Interview: Röyksopp
«OUR MUSIC IS A PLACE YOU CAN GO TO…»
Torbjørn Brundtland parked his car at Last Gas Station (the girl and the robot were sitting in the back seat) and talked about the fantasy world of Röyksopp.
Now, we are “happy up here”!
Is it true that you often tell lies during interviews?
Lies is a very harsh word. I think that sometimes we feel that reality is too boring. So we add some colour to reality. Because when somebody asks us how we meet up with Robyn I think it’s more romantic or interesting to say that we met while flying on an air balloon over the Ural mountains than to say we sent an e-mail to each other.
Is this your goal in your music too: to colour reality with electronic sounds?
Yes, it’s a bit like that. Because there is something which is called escapism and there is kind of a negative thing to it, like trying to escape from reality. But I think it is really important to escape reality. Because reality is not what it should be. There are so many problems in the world. I think to take a rest is natural like eating or sleeping.
What makes you angry in the real world?
There are many real things that make me angry but I will leave it to someone else to discuss. So, I would say something funny: It makes me angry when I listen to rock music that uses auto-tune in the vocals. It makes sense sometimes in electronic music, but when it comes to rock-punk bands that makes me really angry…
After “Junior” you are planning to release a second new album. Why did you decide to release 2 albums in one year?
It’s because we have such a feeling of creativity these days and we just make so much music. At the beginning we had the idea of having a double album but finally we decided that in 2009 people don’t have the time to listen to a whole double record. That was happening back in the ‘70s when people had more time. Now, things have changed. “Junior” reveals the pop side of Royksopp with lots of vocals. The second album “Senior” (it will be released next winter) is more instrumental and shows a different side of us. It’s a bit darker and more experimental, but it’s still catchy.
What’s your opinion about Internet?
I think it is reflected in how we made “Junior”. Because every track on the album is like a little world of its own and it works really well separately. So, you can pick up any track you like and download it. Nowadays people are more interested in single tracks than they are in albums.
Why is this happening?
There’s so much music out there that it’s impossible to be heard. People only pay attention to the tracks. That’s why most of the new albums fail to succeed.
Do you bother when people download your music illegally?
No. Just let me say that I can understand. But also, there’s a lot of hypocrisy when people buy expensive shoes just to be cool and they just won’t give 1 euro to buy a single track and support the artist. That’s hypocrisy.
What is your source of inspiration?
I think this is a cliché answer. But everything inspires us. Not just listening to music, but talking about ideas and sharing our fantasies. Anything can inspire us: a beautiful day, being with people we love or drinking good wine. It’s important for us to feel that we are in harmony, that we are in the right place. This is where we want to be and that’s when we’re making good music.
Why did you name your group after a mushroom species?
It’s a long story. I will try to make it shorter. We were playing years ago with a bass guitarist. We had a bass line which I still remember to this day. And we were saving the recordings on the computer. When you work too fast, sometimes you give stupid names to the files you save. We just chose Royksopp because the sound was dirty and… mushroomy. Later, when we were going to sign with Wall of Sound, I asked the guys “What do you think about our name?”, because we were a bit worried that such a difficult name might discourage people from getting to know our music. And they answered us: “Don’t worry. People in England are not going to understand the word, but the word sounds like the name of a distant place somewhere up in the North”. I thought that was kind of poetic: that our music is a place you can go to…
What does commercially successful mean to you?
It means that we can continue, that we are in a position where we can devote ourselves in making music. Because we know we’re not gonna starve, so we can concentrate on our mission. I think it’s the best thing that could happen to us.
What makes you feel bored?
I’m not so bored these days. When you are bored it’s your own fault. Sometimes when I feel that I want something and at the same time I don’t want anything, that’s when I’m feeling bored.
Now you have to choose: the Girl or the Robot?
Can I have both, please?
What makes you happy?
Love and money!
Röyksopp will perform live this Friday June 19th at Ejekt Festival in Athens.
Interview: Little Boots
“I DON’T WANT TO BE FAMOUS”
La.Ga.Sta. put on its Little Boots and reached out its Hands over the new rising pop star.
Here’s a small chat with Victoria Hesketh, the magic little girl with the tenori-on. Enjoy!
Why did you choose to give your first album the title “Hands”?
It’s after the song i wrote, which was one of the first songs I wrote last year, for this project. It’s called “Hands”. It’s just a song about having faith in yourself and what you can make with your hands. I felt that this song, kind of reflects the last year of my life.
How would you describe your sound?
Intelligent space pop with human synthesizers…
Do you feel uncomfortable with all this hype around your name?
