IN CONVERSATION WITH JEFF MILLS

words THORE DAMWERTH

Numéro Netherlands is thrilled to present JEFF MILLS, gracing the cover of our 12th isuee Aurora. There are visionaries who not only create but redefine the way we perceive creativity itself. JEFF MILLS stands among them. A pioneer of electronic music, a conceptualist and an ever-evolving creator, Mills shapes the way we understand not just electronic music but artistry as a whole. Always in motion, always building toward something beyond.

There are visionaries who not only create but redefine the way we perceive creativity itself. JEFF MILLS stands among them. A pioneer of electronic music, a conceptualist and an ever-evolving creator, Mills shapes the way we understand not just electronic music but artistry as a whole. Always in motion, always building toward something beyond.

skirt and boots JIL SANDER
coat and shorts COMME DES GARÇONS HOMME PLUS
trousers LOEWE
necklace AKKESOIR

“The power is with the people. No matter how it looks, no matter how things are perceived, we have the power to change things,” he tells me. Mills has always understood music as a vehicle for something greater. Since his early days as “The Wizard” and his time in Detroit’s UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE collective in the ’80s, his music has always been a statement and a philosophy. In his words: “It is possible to live in a world where we are happy and living healthy lives — it is achievable. It’s not in the hands of the rich or powerful; it’s in the hands of the average person.”

Mills has built a legacy on breaking apart concepts and reconstructing them in new forms. Whether working within the realm of diverse musical styles, film or sensory art, his approach remains the same. “The objectives are similar. The process of making a conceptual album is very much like composing a fashion line: there must be research, and you must break a concept apart and rebuild it from different perspectives. In my case, as a musician, through different tracks. You then reconstruct the concept again from your own perspective.”

top XIMONLEE
trousers GMBH
bracelet AKKESOIR
ring TALENT’S OWN

This endless evolution, this refusal to settle, is what makes him an Infinite Architect. His compositions reverberate, expanding outward into the consciousness of those who listen. “As a musician, or anyone who wants to create, the most valuable thing they can do is create something from nothing,” Mills explains. “You also have to accept that you’re creating something and then letting it go. I don’t spend much time thinking about the influence it has, but rather focus on creating and the reasons behind it.”

In one of his latest works, the Star Child EP, Mills explores imperfection — a theme that aligns with the very fabric of the universe. As he puts it, “nothing is perfect in nature, so nothing is truly perfect in reality. In relation to people, perhaps we should find comfort in the idea that mistakes happen. Striving to be a perfect person is simply unrealistic. If you think about it, everything is perfect because everything is imperfect.”

coat JIL SANDER
shirt XIMONLEE
trousers EGONLAB
boots SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO

This philosophy permeates not only his music but also his worldview. Mills sees electronic music as a force that holds greater meaning. “Techno music, in particular, is the most far-reaching and innovative form of electronic music. The type of techno that almost sounds as if it is trying to communicate with something feels like a prelude to something else. Sometimes, when I’m playing it, it doesn’t feel like music — it’s more like a different form of communication, and sometimes I’m not sure if it’s meant for another person. Perhaps it’s for something else in nature, because at times, it’s just too simple and minimal. Yet, it moves through 2,000 or 3,000 people at once. There’s something about it that teaches us, connecting us to the very definition of music and the instinct that we are supposed to dance to it.”

It is this larger vision, this expansive understanding of sound as something deeply embedded in human (and perhaps beyond-human) consciousness, that makes Mills’ work so vital. He is not just producing tracks, he is engaging in a conversation with time, with space, with possibility. There’s a chance to experience it firsthand at Awakenings Upclose on Sunday, 18th May — where Mills is set to bring his ever-evolving sound into sharp, intimate focus.

full look JIL SANDER

Yet, Mills is also deeply aware of the societal constraints that shape artistic freedom. “Unfortunately, I was born in a country that has had, and continues to have, so many problems that it can be difficult to see beyond them. It’s so dysfunctional, with so many issues, that at times you become preoccupied with who and what you are in the context of race relations, for instance. It’s a distraction, and it’s just ridiculous.”

Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Mills has always continued to push forward. His search for artistic and existential expansion is relentless: “My objective is to reach as far as my mind can go. I’m always seeking opportunities that can take me further. That, of course, requires research and persistence. If exploring another genre of music helps me reach a greater sense of freedom and detachment, performing with other musicians, film or any other art form, that’s where I’ll be. It’s all part of the search and the reason I’m constantly exploring different things — I do it because I’m learning, getting closer to something.”

suit LOEWE
shirt OFF/WHITE
gloves STYLIST’S OWN

coat GMBH

It is also the never-ending process that defines Mills as the Infinite Architect. Creation is not an endpoint but an ever-expanding path. “You know, I’m a composer — I create music, and then I let it go. The process of someone listening to it is an entirely separate experience, and sometimes those two aren’t connected. I eventually forget what I created because I’ve moved on to something else. Yet, someone might listen to it for years, playing it over and over, developing a relationship with it while I’ve forgotten about it. The more you create, the greater the chances that someone will find it meaningful.”

Jeff Mills doesn’t claim to have all the answers. But he asks the right questions, sets the right structures and builds soundscapes that stretch toward the infinite. And in doing so, he leaves us with the most profound realisation of all: the future is ours to create.

blazer COMME DES GARÇONS HOMME PLUS
trousers GMBH
bracelet AKKESOIR
ring TALENT’S OWN

TEAM CREDITS:

talent JEFF MILLS
photography MUSTAFAH ABDULAZIZ
creative production MAGDALENA ROE
styling THORE DAMWERTH
hair and makeup artist MELANIE HOPPE using TYPOLOGY
movement direction KIANÍ DEL VALLE
set design CHRISTIAAN PIENAAR
collage artist MARTIN COLE
words THORE DAMWERTH
photography assistant FREDERIK RUEGGER
styling assistant ARIBA LAUREEN BHATTI
set design assistant MARLÈNE GÉNISSEL
location STUDIO CHÉRIE
editor & casting TIMI LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN