Smoke Filled Soundsystem.

A chat with GANJ.

Here's another deep dive into Switzerland's underground soundscapes, marking a full-circle moment by showcasing the solo work of one of CAF?'s founding members, Lukas Stocklin, aka GANJ.

Originally crafted as live performance tracks for Nathalie Froehlich during her tour in support of her release EXPTY released on CAF? In January 2023, these pieces evolved into standalone works, shaped by live studio sessions & spontaneous collaboration.

The beauty of EXPTYII lies not only in its embodiment of GANJ's evolving sonic identity—serving as an exploration and reflection of past projects infused with something new—but also in the collaboration at its core. It features contributions from a close-knit circle of CAF? artists & affiliates who reinterpret the tracks, adding their unique voices and personal touches to GANJ's minimal yet heavy production.

For instance, Renée Van Trier's metaphor of the “fly on the wall” explores themes of silent observation and hidden truths, while VRVN reflects on the anonymity & freedom of the dancefloor. OPA CITY offers poetic reflections on dust, stardust, & the fragility of life, adding a cosmic dimension to the record. Each artist's contribution brings fresh perspectives and layers of meaning, enriching the listener's experience with emotional complexity & depth.

Notably, GANJ's production pays tribute to dub culture, where hands-on manipulation, live modulation, & feedback loops create a dynamic, evolving sound. The inclusion of instrumental versions on EXPTYII reinforces this ethos, honoring dub's tradition of vocal and instrumental interplay. By stripping back the vocals, GANJ provides two interpretations of the same sonic world, offering a nod to the timeless legacy of dub 45s.

It evokes the energy of fog-filled clubs, where the smoke machine never stops and the sound systems are stacked so high they graze the ceiling, all while you're surrounded by your favourite people.

First off, I'd like to express my gratitude for this opportunity to release together. Like with other artists I've worked with, I find it rewarding that through Dee Dee’s Picks, we can bring full-circle collaborations. A year ago, we did a feature with CAF?, the label you co-founded, and here we are now, releasing your music. What I find exciting about this release is that it serves as a great overview, an amalgamation of all your previous work, but with something extra. Specifically, I like that all the MCs on this record are either artists released by CAF? or part of the collective. It creates a nice continuation from what you all have been doing by the lakeside.

Yes, it’s really nice to do something together, even though you and I have never actually met. And it’s great that these tracks are finally seeing the light of day. They were part of a group of songs, a follow-up to the record I did with Nathalie Froelich. It could have been tricky to find an appropriate label to release on because I know the tracks are quite different from each other, but I didn’t want to compromise by having them spread across different releases, like various artists compilations. So I’m glad that you didn’t second-guess it and saw the coherence in the eclecticism. I noticed early on that it fits well with your style of curation.

For sure. Even though the music covers a lot of ground, you can tell it comes from one person. So how did your creative journey begin? Is GANJ an outlet for you to express yourself differently from Lukas Stocklin?

There’s no deep meaning behind my name. Like many of us, I went through a phase where I was really into weed, and some friends nicknamed me “LUGANJA,” which became “LUGANJ,” and eventually just “GANJ.” It’s a bit silly, really. My artist name wasn’t well thought out, nor do I feel any need to elaborate on it. I just needed a name, and that’s how it happened. I also produce under “lks,” which is an acronym for Lukas, but there’s no real difference in the music. It’s all coming from the same person.

It’s funny because, for the longest time, I was seen as completely lacking in musical ability. I almost failed a school year because I was so bad that I couldn’t even play a xylophone and sing at the same time. But a few years later, I developed an interest in DJing, and one day, I found myself at a friend’s house in Belgium, where he had a full studio setup. The turning point for me with electronic music was when I sat behind his Volca machine and started sequencing beats. It was a revolutionary moment. After that, I stopped buying records and instead started buying samplers, grooveboxes, and old-school mixers – anything I could afford to try and carve out my own musical direction. At first, I was recording abstract, industrial beats on cassette, something reminiscent of Unit Moebius from Bunker Records. These days, although that noisy ethos is still there, my production is more focused on precise, detailed sound design. The core of it remains the same though. I like simplicity – maybe just two notes and a beat – then I build atmosphere, textures, through effects, dubbing, and live modulation to create the sound I want.

When I was writing the lyrics, I was exploring the idea of a metaphorical "fly on the wall." To me, it represents a silent observer—someone who sees all the hidden truths, secrets, and vulnerabilities of others. The fly became a symbol of an omnipresent, yet unobtrusive, presence that witnesses everything—whether it’s joy, pain, or regret—without judgement or betrayal. It’s a character who knows everything but remains a silent confidant, providing a sense of understanding and safety without ever intervening.

Throughout the writing process, I found myself returning to themes of secrecy, trust, and the unseen parts of human experience. The repetitive chorus and reflective verses were meant to convey the feeling of being this quiet witness to the personal, often hidden, lives of others. By the time I got to the outro, I wanted to emphasise the fly's role as a keeper of secrets, offering reassurance in moments of darkness. This, I felt, added a layer of empathy and support to what might otherwise seem like a detached observer.

Thoughts and words by Renée Van Trier on her track “Fly on the wall”.

So, how did you move towards more dub and breakbeat sounds? Did it come from your evolving musical tastes?

It’s the technique behind producing such genres that fascinates me. Manipulating sound with your hands, capturing a moment that you just don’t get from programming MIDI notes and automation in a DAW. It adds a humanised feeling to the music that’s always been part of my production style. And you can apply these techniques to any genre, which I think is often lost in a lot of DAW-focused music nowadays. I’ve always been into different genres, but about four years ago, I fell in love with dubstep, and that influence is clear in my music now. My mixer desk is my go-to instrument, especially when I play live. I use that and a few effects pedals to perform. I love the playfulness, at times limitation yet simultaneously having flexibility in how you can remix your own tracks live. It gives me new ideas and perspectives on how I want to evolve as a producer and how I can use at times happy accidents for future releases.

