In the bleak intersection of club music and digital dystopia, you’ll find FORMER.

The Groningen-based artist builds uncanny, transhumanist worlds through his unique bass design and 3D visuals.

Now, balancing his new solo imprint, spiritmech, and the exciting collaborative project Ring Noord with Noisia’s Nik Roos, Jasper is stepping into a highly prolific era.

We caught up with him to talk hometown scenes, aesthetic obsessions, and the organized chaos behind his creative process.

Hey Jasper, how are you?

Alright! My home is a mess, which means the music is going good.

Let’s go back to the roots! You operate at a high level in both visual arts (3D/Design) and music. Which discipline came first for you, and was there a specific moment where you realized you needed to control both the audio and the visual to fully express your vision?

When I was quite young, a friend of my mom gave me a DVD loaded with pirated software, including Sony Vegas, Fruity Loops, After Effects, etc. I think ever since then, I’ve been making stuff on the computer. I didn’t really see them as wildly different mediums, even.
At that time, I really liked Chris Cunningham, who combined a lot of stuff I’m into: figurative sculpture, IDM, VFX, stuff like that. So when I saw him, being a director, doing live A/V shows at festivals, something kind of clicked in my head, I guess.

The name ‘FORMER’ is intriguing. It implies a past state, or perhaps something that once was. What is the origin of the project, and does the name carry a specific philosophical meaning for you?

Nope. I’m sure I picked it because I just liked the letters. Although I might have subconsciously looked for something that can be a vehicle for both strong and straight loud music as well as dreamy emo stuff. Those two basic modes have been there from the beginning.

Since you design the artwork for your own releases, is the process simultaneous? Do you ‘see’ the textures while you are producing the music, or do you treat them as separate headspaces?

When I worked on my EP’s for VISION, I was really into character modelling and concept art, so I made portraits of characters that reflected themes from the music. For the most part, though, I feel like music is a place beyond visual or language structures, abstract. And I wouldn’t want the boundaries of a visual framework to fuck with the infinite space I feel when making music.

On that note, there is often a dystopian, almost ‘uncanny valley’ feeling to both your visual characters and your soundscapes, something human but slightly distorted. Are you intentionally trying to unsettle the audience, or is that just the aesthetic you are naturally drawn to?

You got it, haha. I don’t set out to do it, but it usually comes out that way. I think I consumed a lot of art that deals with transhumanism in some way. There are a lot of sharp contrasts in that universe that I guess appeal to me. That man-machine world of ideas is very connected with electronic music anyway. But yeah, I do like to exaggerate the artificial part.

Is there a favorite visual project you’ve worked on so far, either for yourself or another artist?

I like those little things I did for spiritmech. They are crudely CR-sculpted characters I did very fast. After years of complicated 3D modelling pipelines, it was kind of nice to do that series. It was a way of interpreting the name spiritmech as some sort of Digimon-style universe. The name reminded me of the connection people have with teddy bears and stuff, objects that get imbued with spiritual powers by children, sick.

Speaking of spiritmech, you launched your imprint with the same name in 202. Beyond just having a platform for release, what is the aesthetic or sonic identity you are trying to build with the label? Do you see it becoming a home for other artists, or is it a personal vessel for your own output?

I just switch it on when I have something to say. I’m exploring a sound now that I have a feeling will be the basis for the label. More than anything, I just want to release music that makes you feel locked in. Lights out, heads down.

I feel labels have a responsibility to push your stuff with the same dedication you show in your music. I’m too involved with my own thing right now to care about other people’s stuff.

Fast forward to January 2025: you launched ‘Ring Noord’ with Nik Roos (Sleepnet/Noisia). I know you two go way back, but there is a big difference between being friends and being a duo. How did this specific project finally come together, and does the name, referencing the Groningen ring road, symbolize a specific connection to the city for you?

I always liked working alone for the most part. But working together on a serious project as a duo has my brain firing on all cylinders. The energy is really good. And yeah, conceptually there’s definitely a big part of Ring Noord that focuses on some sort of chest-pounding local folklore you would normally find in graffiti or something.

Speaking of Groningen, the city has quietly become a global staple for cutting-edge bass music (Noisia, Posij…). How has being part of that specific local ecosystem influenced your growth as an artist?

I think growing up in clubs here shaped a big chunk of my music and the need to play it out. For a small city, I think we had it pretty good. Lots of dedicated crews with good taste.

Seeing that it’s real, experiencing that it’s attainable, everyone is sort of in reach as long as you are really into it and keep at it. It’s kind of like the jolt I got when I first went to Noisia’s studio to preview my demos for my first EP. It’s just good to see that it’s real. You can make music and build cool stuff.

Listening to the Ring Noord material, it feels like you are deconstructing club music, stripping it back to something rawer and more emotional. How does the creative dynamic work between you and Nik compared to your solo project? Does working in a duo allow you to take risks you wouldn’t take as ‘Former’?

As much as I like just working alone, working together did open my eyes to a few things. When you talk about the stuff you’re making together, sometimes things occur to you. Like the fact that I actually love subgenres and what they stand for. Because of my weird tunes, people sometimes think I’m only into genre-bending music. But sometimes it’s kind of nice to cosplay as a normal person and just follow some rules. What happens next in the creative process is often very surprising to me.

In your Adrenaline guest mix, is there a track that carries a special meaning for you? Maybe a story behind it, or a moment that hits differently when you play it out?

I’m premiering some edits of my own tunes (and of others) that suit the dj’ing I’m into. Also, some sick IDs in there, I’m very very excited about 🙂

Finally, with Hollow Eye out in the world and the Ring Noord project now taking up space, what is the future for the FORMER alias? Are you already deep into the next solo project, or are you taking a moment to recalibrate?

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