BoomBoom Magazine #4 by Lars Winther

ISSUE #04 2010/11

EXPO EDITION

The sounds & visions of Denmark

TEXT søren krogh thompson (General manager, Playground Music Vice Chairman, DUP Member of the board, IFPI Member of the board, MXD)

PHOTOGRAPHY rawformat

INTRO

When I’m at dinner parties these days I still have to defend why music costs money. Music can be produced for nothing on a computer that costs almost nothing and then be distributed on a myspace/facebook/twitter profile. All for the grand cost of nothing. So why should I pay for that music? My money just goes to greedy corporate tycoons, who rip off their artists anyway.

being carried out in all links in the musical chain. From the creative conception to the consumer’s first encounter with a song. Many are fighting constantly to create and promote the very music that they love and work with. Within all genres at all times of the day all over the world. There are also people, who work each day to create new, legal business models that respect intellectual property rights and the fact that music has a value.

December 30th 2009 – another day as a music lover

But the industry itself, and by this I’m referring to all links in the chain, needs to think outside the box to earn the consumers’ respect. It can’t be right, that the consumers want a legal product, and we can’t supply it, because we as property right owners can’t find any common ground on how to share the revenue between us. Imagine that we launched a shop where the consumers could buy background music for their private YouTube clips for $1. According to the numbers I’ve seen there are over 250 million video views every day. What a potential market.

Shortly before New Year’s Eve I stumbled upon a blog, that had the following topic: “Is it possible to lead a law abiding life without sinking my money into the huge, multinational record industry and at the same time still purchase exciting, new music? Absolutely. And it makes you happier.” BOOM BOOM The Sounds & Visions of Denmark Issue #04 2010/11 ISSN 1902 - 4169 Published by DUP - Danish Independent Record Labels (dup.nu) IFPI - representing the recording industry worldwide (ifpi.dk) MXD - Music Export Denmark (mxd.dk) Editors Thomas Borre & Anders Houmøller Thomsen Translation Jesper Buhl Design Paul Wilson (yellow1.dk) Exclusive Photography Paul Wilson (rawformat.dk) unless otherwise indicated Set in Minion 8.5pt Print Par No 1 Circulation 6000 units All articles by freelance music critics & journalists - Thomas Borre & Anders Houmøller Thomsen Contributors, Fundraising, Editors-In-Chief Anders Houmøller Thomsen, Thomas Borre, Lars Winther, Peter W. Kehl, Thomas Rohde, Søren Krogh Thompson & Emil Jørgensen Published with funding from the DJBFA, MXD, Jazz Danmark & DMF DUP - Danish Independent Record Labels c/o Playground Music Denmark A/S Grønnegade 3 1107 København K +45 42 400 555 sekretariat@dup.nu dup.nu boomboom.dk Good mag / Bad mag? E-mail us at sekretariat@dup.nu

Mutual respect strengthens music

Curious as I am, I began reading the blog, which is about leading a life filled with music without supporting companies, who are “standard bearers for a growing criminalization of music lovers throughout the world”* and I then found out, that Playground Music also was to be found on the list of such companies. The argument was simple: “Actually it wasn’t only the major labels I didn’t want to support anymore, but all the record companies that participated in getting The Pirate Bay censored in Denmark.”* I chose to openly tell him about our business models and our plans of financial distribution. That way he would have a chance to assess the economy and fairness behind our cooperative work with artists and labels. I told him about my thoughts on The Pirate Bay, and how I’d love to see new business models emerge, as long as they still respect the intellectual property rights. I tried to open a dialogue by telling him about how my world is and about how I hope to banish a lot of the myths, that are still widely believed. I also invited the blogger to come visit us at Playground, so he could see our contracts and see for himself the work we do for our share of the revenue. He promised me, he’d email me and stop by. I still hope he will do just that. Do we deserve the respect of the consumers? I think we ought to talk more about respect. Respect for the work that’s

We have to give the consumers what they want, even if it means having to go to court to settle our differences, because if we don’t settle them, the consumers will find other ways to satisfy their musical needs. We love music - and we love people, who love music People love music. People love using music, playing around with music, mixing music, remixing music. Imagine for a second going through a day entirely without music. No music on the radio, just people talking. No background music on the TV ads, no soundtrack on films … It’s impossible, right? So we’re working with a raw material that’s needed and in demand. We just need to learn how to make it easier for consumers to use music, to play around with music. We have reached a point where consumers should be expected to respect the fact, that music has a value, and that there are people behind the music, who make money from it. Much the same way as it is with food, mobile phones, clothes, computers, cinemas, restaurants, theatres, cars, bikes, travels and anything else we spend our money on in our everyday lives, without you as a consumer think about whether that is fair or not – because it is.

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INTRO page 03 YOUR DANISH POP SOUL SISTER page 04 JAZZBIRDS page 08 WOMEX page 13 MOODAGENT page 16 MUSICAL CARBON NEUTRALITY page 18 Q&A WELCOME TO MEDINA page 20 WELCOME TO VINYL HEAVEN page 23 SPOT FESTIVAL: DANISH MUSIC IS COOL AS FUCK page 25 THE WORLD IS THEIR PLAYGROUND page 29 EXPERIENCE IS IN THE EAR: SOUND IS THE STRONGEST BRAND page 30 7 SENSATIONS page 32 PORTRAIT: THOMAS BÄRTSCHI: NO GAME WITHOUT MUSIC page 34 CATCH THEM ON TOUR page 36 LABEL PRESENTATION page 42

TEXT søren krogh thompson (General manager, Playground Music Vice Chairman, DUP Member of the board, IFPI Member of the board, MXD)

PHOTOGRAPHY rawformat

INTRO

December 30th 2009 – another day as a music lover

Mutual respect strengthens music

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YOUR DANISH POP SOUL SISTER

TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY rawformat

Danish pop music has hit the charts woldwide in recent years with funky artists such as Ida Corr, Natasja and Alphabeat. Nabiha sounds like the next mountaineer to the top of the pop charts. Does she write hits in her sleep? That’s not entirely wrong.

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YOUR DANISH POP SOUL SISTER

TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY rawformat

A Woman’s World Is this thinking reflected in your own musical taste? - Yes. I like artists like Grace Jones, Santigold, Gnarls Barkley and Outkast. Music should be exploring the limits, both in terms of making funny, weird or sad music. Growing up I also listened to a lot of the most prominent female artists: Björk, PJ Harvey, Kate Bush, Madonna and Erykah Badu, Nabiha explains. Her own music is a mixture of all kinds of genres, and the 26 year old singer never stopped to think about sticking to R&B or pop or any other genre in order to streamline her music. Her debut album “Cracks” from 2010 is a very varied record influenced primarily by Nabiha’s personal love affair with music. She grew up on disco and soul and discovered reggae at the age of five. Later on she flirted with rock, R&B and electronica. - I like music that’s playful and spontaneous as opposed to being calculated. It’s okay to have a little fun with what you do. Especially when it comes to music. The person you want to please with the music is yourself, because it’s impossible to please everybody anyway. That goes both for music and in life in general. I try to focus on the good things in life. Nap for Nabiha You’ve used a small piece of a lullaby from Mali. That was part of what made your first single “Deep Sleep” a huge hit. You could almost say that you were sound asleep while achieving your success. - Well, I have a type B personality, but we worked very hard on the album. It was made in close collaboration with the Swedish producer and songwriter Carl Ryden, and I travelled back and forth between Copenhagen and London for about a year until we completed the recordings. “Deep Sleep” just sort of happened one morning when we were at the studio feeling kind of tired. We talked about how awful it is when you’re in bed and the alarm clock starts ringing – or someone knocks on the door. A song came out of that and I got the idea of using a part of a Malinese lullaby. It was a song my mother used to sing for me when I was a child. It fit well with the topic of the song and the chords. It was like it was supposed to fit right in there. Do you have any good advice on how to fall asleep? - Yes. Put on an episode of “Columbo”! It’s got a nice, slow pace, so you just fall asleep.

I actually use that trick these days because I’m so busy, which makes it hard to sleep when you finally get the chance. I really like that show by the way! I love the slow pace and the fact that you know who the killer is. I bought the series on dvd and I think it’s extremely cool that Johnny Cash plays the killer in one episode! Chilled champagne Is your dream destination the US in terms of career? - I’d like to get my music out all over the place, but it’s especially important for me to reach an audience in England and the US. The people there are hard to impress, but I’m ready to give it a go and I love a challenge. You often hear that there are expectations and yes-men surrounding an emerging artist and then it all amounts to nothing. I’d like to avoid that, so I think I’ll put off popping the champagne until there’s a real demand for my music. To many of us you came out of the blue with “Deep Sleep” but have you been working hard in the minor leagues of music for a long time? - I’ve played in a lot of bands but I didn’t go for it 100 % until we started making the album. In that period I lived like a spartan. I’ve become extremely good at living on a tight budget. Maybe I should write a song about that. I think everybody can relate to being poor for a period of time. Who are your own idols in terms of performance? - I like it when concerts are off-beat, fun and entertaining. That’s why I like Madonna so much. Right now Lady Gaga’s really moving in on that turf and I think she does a brilliant job. I like it when there are loads of things going on up there on the stage and you leave the venue with a huge smile on your face, wanting to go home and make some music, says Nabiha. After a long day doing interviews it’s time for the busy singer to say night-night and put on the “Columbo” dvd. We say thank you – and good night, Nabiha!

NABIHA The singer is of Danish and Northwest African descent (Gambia, Mali and Morocco). She grew up in Copenhagen as the oldest of seven siblings. She made her debut album “Cracks” in 2010, and her first single “Deep Sleep” became a BIG hit in Denmark. Producer Carl Ryden and Nabiha have written and produced all the songs on the album in collaboration with various songwriters like Nina Woodford (James Morrison/Nelly Furtado, Kylie, Leona Lewis, Sophie Ellis Bextor) and Cozi Costi (Holly Valance, Jamiroquai, Booty Luv). Nabiha previously performed under the moniker Tiger Lily. www.myspace.com/nabihamusic

LOVELY LUCY LOVE Like Nabiha? Then don’t miss one of Nabiha’s favourite colleagues, grime rapper Lucy Love. - I think Lucy Love is so cool and she seems like a creative type. I know that she’s studied art and design and that might explain her cool style, says Nabiha. Lucy Love also has a multicultural background with a mother from England and a father from Zambia, but she grew up in Denmark. Her father’s the inspiration behind her breakthrough hit “Daddy Was A DJ”. A cheerful song about a colourful and beer thirsty bon vivant who set fire to dance floors under his aliases DJ Ronnie Bass and Funky Ronnie. www.myspace.com/lucylovemc

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Nobody’s perfect. Thankfully. And originality and recognisability are very precious things when it comes to pop music. Take Danish singer Nabiha Bensouda, recognisable by two traits, she won’t change for anything in the world: an abundance of delicious melodies you could just kiss – and a charming gap between her front teeth. - I’ve never been dominated by people’s idea of beauty or the whims of fashion, Nabiha states. - I personally prefer it when there’s some personality thrown in there. The most beautiful people are the ones with an edge to them. The ones that make you curious and make you want to get to know them. The gap between my front teeth is just a part of me, and I like to stand out from the crowd. As a teenager I once had my afro hair straightened, but it just wasn’t me. It’s about being yourself.

