Interview: Afenginn

Today our guest is Kim Rafael Nyberg, frontman of the Danish contemporary folk band Afenginn. This band is one of the heavy players in the European field of contemporary world/folk music. They are continuously seeking new borders and projects to push the limits of their music and are highly active on the live scene with numerous tours and performances in the past years, including a recent gig at Faroese G! festival.

Welcome, Kim! Let’s start from one of your latest performances, the gig at G! Festival with the Copenhagen based Faroese chorus Mpiri. How and when have you started working with this particular ensemble and why have you chosen Mpiri as a support for this gig? 

Thank you! The album Reptilica Polaris from 2008 featured (as a part of a bigger setup) a male-choir and back then we toured with a brassquartet and five singers to perform that. Already then we wanted to do some shows with a complete choir and now was the time to do that. We started the collaboration already last year, with preparations and meetings and stuff, and started rehearsing in May this year. We chose Mpiri because they are a high profiled choir with some good singers and has been doing cross-over projects before, which is an advantage.  

A couple of years after Bastard Etno, you have released a new album, called LUX. How would you describe it? Are you satisfied with what you’ve realized or has the band already started working on new ideas and materials?

LUX is a more calm and lyrical album than any of the others, and show Afenginn from a different and more cinematic view than before. We wanted to make an album that has the same kind of vibe throughout and I think we succeeded with that on LUX. We're really happy for the result (and the reviews are hugely positive as well) and we really enjoy playing concerts with that material. This being said, the progress to make something new, and probably quite different, is already rolling. 

Saying that your musical genre is contemporary folk is just an understatement, since your style offers to your fans a different and unusual experience in folk music. You label your own style as Bastard Etno: what does these particular terms really mean? How would you describe the music you create to someone who’s not given it a listen yet?

It's true that there are a lot of influences in our music and it seems to be very hard for everyone, including us, to describe it properly. It's a organic mix of the melodic melancholy of Scandinavian music, with the speed and odd meters of Balkan and Klezmer and the sophisticated, cinematic feel of classical music – to mention some...We've called it Bastard Etno in the meaning of ”illegitimate and sporadic mix of ethnic musical influences”

Another typical feature of Afenginn is the specific outfit that the band wears during every onstage performance, making its members look sorta like they’re coming from somewhere in the past. Why have you chosen to maintain it the same throughout all your gigs?

The ethos behind the dresscode is that we want to look good on stage, so no casual outfit as jeans and t-shirt and so on – it should be more like the dress you'd take on to a wedding or a big party or something. But within those limits, it's up to everyone how we want to interpret that. Most of us usually wear a three-piece set and a hat. It may looks as we come from the past, but it is a try to be properly dressed. There are some obligations when you get to go on stage and we want to pay some respect to the audience by dressing well.

Every release you’ve so far produced included a very colorful and clear cover, featuring work of art by illustrator Jakob Bendix. How would describe this experience and long working collaboration?

Jakob Bendix is an old, both personal and professional, friend of Afenginn and he's been onboard ever since the very first posters and demos and been doing (almost) all Afenginn artwork from then on. He has a great understanding of our music and has played a big part in creating the visual side of the band. He has a very clean style and always has good ideas and is a fantastic sparring partner when it comes to concepts and good to tell the story in the artwork. 

Time for one classic question: how does an Afenginn song come to life? Do the studies each one of you has completed in different musical academies in a way influence the way you create new music?

The music of Afenginn is coming to life through a fairly uncomplicated process that has seemed to work well for us. The music is composed and written down on scores by me (Kim) and we meet to play and rehearse the first ideas. Sometimes it's all pretty ready when we start, and sometimes it needs more work. In that case we talk about it and people throw in ideas for the compositions and I go back home and work it out from there. Then we all work on the dynamics and general feeling and it pretty much shapes up from there. All the musicians have different backgrounds and bring in their personal flavour to the melting pot, but after many years of playing we have a good collective vision of the music and mostly have a shared understandning of what to do.

From the very beginning of your career your tracks and albums have been characterized by very original titles. So, how these peculiar names come to life? Is there any particular reason behind these choices?

Most of the tunes has a small, and usually surreal, story connected to them and some of the titles come from there. The language of Afenginn is a homemade lingua called ”street latin”. It's a mixture of a whole bunch of languages (almost like esperanto) and the idea behind this is that it should be available for everyone with a little knowledge of the most common languages. And many of the titles have references to that....with a little humour in it as well.

