Kendra: With the album being called ‘Hypnagogia,’ I have to assume that one of you has experienced something quite interesting while falling asleep. If not, what about the period between being awake and the first wave of sleep that inspired this album?

Marius: A few years ago I experienced hypnagogia of some sort. I was taking a nap on my couch when I suddenly woke up, or at least I thought I did. I could not move my head, and my eyes were pinned at one specific location on the wall. I remember telling myself, “What the heck is going on, and why can’t I move my head”?

I was slowly panicking, and I was trying to figure out what was going on. Suddenly I started to hear bird sounds and wings flapping like crazy in my children’s bedroom, and it sounded very chaotic. I remember thinking about why the window wasn’t closed, and that must have been the reason for the sudden bird invasion. I could still not move my head.

Suddenly my phone started ringing loudly. I could not reach it, nor could I see who it was calling. 

I thought to myself, “Guess it’s work calling me to tell me I’m late for work.” The doorbell suddenly started ringing as well, and now there was complete chaos surrounding me. The birds in the bedroom, the phone ringing constantly, and the doorbell ringing. I started to scream and was about to go completely nuts. Then all of a sudden, I could move my head, and all the sounds were suddenly gone. I remember feeling like I didn’t wake up from a dream, it felt like I was awake all this time. It was a mind-blowing experience, but not something I would like to experience again. 

Kendra: Sleep paralysis is also very common during this state and as someone who has dealt with that – you and I know, 10/10 would not recommend. It’s quite terrifying. With that, what song off ‘Hypnagogia’ do you think the average sleep paralysis demon would enjoy most and why?

Marius: I would have to say “Pandæmonium.” That track is based on my experience with hypnagogia and strongly related to my experience with it. The build-up on that track is how I personally felt at that time and the reason why that track sounds completely nuts. Every time I listen to it I feel almost obnoxious, and it’s almost as if I’m about to hold my breath. 

Kendra: Now, ‘Hypnagogia’ is your third record to date with the last dropping back in the year that shall not be named. Was there anything you left on the cutting room floor while recording ‘Colours out of Space’ that made its way onto the new album?

Jostein: We actually had a couple of songs that did not make it onto the album and from the album before that we considered using a couple of them on the new album and maybe developing them a bit more so they would fit the sound and style on the new record, but in the end, we prefer to start with a fresh mindset when we’re going to record a new album. We also felt really creative and really enjoyed making this album so there was no need to dig up old stuff either. But there definitely are some similarities here and there from the previous albums as well. 

Kendra: So I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the TV series ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ but “Thantosis” really gave me those vibes, but then I was surprised with the jazzy elements that were layered in. Overall that song, to me, felt like it was plucked right from the wondrous era of the ‘80s. Is that a decade you often find yourself admiring? 

Jostein: Hehe, I think it’s becoming our thing to sprinkle some jazzy elements here and there and that really enhances this track with Jørgens Munkeby’s amazing saxophone on the track as well. It was planned from the start to hopefully get him to lay down those jazzy elements and with him being a former member of Jaga Jazzist as well, naturally, it turned out great. When it comes to the eighties, what’s not to like? 

All of us are really big fans of ‘80s music especially and a lot of the arpeggios and synths we incorporate into the music are inspired from that decade. Actually, we have discussed making a purely ’80s-inspired album, a kind of a dark pop thing maybe. We’ll see!

Kendra: On the flip side, “Dance Macabre” felt like it was part of a Broadway show of some kind. Have you ever thought of pairing Pixie Ninja’s sound with the world of theater?

Jostein: Haha, that’s interesting! Well, we’re often told that our music would be a perfect fit for different kinds of movies as they often got a soundtrack feel to them and we would definitely be up for that job, as well as theater. We are big fans of Motorpsycho, and they have done a couple of soundtracks to some Norwegian plays, which is just amazing. So yeah, that would be a great challenge and a lot of fun.