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JAZZBIRDS BRAVE BLONDE AMBITIONS Annekei moved from Denmark to N.Y. and suddenly got a big break as a jazz popsongstress in Japan. Sounds fantastic. And it is! Anne is the daughter of two Danish jazz musicians, and later in life she ended up playing with some of the artists her dad would be raving about – and constantly spinning on their gramophone. For instance the legendary guitarist Lee Ritenour who also happened to be the producer of Annekeis 3rd solo album “Touch” (2009). This was one of the albums that made her a jazz sensation in Asia, but how did a Danish girl end up as a star in Japan? A country she knew little about until a record company phoned her up to arrange a signing of a record deal. - When it happened, it was a pretty hilarious and amazing experience. A New York moment, explains Annekei with a smile. If you can make it there... - I moved from Denmark to New York City in 2002 and have been residing there for the past 8 years. One night, about 5 years ago, a Japanese reviewer happened to catch a small gig I did at a venue called “Rockwood Music Hall” on the Lower East Side. Afterwards he came up to me and asked for my information - and if it would be alright for him to bring my music to Tokyo and present it to record labels over there. Having been in New York for 3 years already, I was pretty sceptical of people talking about what they could do for me. But of course I thanked him for the interest and a few days later I sent him a CD, some pictures and a video clip. About a month passed and a Japanese label called me up. They invited me to Tokyo immediately, and signed me over a dinner at Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo. Your popularity is increasing in other Asian countries like China, Indonesia and Thailand: Did you work hard on that or is your company really working hard making it happen for you? - It’s a combination. No one ever works harder at one’s career than one self. Still, I’ve been very fortunate to have immense support from both musicians, producers, press and record labels. I recently also received an endorsement deal with Yamaha Guitars who equip me with beautiful

Danish girl is big in Japan guitars. I’ve released 4 records in Japan now - the 5th one (a live-album) has just been released so that’s definitely where I have the biggest and strongest team. They book my tours, flights, hotels etc. and facilitate the budgets and arrange things, when I have an idea for a new album. All other territories where I don’t have a record label yet, I’m at the mercy of my own hard work and sleepless nights. However, I really enjoy that part of my job as well. “The victory is in the struggle” and in this music world, if you build good and solid roots of relationships, it allows your branches to grow into a beautiful tree! Scandi-jazz rules Why this craze and hype in Japan about Scandinavian jazz? - I discovered very quickly that especially in Japan they have the same love of melodies. In the U.S. these days, the popular music is more groove/beat oriented. In Japan the audience just loves a great song with a beautiful melody and some depth to the lyrics. You’re a beautiful blonde girl from Denmark, which must be considered very exotic and sexy in Japan: I guess that hasn’t exactly damaged your career? - I think it comes down to that all over the world, unfortunately. You have to be careful, though, as a girl singer, not focusing TOO much on how you look. Essentially it comes down to the honesty of your work. And I’ve felt myself falling into that pitfall plenty of times - and losing confidence in myself as a musician as a “penalty of vanity”. If you can win over an audience in your flip flops and no make-up, you know you’re doing your job right! In Denmark we have very benign nature and lots of historical buildings reminding us of our ancestors. In Japan buildings are modern – and people are under constant threat from natural disasters like earth quakes and tsunamis. Does that contrast affect your music? - In Japan the earth can shake you up anytime. It tends to make people aware of the moment. There’s a great appreciation for the gifts of the earth, nature’s force and the force of our own human nature. I’ve actually started studying buddhism very seriously and am a big admirer of the Japanese traditions. One thing that always intrigues me about Denmark is how much we take

things for granted. It definitely has something to do with nature, but I think it’s also a result of life in Denmark being pretty easy and straightforward. Sometimes it’s the moments of shaky ground - in all aspects - literally and metaphorically speaking - that teach people how to appreciate the present moment. Check Please! - Musically speaking, nothing has affected me more than my Danish roots. And then I have to add: Without New York City I probably wouldn’t have had the same opportunity to let those roots grow into what I am today. I’ve always sought to grow into “myself” as opposed to growing into a “direction” or “school”. In New York there are no rules and no judgement. This mentality has definitely put the hat I’m wearing on my head. The rest - from the hat down - is my roots. Japan hasn’t directly affected my musical style. But once in a while I DO write songs specifically directed at my Japanese audience, with their musical taste in mind. What’s best about being big in Japan? - It has allowed me to do music full time. Up until the day I got signed in 2006, I was working two, sometimes three waitressing/bartending jobs besides the music in order to survive in the city. When you have to work that much, it might build the nerve and the hunger that you need for your artistry, but it also makes the development and song-writing really slow. I love being able to write, record and tour non-stop. I feel more at home on hotels in Japan than anywhere. Because I do what I love, and people get something out of my work in their own lives. What du you miss most about Denmark? - My family. Tags: N.Y. urban cool. Dane is a Japanese jazz darling. At age 19 Annekei moved from her home country, Denmark, to pursue her musical ambitions in New York. She signed with a Japanese label and released her self-titled debut album in 2006. www.annekei.co

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TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY courtesy of Video Arts Music

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TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY courtesy of Video Arts Music

JAZZBIRDS Japanese girl makes it big in Denmark ASIAN SENSATION IN DENMARK

Makiko moved from Tokyo to Hong Kong and settled in Denmark. She founded a stalwart career, and is blessed with the best of two very different worlds. Makiko Hirabayashi has lived in Denmark for 20 years. Over the years she has become a respected fixture on the Danish jazz scene, and Makiko has released three albums. It was love, of course, that lead Makiko to Denmark. Cupid’s arrow was pointing towards Copenhagen, when she met her future husband at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where they were both studying music. Her native city is Tokyo but she has also lived in Hong Kong. You could call her a child of modern globalization. - I’ve always been fascinated with different peoples and cultures throughout the world, and I’ve played with musicians from many different backgrounds and countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Spain and obviously Denmark. But I haven’t really stuck to any particular style or genre and at present I mostly play my own music, Makiko explains. An Artist Friendly Nation She’s had her musical hands on anything from Scandinavian folk to complex improvisational

jazz and she’s thrilled to have made Denmark her musical base. - There are probably more venues in Japan, but there are also more musicians. In Denmark you can apply for funding of music projects and there are unions. This allows you to negotiate pay according to a pre-determined minimum wage. These things don’t exist in Japan, which makes it difficult to carry out projects, that don’t have a broad commercial value. On the other hand you can potentially reach a bigger audience there, if you have a hit. I like living in Denmark, and I get to play with amazing musicians that I really care about. You’ve also played in your native Japan. What’s it like to return home to perform? - It’s a good feeling to be able to give a little back to my country. It also gives me an opportunity to present something from here, that they don’t have in Japan. Can you venture a guess as to why there is such a huge interest in Scandinavian jazz in China and Japan? - First of all blonde girls are very exotic in the Orient. Also a slight sense of aloofness is common to people in Scandinava and the East. They like the melodic and transparent elements of Scandinavian jazz.

Tags: From Tokyo with Love. Global girls. Tokyo/Hong Kong/Copenhagen. Makiko Hirabayashi was born in Tokyo, Japan. She started playing piano at the age of 4, and the violin at 9. A scholarship to pursue studies in composition brought her to Berklee College of Music in Boston at age 20. In 1990, Makiko moved to Copenhagen with Danish guitarist Morten Kargaard. Makiko has released three albums. Two of them with her Makiko Hirabayashi Trio. www.makiko.dk

Declare Independence! The Dane Annekei has taken the trip in reverse via New York to achieving great success in Japan among other countries. Are we living in a fully globalized world? - Not quite. I still play mostly in Europe, where I live. But obviously the world of music has grown smaller because of the internet, so it has become a lot easier to share your music with artists in different countries. What’s the best thing about living in Denmark? - Being able to play with great musicians and being independent. What do you miss most about Japan? - My family. Makiko’s family would be proud of her if they read about her in Japanese magazine Jazz Critique Magazine. Her album “Hide and Seek” received two awards; “Jazz Audio Disk Award 2009” and “Jazz Melody Award 2009” for the title song “Hide and Seek”.

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TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY rawformat

JAZZBIRDS Japanese girl makes it big in Denmark ASIAN SENSATION IN DENMARK

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TEXT anders houmøller thomsen

Jazz Delights in Shanghai

KOPPEL/ANDERSSON/RIEL

womex

PHOTOGRAPHY Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole by Ea Frøkjær TEXT thomas borre

SINNE EEG

Copenhagen became the host city of The World Music Expo - also known as Womex - for the first time in 2009, and in the next two years the Danish capital will make sure that world music is in the best of hands. Boom Boom met Peter Hvalkof, who, besides booking the world music program at Roskilde Festival and the day-to-day programme at regional music venue Global in Copenhagen, is also the man behind the initiative to make Copenhagen the city Womex takes place in the next few years.

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GLOBAL UNITS

The world of GLOBAL Music

CATHRINE LEGARDH

A sheer viking invasion is taking place at the EXPO in Shanghai, China. Around 30 prominent Danish jazz combos are joining in at the grand cultural exchange throughout 2010. Boom Boom proudly presents six of the main attractions. CATHRINE LEGARDH If listening to charming Cathrine Legardh seems like listening to a kid’s carefree playing around, you’re not far off. Sometimes she performs and composes jazz for children (‘NullerNix’), and so far she has launched two CD’s and a book for kids. Cathrine is born in Denmark to Danish-SwedishNorwegian parents, and she’s a true cosmopolitan, having performed all over the place. England, Scotland, the USA, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Her range is just as varied: singing the American standards - swing and bebop - and a selection of Nordic tunes as well as her own compositions. Cathrine Legardh has released two albums. “Gorgeous Creature” (2008) and “NorDisk” (2010). At the China concert she is accompanied by Jakob Dinesen (sax) and Daniel Franck (bass). www.legardh.dk Plays at EXPO: May 19th.

AUGUST ENGKILDE AND GLOBAL UNITS This jazz-combo doesn’t just spoil your ears. There’s a treat for the eyes as well. August Engkilde and Global Units deliver an aesthetic and harmonious performance in which the music is combined with video compositions. Both music and visuals affords room for improvisation and the group centre their performance around the theme of Global Units. The music is a meeting of the East and the West and is created by Danish composer August Engkilde in collaboration with Chinese

BANDAPART

composer and musician Yan Jun. Casper Øbro is in charge of the visuals. www.augustengkilde.com Plays at EXPO: May 26th.

KOPPEL/ANDERSSON/RIEL The powerful trio Koppel/Andersson/Riel has toured extensively in Europe, the USA, China and the North Atlantic Islands. Their swinging jazz chamber music is positioned in the wake of the classical trio format, and they have a very international jazz sound. Their repertoire consists of an amazing cocktail of groovy classics from the history of jazz mixed with new compositions with a melancholic Nordic sound. The trio consists of danish sax player Benjamin Koppel, Swedish bass player Thommy Andersson and the legendary Danish drummer Alex Riel. myspace.com/koppelanderssonriel

KATRINE MADSEN

BANDAPART They took their name from a Jean-Luc Godard movie (“Bande à part”). Great flick. Great Danes. Ever wonder why no one bothered to make a fusion of experimental jazz, Bill Frisell and the new millennium dream-wave of Icelandic rock? Well, ponder no further, because this Danish band is already out there in a magical and marvellous soundscape. The cinematic flow is directed by Jonas Westergaard (bass), Jakob Bro (guitar), Jeppe Gram (drums) and Søren Kjærgaard (keyboards). All notorious and respected musicians in countless jazz/rock-constellations. So far Bandapart has toured in Germany, China and South Korea. myspace.com/bandapartdk Plays at EXPO: August 11th.

KATRINE MADSEN - She gives the goosebumps on your goosebumps goosebumps, one critic concluded. Singer/ songwriter Katrine Madsen prooves that jazz isn’t only accessible to snobbish professionals, who have spent 50 years analyzing their acquired tastes. Her voice and music is wonderfully unpretentious and grows from a natural mould of emotional soul. In her home country she’s been hailed as one who - knows the art of turning jazz into something which everyone can relate to. When she sings we do not ask for anything else. www.myspace.com/katrinemadsen

SINNE EEG & ROSENDAL, EARLE, TEMPLETON Danish Jazz has earned great respect all over the world – not least thanks to singer Sinne Eeg. Her music is full of languishing temperament and world class phrasings and her journey into international jazz began in 2003 with the release of her self-titled debut album. It enchanted an ever-expanding audience in both China and Japan, and the Danish singer has become quite a jazz club darling in Shanghai where she has played numerous times. Now she’s back with superb back up: The trio Rosendal.Earle.Templeton who won the 2008 Danish Music Award for Jazz Album of the Year. They’ll give a treat of colourful songs from Sinne Eegs recent album “Don’t Be So Blue” as well as explorations into jazz standards. Competitors: Don’t be so green with envy either. www.sinnemusic.com

Plays at EXPO: July 21st.

Plays at EXPO: October 27th.