You have stated that Afenginn is continuously seeking new borders and projects to push the limits of their music. So, which are the current plans for the band’s future?

There are many plans for the band's future, sometimes more than there is time actually. But right now we're having a couple of tracks from LUX being remixed and will be released through our webpage later this year. In January we'll go on tour in Australia, which we're really excited about as it's our first time there and we'll continue the tour in Germany right after that. During the spring and summer we're working on some more shows with the Choirnevale concert (with choir and marimba) and in June we're planning to release a mini-album with some dancable music. And we're working on a really cool project which includes food as well. These are some of the plans for 2014... 

Now our interview its coming to its end. Thanks for the precious time you’ve dedicated answering my questions. Do you want to add anything more?

Thank you so much. If you like what we do, you can find us online at Afenginn.com. Take care of yourself and follow your heart! 

Afenginn discography

Retrograd (2004)

Akrobakkus (2006)

Reptilica Polaris (2008)

Bastard Etno (2010)

LUX (2013)

More on Afenginn on their official website and Facebook, Twitter and Bandcamp pages

All the photos in this article, courtesy of Afenginn

Afenginn + Mpiri live at G! Festival, photo courtesy of Ditte Mathilda Joensen

Interview: Eivør Pálsdóttir

Today I have as a guest Eivør Pálsdóttir, one of the most popular Faroese singers and songwriters, with a voice of rare beauty and power. From the age of fifteen she decided to dedicate her life entirely to music, and her roots in these remote and astonishingly beautiful islands have been the source of her musical inspiration ever since.

Today, she will tell something more about her music, art and personal inspiration..

Let’s start talking about your latest performance at Faroese G! festival. How does it feel, for you that have become an internationally well-known artist, to come back to your homeplace and play in front of your fellow Faroese people during one of the most important events of the summer?

It is always special to play at the G! festival. The festival takes place in my little hometown where I spent my childhood and teenage years. I always get a bit sentimental when I come back. I also get extra nervous because I know so many people in the crowd and I feel that they know me so well. I really loved playing at the festival this year and I still feel the rush from the warm welcome I got from the crowd this year. 

Moving to your latest release: the album Room is quite different from your second last production, 2010’s Larva. How has this album come to life? 

The songs on this album were all written in 2011. This was a very emotional year for me because I lost my father who was a very dear friend to me. I started writing the songs for the album in this period and they all come from a very fragile and lonely place, but at the same time they are filled with gratefulness and love. I ended up producing the album with my husband Tróndur Bogason. And we decided to record the album in the Faroe Islands. 

Speaking of, the recordings of Room have taken place in your home country, in a studio of Tórshavn. Why have you chosen the Studio Bloch and how’s this experience been? 

I have always recorded my albums abroad because I like studios with good equipment and big rooms. We never had that kind of studios in the Faroe Islands until just recently. My friend Jónas Bloch opened up the studio at the same time as I had finished the songs for the album so the timing was perfect. It was a special experience to record this album in my homeland. And – with these songs - it made more sense to me than ever to be “home” among good friends.

Two of the most catching songs of this album, True Love and Rain have also become respectively a short movie and a video. How would you describe these attempts to translate the power of your music into a visual concept? 

I like good music videos because they can either help you understand the meaning of the songs or even give you a completely new angle to understanding the song. It is tricky though, because it can also put things too much into boxes. 
So I am at the same time quite sensitive about the videos being made for my songs.

The video for True Love was directed by Heiðrik A Heygum. He asked me if he could use this song for a school project as the final exam. He wanted to make a short film based on the lyrics and also a music video out of the same material. Being a fan of his previous works I thought this was a brilliant idea.  I decided to give him a lot of free space to work on the visual ideas for the video and I like how he interpreted the song. 

We are editing the Rain video at the moment and I am very exited to see the final result.

Still on Room: why does the album not feature any song sung in a language different from English, with the only exception of the bonus track Eg Veit? 

I grew up listening to artists like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchel so there is something about the English language that resonates in me as well as the Faroese. My previous albums have been mainly in Faroese but my two latest ones are in English.

The bonus track Eg veit was written before the rest of the material on the album and I decided to translate it from Faroese to English and have both versions on the digital Room album.



Your breathtaking music and amazing voice leads to a quite obvious question: what does inspire you to create such works of art? 