What I’m talking about in Lukas’ “Nobody knows” title is a state – a state of anonymity on the dancefloor that lets the music take its rightful place. We become nothing more than bodies swaying from side to side, and we lose our individuality, our singularity. This is, in short, a precious state of freedom. Lukas came to me with Leslie Winer as a reference, and I was happy to try lowering my voice like that. That was fun!

Thoughts and words by VRVN on her track “Nobody knows“.

From what I understand, you often start your tracks through a jam session and then edit the best parts into a full track? Do you think about making your tracks live-friendly while you’re composing?

Yes, in a nutshell. But it depends. Some remixes I’ve done are too complex to perform live. Especially back in the day, like the release we did on BRKN rec, those sessions were recorded directly onto cassette, which means all I had was a stereo file. That doesn’t really work for live performances in the dub setup I mentioned earlier.

A few years ago, I began archiving texts from poetry, occult books, spontaneous writings, and lyrics from well-known pop songs. I use these archives to write and improvise vocals for musical productions, composing new lyrics inspired by the cut-up and sound collage technique.

When GANJ asked me to contribute vocals to one of the tracks, I opened this file of writings and experimented with various combinations. The voice then becomes a fragmented material, which can be endlessly recomposed in different ways through multiple interpretations.

Now, imagine an average human with the ups and downs of life—the balance can sometimes be fragile. It’s a struggle for happiness, full of obstacles. We may get hurt, we live, we die, and, just like stars, we become dust.

Thoughts and words by Catherine Danger on her track “Just wanna”.

One of the things I find neat about this release is how you’ve included so many different collaborators. You’ve got artists from your label like Renée Van Trier, and other CAF? members like 28 Partner and PussyR. How was it managing all those creative voices to match the tracks? Any surprises along the way?

Well, the beats were originally made for Nathalie Froelich, for her to MC on during her live performances when we toured together. They were a work in progress at the time and didn’t end up on the EXPTY release. The collaborations with the others came about because they were around while I was finishing the tracks. They’d try things, and I’d adjust the beats based on what was happening in the studio whilst the vocalists added their own sonic imprint. It was very spontaneous.

I think however the most challenging track was the one I did with Renée. She had sent me a 30-minute recording about a fly on the wall, which I had to cut up and arrange into something coherent resulting in a nice story. Other than that, some vocalists had issues at first laying down lyrics according to their respective track due to the music having rhythmic shifts and mood changes throughout. That proved to be challenging at times, but not impossible to overcome, evidently.

But all in all, everyone reappropriated the tracks to their own styles, which is something I recommend to any producer; collaborating with others can break creative blocks and take your music in directions you might not have expected.

It’s amazing how each contributor made the tracks their own. It’s also clear that this release encapsulates your past work but adds something fresh. Is there anything new that you tried on this release, in terms of production techniques or ideas?

Yes, definitely. On some tracks, I created the rhythmic sections by converting audio files into MIDI using a dodgy piece of software, then cutting up samples and editing the MIDI to form the beats. It was unpredictable but opened up interesting avenues for exploration. I also experimented with sample rates to add different textures and tones. Although I’m a hardware enthusiast, I don’t own any physical sampler, which meant I had processed all of the samples in Ableton, which is rare for me, before sending them back through external gear for further processing. I like a bit of grit and crunch in my music – not too clean, but still polished. The sound design needs to have a raw edge to it. It has to squeak a little, really.

These lyrics are in French, which is not my native language either, but I suppose I prefer to type this message in English after all. I assure you, I’ve tried to preserve its authenticity. Poussière means dust, and the lyrics speak about us, as people, becoming dust. As you may know, household dust is mainly composed of dead skin, and this is what I refer to when I say that my epidermis sheds layers and disperses into the air.

There’s also a parallel made with stardust, as a human being is physically infinitesimal compared to a star. Here, I am comparing an earthling’s life experience to a star’s existence. A single human life is insignificant on the scale of the universe, and yet they are interconnected.

So imagine now an average person, who experiences both highs and lows in life. The balance can be fragile, and maintaining it is a struggle. It’s a pursuit of happiness, full of obstacles. We may get hurt, we live, we die, and just like stars, we become dust.

Thoughts and words by OPA CITY on his track “Poussière”.

On a final note, why did you decide to include instrumental versions alongside the vocal tracks? Was it a nod to dub roots?

Yes, partly. I initially considered doing it for some tracks and not others, but in the end, I decided to do it for all of them. Some tracks work better in a club setting without vocals, and it makes them more DJ-friendly. It’s also a nod to dub culture and the tradition of 45s, where you’d have the vocal version on one side and the dub on the other. I’d love to release these tracks as a series of 45s one day – it’s a bit of a dream of mine!

Torchon, GANJ and PussyR. Opening season party with a Flowdan and the Bug. Live at the RKC Vevey 27.09.2024.

There are other ways to deal with fear than killing. There are other ways to release my rage than through hatred and torture. Genocides and crimes against humanity leave scars that last for generations. How do we stop repeating these cycles of cruelty and suffering? How do we move from pain and distrust towards forgiveness? Over GANJ's dark production with its harsh beats, I’m purging the traumas of the third generation, trying to find a way through it all.

Thoughts and words by PussyR on her track “Au milieu des tombes”

Stay up to date and get in touch with GANJ, Renée Van Trier, Catherine Danger, VRVN, PussyR, 28 Partner and OPA CITY.

A chat with GANJ.

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