Masters of the Deep Cut

Otherworldly songs, strange subaquatic instruments, and musicians submerged in fish tanks – meet the world’s first underwater band.

Words: Florian Obkircher

Photos: Getty Images

In 2004, Laila Skovmand was standing in her kitchen, holding a bowl of water, when an idea struck her: “What if I sang into the water’s surface?” Her initial attempts didn’t sound great, but the Danish musician became determined to find a way to sing underwater. Five years later, she had exceeded her expectations and formed the world’s first subaquatic band.

At their live show, titled AquaSonic, the five members of Between Music perform submerged in water tanks without breathing apparatus, working with instruments specifically designed for the environment, and playing songs that sound unlike anything heard on dry land. Since May 2016, the band have been touring their five 1,600-litre aquariums around the world. From Scotland and Denmark to Russia and as far afield as Australia, the AquaSonic concerts have sold out, garnering rave reviews.

How is this even possible? What makes this underwater music so enchanting? Between Music’s co-founder and aquatic violinist Robert Karlsson explains all…

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The Red Bulletin: Which musical instruments work best underwater?

Robert Karlsson: The first one we tried was a cheap violin in a swimming pool. It sounded good, but it collapsed after a few days. We realised that we needed special instruments, so we got a violin made from carbon fibre, which is resistant to water. Another instrument we use is the hydraulophone, an organ invented by two Canadians that makes music from pressurised water instead of air.

What challenges do you face when performing?

The water tank is like the body of an instrument, and if you change the temperature of the water or you move your [actual] instrument just a few millimetres, the sound will change. Hence, you need to be extremely precise and focused when you play music underwater.

Surely another challenge is not being able to breathe?

Yes. We learnt breathing exercises from scuba divers and yoga teachers. They taught us how to hold our breath for as long as possible.

The rotacorda – designed by a MIT scientist and played by Nanna Bech – has a hand crank to turn a wheel that rubs against the strings. The name translates from Latin as ‘wheel-strings’

How often do you surface during performances?

The time spent underwater depends on how physically active you are. I have a violin solo that lasts for one minute and 15 seconds. For our drummer, 30 seconds without emerging is a long time, because it takes three times the usual power to strike the drum in water. Breathing time is carefully planned into each composition.

How are you able to sing beneath the surface?

It would seem impossible… Laila has developed a technique where she keeps an air bubble in her mouth, and when she feels it’s about to escape, she sucks it back in and sings the next tone. At first, she could manage only short vowels, but now she’s able to sing longer melodies and phrases. By inhaling and exhaling that air bubble, she can stay underwater for up to a minute while singing.

Does water have a specific acoustic effect?

Playing underwater definitely impacts on our sound. It gives the violin and other instruments a very lonely quality that reminds me of old records from the 1920s. People often describe our music as eerie.

Between Music perform AquaSonic live on stage. In the foreground, Laila Skovmand sings and plays the hydraulophone, the first musical instrument to use water instead of air

Is there anything you can achieve as a musician inside the tank that would be impossible on land?

Sound waves travel much faster in water, so many drums end up sounding like electronic music instruments. When the player has the hydrophone [underwater microphone] in their hand and moves it towards their instrument, you get all these really interesting acoustic effects that you just can’t produce in the air.

Your AquaSonic shows have been a huge success all over the world. What is it that draws people to the idea of underwater music?

No matter where you’re from or what your cultural differences are, every human being has a deep connection with water. The first sounds that each of us hear in our mother’s womb are filtered through it. That’s why the music we make speaks to people so universally.

betweenmusic.dk/aquasonic