Thank you for your kind words. Well I am inspired by a lot of artists and people that I have meet in my life. Some of the people that have made big impression on me are Yma Sumac, Nina Simone, Billy Holliday, Nick Drake and not to forget Leonard Cohen. And above all Nature inspires me over and over again and gives me the energy that I need. 

The Faroese label TUTL has also re-released one of the gems of your discography, Krákan, which was originally published in 2002. Which are the reasons that led you to release this album again? 

To make it short the album was sold out for a long time and after sorting out some record label issues we decided to re-release the album with a new cover made by the Faroese artist Edward Fuglø. I have been getting a lot of requests from people asking about this album so I am happy that it is available again.

This year you’ve already done several international gigs and, during this summer, you’re touring throughout different Scandinavian countries. Is there any chance to see you performing in other European countries soon? 

Well, I have a tour coming up in Germany this fall and I am very exited about that.  It will start in Hamburg (November, 15th), followed by Frankfurt (Nov, 17th), Berlin (Nov, 18th), Halle (Nov, 19th) and Flensburg (Nov, 20th).

You are one of the most well-known Faroese artists in the world and you’re now also working with one other Faroese band which has seen its popularity quickly growing in these last years. How would you describe your collaboration with the doom metal band Hamferð? 

I like the dark music that Hamferð creates. There is something very Faroese about it. Like me, they are inspired by Faroese folk ballads so we have something in common even though we are opposites. They asked me to sing on their track Sinniloysi and it think that our opposite sound scapes combined very well. Singing with Hamferð is like riding a big heavy wave in stormy weather. 

Now our interview its coming to its end. Thanks for the time you’ve dedicated answering my questions. Before you leave, could you describe your plans for the future? 

In two weeks I will travel to Victoria in Canada to participate in Gavin Bryars new opera called Marilyn Forever  based on aspects of the life of actress Marilyn Monroe. I will have the role of Marilyn. A very challenging and exciting project.

After that I will be touring Denmark with Eivør&Ginman after dark, a collaboration with bass player Lennart Ginman that I am very excited about. Then in November Room will be released in Germany and I will start my Germany release tour on Nov 15th in Hamburg. 

And hopefully new music will be born for 2014.

Eivør's discography:

Eivør Pálsdóttir (2000)
Krákan (2002)
Eivør (2004)
Trøllabundin (2005)
Mannabarn (2007)
Eivør Live (2009)
Undo your mind EP (2010)
Larva (2010)
Room (2012)

More on Eivør Pálsdóttir on her official website, Facebook and Youtube page

All the photos in this article, courtesy of Sigvør Laksá | Eivor.com

Live report: G! Festival 2013

Il G! Festival è una di quelle proposte di festival che difficilmente troverebbero spazio e apprezzamento da parte del pubblico italiano. All’interno di un solo weekend, infatti, annualmente si susseguono e alternano concerti e mini esibizioni che spaziano dal metal più puro, alla musica tradizionale, dal pop internazionale, all’elettronica underground, senza che nessun genere riesca veramente a prevalere sugli altri. Una volta pagato il biglietto, dunque, si è sicuri che almeno una volta al giorno ci sarà qualcosa di proprio interesse a cui poter assistere, ma può capitare che per ore, nel gelo di Syðrugøta, ci sia ben poco di consono ai propri gusti. Chi, tra le molte ‘teste calde e puriste’ del Belpaese, parteciperebbe ad un evento del genere, potendo al massimo contare su altre attività (come cineforum, laboratori, sauna e, udite udite, una chiesa) capaci solo in parte di stemperare gli animi?

Tuttavia, il G! Festival non è solo un festival singolare, ma, da queste parti, anche un collante sociale, uno di quegli eventi che per un faroese è impossibile perdere e durante il quale gli isolani, molti dei quali di ritorno in patria per le sole vacanze estive, hanno modo di incontrarsi, scambiarsi memorie e costruirne di nuove e spendere tempo che solitamente è difficile trascorrere in compagnia visto che la distanza, anche tra le stesse isole dell’arcipelago, per molti giovani è spesso ancora eccessiva. E nessuno, davvero nessuno, si tira indietro, nemmeno le famiglie numerose, visto che l’evento è gratuito per i minori di 12 anni.

