A little background:
It is surprising how I get interviews with some bands / artists – sometimes.
Sometimes it can take a lot of e-mails to get a interview with a band and
Sometimes a lot of research.
Gothberg’s “Sonores” are a very different story altogether as in the fact
They approached me for an interview. Jonas from the band had read my
Interview with the excellent “July Skies” on their website and was that
Impressed he e-mailed me and asked would I like to do a interview with
Them.
After listening to your mp3s on their nice little website, I was very
Impressed by what I heard. This was a band which played some very
quiet and in places quite haunting music, which if you listen to more and
more you slowly become more and more drawn into it. In a way it
reminded me of Sigor Ros, but minus their drawn out nature, instead
using their songs in a much more softer and delicate way.
Thanks to Jonas and the rest of the band for this interview and I wish you
good Luck for the future.
For more information please visit their website
here
Or contact Jonas direct for more information here
Thanks – Andy N x
Setting Sun: How are things and what are you doing also at the
moment?
Viktor:
Buried in school work. It is ok.
Jonas:
it´s good, I´m going to bed soon....
Elisabet:
pretty much studying lately. otherwise i'm fine.
Setting Sun: Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves, who are you and
what roles you play in your band, how you met up etc?
Martin:
I would say that the manners by which I got in contact
with Jonas and Elisabet is very typical for Jonas. I had put up an ad
on the web, looking for a jazz combo to play some standards with,
just for fun. No jazz guys answered, but Jonas did, saying that he really
would like some double bass on a couple of tunes. He also indicated
that I shouldn't expect a position in the band – this was more of a
project thing. On the record I'm listed as one of the "sonores",
so I guess I since then have been accepted.
And after all, I understand that one must be careful when picking up
potential lunatics via the web.
Viktor:
I met Jonas when I was recording with a rapper by the name of
Richardo Nadasdi. My girlfriend Veronica knew Elisabet and so Elisabet
eventually met Jonas. Lovely.
For Sonores, I mostly record sounds and arrange them in different
ways. I also provide pop sensibility. I'm the --ch-r-ch in Bacharach,
if you will.
Jonas:
My role in the band is to try to get everybody to come to me and
Elisabet and record music.When they come, there is always some
ideas that i play for them or that i have already recorded.
It´s pretty much like how we work.
If Viktor provide pop sensibility i try to provide the rock sensibility...
haha
Setting Sun: What are your musical influences in relation to
Sonores and what music have you been listening to recently?
Jonas:
TAPE ECHOES, sonores and other close friends, recently
I´ve been listening very much to The Mars Volta album
"de-loused in the comatorium".
They are a very big inspiraton source, I´m very inspired by
progressive music.
Films and soundtracks is also a very big inspiration, especially
old spy music like "the ipcress file", "james bond" etc...
Morricone´s western music is also very good, Angelo
Badalamenti is one of my favourites aswell. The mood is very
important in film music and I think you can find that in our music too.
I´m also inspired by different guitar players...no names.....
and sounds in general.
Elisabet:
Hm, it feels as if I havn't lisend to any music by my own choice
for ages. The days I feel the best are the days when I listen to all
my favourite Beatles albums. When it comes to sonores i think
I am inspired by sonores. When I make my melodies
I consider the lyrics and and the feel i get from that which is
already recorded.
Viktor:
Recent listening:
Jacob Kirkegaard - "01.02" (album)
Usher - "Confessions pt. 1 & 2" (song(s)
Jens Lekman (Rocky Dennis) - "When I said I wanted to be
your dog" (album)
Lars Blek - "Buss till Tjörn" (song)
Busdriver - "Temporary Forever" (album)
Fennesz - "Venice" (album)
Differnet - "Settled (mpkg version)" (song)
Pet Shop Boys - How I Learned To Hate Rock 'n'
Roll (song)
Setting Sun: What is also the inspiration behind your
Name “Sonores” - It is a very interesting name indeed?
Viktor:
It orignates from the name "Structures Sonores", which I use for
my website ( www.structuressonores.com) among other things.
I found this _expression on a seven inch record that I bought in a
flea market on the french riviera. To me, the words has, apart
from the literal meaning, a world of beautiful and very
personal connotations. "Sonores"...well, I'll leave that up to
Jonas. I might also add that my girlfriend think Sonores is an
absolutely horrible name.
Jonas:
We had a big trouble finding a good name, I don´t remember how
many we discuss, maybe 10 or so. I´ve always thought viktor´s
"structures sonores" was a good name.
I looked in the dictionary and I liked the meaning. I think it´s
fit very good to the music. Then i just called Viktor and asked him
if sonores was good,he sad he liked it. Martin end Elisabet liked it
too......
Setting Sun: Do you play concerts? How does this compare to your
recorded material? Is there one you prefer over the other?
Martin:
We are currently planning our first concert, so we are not sure how it
will turn out. My fantasy picture of it is a bunch of people on stage doing
something quite different from what's on the recordings. An "add
intensity, but stick with the mood"-type of thing. Lots of bass, gotta be
lots of bass too. I love it when one can feel the music physically.
Viktor:
I would say that I prefer recorded material. However, I am increasingly
interested in playing live.
Jonas:
I can´t say i prefer one over the other. I love both just like Martin said
we are planning, but we have not start the rehersals yet.