Kendra: Now it’s time for a side note – with it being September AKA Self Improvement Month, I’m asking everyone to give us a song they like to put on when they are in self-care mode…

Jostein: I would probably listen to Meshuggah – “In Death/Is Death” as I am a metalhead as well. That song just makes me feel like I’m on top of the world and the composition and technicality just drives me nuts, In a good way!

Marius: I listen to a really wide variety of music genres. So for the time being I have been playing a game on my Nintendo Switch called ‘Metroid Prime’ (remastered). I am totally hooked on the soundtrack for the time being, and would like to point out one specific track called: “Tallon Overworld.” It’s very metal and I like it! 

Kendra: And lastly, with ‘Hypnagogia’ out on September 8th, what else do y’all have planned as we head into fall? 

Jostein: We would love to get out and play this album live for everyone, so I guess we are probably going to start rehearsing and putting a tour together. Probably won’t be until 2024, but who knows! Maybe we’ll start working on some new stuff in the studio as well.

The post Rocky Nights with Pixie Ninja appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Often on the outside of everything perceived as the norm around me, I felt an instant connection to the dream pop ways of Kolbotn, Norway’s Marbles. That is because if you’re a metalhead, you know all too well what Kolbotn is all about. Despite being a world away from metal in their sound, Marbles is working on carving out their own path and springing forward with their 2023 release, ‘Humour,’ out now. We talked about the new music, the highs and lows of solitude, and more in this back-and-forth exchange. 

Kendra: So when I read you were from Kolbotn and not making metal music, I felt very much like y’all as I didn’t quite fit in where I grew up either. While it’s not the music you make, were there any local metal bands you grew up admiring – maybe not musically, but admiring their drive, creativity, or overall tenacity? 

Adrian Sandberg: Of course being from Kolbotn, one of the first bands you sort of know is a big deal is Darkthrone. While it is not what we might listen to nowadays, it was definitely a period in our teens/youth that we (or I, Adrian, Synthesizer) were into that kind of extreme music and admired the International critical acclaim that a local band from Kolbotn could have. And then the band Obliteration came up while we were kids. I think even Ferdinand (vocals) took electric bass lessons from their bass player. I remember they were really good musicians as well, still is, and that is always really inspiring.

Kendra: In Kolbotn Marbles is definitely etching out their own path with this infectious, dream pop sound that fans enjoyed on the 2020 self-titled debut LP, and they’re getting even more with ‘Humour.’ This time around, were there any elements of your overall approach to writing and recording that you changed up this time for the sophomore release? 

Adrian Sandberg: I think we tried to start working on this album where we left off the previous one kinda, but then we weren’t quite happy with all the songs so we spent some extra time just writing more songs. Some tracks were right there from the start, but we felt that some of the tracks were quite messy in structure and sounds. So I think the keyword here is simplicity. Ferdinand brought in some demos that we really liked and then we tweaked them and that became some of the songs on the album. And then the rest were sort of born in the studio. I think what differs most from the last album is that everything is made in the studio and not in the rehearsal space, we’re still on a path of finding new and different ways to work together.

Kendra: Music has always reflected the world whether personal or on a grander scale, and with that – we’ve gotten so much reactionary music to everything that happened post-2020. That includes “World Inside Me.” It has this very yin and yang approach to solitude, highlighting both the highs and lows of it all. We’ve come far from those earlier moments of the pandemic, but I think the effects of all that time alone are still very present. Do you think society will ever fully bounce back from the isolation of the initial lockdowns? 

Adrian Sandberg: Thank you for noticing “World Inside Me,” we’re glad you like it!

Yes, it is definitely a depiction of solitude, looking at the world from an inward perspective if that makes sense. We started working on it very early in the stages of the isolation in Norway, maybe even before the lockdown, so it was definitely a part of how the song came together.

The pandemic has, of course, changed society, and life probably will never be the same. We had a lot of plans but they never came to fruition, and we are still affected by that in some ways. The timing of it all has made it hard to bounce back from it. But life and the world is always changing, and the pandemic is just a tragic extension of that in some way or another. It is hard to speculate what will happen because life is just a bit different now. We look at the world differently and one can only take those experiences and move on.

