We recently connected with Tristan De Liege and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tristan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When I was first making music, I was really motivated and interested by sheer exploration of ideas on my own. So I wanted to try different instruments on my own, sample old tracks I found, create my own sound design etc. This is still all a part of my process, but at some point I realized what I loved most was the process of creating with others and having the musical and creative voices of others merge with mine in the process. In fall of 2021, I happened to be traveling through New York City at the same time as a new friend I’d met, Taylor Mackall. He invited me to the apartment where he was staying and played some piano music for us. I was astounded at the beautiful harmonies and rhythms he was creating improvisationally, and immediately knew I wanted to make an album with him. So in December of that year with the help of my friend Gregory Allison, who is a violinist, composer, and producer, we recorded some pieces I’d written for Taylor with felted piano and added Gregory’s strings. It’s some of the most intimate and delicately composed and performed music I’ve ever made, and the fact that it came to life not just on my own but with two friends in a special recording context made it very meaningful and memorable. I think what it reinforced in me as an idea is that if you have an inspiration or idea for something, and it’s possible to do it, just try it out, because those sparks of inspiration can lead to some of the most meaningful projects and connections.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into music initially through playing piano in middle school and high school and then playing in different bands and just exploring sounds and songwriting. A good friend of mine had a basement with lots of instruments around so I had an early sense of the power of arranging and thinking of how lots of different instruments can fit together and create a cohesive whole.

The other formative aspect of my life that led to making music is that I love so many different genres, and find them all inspiring and interesting as expressions and explorations of multitudes of different ideas.

I take both of these inspirations as key aspects of my sound and what I’m doing with music. I’m always trying to blend genres/ideas/influences together from anything and everything I’m listening to, from classical and jazz to soul and samba and afrobeat and so on. Sometimes that comes out through choice of instrumentation, but other times through how I’m making rhythms, approaching sound design, or writing melodies. In general I think it’s interesting to explore music that defies or challenges genres, and I often find that my favorite artists are doing that a lot.

I’m most proud of that aspect of my work, that it’s really challenging the ideas of boundaries and genre-definition and instead allowing music to exist simply as music in general, that can draw on an infinite source of sounds and inspirations. This is also I think what helps us see the limitless possibilities in music, and that’s crucial to maintaining an orientation of creativity and curiosity.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think a crucial aspect of supporting artists is simply recognition. Of course we often focus on the financial aspects, but I actually don’t think making art in our society is any more difficult than it’s been in the past — it’s always been the case that artists need things like residencies, external commissions, patrons etc., except when they’re operating at such a high level that they have their own audience and constant stream of income.

By recognition I mean simply going to friends’ shows, reposting things on social media, consistently following the work of artists you like, buying their merchandise, etc. That sort of energy goes a long way towards art feeling valued as a whole in society, because the more people do that, the more art is recognized and celebrated, which leads to better outcomes.

I think from a societal level, it’s important to allow artists the freedom to create their own visions and pursue them, since artists are essentially entrepreneurs.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to always keep growing and developing a voice as a composer. In general in the long term I’d like to have mastery over composing for a range of instruments, especially piano and strings. To constantly push my boundaries and test my comfort zone will involve trying to compose for a lot of different ensembles, such as chamber orchestra, full orchestras, solo guitar, etc.

But I’m also seeking to challenge myself on the growth of my projects in terms of their audience and getting my music out there in such a way that as many people as possible who might connect to it can reach it.  

Contact Info:

• Website: tristandeliege.com
• Instagram: tristandeliege
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK7K-kXfjUxK52vsRG9aAWQ

Image Credits
Christian Sorensen Hansen. Seb JJ Peters.