Hello, everyone - MissTaintedLove back.
Today, I will be interviewing Sweden-based artist A.S. Swanski. Stick around for the interview, and check out the artist here! More links at the bottom.
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How were you first introduced to music in
your life?
As a kid I watched Toppop, a weekly Dutch
music chart television show. My older brother introduced me to a lot of stuff.
Those were the days of glam rock and seeing all these extravagantly dressed
rock stars made quite an impression. I didn't always get what they were doing,
but it was great to look at.
At what point in your life was the defining
moment that made you realize what you wanted to do, as a musician?
I have done many different types of things,
musically, and I'm quite sure that I will be doing other things in the future.
I want adventure and never settle for one specific style or sound. This means
that ”defining moments” occur all the time, or never, depending on how you look
at it.
How long have you been making music now?
I started playing bass in the early 1980s.
That's a long time ago.... Between 1983 and 1997 I played in several bands in
The Netherlands, the country I was born in. I started working as A.S. Swanski
in 1998 and quickly released my first album, called Twist. Between 2000 and
2009 I focused on other things, for example writing album reviews for a Belgian
weekly, but my love for writing and recording my own stuff never faded. So,
when I finally had some time left, I reactivated the Swanski inside me.
What was your first project? How have you
grown since then?
I started my first band when I was in
school. We played five gigs under five different names. It was rather doomy,
gloomy stuff. We played covers from Killing Joke and Joy Division plus own
material in a similar style. It was good fun but we didn't take it very
seriously back then.
What type of music/artists have influenced
you and your music?
I had most of my musical education in the
first half of the 1980s which was probably the most adventurous period in musical
history. Post-punk had a serious impact on me. I'm not sure to which extent
others have influenced me but generally, I like artists who try or have tried
to do something others never thought of. Eccentrics like David Bowie, John Cale
and Barry Adamson, innovators like Einstürzende Neubauten, Popol Vuh, Yello and
Kraftwerk, eclectic bands like The Stranglers and Talking Heads. I haven't
listened so much to new artists recently but one that made quite an impression
is a French lady named Claeysen who combines a dark electronic sound with
neurotic, opera-like vocals.
What is the inspiration for your music?
My latest work has been inspired by crime
fiction, older work deals with topics like alienation and politics. Generally,
I'm interested in what motivates people to do extreme things. Most of the time
though it's music that starts a song, not a topic that I want to write about.
How do you describe the style/genre of your
own music?
My music moves between krautrock and
synthpop. I used to call it electro noir, but this term does not always apply
to my most recent material. I prefer a free form. I let my songs slowly develop
and try to inject them with some sort of suspense. It does happen that I use a
traditional song structure, but having a chorus and a few verses is not my
starting point, normally. My music has a specific European feel, people say. I
sometimes use guitars but never let them dominate my sound and I rather use
electronics and musical elements that are not based on blues, funk or rock.
What do you feel sets you apart from the
crowd?
Well, I'm not a crowd pleaser. That's one
thing. The last thing I want is giving people innocent ear candy and nothing
else. My music should be some kind of challenge. The songs I write are often
rather long, do not always have choruses or verses, and can be about rather
unpleasant topics. That doesn't mean I avoid beauty. It's just a different kind
of beauty.
If you could describe you and your music in
five words, what would they be?
The press usually mentions the words
”cinematic”, ”dark” and ”disturbing”. I would add ”funny” and ”European”. It might be odd to add ”funny”, but according
to me, my music is not devoid of humor even when it's a pretty dark type of
humor.
What other artists, musicians, and producers
have you worked with?
I could a drop a few names of people I
worked with in the 1980s and 1990s, but I don't think any of them rings a bell.
Too bad, I should add, because they were good. Nowadays I work alone most of
the time. The only person I have been collaborating with over the past two
years is a Russian singer, La Gouzel, who did the lead vocals for some of my
songs. She happens to be my wife too.
What do you feel is the best piece of music
you've created? Why do you choose this one?
Like most musicians, I have a tendency to
like my most recent work best. In this case, it's not so much one song, it's
the project I'm about to complete, which is a series of songs inspired by
Swedish crime fiction. Looking back is not my strongest side. Once a song has
been released I never listen to it again, unless I really must. I prefer to
move on.
What type of mindset do you get into before
you enter the studio to record? Do you do anything special to prepare yourself?
I record at home and I can do this whenever
suits me. Writing and recording is work. Lots of trial and error and there is
no specific mindset that guarantees results. The best thing appear when you're
just playing around, with no intention to create anything at all. I recognize
these moments but I always find it hard to remember them afterwards. Very
often, when a song is ready, you wonder where it came from. If there is any
type of magic involved in recording music, then it's amnesia.
What can you tell us about your current
album? How does it differ from any of your previous projects?
My most recent album releases were Electro
Noir from 2012 and Superette, a compilation for mailing list subscribers. I'm
currently working on a project inspired by Swedish crime fiction. It's called
the Deckare project. It's rather unusual to write songs based on books and
though I have done this before, it's the first time I do a whole series. I
chose Swedish crime fiction because it shares certain qualities with my music.
It's often slow paced, has a few political undertones and mixes menace with
mystery. Musically the Deckare songs are more accessible than my previous
album. There's more pop in it, even when the material is dark and experimental.
Where do you see yourself as an artist five
years from now?
Still in Sweden, still doing my own stuff.
It's fine when people hear my music and appreciate what I do. The last thing I
want to become is the next boring rock star making extra money in X Factor
advising others how to become equally boring. Well, if I wanted to be famous, I
would play a different style of music.
What are your thoughts of the current state
of the music industry? How do you feel you fit into it?
It looks like the best years for indie
musicians are over now that streaming audio services have taken the world by
storm. With Spotify, most of the revenue ends up with the major labels who
funded the company, while with iTunes, indie artists who didn't play live could
still earn something. Musicians have to look for alternatives if they want to
make a buck. But that's how things go. Creative people make something new and
then the industry moguls and their shareholders run with the money. I'm not
financially dependent on music so I'm not deeply affected by this. What I find
more worrying is how the Web has changed the way music is consumed. Many music
lovers seem more obsessed with creating huge playlists that serve as background
noise than with actually listening to music. How many still take the time to
sit down and listen to a whole album? Not many, I'm afraid, and that's a shame
since a well-made album can really be an unforgettable experience, like a visit
to a different world.
What plans do you have in the near future
for music release/recording? What sets this upcoming project apart from your
previous ones?
First I'll finish the Deckare project. I
have another project going on, with poetry put on music. I need to finish that
one, but first things first.
Any upcoming tour plans?
No. I don't play live as A.S. Swanski. I
wish I could but I don't have a band and it's hard to perform my music without
other musicians. Some artists who use a lot of electronics play live with a
laptop but I think it looks silly. It's like watching an office with a
lightshow.
Any words of advice for young/aspiring
musicians?
This question makes me feel old. But since
I'm not so young anymore, I could say: ”Don't think the world cares about your
music simply because it exists. And don't imitate. Add value.”
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Check out A.S. Swanski at the links below!
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