I’m not sure we are trying to tell something specific with “World Inside Me,” other than it being inspired by the solitude of your own mind and how it was affected by less social activities. We are all just people that are living our lives and have all these thoughts, but sometimes we don’t treat each other like that. It’s like we are seeing all of these people every day, but they are sort of B-characters in your own life. But that is so far from the actual truth.

Kendra: On that note, was there anything you did out of the ordinary to fill the void when alone that you found therapeutic? 

Adrian Sandberg: All of us happened to live in share-houses/flats with different friends at that time, for better or worse. So playing card games and drinking whisky was something we did. Looking back we feel very lucky to have had that. Music, books, and films, of course, become very important in those moments. Gaming also.

Kendra: So I do want to talk about “One of a Kind” because the video tickled me. I loved that you weren’t shy about the green screen. It reminded me of those 80s/90s public access channels. Very DIY. Were you thinking of any favorite music videos from when you were a kid when it came time to shoot this one? 

Adrian Sandberg: Yeah, we had fun with that one! We were actually doing press photos when the idea for shooting the video just came about once we were finished, so we just filmed some stuff the last hour of press shooting and that became the whole video. I think our inspiration was sort of a bad green screen from kid’s TV shows back from when we were little, nothing specific though. But for some reason, a lot of it is still bad even today. 

I was inspired by Pond’s “Sweep Me Off My Feet” because of the stock-image aesthetic, and then you have Julia Jacklin’s “Baby Jesus is Nobody’s Baby Now” which has this blue sky backdrop but the camera just shows everything outside of it which is kinda funny. Very good music also, two favorite artists of mine.

Kendra: So time for a side note – with love in the air, I’d love to know what is the #1 song you’d put on a mixtape as part of a Valentine’s Day gift? 

Adrian Sandberg: Ahh…there is so much good Valentine’s Day music. I think we all can attest to be putting on some slow Khruangbin when it is time for some date night haha. But if each of us were to pick a song each, we would say:

Khruangbin – White Gloves
Cigarettes after Sex – K.
Thomas Dybdahl – From Grace
Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Humour’ out on February 10th, what else is in the works as we head towards the spring?? 

Adrian Sandberg: We are going to do some shows in Norway in support of ‘Humour’ and we are super excited about it! We are also working on booking some international shows in the summer and autumn, we are definitely gonna make sure everyone knows about that. Also, maybe we’re already working on some new releases…

The post Finding the Humour with Marbles appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: I’ve been writing for well over a decade now and know that sometimes I can whip something out in an instant and other times I will drag my feet until the clock is almost up, but in making music – I found it wild the timeline between your debut and 2022 sophomore release. With one you took your time, but ‘Inner Space Music,’ no longer than a month. In hindsight, do you think there is a sweet spot for creativity when it comes to the length of time writing and recording a record?

Rural Tapes: First of all; Rural Tapes wasn’t an established act 10 years ago. Around 2018-2019, I went through demos and recordings I had, both recent and from 10 years back in time. Stuff that for some reason had not been used in any of the other projects I was involved with. After a while, I realized that among these recordings, I was able to find music with a clear read thread, and I could put together a nice album. I recorded a couple of new tracks also, and this became my debut, ‘Rural Tapes.’ That’s why it took so long. 

Then, when I started working on ‘Inner Space Music,’ I made a dogma; for every day in two weeks, I composed a new piece of music. Thereafter I spent the following two weeks layering these. Later I received contributions from others, picked out the tracks I wanted to use, and mixed the album. 

Regarding your question; No, I don’t think so. Sometimes it’s nice to have all the time in the world to let the music out, but for the most, I’ve experienced it’s a good thing to push yourself. Deadlines can be painful, and not always good, but at some point, you need to decide for yourself when something is done. And that is the hard part. For me, after I got kids, I learned how to be creative whenever I had time to create. Because suddenly the day doesn’t have enough hours anymore. If I have 30 minutes to spend in my studio one evening, I know I can create something good in that window. It’s all about focus. 