Plays at EXPO: June 2nd.

Tags: NewMarket China, Danish Jazz-darlings, EXPO/Shanghai

TEXT anders houmøller thomsen

Jazz Delights in Shanghai

KOPPEL/ANDERSSON/RIEL

womex

PHOTOGRAPHY Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole by Ea Frøkjær TEXT thomas borre

SINNE EEG

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GLOBAL UNITS

The world of GLOBAL Music

CATHRINE LEGARDH

BANDAPART

composer and musician Yan Jun. Casper Øbro is in charge of the visuals. www.augustengkilde.com Plays at EXPO: May 26th.

KATRINE MADSEN

Plays at EXPO: July 21st.

Plays at EXPO: October 27th.

Plays at EXPO: June 2nd.

Tags: NewMarket China, Danish Jazz-darlings, EXPO/Shanghai

PHOTOGRAPHY Kenge by Karolina Zapolska

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For decades Peter Hvalkof has had an interest in the so-called world music, although he’s not too fond of that constructed genre category: - The term came into existence in the 1980’s as part of a new awareness of all the many global musical expressions, that didn’t fit into our traditional Western understanding of genres. It was actually a term record labels used to file all the music, they didn’t know what else to call, under, says Peter Hvalkof, who’s been a guest at the Womex fair 14 times. Actually there’s only been one Womex event without Peter Hvalkof, which demonstrates his immense passion for world music. Musical indignation Peter Hvalkof first decided to make a bid for hosting Womex because he felt that world music deserved better conditions than what he’d experienced at Womex previously and on his many journeys around the world as a booker: - World music is the poor cousin in the musical family. I simply wanted some better conditions production-wise for an event like this, explains Peter Hvalkof and adds that Womex caters to approximately 3.000 music industry professionals every year. A third works within live booking which shows that concerts and touring is huge in world music:

selling soundtrack album suddenly pushed Cuban music into the mainstream. Nordic Quality These commercial booms are what world music needs and that’s why it’s so important to have professional working conditions under which to develop, says Peter Hvalkof. Luckily the response to last year’s Womex was unequivocally positive: - I’ve only gotten positive feedback on last year’s event, even though Bella Center’s not necessarily the perfect place for an expo and Denmark’s an expensive country to be a guest in, Peter Hvalkof explains and mentions a string of showcases in Danish National Radio and Television’s concert hall, which was created by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel. - A lot of people were impressed with the very exclusive sound equipment, which obviously benefits both musicians and audience. It means that working conditions are as they should be. In Denmark there’s a distinction – unlike in most countries - between world music and roots music. That’s why, at last year’s Womex, one of the five stages was a Nordic Stage, which garnered a lot of attention. Peter Hvalkof explains what that meant for the Danish roots artists: - Valravn’s show at the concert hall meant a lot to them (a tour of Japan, ed.) and Harald Haugaard also performed well on stage. And Afenginn were also very active at the Expo. On the upcoming Womex events in Copenhagen Peter Hvalkof states: - We’re going to be a tough act to follow. We’ve raised the bar considerably!

- At Womex it’s less focused on record sales and that’s why we haven’t experienced a drop in attendance as they have at Midem in Cannes or Popkomm in Berlin, which was cancelled in 2009.

Tags: The world in Copenhagen, Global Venues, We are the world

Global success At Copenhagen venue Global, the place where Peter Hvalkof works as a booker, they’ve actually doubled attendance compared to last year, something that in a very tangible way illustrates the fruits harvested from hosting Womex: - Womex in Copenhagen has branded the venue, which contributes to strengthening the quality of the presentation of world music in the capital. And booking contacts around the globe has been made. Global has been lifted into the European league of world music, Peter Hvalkof claims. And he emphasizes:

WIKI FACTS: THE WORLD MUSIC EXPO Womex is an international organisation with 15 years under its belt. It works as a marketplace for world music’s business folk. Around 3.000 professionals visit Womex during the five days it runs for. Besides loads of music, Womex also presents networking facilities, award shows and conferences.

- A venue like Global is very important. We present new, global trends. We pave the way for world music before the other, genre-less venues start booking it. We’ve seen that with Balkan music which is heard in clubs and venues all around Copenhagen these days. A parallel to this story could be “Buena Vista Social Club” (a film by Wim Wenders with a popular soundtrack and subsequent tour, ed.). That million-

www.womex.com www.globalcph.dk

Womex’ main organisation is situated in Berlin, Germany. Womex Copenhagen is backed by the organisation WorldMusicFair Copenhagen, led by Rikke Frisk, who is also involved with electronic music festival Strøm (read more about it elsewhere in this magazine, ed.) The organisations behind WorldMusicFair Copenhagen are: Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Danish Centre for Culture and Development, Global Copenhagen, Roskilde Festival, Welcome Meeting Management, Wonderful Copenhagen, World Music Denmark and WOMEX – The World Music Expo. From 2009 to 2011 Womex takes place at Bella Center in Copenhagen, which has been granted the three-year honour of being hosts. In 2010 Womex will be held from the 27th until the 31st of October.

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The world is smaller these days. That’s a cliché we often use or remind each other of on fitting occasions. This could be one of those occasions! Some thirty years ago world music was something you might run into on a trip to South America or the Balkans. Today it’s a different story, and the wide-spread availability of broadband connections makes it possible for us to take in musical experiences in a matter of minutes – and store them on our hard drive not the least. No matter if the music’s from Pakistan or Cuba, Rio or Congo Brazzaville.

PHOTOGRAPHY Kenge by Karolina Zapolska

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- At Womex it’s less focused on record sales and that’s why we haven’t experienced a drop in attendance as they have at Midem in Cannes or Popkomm in Berlin, which was cancelled in 2009.

Tags: The world in Copenhagen, Global Venues, We are the world

www.womex.com www.globalcph.dk

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MOOD OPERATOR TEXT thomas borre

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Moodagent is the name. It’s a small, free application facilitating playlist adventures on a track by track level. The app has been launched in both Nokia’s and Apple’s digital worlds (Ovi and iTunes, ed.). Its primary function is to monitor the music consumer’s mood based on the criteria Sensual, Tender, Happy, Angry and Tempo. Using the consumer’s own digital music collection it is able to create a dynamic playlist that facilitates the user’s current frame of mind. That digital journey did take a long time for Syntonetic, which is the name of Peter Berg Steffensen and Mikael Henderson’s company, that made the popular application. Currently the Danish company makes a string of different music solutions, all based on the mood system, on the mobile, computer and web platforms. The system is able to – via advanced metadata about more than 30 million song titles – generate playlists, recommendations, radio stations and in-store solutions. A market, that wasn’t ready For more than ten years Syntonetic has worked on developing refined algorithmic systems, that can identify the criteria based values of a piece of music and generate mood playlists based on the music consumers’ growing audio collections on both mobile phones and computers. Today the company is - in spite of the global recession – in very good financial shape, but ten years ago it was hard to find backing for their “futuristic” endeavours: - We started Syntonetic assuming that all music would be digital in the future. Since we founded the company we’ve focused on making it easier to discover new music through intelligent playlisting. When the album format was dissolved into a track by track thinking we saw the need for alternative dramaturgical sequences. We founded Syntonetic with an idea that there would eventually be a market for metadata on the qualities of the individual pieces of music, and that that data would facilitate the creation of exciting playlisting techniques, explains company owner Peter Berg Steffensen, who has a background as a computer scientist specializing in artificial intelligence. His partner in “mood” crime Mikael Henderson’s background is in music and music production, an excellent combination of skill sets according to Peter Berg Steffensen! The wording of the patent application on the intelligent playlist concept took seven years of hard work for the the two entrepreneurial music lovers, before their goal was achieved. Stubbornness was a necessity, explains Peter Berg Steffensen with a smile on his lips. Manual Music Expertise And Heavy Statistical Data Things have been moving fast for Syntonetic, especially within the last couple of years. A few years ago they had only five employees. Today Syntonetic has 21 employees working on maintaining and refining the Moodagent platform. Some of them are strategically placed in a San Francisco office, while the rest are located at the head office in Copenhagen and at a software development centre in Scotland. A handful of the employees function as musicologists. They are responsible for Moodagent’s musical quality assurance, as they constantly calibrate the input to a host of musical feature detectors. This is combined with heavy signal analysis and statistical data processing in an intricate algorithmic system. The result being that Moodagent is capable of extracting the musically significant features from any song in the world. - We’ve hired some music-savvy experts, who listen to music samples and make value assessments from a string of both exemplary and non-exemplary characteristics – eg. emotional content, perceived tempo, genre and style

characteristics, instrumentation and so on. Then the system has to learn how to auto generalize and learn how to replicate the behaviour of the music experts, Peter Berg Steffensen explains, and he adds that the process of manually feeding the system with music expert data and then teaching it to make generalizations is called machine training, and that the trained machine is an expert on profiling music. These profiles – the musical metadata – are hosted in a so called ’computing cloud’ at IT giant Amazon. They were among the first to offer flexible solutions on how to distribute Moodagent’s music profiles quickly and securely. Peter Berg Steffensen continues: - To this date Moodagent has profiled around 30 million songs. And if Moodagent hasn’t come across a particular song before, it’s profiled in realtime, once and for all. The number of profiled songs is constantly growing. As is Syntonetic’s ambitions for expanding the Moodagent’s intelligence. More Mood Intelligence in the future The current, heavily downloaded version of Moodagent is just the basic version – the proverbial foot in the door. There’s a version 2.0 coming out this April, and ideas for future versions are already brewing in Syntonetic’s Mood Lab. The goal for Syntonetic is that Moodagent becomes the default way of using and consuming music in every possible way. The company foresees that mood playlists will become an integral part of the consumers’ digital identity, on social media platforms for instance, to an even higher degree. Besides being represented on all possible platforms, there are also plans for expanding the abilities of Moodagent. At the moment the company’s working with a host of scientists throughout Europe, experimenting with state-of-theart sensors. Not only could the Moodagent utilize the user’s GPS location, it could take into account factors like perspiration, cardio rhythms and brain waves when creating the perfect playlist: - In the future Moodagent will work with personal context dependencies, Peter Berg Steffensen explains. He also hopes that all musical hardware – like bluetooth for example – will be equipped with a Moodagent in the future.

Tags: Digital Innovation, Music Apps, Audio Gadget www.syntonetic.com FROM COMPLICATED TO SIMPLE BUSINESS Peter Berg Steffensen describes Syntonetic’s road to success as troublesome. There weren’t many, who were eager to listen, when the company launched its idea roughly a decade ago. Tat’s why the innovative duo has had to work hard to reach the right business model. - We’ve had a firm belief in our ability to create good playlist solutions from day one. We’ve talked to major players in the IT and music industries, but they all lacked the courage to get on board. Several of them felt, we were talking pure science fiction! The greatest challenge for Syntonetic has been to generate a steady profit – especially before their patent registration was finalized. Several years went by before Peter Berg Steffensen and Mikael Henderson managed to find (and convince!) the most visionary investors, that their idea was a winning one. When the first investor came on board, things started to go smoother and later on a licensing deal with Finnish telecom giant Nokia was struck. A lot of their new phones now come pre-loaded with Moodagent, meaning that the application – despite its current success on the Apple platform – currently is most wide-spread on the Ovi platform. This March alone saw a quarter of a million new users. About the company’s current business model Peter Berg Steffensen said to business media portal epn.dk this January: - Our business model is simple. We’ve made the best music player in the world, and it can be used on virtually all telephones and computers, and we’re giving it away for free. The larger the number of users is, the more people we can reach with the advertising and services Moodagent contains. Especially music, film and gaming companies are willing to pay to get exposure in an environment, where the user’s taste in music and personal context is already known.

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The way people consume music has changed dramatically over the years – especially during the last decade. Danish entrepreneurial duo Peter Berg Steffensen and Mikael Henderson have engaged fruitfully with the new digital reality. Focusing on the consumer, they’ve created a musical playlist mood matcher that’s currently all the rage in the digital realm.

