping” which we try but cannot. The last of this trilogy (2027) “Future Proofed” will be created in thoughts over the coming months and then converted into tracks.

Most of the tracks/albums by SONICrider are released indecent on the SONICrider label via Bandcamp or via small third party labels around the world. I released over 300 tracks and have the feeling this never stops 🙂

Playing live is special and give energy like nothing else, so on regular basis a selection of gear hits the road playings gigs/festivals in Europe. A special trip was a 2 week tour in Taiwan playing live sounds as past of a light art work where water, light and sound meet.

And yes, visual releases using VDMX is an ongoing path, sometimes as a (live) stream from “The Sound And Vision Lab” or as prerecorded movie for festivals around the world.

SONICrider – Deconstruction Of A Dream (for the Cyclical Fest 2024)

Every now and then SONICrider plays a live set on a local radio as the start of a “electronic radio sow” and on a more regular basis I organize modular events in Eindhoven. This foundation “Modulab Eindhoven” has asmission “Liberating Electronic Music”, during the afternoon there are workshops, at the evening 3 performances by international artists and in between some vegan food.

As mentioned before EAR established by me, is a label ocussing on non-commercial electronic music. EAR releases should take listeners on a journey of experimental, industrial, ambient soundscapes where the playtime exceeds “regular” releases.

What drives me?

Finding a balance between the past and the future where the now is key. Caring and sharing a peaceful, healthy and save place for everybody no matter race, religion, gender, age by listening what others thinks, having respect for other opinion and be yourself. Life is short. Act you should!!

All my life I feel sad when violence hits people and unfortunately “history repeats itself” war is around us and in Europe a topic…. As an artist I can contribute with music supporting those who suffer as I human being I try the stand for Peace, Love, Unity and Respect #PLUR.

Release by SONICrider supporting Ukraine:

Entering the ’60 (age wise) I keep on doing what I did the last 40 years, expressing my view via music by “Painting with Sound”.

Take care, Jurgen

Some Links:
– SONICrider website
– SONICrider YouTube
– SONJCrider Linktree (all links)
– EAR label