Kendra: You brought a lot of people along for the ride on ‘Inner Space Music,’ from Steve Wynn to PJ Harvey. Was everyone on the record someone you’d worked with previously, or did you have some newcomers enter your realm this time around?

Rural Tapes: Everyone involved on this album are people I’ve been lucky to perform with over the years, and I’m beyond thankful for each and every contribution. I have a part-time jangle pop band with R.E.M. members Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey called The No Ones. I met Steve Wynn and Terry Edwards at a festival in Vadsø back in 2015, and we performed different songs for three nights with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, and many more. What a blast! 

Gary Olson, I exchange musical services with now and then; I`ve played on a couple of his solo recordings and joined in on some live shows, and he’s been involved on both my albums. Most of the Norwegians are friends and colleagues from other bands, but composer Kristine Tjøgersen and I have a different story. We went to high school together, and we haven’t worked together since then. That’s about 20 years ago now! She’s a brilliant clarinetist and also a contemporary classical composer, and she creates the most fantastic music. Her pieces are being performed all over the world at the time, and it was so much fun inviting her into this project. Everything she added to the recordings is pure gold.

Kendra: Speaking of, you put together quite the ensemble for “Arkestra Piece for Hard-working Ants.” Spanning over several minutes and genres from jazz to classical it’s quite the listen. It also made me think of how genre lines are so blurred nowadays. Would you say this track in particular is a sort of middle finger to the confined boxes the industry tries to put artists in? 

Rural Tapes: Lovely question, thanks! I don’t think that track only, but the whole project Rural Tapes is a middle finger to those confined boxes. Eight years ago, I left Oslo with my family. We moved to a farm in the countryside of Grimstad, a small town in southern Norway. I loved Oslo, and still do, but I also needed something else at the time. 

Although the music scene was inclusive and supportive, I got tired of musical trends and, you know…people heading in the same directions all the time. I was also a part of it back then and didn’t realize until I moved, that I searched for something else. In a way, I dried up a bit when coming to Grimstad, and it was easier to find my own core when I wasn’t working together with anyone else. 

I didn’t go to shows to see popular bands, and suddenly I totally lost interest in mainstream music. I could focus more on the far-out music I enjoyed, and go even further in that direction. As an example; over the last few years, I`ve been deep down in a rabbit hole with the music of Daphne Oram, John Baker, Delia Derbyshire, Joe Meek, and so on, and I can’t see how that should have happened if I didn’t have the time and focus that I have now. 

Kendra: On a sweeter note, “Candystore” made me want to ask – if you had to compare ‘Inner Space Music’ to a traditional Norwegian dessert, which would it be and why?

Rural Tapes: When I record music, I`m very hands-on, and this album is no exception. At the risk of being a little self-congratulatory, I would compare it to making my own cheese curd. For me, it’s all about analog instruments and units. I hardly use plugins, I`d rather create the sounds in the now with tape echo machines, spring reverb, and so on. It’s me and the knobs, and together we make the sounds by hand. 

So, to answer your question: the track “Candystore” could probably be a sweet handcrafted candy, cooked in a pot on the stove in my kitchen. No toxic additives, only natural sugar, and flavors, maybe a mouth-watering and tempting raspberry candy? But about the album? Instead of being a sweet dessert, ‘Inner Space Music’ is more like a homemade cheese, one that gives you a tiny bit of resistance. Enjoyed with some kind of ale. Which also is a nice way to end a meal! I`m sorry if I sound like a well-groomed bearded man straight out of 2011 right now, but this is the most food-like I could come up with. Although I’m a sucker for chocolate ice cream and passion fruit. 

Kendra: Time for a side note: With Thanksgiving being right around the corner I’d love to know what artist’s discography are you most thankful for?

Rural Tapes: These questions!! Thank you! I have lots of favorites when it comes to this, but today I’m choosing Kraftwerk. If you ask me again next week, I will most likely say something else. Raymond Scott? Can I? 

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Inner Space Music’ out on November 18th, what’s on the horizon as we head closer to 2023?