MOOD OPERATOR TEXT thomas borre

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MUSICAL CARBON NEUTRALITY

Denmark has a long standing tradition for particularly windmill based energy production and now this innovative sustainability has spread to music related activities. This is the music studio Axis Mundi Studios, which is powered by solar cells on the roof, a windmill in the surrounding garden and a german wood pellet furnace with the ability to automatically turn itself on and off as needed. Boom Boom welcomes you to Scandinavia’s first carbon neutral recording studio! TEXT thomas borre PHOTOGRAPHY per rask

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We’ve all heard the environmentally worrysome statement on the state of our planet: “We did not inherit the Earth from our parents, we’re borrowing it from our children.” This way of thinking is gaining wider and wider acceptance, and there’s a growing global interest in producing environmentally friendly energy, and thereby reducing carbon emissions. The recent climate change conference COP15 – the result not withstanding – is a clear indication of this. A bit north of Denmark’s capital Copenhagen musician, composer and producer Jacob Moth has worked on completing his sustainable mission, which unites his passions for music and environmentally sound behaviour. Jacob Moth, a past member of heavy rock outfit Fate and runaway Asian succes BL!NK, has established an environmentally friendly recording studio, that produces enough power to keep the well equipped studio up and running. Sustainable self-suffiency Since 1995 Jacob Moth has worked on making his dream come true and today he is able to proudly gaze upon his sustainable achievement, that covers its own energy needs by means of an intelligent wood pellet furnace, modern solar cell technology and the enormous power of the wind: - I have a system of solar panels on the roof that generates around 2.000 kilowat-hours, Jacob explains and adds that an average Danish household uses around 5.000 kilowathours each year. The remaining kilowat-hours are supplied by a single windmill and another 1.3000 kilowat-hour solar cell system in the surrounding garden and especially the recently acquired computer controlled wood pellet furnace. - In order to make something carbon neutral you have to conserve energy wherever you can. All lights in the studio are LED lights for instance, which uses 5 watts in stead of the usual 20 watts normal bulbs use. Jacob Moth points to the spot lights in the ceiling of the specially constructed circular hall, that is shaped to symbolize the holistic and cyclic thinking, that also fascinates Jacob Moth. The floor is a giant yin and yang symbol made from ash and wenge wood. In the four corners of the world are hand carved columns and above us is a starry sky made from 500 optic fibres, each more than 10 meters long and originating at a single source of light in the lobby of the studio. Axis Mundi Studios is full of details like that. They contribute to a unique experience for both the eye and mind. And for Jacob Moth there is also a spiritual dimension to the carbon neutral energy consumption, something he talked about on national Danish television in March: - I envision it like the solar cells are a kind of antenna for the spiritual power coming from the Sun, and that extra dimension and energy is flowing into the music through the power that is coming directly from the Sun. Organic Bricks Aside from the environmentally friendly energy consumption, the choice of building materials is also a

well thought out environmental strategy. The walls that support the frame of the studio are made from “organic” bricks: - The clay bricks are compressed under an extremely high pressure. 6 or 7 times less energy is expended this way than using conventional brick production techniques, because the bricks are compressed rather than burnt. And it’s also better for the acoustics of the room. Jacob Moth elaborates: - The walls are very dense because you don’t use mortar between the bricks. In stead they are glued together with wet clay. The walls are completely sound proof, but the building can still breathe because the bricks aren’t burnt. The enthusiasm burns in his eyes as he talks of the project, and he adds that the bricks need to be treated carefully. They are very sensitive to water and that is why the solar panel clad roof stretches out beyond the fragile organic wall in true African clay hut style. Going into Axis Mundi is like entering a completely different world. Everything here is characterized by a both practical and mental lack of compromise. Jacob Moth confirms that he hasn’t sought out the cheapest or easiest solution to any challenges, always going straight for the most optimal solution, architechturally, technologically and most of all aesthetically speaking. In terms of the latter the eye cannot help but notice, that all the details and carvings in the doors, window frames and cupboards are hand made or intricately decorated in other ways. This is true both inside the studio and out in the garden, which like the rest of the studio compound is influenced by Jacob Moth’s spiritual interests. The garden, which is traversed by footpaths, winding stairs, suspension bridges and platforms, is fully compatible with the studio it self, making it possible to utilize it as a part of the recording facilities of the place. Both the studio and the garden is filled with the latest technology as well as archetypal and mythological creatures from the dawn of life. The eternal legends of life and the most advanced technological gadgets form a symbiosis and, according to Jacob Moth, lay a fertile foundation for the development of new ideas. Tags: Sustainable recording studio, carbon neutrality, responsibility. axismundistudio.dk jacobmoth.com lilarose.com Jacob Moth’s musical awakening took place at age 11, when he got an electric guitar and a casette tape of Jimi Hendrix songs. His infatuation with hard rock grew during his teenage years and at age 21 he became a member of heavy rock group Fate. The band put out the album “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” in the late eighties and supported Yngwie Malmsteen on a European tour. Later on Jacob Moth became a part of legendary Danish band Savage Rose. In 1993 he formed the band BL!NK, that didn’t garner much attention in Denmark. As the band was breaking up, the South Koreans started raving about BL!NK, and the band went to number one in several countries. BL!NK amassed a total of 400.000 album sales. BL!NK disbanded around the turn of the millennium, and Jacob Moth has - besides building Axis Mundi Studios – been busy composing movie scores ever since. On top of that he’s a member of the band LilãRose, who are currently recording their debut album. LilãRose consists of Jacob Moth, his Moldavian wife Ecaterina and Sune Vang Nielsen (bass), Thomas Kjær (drums) and English producer Gary Wallis (Pink Floyd a.o.).

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In Denmark windmills play a central role in the supply of renewable energy, and windmill manufacturing company Vestas is the largest producer of windmills in the world. These windmills turn wind into electricity by means of a generator.

MUSICAL CARBON NEUTRALITY

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WELCOME TO MEDINA TEXT thomas borre & anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY sigurd høyen

It doesn’t get much bigger than this in Denmark! The club pop singer Medina has just performed in Parken, Denmark’s national stadium, in front of 40,000 excited spectators and more than two million television viewers. This happened when the world’s largest “X Factor” live final was held there. She performed with the Danish winner of the popular talent show. This event is a symptomatic culmination to what has been an outstanding year for the Danish-Chilean singer, who had the best selling single of 2009. 150,000 copies were sold in a small country with only slightly more than five million inhabitants. The single was later released internationally bearing the English title “You & I”. This has already resulted in a few English chart topping experiences. The States have also taken a shine to her, and the video for “You & I” has been viewed more than five million times on YouTube. And it doesn’t seem like her popularity has peaked yet!

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WELCOME TO MEDINA TEXT thomas borre & anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY sigurd høyen

You can’t possibly get any bigger in Denmark. Do you think your success can translate to other countries? I can’t see why it couldn’t happen for me. I have a very strong work ethic, and I work equally hard abroad as well as in Denmark. If everything falls into place I can look forward to some exciting experiences. “You & I” went to number one on the English Dance Chart & Upfront Dance Chart. Do you have any idea how big a club hit this is becoming in Europe? - I have an inkling. Last week it was number six at the Airplay Dance Chart on Billboard in the USA, and doing really well in various places in Europe. It’s number one in Turkey! Things are moving fast right now.

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In the fall of 2009 an English language version of the single “Kun for mig” was released on the British record label Parlophone, a label that also houses musical heavyweights such as Coldplay, Pet Shop Boys, Kylie Minogue and others. An album is in the works: Are you going to translate the whole album? How’s the translating of your very personal lyrics into a different language going? - We translated four songs and the rest are all new songs, that I’m really proud to be able to present to the world. I truly believe that they are as good as all the best songs that get airplay. We are truly happy about it. The English lyrics were written collaboratively by the two Danish songwriters Adam Powers and Julie Steincke. The former has written songs for Danes Infernal and Aussie singer Kylie Minogue. “You & I” is about heartbreak – and about the ability of music to mend it all on the dance floor. Are you still a real club kid dancing the night away? - I would be if I had the time. I try to live a full life no matter if I’m in the tour bus, at home, in a plane or at a club. I sometimes feel like dancing all night long, but I never have the time, and if I finally do then I’ll probably fall asleep before the night even starts. “You & I” has been remixed by the masked North American producer Deadmau5 and the Danish Iranian producer DJ Aligator, who had an international smash hit with the single “The Whistle Song” some ten years ago. Tags: International club succes, Foxy Lady, Pop hit www.medinamusic.blogspot.com www.myspace.com/medinasoulcamp

WIKI FACTS Medina was born in 1982 and grew up in Risskov outside Århus with a Danish mother and a Chilean father. Her name was originally Andrea Fuentealba Valbak, but in 2005 she changed her name to Medina Danielle Oona Valbak after having consulted a numerologist. In 2007 she released her debut album “Tæt på” (“Close”) without causing too much of a stir. Is it an album to be forgotten, or is it a must for fans? - It’s a must! We’re playing four songs from the old album on our upcoming tour. I’m totally looking forward playing those songs again. We’ve spiced them up a bit and made them an indispensable part of the set. That album is a part of me and I’m just as proud of it as I am of the new album.

PROVIDERS TALK MEDINA The producer team Providers, consisting of Rasmus Stabell and Jeppe Federspiel, can rightfully claim part of the glory surrounding Medina’s current success. They’ve been instrumental in designing the singer’s sound. They met Medina in a small sandwich bar in Vesterbro in Copenhagen: - We got to talking and when we realized she was listening to her own music, we asked her to drop by our studio some day. After her first visit a year went by before we heard from her again. Then we started making music. Our initial idea was to make a Danish language R’n’B record, because we were tired of listening to bad English language knock-offs by Danish artists. The first album “Tæt på” (“Close”) established Medina as an artist and gave her a lot of experience. When that process was coming to an end we got together to find a way to make a new album. Medina had developed a stronger interest in club music and she was ready to experiment with new places to take pop music. Utilizing Rasmus Stabell’s experience as a DJ in the biggest Danish clubs and Jeppe Federspiel’s love of catchy tunes and pop music we managed to lay the foundation for Medina’s new and fresher sound. “Kun for mig” (“You & I”) was the first song we wrote together and it was the first step towards success. About Medina’s abilities, work ethic and focus Jeppe Federspiel explains: - She’s a skilled songwriter and she works so fast in the studio. Usually it doesn’t take her more than a day to write a track. The editing and additional production, on the other hand, takes a lot more time. Medina knows what she wants and that makes it so much easier for us to achieve a distinct sound. Besides working with Medina Providers also provide the auditory backdrop for Burhan G (BMG), and the duo has also worked with Outlandish (BMG) and L.O.C (EMI). www.providersmusic.dk

TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY rawformat

Pick up your black gold in the streets of Copenhagen. Boom Boom spins you the ultimate guide.

Welcome to vinyl heaven Sort Kaffe & Vinyl Damn good freshly roasted coffee and loads of vinyl temptation that will make a passionate music maniac drool and pant. The name of this small and stylish place translates into “Black Coffee & Vinyl”, and you’ll find it in the central and bohemian Vesterbro area in Copenhagen. The selection is limited compared to the big vinyl stores, but the merchandise is characterised by a sense of quality and a passion for music bordering on hysteria. Mostly new releases or re-releases within a broad scope of genres are to be found here: folk, kraut, rock, jazz, garage rock, soundtrack, surf, americana, electronica, soul and funk. But are the prices hopelessly unaffordable in such a small specialist shop? No, actually not, because owner Christian Rygaard has a strategy based on selling more coffee than vinyl, so vinyl is reasonably priced. Address: Skydebanegade 4, 1709 København V. www.sortkaffevinyl.dk

Mint Records The bright and inviting store is known to be one of those places, that offer favourable prices for music enthusiasts and people within the music industry selling new or old cd’s, vinyls or dvd’s. This could explain the store’s very reasonable prices and the large selection. The store stocks around 10,000 CD’s and at least as many vinyl records, and there are approximately 2,500 movie titles and 500 different games on the shelves as well. Mint Records is also the place if you need something to read, be it the newest edition of “Mojo” or vintage magazines. Also, go exploring in the basement, where real bargains are to be found. Prices drop every day for four weeks, and then the sale starts all over again with new inventory. You’ll find Mint in the friendly and thriving part of town called Frederiksberg, quite close to central Copenhagen. Address: Gammel Kongevej 140A, 1850 Frederiksberg C. www.mintrecords.dk

Sound Station One of Copenhagen’s most celebrated second-hand music shops, with a reputation ranging from extreme expertise to elitist snobbery, depending on who you ask. The selection’s huge anyway, and collectors can

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Boom Boom met the hard working star to ask her some questions about her runaway success, translating her song from Danish into English and about being too tired and busy to dance all night:

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TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY rawformat

Pick up your black gold in the streets of Copenhagen. Boom Boom spins you the ultimate guide.

