How to build your own synthesizer with Derek Holzer

This conversation is part of a series I began many years ago, long before blogging became a profession and content creation an industry. It started simply as a way to document encounters with inspiring artists, thinkers, and makers, and to share conversations driven by genuine curiosity rather than algorithms.

This is the first conversation I had with Derek Holzer, a sound artist, synthesizer builder, and educator who helps artists explore the creative possibilities of sound and technology.

We met at his studio (which I refer to as an “atelier” in the video—pardon my French), where I asked him about his journey into sound art and what drew him to music in the first place. Our conversation touched on the German experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten, the pedal diagrams shown on the screen, his background in literature, and the distinctions between sound, music, and silence.