Not really. It’s ok. I mean, I would be more worried if there wasn’t any hype. It’s good to meet up with people who wanna talk about it. It’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s a bit of pressure and i try to concentrate on the music and be able to make good songs.
What does music mean to you?
It’s just everything I do everyday. It means everything to me.
Tenori-on became your trademark in a way…
Yeah. Kind of…You know, so many things happened in the studio and I’ve always loved gadgets and synths. I just got really addicted to it. It’s a very funny thing with amazing visuals!
Is there any singer you admire and you would like to collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with Kate Bush. I’m a huge Kate Bush fan!
Do you make any sacrifices for music?
No, but with so much work I don’t see my family so much.
What does success mean to you?
I’m just able to reach a lot of people. I don’t care about hearing myself on the radio or going out shopping expensive clothes. I don’t want to make money or to be famous. I just want to make people happy. We need that because we’re living in hard times…
What makes you feel angry nowadays?
I’m not really an angry person. But when I look around me I see many people who are going through difficult times with the financial crisis. So, I just want everything to get better. You have to be confident, strong and try to carry on.
Are you bothered when people download your music illegally?
No. I download myself a lot of music for free. I don’t have any problem with that. I think that’s the way it is. And trying to stop it is like to stop water flowing. It’s going to be impossible to stop. There’s always a way people will find…
Why Little Boots?
It was a nickname from my friend, taken from an old movie he saw…
Which are your 5 favorite songs for a drive?
Let me think…
1). Human League – “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” (That’s a great song for a drive)
2). Heartbreak – “We’re Back” (A really good song with disco vibe)
3). Joni Mitchell – “A Case Is You” (A peacefull song with amazing lyrics)
Put some…boots on:
Little Boots – “Magical”
Little Boots – “Not Now”
[Both songs are taken from Little Boot's "Illuminations EP", out now on Atlantic]
Nightdrive with Anoraak
Anoraak’s photo for Last Gas Station!
Gas Interview: Anoraak
The synth power French producer and Dj from Valerie Records parks his ’80s car in the Last Gas Station for a chat. Don’t forget to see him live for the first time in Greece at the Art House in Thessaloniki (April 23), thanks to Louder Than Pop!
What’s the story behind Anoraak?
Anoraak started 6 years ago, in my little student room in Paris. In my hometown we used to have a lot of rock bands, so i had to find another way to keep making music by myself. That’s when Anoraak came up. At the beginning, it was a bit more electronica and down tempo, and step by step it became what it sounds like now. The name doesn’t have any real meaning.
Your music sounds a lot like ’80s. What do you like most from those days?
Many things. Lots of music, graphics and movies. But first, we’re talking about a whole decade, with many different artistic movements, so it’s really hard to tell exactly what I like. It’s more about good feelings and memories. And second, it’s not all about the ’80s, there are also influences from ’70s and ’90s.
Tell me a song you always like to play on your djsets?
“Moscow Disco” by TELEX.
What do you think about the electronic music in France now? Is Paris (still) burning?
It’s moving a lot in the other cities of France, and i think that’s a major change. The new good things are not coming exclusively from Paris anymore. That’s making the scene better and more diversified.
Give me 3 names/groups that you really like to listen to these days…
Cut Copy
Van Halen
The Commodores
What’s your opinion about downloading?
I think downloading is great. We need to live in our times. It’s really nice to have all these blogs discovering new artists, and having the opportunity to choose the music you like. Making limited copies for a hard release, like Valerie Records does, gives the object a special meaning.
Greece is to you…
Warm, wonderful and sunny!
Can you send us a photo for a nightdrive with you?
Right on!
Anoraak – “Talking In Your Sleep” [The Romantics cover]
THE GAS INTERVIEW: IGGY POP
Lust for advertising? Iggy, what happend?
Hi, it’s Iggy, who am i speaking to?
The Gas Interview: Björk
Τις δούλεψε τις ερωτήσεις το ξωτικό…στο κεφάλι του (φυσικά)! Στο mail που μας έστειλε περιμέναμε 2-3 λέξεις παραπάνω. Ίσως να χάθηκαν στον δρόμο. Ποιός ξέρει;
Gas audio interview: Robyn
A 4-minute interview with Swedish electro-pop princess
[photo: konstantinos panapakidis]
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Σε τι είμαστε σήμερα καλύτεροι από τον Χίτλερ, τον Στάλιν και τον Μουσολίνι;
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Ο Robert Del Naja (3D) των Massive Attack ανάβει τσιγάρο στο LGS και μιλάει για το Μεσανατολικό ζήτημα, τη Χαμάς, τον Barack Obama, τον Gordon Brown και τους εφιάλτες του :