Rural Tapes: Live gigs! Rural Tapes will perform a lot live as a quartet in the near future, with Øystein Braut, Sigurd Thomassen, Lars Løberg Tofte, and myself. We’ll be playing in jazz clubs, rock venues, and also do an HQ Livestream from the barn on the farm where I live. This happens on December 7th and will be available worldwide. 

I’ll also do a couple of solo performances, diving more into improvised and ambient music. And I track new music whenever I can, so hopefully, it won’t be too long before I release more recorded sounds either.

The post The Hard Work of Rural Tapes appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Street art ain’t what it used to be and because of that artists like Martin Whatson are able to bring imagination to cityscapes taking basic buildings and transforming them into colorful centerpieces for passersby to enjoy. Always a pleasure to talk with someone as talented as such so sit back and enjoy this exchange between a street artist and a girl who can barely handle a stick figure.

Kendra: Being born in the mid-’80s and growing up in the ’90s in Norway, was there any American pop culture that drove you towards art or was it always graffiti that sort of sparked your interest?

Martin Whatson: It was always the local graffiti scene that drove me from the beginning! Of course, watching Style Wars and Beat Street was inspirational but I had started graffiti before I first watched any of them! I used to ride the subway between mine and my friend’s house. This being before the smartphones so the only thing we had to do was watch the ever-changing walls along the lines! All this led to my start in graffiti and later street art!

Kendra: Did your love of ’90s graffiti start with the classic lettering and evolve into what it is today or have you always been drawn to these larger than life pieces of work on the side of a public place?

Martin Whatson: All started with my interest from traditional lettering, but I never got particularly good at it and started doing characters, that evolved to small stencils and later larger murals when I started doing street art!

Kendra: Even today when people refer to something as “graffiti” it can render a negative connotation as opposed to when it’s labeled “street art.” Especially since in the US people often associate graffiti with gangs. Is that the case in Norway as well?

Martin Whatson: I think this is an issue all over the world! Streetart is very easy to understand for people, a beautifully painted side of a building or a stencil with an in your face message is something all can relate to, While someone’s name is quite cryptic for people to understand!
Graffiti also has also been reputed in media as criminals where street art had been embraced and in many places is celebrated!

Kendra: Whatever people what to label your work, what they will say is that it is amazing. The movement, the colors coinciding with the grays. I especially like the piece where it appears as if the wall is being pulled back to reveal something new. How long does it take for a new idea to come to life for you? From first thought to execution?

Martin Whatson: This depends so much! Recently I’ve come up with most of the new ideas for walls! but it normally doesn’t take too long! It also depends on how good I feel the new idea is! a great one can easily push back a lesser one in the making! Normally I work with a few series and keep evolving them and sometimes new ideas spring out from that!

Kendra: Have you ever been approached to putting your work on t-shirts and whatnot because that man on the moon piece looks like a tee one would see at a skate shop?

Martin Whatson: This happens all the time, anything from big companies to small independent brands and online shops buying an image and putting it on all sorts of products! And for now, I’ve only done one collaboration with a Japanese brand, back in the early beginning of my art career!

You may say I’m waiting for the right opportunity and the correct brand to be in touch! I’m not a big fan of just replicating an image on a shirt and I’m wondering where does the art stop being art and just becomes a product!? So I’m afraid we won’t see that astronaut in a skate shop anytime soon

Kendra: Last year you showed at home in Norway and overseas in Seattle. Do you have any plans to showcase your work in 2019?

Martin Whatson: I’ve shown several places all across the world in the last few years, and I constantly try to find new interesting places to view my artwork! Haven’t got much planned in 2019 except for a few group shows, but gearing up for a bigger solo show in Hong Kong in 2020!!

The post Martin Whatson & the Concrete Canvas appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Another happy memory locked away for Sena Kana was hitting number one on the charts in Europe with her single, “Live Your Dreams.” Not only because it was charting at the top, but because she was the first Japanese artist with the accolade. We talked about her musical inspirations that led to her current career highs and more.

Kendra: Growing up you were really into musicals like Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Both starring Julie Andrews, would you say she was your first influence?