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Boom Boom met the hard working star to ask her some questions about her runaway success, translating her song from Danish into English and about being too tired and busy to dance all night:

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spot festival danish music is cool as fuck! TEXT thomas borre PHOTOGRAPHY rasmus weng karlsen

always find new releases to spend their savings on. Don’t hesitate to ask because the stock-room is filled to the brim with goodies. Sound Station prides itself on having more than 200,000 titles on stock, making it one of Scandinavia’s best-stocked record stores. You can combine a visit to Sound Station with the above mentioned Mint Records as they’re situated on the very same fashionable street in the Frederiksberg area: Gammel Kongevej. But you don’t even need to go to the physical store to shop. Sound Station has 40,000 titles online, so if you simply have to have that rare The Smiths interview record, it can be shipped to Shanghai in China or Dagenham in London. Address: Gammel Kongevej 94, 1850 Frederiksberg C. www.soundstation.dk

Æter The name means “Ether”, and this is a store for connoisseurs looking for cult merchandise. It’s easy to accidentally walk past the small store, but if you do manage to find it, you are in a haven for urban cool. You are most likely to find the vinyl you’re looking for, if you’re into electronica and indie. You can listen

to the record while you think about buying it, and if the music doesn’t suit you, maybe their artist created T-shirts, their sunglasses or colourful second hand clothes will. Address: Jægersborggade 50, 2200 København N www.myspace.com/aeterbutik

Route 66 This store is an el dorado for hi-fi lovers, looking for fresh, newly pressed vinyl. Records are stocked from the floor and all the way up to the ceiling, so knock yourself out. The store also releases its own vinyl records, and Route 66 is a goldmine if you’re looking for vinyl editions of Danish records or international indie artists. It’s true what they say: “Get your kicks on Route 66”. Address: Fælledvej 3, 2200 København N

Tags: Retro-style, Black is back, Vinyl Wonderland

This writer would obviously never use such swear words. Instead he must refer to notable English music magazine NME (that’s New Musical Express if anyone’s wondering!) where the phrase was coined. One of the events that have contributed to increasing international awareness of Danish music is SPOT Festival. Since the mid nineties the festival’s presented the most innovative and active bands on the Danish music scene. Through the years the festival has sharpened it’s focus on music export. An effort that has benefited acts like The Raveonettes, Tina Dico, Mew and Alphabeat. But besides musical quality and curiosity, SPOT festival also is a stalwart defender of musical intimacy. But not VIP culture! Boom Boom met Gunnar Madsen who is the head of the festival.

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spot festival danish music is cool as fuck! TEXT thomas borre PHOTOGRAPHY rasmus weng karlsen

Tags: Retro-style, Black is back, Vinyl Wonderland

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International attention During the last decade international attention has been showered on Danish music within a broad palette of rhythmical genres. The story of how David Fricke (senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, ed.) had nothing but praise for The Raveonettes and Under Byen is a story often re-told by Danish industry professionals. David Fricke put yet another smile on the lips of all Danes when he wrote the following statement on the cover of “Rocking - Music from Denmark”: - While Denmark may be a bit like Ireland … its music industry is far more advanced with dozens and dozens of thriving, ambitious, professional, forward-looking labels, management companies, publishing companies and businesses which do all of the above and a whole lot more beside. This article could be written using only quotes from central players in the international music industry praising Spot Festival. But what does the festival’s top man him self think are the festival’s best qualities? - The primary quality of the festival is that it attracts international attention to Denmark. It brands the Danish music scene in general and in that respect it creates a common reference to Danish music. Gunnar Madsen, also the manager of ROSA (The Danish Rock Council, ed.) adds that the festival also makes room for a lot of national industry players and in that respect – in a Danish context - becomes a platform for the ongoing dialogues and challenges for the Danish music industry. Sort of a communal platform for communicating. Besides that he also points to the necessity for finding common ground within the industry: - We have to stick together if we want to influence

politicians and make sure rhythmical music is not being overlooked. Gunnar Madsen says that in Denmark there’s a (comparatively) heathy tradition for granting public funds to rhythmical music projects but that this funding can’t in any way measure up to the amount of money which is earmarked for classical, culturally preserving music. Progressive guests Around 300 international music industry professionals attend Spot Festival every year, but that’s not a criterium for success in and of itself for the festival. According to Gunnar Madsen Spot Festival – unlike similar festivals throughout Europe – hasn’t got a strategy of growth but a strategy of quality: - We don’t invite as many industry professionals as we can. It’s not important for us to be the largest festival. In that respect our thinking isn’t commercial. To us the most important thing is, that the people who visit us want to tell the world about our festival and also that they want to come back. In the same way that Spot Festival focuses on the fertile growth areas of the Danish music scene, Gunnar Madsen also prefers the industry guests to be young go-getters, and not necessarily the head honcho: - We don’t want to drag the president of Sony Music here by all means necessary. It’s at least as interesting to get a young culture journalist from Germany to attend. Maybe he’s the next president of something huge. We have to invest in young, progressive people, just like we do with the music side of it, Gunnar Madsen claims and adds that it also is a goal for the festival to attract new players

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THE WORLD IS THEIR PLAYGROUND

and new sub-cultures in order to ensure that the festival is associated with both freshness and versatility.

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He adds that it’s important for Spot Festival to create a welcoming environment for people who really love music. But even though it’s all about creating nice experiences for music lovers, Spot Festival also has a keen eye for export potential: - We want to encourage curiosity but it’s obvious that we also try to present something that has international sales potential. We focus on new acts but we don’t automatically exclude everything else. In the end it’s the quality of the music and the performance, that creates a good concert experience. We get around 1,000 applications and we can only fit around 10 % of those acts on our bill so there’s a lot of pressure on the us to plan it right. That’s why we put so much emphasis on whether or not the individual applicant is thought to be in or can document international demand. And, in closing, if we think about the beginning of the article once more, there are lots of international music opinion formers, who believe that Denmark is on a roll these days when it comes to high quality music: Danish Music Is Cool As Fuck! Tags: Music Export, Spot on Denmark, No VIPs www.spotfestival.dk SPOT – IN SHORT: Spot Festival began it’s journey in 1994 as a musical caravan, but in 1995 it found its port of call in Århus with ROSA (The Danish Rock Council, ed.) arranging it and JyllandsPosten (newspaper with nationwide circulation, known for having printed the Muhammed drawings!), Carlsberg and Roskilde Festival acting as sponsors. On the inception of the festival spokesperson Gunnar Madsen says: - In ROSA we wanted to establish a knowledge-sharing and networking platform for new music, which was largely ignored by the industry in the early 1990’s. The industry had it’s hands full with the big rock and pop names established in the 1980’s. ROSA felt there was a huge potential there and wanted to make sure they got media and industry attention. During the middle and end of the ’90’s ROSA worked hard on placing Danish acts such as Kashmir, Mew, Superheroes, Tina Dico, The Raveonettes and Tim Christensen on prominent international music business festivals such as Eurosonic, SxSw and Popkomm, but according to Gunnar Madsen it was hard to get the Danish music industry to support their international efforts. That’s also why it was hard to convince the cultural-political elite that it was even worth the effort: - In that respect Spot Festival was a good way to start a dialogue and shed some light on the growth area of music. And to demonstrate the quality and scope of Danish music. As opposed to all the other international business festival Spot maintains a focus on Danish (and in the last few years Nordic music in general) for the two days the festival runs. On top of that there are a string of seminars on the current state of the industry. This year speakers will include Danish musician and label boss Kristian Leth (The William Blakes), Tina Dico’s English manager Jonathan Morley, author Jay Frank, Senior Vice President for Music Strategy for Country Music Television and Tom Windish, owner of The Windish Agency, which is responsible for booking for Justice, Hot Chip and Girl Talk among others. As an offshoot of Spot Festival ROSA co-founded MXD (Music Export Denmark, ed.) in 2003 in order to boost promotion of Danish music on the international fields. - Jan Sneum from DR (Danmarks Radio, National TV & Radio, ed.) and I took the initiative because of our long-standing collaborative effort to unite IFPI Denmark (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), DUP (Danske Uafhængige Pladeselskaber, Danish Independent Record Labels, ed.) and Roskilde Festival on a common platform, which ROSA ran for the fi rst five years. As of 2009 MXD became a separate entity and as of this year Spot has also been separated from ROSA as an independent legal entity.

TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY christian faber

Put together Lego-music and symphonic grandeur, and you’re building a hard rock-success that may prove to be the “new Evanescence”. Cryoshell are totally taken aback with their immediate breakthrough.

PHOTOGRAPHY kim døssing

A MULTIFARIOUS DANISH FESTIVAL SCENE From a music industry perspective (specifically music export!) Spot Festival is without a doubt the most important of it’s kind, but Denmark also has a lot of other good festival initatives, who have their own individual take on creating a festival. Here are three prominent festivals: ROSKILDE FESTIVAL:

All round progressive since 1971! Since the beginning of the ’70’s Roskilde Dyreskueplads has been the home of one of Northern Europe’s largest festivals. A long list of both Danish and international names are on the bill and this attracts a large audience from all over the globe each year.

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No VIPs Spot Festival is both an industry festival as well as a festival for the general public. This needs to make sense both practically, economically and ideologically. But at Spot no visitor is better than anyone else, states Gunnar Madsen, who personally – in this context – doesn’t like the whole bling bling and VIP philosophy: - As a principle we don’t have any VIP areas at Spot. Everyone should be able to go anywhere on the festival. The energy lies in the fact people meet openly in the common areas.

The festival is, besides a comparatively progressive, mostly rock oriented, music programme, known for it’s army of thousands of volunteers. Add to that the festival’s much appreciated philosophy of charity work. The profits from each year go to a string of cultural and humanitarian charitable projects all around the globe. This year Gorillaz top the bill. Add to that, among others, Beach House, Alice In chains, Dirty Projectors, Florence + The Machine, FM Belfast and Motörhead. And as far as Danish acts go, you can experience Efterklang, ElctroJuice, Ghost Society and The Kissaway Trail. Runs: July 1st - 4th 2010 (warm up from the 27th of June) www.roskilde-festival.dk STRØM FESTIVAL:

An increase in interest in the electronic genres has resulted in Copenhagen getting its very own STRØM Festival – a festival dedicated to electronic music in all its various flavours. Even though Strøm is a rather new festival, it has already become a worthy alternative (or supplement) to kindred town festivals such as the Catalan Sonár Festival or German festival Melt. On the bill this year at Strøm is, among others, Darkstar, Mount Kimbie, To Roccoco Rot. Also this year Strøm presents an exclusive 20th anniversary concert with Future 3, who fi rst placed Denmark on the international, electronic map of the world with their debut album We Are the Future 3 (April Records) back in 1995. Runs: August 16th – 21st 2010 www.stromcph.dk COPENHELL:

Before Cryoshell have even put out an album or promoted their music in any major way, they’re already a hit in cyberspace! And at the same time the trio has landed a very advantageous deal with Danish toy giant Lego. Cryoshell have composed music for Lego’s successful series “Bionicle”. They blend their melodic hard rock with block rocking beats. Just listen to the song “Creeping In My Soul”, which was an instant download hit on Lego’s website, that has more than 15 million visitors each month. The single has also had over 1 million views on YouTube, spread over several videos on the site. Building a success In other words: Brick by brick Cryoshell are building a success, and the fairy tale continues with their debut album, which is coming out shortly. The Copenhagen trio consists of guitarist Kasper Søderlund, the beautiful metal miss Christine Lorentzen (A.K.A. “Lore”) and pianist Mikkel Maltha. The latter two answer Boom Boom’s most pressing question. Did Cryoshell start out as a side project for you? - Yes. We began working together because Lego asked us to compose a song for their “Bionicle” show, and as it turned out we all wanted the same things, musically. We wanted to play pop metal with strong melodies driven by a relentless and uncompromising energy and where “The Indie Taste Police” is put on permanent hiatus, says Christine.