Durante i 3 giorni del festival, si sono susseguiti molti concerti, di artisti locali e non, celebri e underground, come quelli che seguono…

ANGIST

Ad aprire le ‘danze’ metalliche, ci pensano gli Angist che, dopo essersi visti costretti a cancellare la prima data faroese del Ferðin Til Heljar Tour, dopo il malore subito dal batterista poco dopo la fine della performance all’Eistnaflug, si rifanno alla grande con un’esibizione che, nonostante l’infelice scelta di uno slot pomeridiano e i volume non sempre perfetti, mantiene alto l’onore degli islandesi, che sanno convincere un pubblico che rapidamente si fa sempre più folto. Nella mezzora ad essa dedicata, infatti, la band da prova di grande energia, attenzione ai dettagli e aggressività che, grazie anche alla potente voce della frontman Edda Tegeder, che ben interpreta le numerose nuove tracce, che lasciano ben sperare in vista del prossimo album di questo combo death metal, previsto in uscita entro l’anno.

SETLIST ANGIST:

1. New song 1

2. New song 2

3. Circle of Suffering

4. New song 3

5. Death Incarnate

EARTH DIVIDE

Secondi ma non meno importanti protagonisti del Ferðin Til Heljar Tour, gli Earth Divide ripropongono, sulla scia di quanto presentato nelle precedenti date islandesi del tour, un set molto convinto ed entusiasta dove, a sostegno delle tracce contenute nella loro omonima release di debutto, spicca un nuovo brano, la cui abbondanza di clean vocals è già molto discussa tra i sostenitori e amanti della scena faroese. Lo show posto in essere dalla band appare curato, ma molto informale, vista l’aria di casa che si respira al festival. Unico neo: a causa di una band precedente che ha sballato gli orari delle esibizioni, gli Earth Divide sono stati costretti ad interrompersi con almeno un brano d’anticipo, in modo da poter permettere agli addetti ai lavori di preparare il palco per gli artisti successivi. Un peccato.

SETLIST EARTH DIVIDE:

1. Intro

2. Claustrophobia

3. Atlas

4. Into the Maelstrom

5. Primal

6. Daybreaker

200

Alle Fær Øer tutto è deciso dal meteo. A causa del maltempo, che ha tenuto chiusi tutti i porti e l’aeroporto per lungo tempo, gli attesi danesi Reptile Youth non sono riusciti a presentarsi in tempo e hanno dovuto disertare l’evento. Che fare? Vedersi improvvisamente svuotato uno slot serale sul palco principale non deve aver certo reso felici gli organizzatori del festival, che hanno però trovato una soluzione d’urgenza. In circa un’ora, infatti, si è presentato alle porte di Syðrugøta, pronto e carico per un concerto, il trio punk faroese per eccellenza, i 200. Scanzonati, irriverenti, irrispettosi, politicamente scorretti e schierati: questo, volendolo riassumere, è quanto portato sul palco da questa band ‘storica’ della scena alternativa locale, che ha saputo infiammare fans e non, nonostante in alcuni passaggi si potesse notare qualche imprecisione figlia dell’assoluta improvvisazione di un concerto sul momento. Il set, durato quasi un’ora, ha saputo cogliere nel segno, riuscendo non solo a salvare capra e cavoli, ma anche a divertire pubblico e addetti ai lavori.

BYRTA

Quando è sola, Guðrið Hansdóttir è una giovane, ma molto promettente artista folk pop faroese. Quando le si affianca Janus Rasmussen, invece, diventa BYRTA, un interessante progetto di musica elettronica con influenze pop che da poco ha preso piede nella scena locale e scandinava. La musica proposta dal duo, cantata tutta in faroese, è molto accattivante e originale, così come inusuali sono l’ambientazione del set e i costumi scelti dalla band e dai suoi collaboratori (basti pensare che, al momento di salire sul palco, metà avevano optato per un face painting, mentre gli altri indossavano una testa di bimbo fatta di cartapesta). Nonostante non siano stati fortunatissimi con i volumi, tanto da sentire anche qualche fischio, i BYRTA, con le proprie tracce trascinanti ed energici, hanno davvero saputo convincere l'intera audience.

SETLIST BYRTA:

1. Byrta

2. Eydnan

3. Andvekur

4. Hjartasorg

5. Vit falla

6. Norðlýsið

7. Loyndarmál

AFENGINN & MPIRI

Chiunque apprezzi le ritmiche folk e in particolare quelle di stampo balcanico, ha già sentito almeno parlare degli Afenginn, irriverente combo danese sulle scene europee da ormai una decina d’anni. In occasione del G! Festival, gli scandinavi hanno optato per un supporto quanto mai azzeccato: il coro faroese Mpiri, di base a Copenhagen. Il risultato è apparso vincente: allo stile allegro e scanzonato tipico del folk proposto da questa band, che si è concentrata non solo sui propri classici, ma anche sui brani più ferrati dell’ultima release Lux, si è infatti affiancata la serietà e la profondità del coro faroese, per l’occasione vestito al gran completo con il tradizionale costume nazionale. Uno show davvero convincente e divertente, che ha saputo convincere e divertire un pubblico davvero variegato.