Sena Kana: I think you can say that. I loved musicals since I was little, and I always thought that things will fall into place if you just sang. Like in Mary Poppins the room gets clean and bitter medicine becomes sweet. Like in Sounds of Music a song brings people together and can change their hearts. I thought that the music was really a magic. And I still feel the magic of music even now.

Kendra: Right now you’ve got a chart-topping single out. What drew you towards creating “Live Your Dreams?”

Sena Kana: I wanted for many people to hear this song. I wanted to share my message, that a dream can get you through the tough times and support you.

Kendra: The song itself has this really clean sound, which goes well with the location for the video shoot. What made you want to shoot it in Oslo, Norway?

Sena Kana: Oslo’s modern architecture is very beautiful, and the way that it is combined with nature – is just unbelievable. When I saw the photos that the director showed me, I knew at that very moment it was going to be very beautiful. Another big argument in favor of Oslo was the fact that you can easily go to the fjords by car from there. I have always wanted to go there. And since this song is about dreams coming true, I thought that filming PV in Norway will help to make the message of the song even stronger.

Kendra: Right now you’re the first Japanese artist to score chart success in Europe. What did you do to celebrate that notion?

Sena Kana: To tell the truth I was extremely happy when my track entered TOP 20 Itunes Charts in France, Netherlands, and Italy. I couldn’t even dream about hitting #1 spots. So, when I saw it happened in France at first. It was a shock. I couldn’t believe and was checking the chart every hour. So, of course, we gathered the whole team and went to celebrate to one of the nightclubs. It was really a special moment. And of course, I am very excited that the audience rated my debut single that high. My dream is for as many people as possible to hear my song, and thanks to the chart I am one step closer to my dream coming true.

@senakana_official

Kendra: Now that you have a hit single, what’s to come in the coming months for you?

Sena Kana: To have a hit debut is a real challenge. It’s a powerful start and new songs should be at least at the same level. And we’re working hard on it at the moment. So, until the end of the year, there are two more new tracks coming, one video and live performances with bright choreography.

Kendra: Lastly, we love to focus on a number of creative outlets at ZO. With that, if you had to compare “Live Your Dream” to a famous work of art – which would it be and why?

Sena Kana: Positive feelings is what I’m trying to bring with my music. Such as happiness, joy, love, inspiration. If to compare with famous works of art I think it should be something bright, sophisticated and positive. French impressionist Claude Monet is the first artist which came to my mind with his famous “Impression, Sunrise,” “Haystacks,” “Water Lilies” and other brilliant paintings.

The post Sena Kana Inspires The Dreamer In All Of Us appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: Not only a songwriter but a dancer as well, which talent started to emerge first for you?

Henrik: Both dancing and songwriting has always been a part of my life. I started singing as a little kid and I think writing songs and being in the studio is my biggest passion.

Kendra: Is it easier to use your words or your body to express emotion in terms of songwriting vs. dance?

Henrik: It has always been easier for me to express myself through words.

Kendra: What was the first song that made you fall in love with R&B?

Henrik: I still remember the first time I listened to “You Rock My World” by Michael Jackson. It is one of the best songs I ever heard in my whole life. When I make music I get a lot of inspiration from him.

Kendra: When you look back on creating “Gotta Move On,” what three words are always going to come to mind about the experience?

Henrik: Fun, wailing and fast. This is because we made the song really quick and there was a lot of wailing and ad-libs on the track

Kendra: How did you come to work with Andreyun on that track?

Henrik: The song was made at a songwriter camp in Sweden named Song Farm. While making the song we thought that we maybe should have a rapper to feature on the track. We asked one of the rappers at the camp – Andreyun – to make a rap, and in 10 minutes the rap was done! He’s amazing!

Kendra: With so little time left in the year, any big plans before 2017 is over and done with?

Henrik: The rest of the year I’m will continue working in the studio. I do have a lot of martial that I’m working on, so there’s just a matter of time before new music drops.

The post Henrik Høven Is Making Moves appeared first on ZO Magazine.