Let there be metal! This year Copenhagen gets a much needed, outdoor metal festival. For two days 16 acts will rock out from two stages. There’s a huge interest in metal in Denmark, and also many active metal bands, so it really is about time the harder metal genres get their own festival. On the bill this year is, among others, American giants like Deftones, Suicidal Tendencies and Megadeth. On top of that you get Danish hard-hitters like Mnemic and The Psyke Project. Oh, and British grindcore standard bearers Napalm Death will also pop by.

The combination of Lego and hard rock seems a bit odd. Have you all benefited from this collaboration? - Yes, both parties have benefited massively. Lego got some grandiose, emotional music, which fit really well with their ad campaigns for “Bionicle”, which features six action heroes, and we’ve been able to garner attention from a lot of young people all over the world, which of course is invaluable and really exciting for us as a new band, says Mikkel.

Runs: June 11th -12th 2010 www.copenhell.com

We play - You Tube What are your expectations for the debut album?

- We hope that the people around the world, who already think we have something interesting to offer, will like the album. And we also hope that we’ll be able to reach others, who don’t know who we are yet. We’ve got a new video coming soon to all the social media platforms, Christine explains. Are there any particular countries you focus on in terms of record sales and touring? - In the long run the USA is an obvious priority. We can tell from YouTube that we have a lot of fans there, but we know that there are dedicated fans in Asia and Russia as well, so the dream scenario would be to test our music in front of audiences in all those places. And we also imagine that we could tour Germany. They have a great tradition for listening to metal and all its sub genres there. But it’s all so new to us, so now we’re trying to plan this thing right, says Christine. Christine used to be the host of Danish dance TV show “Vild med dans” (“Strictly Come Dancing”). Will that affect your concerts in any way? - Ha, ha! No, I doubt there will be any cha cha’ing, ball gowns or anything like that in our stage performance, but we’re all prepared to rock out and give it our all. Ballroom dancing is probably not the way to go, though, even though it would be entertaining, Mikkel explains. Christine Lorentzen – A.K.A. “Lore”. Has been singing and dancing most of her life. Before Cryoshell she recorded in Los Angeles, and in 2006 she participated in the TV show “Scenen er din” (“The Stage Is Yours”). That same year she hosted the TV show “Vild med dans” (“Strictly Come Dancing”). Pianist Mikkel Maltha has composed score music for fi lms and his classically inspired piano playing is an integral part of Cryoshell’s bombastic sound. Kasper Søderlund is a conservatory educated musician and he’s played with several solo artists in Europe, the USA and Canada. He’s also scored both fi lms and TV ads.

THE WORLD IS THEIR PLAYGROUND

and new sub-cultures in order to ensure that the festival is associated with both freshness and versatility.

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TEXT anders houmøller thomsen PHOTOGRAPHY christian faber

PHOTOGRAPHY kim døssing

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Runs: June 11th -12th 2010 www.copenhell.com

We play - You Tube What are your expectations for the debut album?

EXPERIENCE IS IN THE EAR:

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As consumers we react emotionally to sound. That is why – according to Karsten Kjems, the managing director of the company Sonic Branding – it’s about time that businesses started taking audio branding very seriously. Boom Boom consulted with the audio director in an attempt to learn more about an emerging new market; AUDIO BRANDING. It can hardly come as a surprise to anyone that the music industry is changing drastically. Maybe to an even greater extent than what we’ve already seen since the turn of the millennium, when the music consumers – primarily fuelled by the P2P service Napster – laid the foundation for new, digital habits of music consumption. But it’s not only the fast growing digital technology that’s contributing to the overthrow of everything that is familiar. New players and business models are entering the marketplace and music is popping up in new places. Not least in terms of marketing and branding. Rum manufacturers Bacardi signed electronic duo Groove Armada to their company and internationally respected Danish jazz drummer Thomas Blachman recently designed the audio logo for Danish national radio. In other words the experience and intellectual property rights economy is growing, and music plays a central part. Who’s in charge of sound around here? According to Karsten Kjems, companies that employ a sound strategy – or has an employee who’s in charge of audio branding - are few and far between, in spite of the fact that there are loads of studies that document the massive effect sound has on our behaviour. Danish marketing guru Martin Lindstrøm wrote the book “Buy•ology”, which examines our buying habits from a neurological perspective. In his book Martin Lindstrøm points out that branding doesn’t primarily work through the eye, but more through the ear. - Whenever we try to open up a dialogue with companies and we ask for the one in charge of sound, we are met with a deafening silence because most companies don’t have one, Karsten Kjems from Sonic Branding explains. He himself used to be an active producer and composer, often from behind the drum kit. He emphasises that it is often coincidence that determines which employee in a company decides which music is used in the phone queue or on the company website. This is not very ideal, says Karsten Kjems and he points to the fact that all other facets relating to the positioning and selfperception of a company is based on strategic consideration. New markets, new skills for the musician Apart from an audio branding market that hasn’t fully matured, Karsten Kjems also points to the fact that many musicians have a slightly outdated conception of their own musical work. The rock star dreams are still very much alive, even though chances of becoming one are getting slimmer: - Sound today has changed dramatically. There are many ways of being a musician today and that’s a very relevant fact to understand if you want to become a music producer. A fact that should be mirrored in our various music educations, says Karsten Kjems, who recently, as a consultant, helped create a whole new BA in Media Sonic Communication at University College South Denmark. The purpose of this BA is, among

other things, to teach the students about working strategically within the fields of sound design and audio branding in a commercial context, which is an indication of the fact that we are in the midst of a change of paradigms within the field of sound design. Assume responsibility for the sound! Today, all digital medias have an audio dimension to some extent and lots of studies have shown the powerful relevance of hearing. People change their con-suming behaviour when they’re exposed to music and good sound design will potentially increase sales – or at the very least the consumers’ ability to identify a certain product. Think about, for example, how many TV ads you’d be able to identify with your eyes closed! - You can’t rule out sound, states Karsten Kjems and compares it to the days when company managers asked their marketing consultants about if having one of those new fangled websites was really necessary. All companies should have someone in charge of sound, since they’re already audio branding themselves more or less without even knowing it. And having a strong audio brand pays off both in terms of social capital and not the least on the bottom line, Karsten Kjems explains. Tags: Audio Branding, Music Stylism, Auditive Marketing www.sonicbranding.dk AUDIO BRANDING – A POWERFUL SENSORY TOOL More and more companies are starting to see the benefits of working with audio in terms of branding and positioning. The idea of an audio brand is, among other things, to create recognisability – and auditory perception is a very powerful supplement to the other senses. The idea of audio branding is about using sound and music to create a valuable synergy with the company’s other efforts in branding. Audio branding creates a context across the different auditory interfaces of a company and reflects the company’s values in that respect. During the last decade the use of audio in marketing and communication has grown rapidly in many companies – through the use of IVR phone systems, com-pany and product presentations on websites, internal presentation videos, sound and music for stands at expos, podcasting, ringtones, instore music and radio an TV ads.

NEW PERSPECTIVES IN SALES The fields of commercial sound design and music supervision are explored increasingly in order to strengthen the joint venture interaction between the music industry and other industries. There’s an influx of Danish companies, that work with synchronization (placing of music in ads, campaigns, TV, computer games and so forth). In Denmark, companies like Upright Music (upright-music.com), who have ten years of experience in the field, and the recently founded Snow Potion (snowpotion.com) offer such music supervision services. The company Closer (clos-r.com), which is owned by Jens Eriksen and Morten Mørup, also excels within the field of music styling. On top of that there’s the aforementioned sound design education (BA in Media Sonic Communication), which is supposed to stimulate students’ relationship to commercial sound design. All this is an expression of how attitudes are changing within the field of audio branding.

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SOUND is the strongest brand. ®

TEXT thomas borre

EXPERIENCE IS IN THE EAR:

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SOUND is the strongest brand. ®

TEXT thomas borre

TEXT anders houmøller thomsen

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What’s new, cool cat? Denmark already brought you great bands like The Raveonettes, Mew and Kashmir. And here’s the new generation of exciting Danish acts struggling madly to be heard in a venue near you. Expect great songs, mammoth ambitions and wonderfully weird frenzy.

Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me! They’re pretty young for making such a refined fusion of everything from Roxy Music to The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. But Kiss Kiss Kiss are ambitious newcomers, and the bands first, funky single “Broken Hearts” might just make the whole world stop and listen. - Yes! It seems like people like it. The Greeks and the warm hearted Austrians are crazy about it! We had a great tour along with the Danish bands When Saints Go Machine and Ginger Ninja. The mountains were beautiful and we had an extraordinarily delicious Central European dinner at one point. You’re quite young, you’re from Jutland, and you specialize in playing effervescently joyful music. Much like fellow Danes Dúné. Is there a mutual respect between you, or are you pretty much getting into a fist fight when you meet them at venues or in town? - There’s a pretty good vibe. When we were first starting out we opened for Dúné a couple of times, so that was cool. I think they’re living in Berlin now, so we don’t get to see them very often. You won the MySpace Award at the Danish Music Awards in 2008. What has that medium helped you achieve? - Myspace has done a lot for us. We got our first gigs through MySpace and we met people there, who wanted good things for us! And it’s very cool that people can check out a couple of our songs and our tour plans. What was the best moment of 2009 for you? - Our first gig with our new live line-up featuring a keyboard player and a percussionist. They’ve made it possible for us to get that live sound, that we wanted. Name: Kiss Kiss Kiss Genre: Indierock Formed: “Back in the days” Quote: “An astounding, highly energetic live band” (review in Danish magazine GAFFA) Weird fact: Says Kiss Kiss Kiss: “We’re not as young as you might believe. We sold our souls to the Devil back in 1890!”

This Sister is doing it for herself RebekkaMaria used to be a slightly introverted rock chick in the band Lampshade. Now she makes overtly feminine and organically delicious electro pop. But to RebekkaMaria this was not a forced change of styles. It was more like a natural development. - After many good years playing rock music with Lampshade I needed to do something a little more extroverted and poppier. I needed to dance! My development as an artist has taken many turns and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lampshade has been my most important “schooling” and a time to grow. In many ways it’s made who I am today. Also, there are still lots of indie elements in my music today, says RebekkaMaria. She covers a lot of ground on her sophomore solo album. An album that tells tales of women: Maternal instinct, sex, infidelity, arts and crafts and female predatory instincts! - Earlier on I wrote from my own perspective, and everything is obviously still

filtered through my point of view, but it’s not all about me any more. There are stories there that just needed telling. For example stories of people I met on my journey through life. On your recent single “Corollaceous” you admit to being a flower addict. Is the song really an ironic commentary on women who use nature as a pretty decoration piece for their perfect “Desperate Housewives” homes? - In many ways the song is a bombastic consumer therapy song. It’s a tellingoff to all of us western (over-)consumers and our addiction to beauty and material things. It’s inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs Dalloway” and “Sex and the City”. Women indulging themselves in decadent overconsumption and narcissistic behaviour. But of course it’s okay to invite nature inside the house! What are your personal addictions? - Peace and quiet. My life as a touring musician makes me dependant on the journey between the wildness of touring and the quiet home life. Air and water. Name: RebekkaMaria Genre: Indie pop Formed: Released her first solo album in 2008. Quote: “The songs are beautiful, catchy acquaintances.” (Review in the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende) Weird fact: She used to call herself “As In RebekkaMaria” - but then she wised up.

