Static Movement interview – I want to make music I believe in

Static Movement just released his third album with Iono Music so we hooked up with him and talked about the parties he organized as a 14 year old, why he named his last two albums after his kids, and why he doesn’t care much for genres. And you can listen to his whole album and other goodies below!

While you read you can listen to the whole Static Movement new album – Sian – here: 

Q: Who is Static Movement?

A: Static Movement is Shahar Shtrikman from Nahariya, Israel, musician, producer and sound engineer. I have been producing music since 1996  with a project called Impulser that was focusing more on Goa, Psytrance & Full On.  In 2011 I started Static Movement.

I was about 14 years old. I had speakers and computer and I brought it with big computer screens to underground shelters in our city and we organized parties there. I would play from Impulse Tracker and Winamp!

Q: Why did you choose that name? What does it represent?

A: Static Movement are two words that negate each other, because from one side it is static and from the other side there is movement. Together it creates a cycle of energy. Also as some sounds are static and others are playing around that sound. I think it’s a cool name and sounds good for my personal taste. The music represents love, freedom, emotions. As a musician that came from classical music background, I want my music touch the listeners, to be represented as music and not in specific genre because first of all before talking about success  in the music industry, which is not easy to achieve today,  the music needs to touch ,deliver a message to the listener, to have a concept, to be unique. It has to be musical, so that every time we listen to it, it will touch us. I need to feel that what I’m doing is perfect. For me it is more important that the music will have feelings, so people can listen and enjoy it, then to smash the dancefloor, because if my focus will be just on the dancefloor, something will be missing in the music, and the effect of the music will be short lived. We can listen to good music for many years and it becomes timeless, the same as classical music.

Q: Do you remember the first party you went to? What happened to you there?

A: Actually my first parties were the parties I made with my friends when I was about 14 years old. I had speakers and computer and I brought it with big computer screens to underground shelters in our city and we organized parties there. I would play from Impulse Tracker and Winamp! My first outdoor party was actually the best party of all times for me, Moksha Project in Achziv Park in the North of Israel, and I was just standing and watching the DJs absorbing ideas for my music.

Get to know Static Movement with this playlist he made for Trancentral with his favourite tracks from his career so far:

Q: Tell us a bit about your journey from that party to produce music as Static Movement.

A: From that party on I started to take myself more seriously into music production, and I went to study sound engineering in for 2 years, and I was practising a lot and trying to achieve the best with my music, but definitely I had already a direction in my life that iIwanted to succeed with. The Static Movement project came few years after that…

Q: New album – Sian – tell us about it.

A: That is also the name of my son. This album is dedicated to him as the previous album ‘Sol’ was dedicated to my daughter. And of course that music is spiced with lot of love for all the people.  The meaning of ‘Sian’ is ‘God’s Gracious Gift’ in Welsh. Also the graphic of the album insinuates to god giving us a present. I stayed in the same parts geographically and chosen a Scottish melody for the Sian track to fit in the concept. All the tracks in the album were written by Static Movement and some of the track are collaborations with artists such as Egorythmia, Cosmic Tone, Ilai and Off Limits, and it includes also two remixes to Vini Vici and Ranji & Epic. All the tracks were mixed & mastered by Static myself. I hope people will like it.

This was my idea to do something for my children, so when they grow they will understand they are special and that when they were just born a whole album was made for them … That is why it was also important to [have a] physical CD  – so that they can hold it in their hands.

Q: The album is very diverse musically, even with some more mainstream touches – today many people try to stick to a specific genre, why did you choose to go this way?

A: As I said before, I am a musician and more than trying to stick to some genre to bring me to success I want to make music I believe in, and music that can touch feelings and I want the success to come from a real musical album and not from just trying to make what everybody is doing.  Also I never really listen to other people’s music. I believe in my way and in my music and it’s the only thing that got me to be what I am today. I think everybody should be like this , to be unique in their own way and not try to follow the way that works for others.

Q: Your last two albums were named after your kids – not the obvious choice for a psytrance artist. Tell us about their connection to your music.

A: This was my idea to do something for my children, so when they grow they will understand they are special and that when they were just born a whole album was made for them. And it’s something that will stay for their whole life. That is why it was also important to me to have it in physical CD  – so that they can hold it in their hands. Now I feel that mission was completed successfully.

Shahar with little Sian and his album

Q: You are based in Israel and releasing it on a German label, Iono Music – how was the connection made and how was it working with them?

A: The first track I released as Static Movement was with IONO. It was a remix to Mute’s Mechanism. Before Static Movement started officially I had a try with a friend to make a project together called Future Radio, so we released the remix to Mute together, and after a while I decided to continue on my own. After the release I just kept sending my music to the label and they like my music and here we are today.

Q: Future plans for Static Movement?

A:  I will continue to produce my music, release and play over the globe. I send my love to the people through the music, and I hope you will like it.