SETLIST AFENGINN:

1. Lux

2. Kostbar

3. Obscare

4. Ostinato Repetuum

5. Demokrator Escalator

6. Iguana Segregatis

7. Paxima

8. Kantate Mutagenia

9. Andante Mobile

10. Estrogeneticmanipulated Basilisk

11. Tattar Humppa

KARIN PARK

La seconda artista svedese (dopo l’acclamatissima pop star Alina Devecerski) ad esibirsi durante questo festival è Karin Park, icona sempre più affermata della musica elettronica. Il suo set, acusticamente quasi perfetto, ha visto la Park dar prova delle sue ottime capacità tecniche e soprattutto vocali, accompagnandosi, lungo alcuni brani, con la tastiera. A supporto, fondamentale è stato l’intervento del fratello David Park, impegnato con grande accuratezza alla batteria e soundboard (che, per altro, per i suoi atteggiamenti, sembrava essere due braccia e una maglia degli Slayer rubati a qualche combo death metal scandinavo). Il pubblico, piuttosto numeroso, ha saputo supportare i due artisti al meglio, permettendo a questa performance pressoché perfetta di ottenere la giusta cornice e onesta gratificazione.

SETLIST KARIN PARK:

1. Restless

2. Explosions

3. Ashes

4. Out of the cage

5. Wild child

6. New era

7. Can't stop now

8. Fryngies 

9. Thousand loaded guns

EIVØR PÁLSDÓTTIR

Qualcuno potrebbe lecitamente chiedersi: cosa ci fa Eivør Pálsdóttir in un reportage scome questo? Volendo essere di strette vedute, la risposta è ovvia. Ma in quanti, tra gli amanti del metal nordico, non hanno apprezzato artisti diversi, ma provenienti dalle stesse latitudini, come Björk? Eivør Pálsdóttir è il suo equivalente made in Faroe Islands, un’artista versatile dalla voce emozionante, capace di dare il meglio di sé sul palco di casa. La sua performance, durata più del previsto causa encore non programmato, è stata infatti una delle migliori e più studiate dell’intero festival. La cantautrice, accompagnata da altri tre musicisti, ha infatti dato sfoggio di grandi capacità, ripercorrendo una buona parte del suo ultimo album, Room, e arricchendo lo show con alcuni dei grandi classici, come la toccante Trøllabundin. Un’artista che, pur non essendo metal, merita ben più di un ascolto…

SETLIST EIVØR PÁLSDÓTTIR:

1. Rain

2. Wake Me Up

3. Far Away

4. Eg Veit

5. True Love

6. Boxes

7. Trøllabundin

8. Vøka

9. Falling Free

10. Encore: Nú Brennur Tú Í Mær

HAMFERÐ

Per vedere all’opera gli Hamferð, bisogna aspettare l’ultimo slot di giornata, quello che inizia all’una, l’unico durante il quale, complici le nubi, si crea un’atmosfera più cupa e buia, adatta al genere proposto. Nonostante dei suoni in parte non bilanciatissimi, in particolare sulla chitarra principale, il sestetto riesce a dare ottima prova di sé davanti al pubblico di casa, numeroso ed energico, soprattutto su brani storici come Harra Guð títt dýra navn og æra. Inoltre, per arricchire la performance, gli Hamferð propongono uno dei brani che saranno contenuti dell’ormai imminente nuovo album, Sinniloysi, che ha visto anche un’acclamatissima partecipazione di Eivør Pálsdóttir, capace di regalare grandi emozioni con i suoi eleganti vocals in clean. Un’esibizione davvero di classe.

SETLIST HAMFERÐ:

1. Vráin

2. Evst

3. Deyðir Varðar

4. Ódn

5. Harra Guð títt dýra navn og æra

6. Sinniloysi

Foto di BYRTA, Afenginn & Mpiri e Karin Park a cura di Ditte Mathilda Joensen

Tutte le altre foto a cura di Erland Sivertsen