Oh Wonderland Just call 24 year old electro pop songstress Nanna Øland Fabricius Denmark’s answer to a young Björk. Nanna – also known as Oh Land – follows her very own musical paths, and she’s even had royal support. She was awarded The Crown Prince and Crown Princess’ Cultural Award last year. At the same time she signed a lucrative recording contract with the American record company Epic Records, so she’s headed for an international career. Most of her life she saw her self as a dancer, though. - All my dreams were in dance since I was ten years old and admitted to the Royal Ballet School in Denmark. Then, after a decade of dancing, I suffered a back injury. I had to reinvent myself, says Nanna. Since then she’s been tangoing with music and Danish music critics have praised her experimental and very emotional pop music highly. Name: Oh Land Genre: Progressive pop Formed: Released her debut album “Fauna” in 2008. Quote: “The small strokes of genius are many.” (Review in daily Århus Stifttidende) Weird fact: Nanna grew up with classical music. However The Beatles managed to slip through: “Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news!”

Dogma and weirdness If 2010 turns out to be just half as good as 2009 was to the band Alcoholic Faith Mission then the Danish band is set for cloud nine. The band was totally unknown when “421 Wythe Avenue” was released in April 2009, but only nine months later the musicians had three successful tours of Europe and newly

inked record deals in Japan and the US to their name. Alcoholic Faith Mission contributed four songs to the soundtrack for a Canadian film, and suddenly 10,000 bloggers and music journalist from all over the world had taken the band and the album to heart. Now, why all this commotion? Because Alcoholic Faith Mission have defined their own sound somewhere between contemporary twilight stars like Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Bon Iver and Iron & Wine. And because - like their countryman, the world famous film director Lars von Trier – they’re full of eccentricity and artistically generative dogma. Their breakthrough album was born of the following concept: “It was the result of a half year immersion in an old factory loft nestled in the heart of Hasidic Brooklyn. For this outing, the dogma confined us to using only the things we found within the four walls of the flat to compose and frame every track,” explain Alcoholic Faith Mission. Name: Alcoholic Faith Mission Genre: Indie rock Formed: 2006 Quote: “Enchanting” (German music website Uncle Sally’s) Weird fact: They are virtually unknown in their native Denmark, but “421 Wythe Avenue” ended up on many “best of the year” lists around the globe.

Lesbian Club Clash Women are making a hefty impact on the Danish pop scene and especially the duo Fagget Fairys are stirring up commotion with their sexually charged electro. The music sounds like an electrifying cross between Peaches and Grace Jones, and the lesbian couple behind Fagget Fairys met each other under fittingly turbulent circumstances. One was a DJ, the other a wild wannabe. The then 17 year old Ena wanted to show off to DJ Sensimilla (A.K.A. Carla Cammilla Hjort), but Ena’s stage dive from the DJ booth resulted in large laceration and a busted up knee. Since then the two of them have been catching each other and have had a club and radio smash hit with the steamy and groovy “Feed the Horse”, that’s threatening to spank your behind on the dance floor. The duo also makes weird pop music, Balkan electronica and a lot more. Yum-Yum. Or as they put it themselves: “Fagget Fairys are an explosive cocktail of lesbianism, true love, and relentless beats. They’re sure to make your feet move and to put a smile on your face. Enjoy!” Name: Fagget Fairys Genre: Electronica pop Formed: Around 2007 Quote: “The album offers dark, creaky club music with trashy keyboard sounds somewhere between electro, dancehall, grime, hip Hop, baile funk and balkan beats.” (german website De:Bug) Weird fact: Ena’s parents are fugitives from the former Yugoslavia. In the past she’s been a handball player, a model and a high school dropout.

Secrets on parade Under Byen from Århus in Jutland have made music critics from around the world bring out their wildest superlatives. “Rolling Stone” writer David Fricke

has even described Under Byen as “the best band in Denmark – probably the best band in the world.” The praise has not ended with the group’s fourth studio album, which is characterized by a sparse sound from a band, that’s previously brought us an enormous amount of wildly organic tones. The title is “Alt er tabt” (“All is Lost”), which is an expression of a dark sort of humour. The forward marching music, that marks the passing of time, is an acknowledgement of its own impermanence. The record is an examination of what’s left once you forget, what you once acquired, states the band’s objective. Name: Under Byen Genre: Artrock/dream pop Formed: 1995 Quote: “Under Byen are, in their own reeling, sleepwalker way, escaping from reality far into beautiful, dreamscapes.” (Review in daily Jyllands-Posten) Weird fact: The band turned down a huge American record deal because they feared losing their artistic freedom.

On the Road to Somewhere Is it ill advised to play a gig in a latino area in USA if you’re a shoegaze band from Denmark? Oh yeah. But you live and learn, and The Foreign Resort has learned the hard way. Says Mikkel Borbjerg Jakobsen: - We booked our first tour of the US ourselves with the help of some local bands, which meant performing in venues that didn’t match our music from time to time – or maybe we were just there on the wrong day or in the wrong towns. As one musician remarked: “I don’t think too many Mexicans listen to shoegaze rock.” The US is still the gateway to a dream career for The Foreign Resort, and this year the quartet will embark on another tour of America. - We’ve upped our ambitions this time around. We’ve struck a deal with San Franciscan band Music For Animals. We’re going to open for them in 200-capacity venues. That’s huge for us – especially in America. After releasing our debut album over there we hope to attract the attention of radio stations and magazines. I hope that the concerts in bigger venues will generate some attention. It’s a long way to the top, but we’re taking it one step at a time, says Mikkel Borbjerg Jakobsen. So far the group has attracted attention in Denmark, Germany and Italy, and the debut, Mikkel is referring to, is called “Offshore” (2009). As a unique marketing strategy it was released exclusively on good old fashioned vinyl! These guys mean business. Indie business, that is. Name: The Foreign Resort Genre: Indierock/ shoegazer Formed: 2007 Quote: “We strongly recommend listening to this record. Missing it would really be a crime.” The Ship Magazine.com on the album “Offshore” Weird fact: The Foreign Resort are a success in Italy. They have a hit on Italian TV station DeeJay TV and they’ve headlined a festival there. Tags: Cool Cats, Seven Sensations, Danish Invasion, Indie-export

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7 SENSATIONS

KISS KISS KISS REBEKKAMARIA OH LAND ALCOHOLIC FAITH MISSION FAGGET FAIRYS UNDER BYEN THE FOREIGN RESORT

TEXT anders houmøller thomsen

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Secrets on parade Under Byen from Århus in Jutland have made music critics from around the world bring out their wildest superlatives. “Rolling Stone” writer David Fricke

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7 SENSATIONS

KISS KISS KISS REBEKKAMARIA OH LAND ALCOHOLIC FAITH MISSION FAGGET FAIRYS UNDER BYEN THE FOREIGN RESORT

Portrait: Thomas Bärtschi No game without music TEXT thomas borre

The medium of computer games has risen to recognition, not only in terms of the business, but also as an artistic and aesthetic expression. Boom Boom met Thomas Bärtschi to ask him about the confluence of game development and sound design in an entertainment industry that has matured with all that entails like new market challenges and a decidedly tougher competition. 1. Sound designer. What does that title actually mean? - Basically my job is about putting sound to the game production the company develops. I design all the sound effects for the game, record the dialogue, edit the soundtrack, implement the sound effects into the game, I do the final sound mix and so on. Today my primary focus is on the musical strategy for the finished game, like production of the game score and adaptive sound implementation. 2. What role do you think music plays in the gaming experience – narratively as well as dramaturgically? - I see computer game music as an incredibly important part of the gaming experience. Music is the glue that holds the gaming experience together. It’s an amazing tool when it comes to storytelling. By making the music support the plot of the game a dramaturgic sequence is created, just like in film making. The reality is, though, that gaming scores are much more advanced because the music needs to be composed and implemented to accompany the different story lines the player can follow. Film scores always adhere to a linear plot. 3. How far into the process do you implement the music? - At IO Interactive we strive to involve the

composer as early in the process as possible. That’s the way to ensure a collaborative effort that’s both creative and fruitful. During the game development we’re always keeping our eye on the goal that the music has to tell the story of the game and add an extra dimension to the experience. To achieve the goal of creating the best game possible, the finished music is implemented into the game using special tools developed for the job. The music implemented as the game is developed as opposed to the world of film making, where music is often the last thing to be added. In the world of gaming that’s just not feasible. 4. How large a portion of the overall budget is allocated to music? - Music is very important to us. The budget is dependent on several different factors. The type of game, the style of music, the amount of music needed, the complexity and the overall framework for the production are some of the elements we factor in. It’s very hard to give you a definite answer. 5. How du you see the current situation in the game industry? - Competition has become fiercer in the last few years and a lot of companies have had to close up shop because it takes a lot of resources to make an impact among the the big budget games. One of the biggest challenges in the industry today is to not be completely dazzled by the advances in technology. It’s all about finding the right balance between technological features and basically relevant content. Only by focusing on the overall gaming experience can you make a successful transition from concept to finished product. The gaming industry has matured which is reflected in the budgets. Most ’AAA’ game production budgets can easily dwarf large film productions. The medium of games is widely recognized today and there’s a sense of growing artistic seriousness. Music is an area that the industry puts a lot of stake on and interactive music is definitely here to stay. A lot of the successful Hollywood film score composers have begun composing for the gaming industry. And the gaming industry is

also hiring other people from the film industry: directors, writers, editors, lighting technicians and so on. Tags: Magic glue www.facebook.com/thomas.bartschi www.ioi.dk Thomas Bärtschi’s interactive career Thomas Bärtschi is trained as a tonmeister at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and at SAE (School of Audio Engineering, ed.) in London. He graduated in the year 2000 and set out to be a freelance sound designer working in all manners of sound editing and music related jobs. A few years later Thomas Bärtschi ended up at German game development company Crytek, where he worked as a composer and music editor on the project “Far Cry”, which landed him the opportunity to work with interactive music systems and also to work with music composition for computer games. Thomas Bärtschi has been an employee at Danish game developers IO Interactive since 2006. IO Interactive was established at the end of the 1990’s and is a subsidiary of Eidos Interactive, which is an English computer game label owned by Square Enix. IO Interactive are especially famous for the game series “Hitman”, but “Freedom Fighters”, “Kane & Lynch” and recently “Mini Ninjas” are also on the list of the company’s interactive accomplishments. IO Interactive has often worked with composers and sound makers Jesper Kyed (portrayed in the previous issue of Boom Boom, ed.), Peter Peter and Peter Svarre.

Rules of thumb about using music in computer games - First and foremost it’s important that the music sets the right sort of mood for the game. And above all it must not overshadow the game itself. It’s essential that the music is felt and experienced to be an integrated part of the gaming experience. It has to support the player’s actions and at the same time function as a mood setting collage for the different areas of the game, like a gloomy basement, and open landscape and so on. Just like it is with films good, catchy themes with variations are allimportant. Music has to be that magic element that makes the graphics seem cooler, makes the sound effects more striking and the plot extra exciting.

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Sound and computer games have always been closely connected. Like it is with films. The soundtrack woks as the glue that binds the gaming experience together and creates a perfect dramaturgic whole. According to sound designer Thomas Bärtschi music has to be that magic element that makes the graphics seem cooler, makes the sound effects more striking and the plot extra exciting.

