Artist: Elysium

[Insejn]

Artist: Elysium

Date: 08-18-01

By: Anoebis

 

Q: Hello, and thanks for doing an interview with us!! So when, how and why did you start to make music?

A: I started making music when I was around 13-14 years old.... Before that I had studied piano since I was 7 years old. First I just made some simple recordings on a 8 track tape recorder dubbing synthesizers and rythms and experimented alot - you know sticking mickes out the window and recording city noises and going out into the nature and recording birds ect. A early kind of sampling... At that time (early eighties) I was into "New Wave" listening to bands such as Visage, Japan, Ultavox, Kraftwerk and many more. There was no going back for me... I had to create my own music... Later I joined a band "THe Innocent" and we played together for 6 years and nearly made it "Big time" but at the last minute our record label got sold and we got dropped. Bad luck I guess!!!! I guess music has always been in my blood since my family took me to different jazz and classical concerts even before I could crawl.

 

Q: Why did you choose Psychedelic Trance and not other kinds of music ?

A: I don´t think I choose this music and I don´t really call it psychedelic Trance... I think too many labels on music make the music false and predictable.... For me music is music as long as it is honest and innovative. I sometimes laugh at people telling me that I do great goa trance... I have never been to Goa so how can I make goa trance - why not Copenhagen trance then....???? Goa is to me a place in India - not a music style... For me it was a natural evolution from the early electronic music I made and it could just as well have been acid jazz, trip hop or house. It all depended on the time and place and my love to music.... I had been living in the UK for a while when I discovered the early techno/azid boom and I loved the parties in barns across the country..... When I returned to Denmark I meet a old girlfriend of mine and she took me to a "trance party" in Christiania in Copenhagen... This was 1993 and the music here was extrememly psychedelic and deep and I just feel in love with the sound immedialtely... After a year of intense dancing I went to the studio and recorded my first release with R&S Records (Belgium) and released the project "Tundra". I was offered a better deal with Nova Zembla Records and signed the deal with them in 1994 and changed the name to "Elysium" the rest is history....

 

Q: Most people know you as "Elysium". Why did you change your name ?

A: I had to..... There is a "cult" heavy metal band in USA with the same name and also one in Japan and I also thought now was the time to break all chains with Nova Zembla so why not change the name too...

 

Q: What went wrong with the Voodoo Witch-album on Nova Zembla ?

A: Well everything went wrong...... After I left Nova Zembla Records they released it without my knowledge..... Apparently they had an old DAT tape frome me...where the last 4-5 tracks was not erased. The tracks was used when I did my DJ gigs..... They thought they were my tracks and released them without even bother to check with me - they even made up some titles for the tracks and the album title...very strange.... I got really angry...... First of all because it could damage me and my name when people found out that my ex. label released other artists material in my name and second because the label released some ambient music of mine that they had no rights to...... I am still working on a lawsuit against Nova Zembla.....

 

Q: You're one of the pioneers of trance, so what do you think of the evolution of Psy-Trance ? And how will it progress in the future ?

A: First of all I sincerely hope that the record labels will get their acts together and start be more selective (and professional minded) in what they release...... Don´t take me wrong I am all for the idea that all people should be able to make music.... But it is too naive to think that all people should be able to sell their music...we can´t all be painters, doctores and so fourth. Too much crap music has been released over the years and I strongly beleive that the reason why so many established distributors and record shops do not want to touch our music is because some of the music should belong in a private room and NOT on the dancefloor.... I find the present "psychedelic trance" scene very dead......... It seems as if the music has to be so similar that there´s no room for individuality anymore...... The biggest thing that made me so in love with this music and scene was that the music and people could be anything you wanted and always accepted for it´s and their uniqueness...... Now everything associated with "psychedelic trance" is stereotyped and frankly extremely boring...... I still love the music though but I hope that it will become more experimental again.....It dont want it to be like the old style but it would be nice to see some more depth in the music.. But it is very hard to predict in what way the music will go... And please don´t take people´s personality away from them.... It is no fun to watch all people on the dance floor with the same fluro T-shirt promoting the next HOT brand...... If people want to party in a suit or fancy dress then let them....... It is not what they look like that matters but who they are.....

 

Q: You really like to make Tribal influenced tracks, why ?

A: I am not really sure why...... The fact that our world is getting smaller each day and that less and less people live in isolated in remote areas - in pact with the nature - makes me even more curious to understand where they come from.. The research for samples many times give me an understanding about their way of living and their view of life, love, religion and dead. Because I mostly sample from documentaries on TV I constantly discover new things that I can tell about in my music.... I think music is a powerful way to make people aware of their world and I think I will always in some context keep linking my music to their voices....

 

Q: What is according to you your best track ?

A: Wow that is a very hard question...... There are so many tracks but if I have to point one out it must be "Keep It Cool". I made that track in 10 hours and it was the first track I could listen to over and over again.... For me it is the only track that came close to be perfect.

 

Q: And what are your favourite Trance-artists and albums ?

A: To be honest I have not been that much aware of what´s going on the last couple of years .... For me it has been very important to enjoy the silence and to recharge from too many parties and music the last 6-7 years.... But I am quite into some of the more deep stuff coming out on Atomic and sometimes I dig some of the music on Phantasm......

 

Q: So what do you do in everyday-life except making music ?

A: Getting older...lol (34). No I have used the last 2 years to build my own graphic design company and experimenting with interactive web deisgn and video on the internet... Apart for that I have used alot of time visiting old friends and geting on with my relationship with my beautiful girlfriend.

 

Q: Is psychedelic trance a "tool" for higher states of conciousness, comparable to other forms such as yago and meditation? How do you look at it in this aspect ?

A: I used to think that but I am pretty sure that most of my "illusion" was caused by to much chemicals.... Offcourse psychedelic trance is magical...but as I said earlier music is music.... I can only speak for myself when I say that I can get into a "trance" listening to other kind of music such as ex. classical music and ambient..... It is all up to taste..... Music speak to all of us in different ways..... And it would be wrong to assume that only Psychedelic Trance can make you feel like this. To me meditation is about silence and to find your inner peace.... so if music can do that for you then music has served the highest purpose....

 

Q: What do you think about the mp3-revolution ?

A: I have mixed feelings about it.... I am kinda sad to see that the CD will dissapear but at the same time I am very into it... The whole idea that I can make my own shop on the internet and sell my own music much cheaper to people appeal to me.... No more labels and distributors getting all the cake.... And I really like the fact that I will have full control over my own music...... But I will wait a couple of years before I actually make it a reality........ The technology is still not good enough...

 

Q: May we expect more albums of you in the near future ?

A: Actually I am right now finishing the last couple of track for my new album "Regenerated" which will be released later this year on the isralie label Avatar Records... You can find more info on their site www.avatar-music.com or on my site www.elysiumproject.dk