Music
Music is the single greatest influence on my painting. Certain artists, specific lyrics, entire genres — they all fuel the ideas and imagery behind my work. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find some playlists that I often listen to while creating — feel free to explore and stream them.
David Bowie
David Bowie is my most profound creative inspiration. His music, his visual identity, his way of navigating the world — all of it resonates deeply with me. But it’s his lyrics that truly spark my imagination. So many of his songs open doors to strange, powerful visual worlds.
Take Quicksand from Hunky Dory, for example. Here’s just a handful of lines that have found their way into my thoughts:
torn between the light and dark
herald loud the death of Man
don't believe in yourself, don't deceive with belief
knowledge comes with death's release
a mortal with the potential of a superman
I'm tethered to the logic of Homo Sapien
Lyrics
Two other lyricists who consistently stir the surreal in my mind are Beck and Bob Dylan. Their use of language is often fragmented, dreamlike, and filled with strange imagery that seems to bypass logic and tap directly into the subconscious.
Beck’s Mellow Gold is a treasure trove of bizarre brilliance. Just the opening verse of Loser sets a tone that’s gritty, absurd, and endlessly fascinating:
In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
Butane in my veins and I'm out to cut the junkie
With the plastic eyeballs, spray-paint the vegetables
Dog food skulls with the beefcake pantyhose
Likewise, Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home is rich in cryptic poetry. Here’s verse two from Subterranean Homesick Blues, a piece that feels both rooted in its time and eerily timeless:
Maggie comes fleet foot, face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put plants in the bet book
Phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says "The Man, he say
They must bust in early May, orders from the D.A."
Look out kid, don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes, don’t tie no bows
Better stay away from those that carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose, watch the plainclothes
You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows
I’d also recommend looking into Happy Mondays and Parquet Courts. Shaun Ryder’s lyrics are pure street-level surrealism, and within Parquet Courts, Andrew Savage stands out as a sharp and often unexpected lyricist.
Ambient
While I work, ambient music often becomes the backdrop — it helps me find a rhythm and slip into a creative trance. I'm particularly drawn to three waves of ambient sound: the early experimental 70s, the ambient house of the 90s, and a new generation of ambient artists today.
From the 70s, I’m especially fond of early German electronic pioneers like Tangerine Dream, and of course, the otherworldly collaborations between Brian Eno and Robert Fripp.
The 90s ushered in a more expansive, euphoric sound with artists like The Orb and The Future Sound of London, bringing ambient music into clubs, headphones, and chill-out rooms.
Today, the genre feels more alive than ever. Artists like Vermont and Teleplasmiste are keeping the spirit of exploration going strong.
Here are some albums I often return to:
- Tangerine Dream – Phaedra
- Teleplasmiste – Frequency Is The New Ecstasy
- Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85–92
- The Orb – U.F.Orb
- The Future Sound of London – Lifeforms
- Vermont – I
- Vermont – II
- Fripp & Eno – No Pussyfooting
- Fripp & Eno – Evening Star
- Eartheater – RIP Chrysalis
- Ken Camden – Space Mirror
Krautrock
Another genre that feeds the flow of my work is early 70s Krautrock. Hypnotic, experimental, and endlessly forward-thinking, it's perfect for zoning out and letting ideas unfold naturally.
If you're new to it, here are a few essential albums:
- Harmonia – Musik von Harmonia
- Cluster – II
- NEU! – NEU!
- Kraftwerk - Autobahn
- Can - Ege Bamyasi
- Faust - IV