Portrait: Thomas Bärtschi No game without music TEXT thomas borre

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CATCH THEM ON TOUR TEXT anders houmøller thomsen

THE KISSAWAY TRAIL May 1: Popadelica, Huskvarna (S) May 7: Lille Vega, Copenhagen (DK) May 8: Posten, Odense (DK) May 14: Walk The Line Festival, The Hague (Den Haag) (NL) May 21: Spot Festival (date TBA), Aarhus (DK) May 26: Freebutt, Brighton (UK) May 27: Cargo, London (UK) May 29: Immergut Festival, Neustrelitz (DE) May 30: Uebel und Gefährlich, Hamburg (DE) May 31: Lido, Berlin (DE) June 1: Luxor, Cologne (DE) June 2: 59:1, Munich (DE) June 4: Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL) June 5: Botanique Witloof Bar, Brussels (BE) www.myspace.com/thekissawaytrail LUCY LOVE May 1: Forte Prenestino, Rome (IT) May 7: Private show, Copenhagen (DK) May 12: Les Nuits – Botanique, Brussels (BE) May 13: Charlatan, Gent (BE) May 14: Effenaar, Eindhoven (NL) May 15: Springtime Festival, Halen (BE) May 15: Petrol, Antwerp (BE) May 20: Art Rock Festival, Saint-Brieuc (FR) May 29: Odense Havnekulturfestival, Odense (DK) June 6: Luna Pop Festival, Heerhugowaard (NL) June 19: Breakfest, Landgraaf (NL) July 11: Nemoland, Christiania, Copenhagen (DK) July 15: G! Festival, Faroe Islands (FO) www.myspace.com/lucylovemc OH NO ONO May 1: Proud Camden, London (UK) May 2: The Camden Crawl, London (TBA) (UK) May 17: The Luminaire, London (UK) May 19: The Kazimier, Liverpool (UK) May 20: Forum De La Passerelle, Saint-Brieuc (FR) May 22: Prinzenbar, Hamburg (DE)

May 23: Comet Club/ Karrera Klub, Berlin (DE) May 24: Studio 672, Cologne (DE) May 25: Nachtleben, Frankfurt (DE) May 26: 59:1, Munich (DE) July 23: Tivoli Friheden, Aarhus (DK) www.myspace.com/ohnoono EFTERKLANG May 1: Centrifugeuse, Pau (FR) May 2: La de Apolo, Barcelona (ES) May 4: INIT, Rome (IT) May 5: Covo Club, Bologna (IT) May 6: 1. Stock, Basel (CH) May 7: Theater Freiburg, Freiburg (DE) May 8: Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin (DE) May 9: Rodeo Live Club, Athens (GR) May 11: Gebäude, Cologne (DE) May 12: Knust, Hamburg (DE) May 13: Rotown, Rotterdam (NL) May 14: Doornroosje, Nijmegen (NL) May 15: Cirque Royal, Brussels (BE) May 22: Babel, Malmö (S) May 29: Immergut Festival, Neustrelitz (DE) June 19: Muziekgebouw (with orchestra), Amsterdam (NL) July 2: Roskilde Festival, Roskilde (DK) August 4: Klaverfabrikken, Hillerød (DK) August 5: Skanderborg Festival, Skanderborg (DK) August 6: Off Festival, Myslowice (POL) August 8: Standon Calling, Hertfordshire (UK) August 14: Haldern Pop Festival, Rees-Haldern (DE) www.myspace.com/efterklang LARS AND THE HANDS OF LIGHT May 1: Eglise Saint-Donat, Arlon (BE) May 2: Roepaen, Ottersum (NL) May 3: Perron 55, Venlo (NL) May 4: Café Video, Gent (BE) May 7: Cafe Glocksee, Hannover (DE) May 8: King Georg, Cologne (DE) May 9: Kiff, Aarau (DE)

May 10: Druckluft, Oberhausen (DE) May 11: Ponyhof, Frankfurt (DE) May 12: Magnet, Berlin (DE) May 13: Zentrale, Hamburg (DE) May 14: Ilses Erika, Leipzig (DE) May 15: Idaho Festival, Jena (DE) May 16: Beatpol, Dresden (DE) May 20: Spot Festival, (TBA), Aarhus (DK) June 2: Skive Festival, Skive (DK) June 30: Nibe Festival (TBA), Nibe (DK) August 5: Skanderborg Festival (TBA), Skanderborg (DK) www.myspace.com/larsandthehandsoflight WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE May 1: Bygningen, Vejle (DK) May 7: Studenterhuset, Aalborg (DK) May 8: Kulturgodset, Slagelse (DK) May 14: Store Vega, Copenhagen (DK) May 21: Spot Festival (TBA), Aarhus (DK) May 28: Kulisselageret, Horsens (DK) May 29: Pitstop, Kolding (DK) June 4: Skive Festival, Skive (DK) June 16: Arvika Festivalen, Arvika (S) August 7: Skanderborg Festival, Skanderborg (DK) August 20: Pstereo, Trondhjem (NO) www.myspace.com/whensaintsgomachine TURBOWEEKEND May 5: Conne Island, Leipzig (DE) May 6: TBC, Stuttgart (DE) May 7: Veletrezny Palace, Prague (CZ) May 8: Forbrændingen, Albertslund (DK) May 12: Kasenmatten, Graz (AT) May 14: Store Vega, Copenhagen (DK) May 28: Raschs Pakhus, Rønne (DK) June 4: Templet, Lyngby (DK) June 5: Skive Festival, Skive (DK) June 19: Tangkrogen, Aarhus (DK) www.myspace.com/turboweekend

SLARAFFENLAND May 8: Studenterhuset Klostret, Kolding (DK) May 14: Forbrændingen, Albertslund (DK) May 20: Spot Festival (TBA), Aarhus (DK) May 21: Studenterhuset, Aalborg (DK) May 22: Spot Festival, Aarhus (DK) June 26: Fusion Festival, Flugplatz Lärz (DE) www.myspace.com/slaraffenland THE RAVEONETTES May 1: Placa Odissea, Barcelona (ES) May 15: Oyster Festival, San Francisco (US) June 2: Skive Beach Party, Skive (DK) June 5: Verge Music Festival, Milwaukee (US) June 19: NXNE, Toronto (CA) July 18: Dour Festival, Dour (BE) www.myspace.com/theraveonettes NEW POLITICS May 1: The Boardwalk, Orangevale, California (US) May 3: The Rock, Tuscon, Arizona (US) May 5: The Loft, Dallas, Texas (US) May 6: Meridian, Houston, Texas (US) May 7: White Rabbit, San Antonio, Texas (US) May 8: Emo’s Auston, Austin, Texas (US) May 10: State Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Florida (US) May 11: The Social, Orlando, Florida (US) May 12: Masquerade, Atlanta, Georgia (US) May 14: Recher Theatre, Towson, Maryland (US) May 15: Stone Pony, Asbury Park, New Jersey (US) May 17: World Cafe, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (US) May 18: Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, Massachusetts (US) May 19: Studio at Webster Hall, New York (US) May 20: The Basement, Columbus, Ohio (US) May 21: St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, Michigan (US) May 22: Metro, Chicago, Illinois (US) May 23: Triple Rock, Minneapolis, Minnesota (US) www.myspace.com/newpoliticsrock Tags: Live on Stage, Tour, Calender

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If you only know Danish music as hype from your favourite music magazine, don’t be shy. The bands may be playing just about next door to you. Here are the tour schedules for ten very listenable up and comers.

CATCH THEM ON TOUR TEXT anders houmøller thomsen

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DUP (DANISH INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS) PRESENTS

INDEPENDENT

WAVES

COPENHAGEN-OSLO-COPENHAGEN

REBEKK AMARIA SUPERCHARGER T H E E AT TA C K S PERNILLE GUNVAD WONDERBRAZZ

400 PARTICIPANTS

48 HOURS 23-25 SEPTEMBER

5 LIVE BANDS

2 DEBATES/SEMINARS

1 CRUISE SHIP

1 HELL OF A TRIP NO TIME TO WASTE

1SFTFOUFE JO DPPQFSBUJPO XJUI

MORE INFO AT DUP.NU/INDEPENDENTWAVES & ROCKCRUISE.DK artwork: yellow1.dk

DUP (DANISH INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS) PRESENTS

INDEPENDENT

WAVES

COPENHAGEN-OSLO-COPENHAGEN

REBEKK AMARIA SUPERCHARGER T H E E AT TA C K S PERNILLE GUNVAD WONDERBRAZZ

400 PARTICIPANTS

48 HOURS 23-25 SEPTEMBER

5 LIVE BANDS

2 DEBATES/SEMINARS

1 CRUISE SHIP

1 HELL OF A TRIP NO TIME TO WASTE

1SFTFOUFE JO DPPQFSBUJPO XJUI

MORE INFO AT DUP.NU/INDEPENDENTWAVES & ROCKCRUISE.DK artwork: yellow1.dk

S t August: 16.–22.

In collaboration with Wonderful Copenhagen, VEGA, Amager Bio, DR and ROSA

r 2010 ø

Cobblestone Jazz (CAN) Four Tet (UK) Mount Kimbie (UK) Darkstar (UK) Flavio Diaz (IT) 8Bitch (SLO/UK) www. Barbara stromcph. Morgenstern dk (GER) To Rococo Rot (GER) Untold (UK) Future 3 (DK) And many more — 7 days of music at more than 15 venues all over Copenhagen

Celebrating Electronic Music

S t August: 16.–22.

In collaboration with Wonderful Copenhagen, VEGA, Amager Bio, DR and ROSA

r 2010 ø

Celebrating Electronic Music

MicroPop : Smell Your Bacon www.myspace.com/smellyourbacon A:larm Music 4/2010

Kendra Lou : To The End Of The World www.myspace.com/kendraloumusic Calibrated Music May 2010

Giana Factory www.myspace.com/gianafactory Music for Dreams 09/2010

Trentemøller : Into The Great Wide Yonder www.anderstrentemoller.com In My Room / A:larm Music 5/2010

Thorbjørn Risager : Track Record www.risager.info Cope Records March 2010

Black Leather Machine www.blackleathermachine.com Music for Dreams/Universal 09/2010

One-Eyed Mule : Drifting To A Happy Place www.myspace.com/oneeyedmule Artiscope Music 03/2010

Carsten Dahl Experience www.carstendahl.dk Storyville Records 02/2010

Supershine www.myspace.com/supershinemusic Playground Music 09/2010

Emil De Wall + Spejderrobot www.myspace.com/emildewaalspejderrobot Artiscope Music 07/2009

Caspar David www.myspace.com/caspardavid Exlibris Musik /Rainbow 04/2010

Grand Avenue www.myspace.com/grdavenue Playground Music 2010

Cathrine Legardh www.legardh.dk Storyville Records 05/2010

Sinusstoev www.myspace.com/sinusstoev Playground Music 10/2010

Maribel www.myspace.com/maribelband Auditorium 04/2010

Sugarghost www.sugarghost.net/www.myspace.com/sgrghst ILK 04/2010

Anchorless www.myspace.com/anchorlessdk PonyRec 04/2010

Niels Skousen www.myspace.com/nielsskousen Auditorium 03/2010

Jacob Anderskov www.jacobanderskov.dk ILK 01/2010

Green Pitch www.myspace.com/greenpitchband PonyRec 09/2010

Lovedale ft.Cuong Vu & Chris Speed www.jesperloevdal.dk ILK 11/2009

Alcoholic Faith Mission www.myspace.com/alcoholicfaitrhmission PonyRec 10/2011

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Straight From The Harp www.myspace.com/Straightfromtheharpdk Auditorium 03/2010

Viper : Provis/Tranberg/Friis www.blackoutmusic.dk Blackout 06/2010 The Universal Quartet feat Yusef Lateef www.blackoutmusic.dk Blackout 2010

The Figurines www.figurines.dk Morningside Records 05/10

The Meeting : Ulrik/Colligan/Bodilsen/Mogensen www.blackoutmusic.dk Blackout 2010

Shout Wellington Air Force www.wellingtonforce.blogspot.com Morningside Records 04/10

Lilys Apartment www.whiteoutmusic.dk Whiteout 03/2010 Lulu & Leon (Original soundtrack by Jonas Struck) www.whiteoutmusic.dk Whiteout 2010

Marie-Louise Munck www.mmunck.net Morningside Records 02/10

Efterklang www.efterklang.net Rumraket/4AD 02/2010

Cody www.comeondieyoung.net Slow Shark Records 09/2009 Munck//Johnson www.munckjohnson.dk Slow Shark Records 11/2009 Homesick Hank www.myspace.com/homesickhankmusic Slow Shark Records 08/2009

Mani Spinx www.myspace.com/manispinx Warner Music Denmark 5/2010

Pernille Gunvad www.pernillegunvad.dk Your Favourite Records 09/2010 Søren Bebe Trio www.sorenbebe.dk Your Favourite Jazz 01/2010 Lars Winther www.larswinther.dk Your Favourite Jazz 03/2010

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The Kenneth Bager Experience www.myspace.com/kennethbager Music for Dreams/Universal 08/2010

LABEL

Sidsel Storm : Swedish Lullaby www.myspace.com/sidselstorm Calibrated Music May 2010

PRESENTATION

RebekkaMaria : Sister Sortie www.rebekkamaria.dk A:larm Music 3/2010