I love to play live, I personally think you grow as a musician when
you play live, of course you grow in the studio, but if you play
wrong live you can´t just stop and take it from the beginning.
I think i´m more focus live.....it´s gonna be fun to see how we
are going to play live, we need atleast 2 more people on stage, a
lot of tape echoes and other gear. I´m really looking forward to it.
Setting Sun: Both of your mp3s available for download on your
website are excellent, although my favourite of the two is
"You Wish" which is very beautiful. What is the story
behind that?
Viktor: jonas, berätttaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Jonas:
haha....it´s a secret. If you listen much to it maybe you can
figure it out.
Setting Sun: I notice from your two mps available on-line,
one is an instrumental (“You wish”) and the other
(“Kung Fu”) contains vocals. I guess from these two mp3s
they are meant to show varying sides to your sound…. Do you
find you have different approaches for these songs when you
are working on them?
Martin:
Well, this far, my part in arranging has been always yelling
for more vocals. I really like Elisabets voice, since is's
such a low alto. She doesn't really show that off to its
extreme on the recordings so far, but I hope to hear more
of that low pitch soon.
Elisabet:
The thing about You wish is that Jonas originally wanted me to add
some singing to it, I don't think that Viktor did.
Anyway, as they introduced the material to me I found it to be perfect,
I really did not have a clue of how to add something to it to
make it better. So we left it there. Overall I think that
instrumental music is underestimated.
Setting Sun: What’s next for “Sonores” - I know from
conversations already with Jonas; that you are about to
release a single but what plans do you have after
that. Do you have any plans to record an album or
release another single?
Viktor: The album format would definatly be the way to
go, I think.
Jonas:
Of course! We are working on a couple of songs, there
will be an album....
Setting Sun: I seem to recall to remember that you are from
Gothenburg, what is the musical scene like in Gothenburg?
Have you seen any good concerts yourself recently?
Martin:
Gothenburg has a very lively music scene, with lots of very talented
young musicians. Cerro Esperanza Band with Jorge Alcaide is a
great example that I heard a couple of months ago on Nefertiti
(Gothenburgs #1 jazz club). It's a mix of latin/balkan-music - very
emotional.
Then there's the group of young soul/jazz musicians that have formed the
Gonkyburg collective. To be honest - I haven't heard very much of
what they do yet, which is partly Jonas fault. We had plans to visit
their club a few weeks ago, but he fell asleep on my couch
before the club even started, so Elisabet and I ended up
playing Beatles all night instead. A decent alternative, though.
Viktor:
The music scene in Gothenburg is really bad. I can't really say a
lot of good things about it. A few years ago it was mildly exciting.
But, and this is a big BUT, one of the best Swedish things in a long
long while appeared on the scene last year. Rocky Dennis
(or Jens Lekman). He is from Gothenburg and he should blow
your mind. There is also two excellent labels, Fukk God Let's Create
and iDEAL recordings.
Jonas:
I don´t like to go out to the clubs or things like that, so i really don´t
know that much about the music scene. If there is going to be a good
concert Viktor is the one who tells me. But i read somewere that
Gothenburg is to Metal what Seattle is to Grunge....
if you like metal....
Setting Sun: When you are not living the lifestyle of a rock n roll star,
what do you do?
Jonas:
I´m working every day and get more and more depressed.
Wonderful...I try to make music every day, since
I´m working i dont have the energy to do that but
I focus daily on music...sonores..
Elisabet:
I´m studying nordic languages at the University of
Gothenburg and I work extra.
When i´ve got the time I cook, sing and paint.
Martin:
I have applied to a couple of schools, so either I become
the world's most extrovert ceramist or an opera singer.
Bass, of course.
Viktor:
I am studying "Gender, power and visual media" (literal
translation) and Religion. I also make a lot of music on my own
(check www.structuressonores.com for details) and spend time
with my love.
Setting Sun: Lastly, hacking a question one of my friends
Used to use in her Magazine, if you were stranded on a
desert island with a record player (although I could be
tempted to let you upgrade it to a CD Player if I was feeling nice),
what 5 records what you choose to have with you?
Viktor:
DJ Shadow - "Endtroducing....."
Pet Shop Boys - "Behaviour"
Pharoah Sanders - "Karma"
Blackalicious - "Melodica EP"
The Radio Dept. - "Lesser Matters"
Elisabet:
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over troubled water
Nirvana - Unplugged New York
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out of season
The Beatles - Magical mystery tour
The Beatles - Sgt Pepper
Jonas:
Portishead - Portishead
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out of season
Goldfrapp - felt mountain
Anja Garbarek - Smiling and waving
The Mars Volta - de-loused in the comatorium
*note this is NOT my TOP 5 list, this is the records i bring to the
desert island for 6 months. Besides..I would take
30 records with me.
Martin:
Ok, I hate having to choose, but here it goes:
Jimi Hendrix - Ultimate Experience
Jose Gonzales - Veneer
The Beatles - Rubber soul
Led Zeppelin - IV
Björk - Debut
Setting Sun: Many thanks for the interview –
if you ever play Manchester, please let me know; as I
would be very interested in coming to see you play
live…
Jonas: Thank You! Do you now any place were we can play?
Let us now.
