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For as long as I can remember I have intensely enjoyed music. Well, not just any music. I grew up with the 1980s hit parade, but soon I gravitated towards classic rock and hard rock which eventually progressed into black metal. Later on my taste also included jazz, down tempo, IDM, reggae and dub, synth pop, kraut rock, psytrance, ambient and electronica. When I was 18 I bought an acoustic guitar from a high school friend and learned to play. After some years of practicing finger breaking jazz chords and solos I decided I wanted to start writing and recording my own music instead. This was the start of my music project Everything Serves The Moment (ESTM, 1999-2011). The melancholic and sometimes abstract music of ESTM features guitars, synthesizer, drum machine, movie samples, spoken word, and a lot of sound processing. Some ESTM tracks were played on the national radio show X-Rated and I was interviewed several times on local radio. Also, ESTM tracks appeared on the cd accompanying the magazine Gonzo Circus, which also did a review of an ESTM album. Listen to ESTM music here, or find a selection of tracks here. The ESTM project may be hibernating, but I am currently learning to play the drums !
When I was a student I considered joining a combined Master program of Econometrics and Philosophy. However, my passion for mathematics prevailed and I dropped the idea in favor of adding Mathematical Statistics to the mix. Years later my interest in philosophy was still strong and I decided to start a reading project covering canonical philosophical works. I started with Kant's Critiques and then moved on to Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, the Frankfurter Schule, and others. As you may have gathered I am interested in what philosophy has to say about what it means to be human. The profoundness and ingenuity of the proposed ideas and analyses has made a lasting impact on me.
As counterweight to all the indoor activities mentioned above, I like to walk in the woods or ride my bicycle through the vast farmlands. With a simple digital camera and some psychedelic photo manipulation afterwards, I try to capture some of that outdoor beauty in colors invisible to the eye. Together with some selfies that have undergone the same treatment, the results can be viewed here.
