Name: Svaneborg Kardyb
Members: Nikolaj Svaneborg (Wurlitzer, Juno, piano), Jonas Kardyb (drums, percussion)
Nationality: Danish
Occupation: Instrumentalists, composers, improvisers
Recent release: Svaneborg Kardyb's Over Tage is out via Gondwana.
Recommendations:  
The graphic paintings of Wasily Kandisky
“Most of the time” – fantastic song by Bob Dylan
A hidden gem; “Pasvikdalen” by Benjamin Mørk and Arve Henriksen
Extremely loud and incredibly close – uplifting novel by Jonathan Safron Foer

If you enjoyed this interview with Svaneborg Kardyb and would like to find out more about the band, visit their official homepage. They are also on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.

To keep reading, check out our interviews with other Gondwana artists:

[Read our Portico Quartet interview]
[Read our Hania Rani interview]
[Read our Sunda Arc interview]
[Read our Jasmine Myra interview]



When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

Jonas: I was just into the drum kit. In music classes in school, I was sitting there starring at the shiny cymbals and drums. This simply spoke to me and since I got my first drum kit when I was 8 years old, I haven’t stopped loving the drums.

I listened to a lot of rock and punk music – I liked the energy of that, and then I also listened to songwriters like Bob Dylan and Tom Waits.

Nikolaj: My father was a teacher at my school when I grew up, and every morning he accompanied the whole school in community singing on the school’s piano. I thought that was so incredibly cool. However, my classical piano teacher wouldn’t teach me this style of playing.

I had to come up with my own way of interpreting chords and melodies, turning lead sheets into meaningful arrangements that people could understand and sing along to. That’s when I started writing my own music. The toolset was the same – I just had to come up with my own melodies, exploring whatever expressions I connected with.

It was much later that I started actually listening to music – but when I discovered Esbjörn Svensson and his way of playing piano my whole body exploded!

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening and how does it influence your approach to creativity?

Jonas: Our music is really a result of all kinds of feelings and associations. We are always searching after some kind of mood or atmosphere that speaks to us in the moment.

We really appreciate the immense power and force of nature in music. It’s both powerful and universal. Music should go into your whole body and not just your head. When playing music, our goal is to be left as just the messengers - we love the feeling when the music becomes bigger than yourself.

Music just makes us happy. It’s in our heads all the time, so it’s really nice to make a living off being creative, so it’s not stuck in there.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

Nikolaj: When we started our duo a few years ago, we did it because we wanted to have a musical safe space just for ourselves where no social media profiles, single releases, band meetings or other boring stuff could intervene with our joy of playing. In a way we never knew that we were searching for a personal voice because we really just did it by heart.

Ever since we started playing concerts, we’ve been very keen on having conversations on the trip home about every tiny little detail in the show that we thought worked well or could have been better. That has resulted in an ongoing and very constructive and openminded conversation on how we can improve the project in all its different facets.

I think for us this evaluation and curious focus on improvement has been key in both discovering new interesting challenges and conquering them.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

Nikolaj: We are both quite sensitive or rather emotional guys. We like to reflect, wonder, and care about our surroundings and the people in our lives. We are of course more complex than that, but for my part, that part of my identity definitely influences my way of composing and diving into music. I have a hard time not emerging myself fully into stories whether they are videogames, film or music.

In the same way, when composing I’m looking for that very subtle detail that makes the difference and gives the piece identity and purpose. I can immerse myself for hours and hours without feeling hunger or sense of time while just playing around with the same few chords until I hit the right feeling.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and art?

Jonas: Being present and in the moment. Simplicity is our way into this. Repetitions, that can seem very simple at first glance, will unfold over time and sometimes end in very nice atmospheres and unexpected places. If both the audience and ourselves can surrender to that, then there’s a beautiful journey in front of us.

And again, it’s all about having fun and feeling good on stage … music and performing is not a dangerous thing, it’s a universal language that is important to all of us. Imagine a life where nobody dared to go on stage and share their art - that would be very grey.

They should actually go and make a TV-show that celebrates the need and willingness to go and say “Here’s what I have to say”, instead of the endless focus on results and talent.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

Jonas: Our goal is actually to not have a goal. Originality and innovation come with curiosity and constantly searching after what is not already here. We can’t decide what comes out before we start playing. We can’t decide how it should feel or how perfect or original it should be. The key (for us) is not to judge our work.

The process is everything and that is where the magic of music happens. Then comes the packaging: which tunes fit on the album, what should it look like and so on.

It’s all about how you deal with the process. As Brian Eno says: “An unpromising beginning can turn into great art, and the most promising seed can turn into shit”. You can’t control it really, but what works for us to stick to the experience of the moment, and if it feels good it’s good and then we move on from there.

[Read our Brian Eno interview about his climate activism]
 
Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

Jonas: All kinds of percussion and old vintage drums. Plus, vintage keyboards and synthesizers. There’s just a certain vibe and history to these old instruments. It’s very inspiring to hop on board and see where the sounds take you.

Nikolaj: Yeah, when your instrument has a story in itself it somehow becomes a much more intuitive experience to play. That feeling can come from a lot of different places but right now those old vintage drums and synths are doing the trick for us.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

Nikolaj: In our duo, we can kind of do both at the same time. Jonas controls rhythm on his drums and percussion and I control melody / harmony on my keyboards. In that way we both have our own arena that then strongly influences the other.

The choices we make on each of our instruments are completely private as we can’t really ‘hit a wrong note’, but if we listen deeply to what the other is doing and respond to that - we can hit good notes.

Really, the closer we listen to each other the better we play.

Art can be a way of dealing with the big topics in life: Life, loss, death, love, pain, and many more. In which way and on which occasions has music – both your own or that of others - contributed to your understanding of these questions?

Jonas: We see it more as a faithful companion than a guide. In all these aspects of life there is some music that was the soundtrack. Certain music takes you back to a certain period in life and that is just a great addition to the memories.

Nikolaj: For me, music can be a way to process the emotions that are piling up over time. I don’t know how, but I can feel really relieved and calm after an hour by the piano – as if I've just had a deep conversation about all my issues with a good friend.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Jonas: We can put ourselves into music. The music can sound just how we feel. Other times the music is the leader and we can hop on board and follow.

Furthermore, the music will resonate in the room, as well as the audience. A great cup of coffee or food is lovely, but music hits more spots than anything else.

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our ear drums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

Jonas: Music is universal. Especially the instrumental variety where there are no words. We can listen to African or South American music where we do not understand a single word, but we still get the vibe and we looove all kinds of different music.

Albert Ayler described it as: “Music is the healing force of the universe”. Paying attention to your surroundings and yourself is always nice. Being present is equal to wellbeing ... music is a shortcut to our feelings - there’s nothing like being hit by great music.