Cedrik Fermont is a composer, musician, mastering engineer, author, independent researcher, concert organiser, curator who operates in the field of noise, electronic and experimental music since 1989. He was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and currently lives in Berlin.
Cedrik manages his label Syphre, where he distributes electronic music, noise, avant-garde, contemporary classical, electro-acoustic, industrial, experimental, sound art specially from Africa and Asia but not exclusively.
Syrphe tries to establish new connections and exchanges between musicians, promoters, galleries, venues, magazines, radio stations from all over the world and tends to spread above all awareness about Asian and African composers. CDs and other formats are now and then published, lectures, workshops and concerts are also sometimes given in various art centres, universities, museums and venues.
Cedrik wondered why industrial and noise music was dominated by white artists. He began branching out and trying to find people from around the world to contribute to these tape compilations. This was before the internet and it took a long time to get in touch and communicate with people.
When learning about electro-acoustic music it was very franco-central. He used the internet to learn about other artists like Halim El Dabh, whose experiments with tape music (The Expression of Zaar, 1944) are some of the earliest known, predating the work of Pierre Schaeffer.
He found that people from around the world owned albums of western experimental music like Throbbing Gristle but was interested in how they knew this western music but none of us heard their music. Wasn’t distributed in the west, so he began to try and distribute it online.
In turkey, he was kicked out of a venue as the owner and customers didn’t think of the noise and breakcore as music. However, in these scenes, lots of attendants were musicians themselves who wanted to get ideas for their own music.
Cedrik says that through propaganda western media made out that the eastern block completely oppressed music and art. He didn’t believe it so has done work on this topic, documenting the music of the cold war era in eastern (and central) Europe.
In the digital age, accentuated by the conditions of COVID19, online meetings often end abruptly and do not allow for the proper connections that in-person venues allow.
I asked Cedrik the following question:
How do you think the internet changes the concept of ‘scenes’, ‘genre’ and ‘outsider music’ in music?
the Internet allows instant communication and access so much instantly. new genre combinations. Allows new combinations from around the world to exist. no borders. In the past, you had to access music from record stores and sound libraries. Records used to last longer. 6 months is now considered older.
Scenes occur everywhere and everywhen. Dada and Pop Art. Noise music around the world. Reminds me of Brian Eno’s thoughts on the scenius, that we think of individuals as the genius opposed to scenes that form around the thinking of groups, what are the true ‘genius’.
Afterthoughts
Cedrik’s involvement and commitment to his cause of decolonising electronic music is very respectful and his dedication is inspiring.