As I mentioned in my email last night, I had the opportunity to interview Bjork via my work with Brooklyn Vegan.
I also got to listen to Volta (released in the US on May 8th). I'm very much looking forward to seeing Bjork manifest these new tracks in a live setting (particularly exciting since its under the stars) this weekend at Coachella.
Here's my portion of the Bjork interview from Brooklyn Vegan (the whole interview is here):
You have often embraced electronic and dance music producers. Can you describe your early work with 808 State and how it cultivated your interest in electronic music?
I guess as a teenager i wasn´t so much interested in what my friends were into . The punk thing : i liked the spirit but the chord structure was pretty boring and the indie thing for me was totally lame . I did like occasional band like associates , eyeless in gaza , DAF , brian eno and kate bush . I guess what these have in common even though they are different is that they were mixing electronics and acoustics , were very rhythm orientated and the musicology wasn´t so square , ( c-f-g ) more chromatic and unpredictable . And then years passed and suddenly there was 808state !! I was so excited and so were a lot of people my age that had tolerated the indiestuff and finally here was something pagan , high energy , electronic and with polyrhythms !! So i started hanging out in clubs in england around 90 and for me it had all the excitement the indie scene had lacked .
I've always been attracted to the collective, universal nature of electronic music. What characteristics of early dance music attracted you to experiment with the genre? How has your relationship with dance/electronic music evolved throughout the years? Are there any producers currently making electronic music that you find intriguing or would like to work with, either for the first time or again?
I agree ! I also adore the whole trans / shaman element about it . It is so hopeful ! I do and will always adore a good techno track . Obviously as with every genre there is a lot of trash out there but diamonds in between ! Of fresh folks : i like knife a lot , also m.i.a. And spank rock . Clipse ? There is tons of stuff out there i can´t remember right now ...
In your role producing, what tools, methods, or processes did you learn from your work with electronic producers such as Mark Bell and Graham Massey? How does that contrast from working with producers who have more experience in non-electronic music.
What a great question ! I thought i would never be asked that ! It is very different . The word production in electronic music seems to span way too big range . Where in normal bands you have a bass player , a drummer , a guitarist , a keyboardist and perhaps a producer . In electronic music all this would just be called production . There is this mystery still around computers ...
I have learned a lot from these people and perhaps , which a not a lot of people know about , i have been writing beats all the way since debut . More and more . The majority of the vespertine beats where by me . Sounds like i´m bragging but i guess with a question like that i´m also just keen on educating people how electronic music is made . It isn´t that simple that one producer walks in a room and presses one buttton and the whole song comes out and then the vocalist sings on top .
You worked with Mark Bell again on Volta, how has your work together evolved over the years? How is he helping bring Volta to life in a live setting for your upcoming tour?
Me and mark have a gorgeous music relationship which comes from a lot of trust . I am very grateful to him on albums like homogenic , selma songs , medúlla he has had little ego enough to come into songs of mine that are almost complete , i have even programmed some of the rhythms , he has then come into it and added just the rhythm that was needed to complete the track . That is a very generous thing to do and not a lot of electronic artists are that flexible . They wanna storm into your song and change it all and make it into their own environment . Sometimes also he will let me listen to tons of beats of his and i will pick one take it home and edit to a track of mine ( like for example “wanderlust“ ) But there are also songs me and mark have done where he brought the music and i then sang on top , i think they are 3 : “i go humble” , “nature is ancient” and now “declare independance” . It is way much rarer that we work that way .
It seems that you've often embraced new technologies, both visually and sonically, even inviting average fans to remix your songs. Are there any new technologies that you find particularly enticing or that especially aid in your creative process? Did you use any production tools for the first time while you were working on Volta?
I guess the thing on volta i was most a virgin to , were the brass arrangements . That´s the place i felt like an innocent beginner . It was fun . With programming the beats into this filigree , ornament thing , i O.D.-d so much in it with vespertine which is perhaps why medúlla had only vocals . So on this one the technology was more seamless . The most natural sounding stuff on volta is actually programmed and then you get brass trying to be techno ...
Much of your work finds its way to the dancefloor. I know many who originally discovered your work through remixes. Do you have anything special planned for Volta remixes?
I have asked a couple . And funnily enough , quite a lot of people have been asking me if they can remix . We´ll see what comes out of it .
Throughout your career, have you noticed any changes to the importance of choosing production partners? Both from a technical standpoint and a marketing angle? Teaming up with a producer to reach a specific audience rather than a specific sound seems to have become more commonplace.
I have sort of just done what turned me most on at any given moment . I am so emotionally driven that i have learned long time ago that if my stuff doesn´t come from my heart it simply collapses .
Because of the hairy meaning of that “production” word , it has really varied . I think every person i have worked with there has been a different working pattern / method . But for the tracks that i don´t come up with the beats , most of the time the guys supply beats and i sit for months editing back and forth and making it work ...
underground scene. His 2005 full-length 'Hello Stranger' was released by !K7 and featured the vocal talents of Erlend Øye, Matt Safer, Snax, and Khan among others. Last year's single "Cerebral Tremolo" was released by NYC's Rong, but was also picked up by Parisian tastemakers, Kitsuné, and his newest single features a killer remix by Shit Robot. His turn at remixing has proved fruitful as well, including work for Tom Vek, Snax, Muallem, and New Young Pony Club. He has also been part of the Faith Recordings 'Collectors Series' mix CDs, with "Danse, Gravite Zero" which he co-produced with Sal Principiato, of the legendary Liquid Liquid. Expect nothing short of amazing, with a range from acid techno to true-blue disco.
