Part 2

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.
 
There's pre- and post kids ;)

I guess, pre kids, I used to work whenever I felt like it. It could often be afternoon, evening or even nighttime. I used to love creating at night when everything else was silent and time seemed to stand still. These days, however, I try to work within "office hours". It's become more of a job. I get up quite early, eat breakfast and deliver the little ones to kindergarten.

Once I get back home, I usually head down to the basement, where I have my own home studio setup. Nothing fancy, but I love the practicality of having my own space. What I do within those hours of work varies a lot, but everything from practicing trumpet, producing, composing music or writing arrangements and sheet music, depending on what needs to be done or where my inspiration lies.
 
Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?
 
Hmm ... Sometimes a song comes to me quite easy. Sometimes I have to grind it out. Sometimes the music guides me somehow, and other times I have to try out different ways to make a song come together.

For instance I had 3 different bass players play 3 different basslines on my title track "Yûgen - Somehow These Mountains", over a time period of maybe a couple of months. I was struggling to get the right feel.



Whereas "Natsukashi - Shadows Are Falling" felt right all along.



I love some songs because of the fact that I managed to finish them, even though it was a challenge. And others I love just because of the opposite. But when I take a step back, I'm not sure which ones I appreciate most, if that makes sense.

I guess the only consistent part is that when I've started on a track or an idea, I seldom give it up before I'm content. I'm not one to start off several ideas and then leave them undone. However that doesn't mean that everything made it on to the album.
 
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?
 
There are challenges and advantages to both.

I have spent over two years making most parts of Yûgen all by myself. When I create, I often have a pretty clear idea of what I want the end result to be. So therefore, only having to answer to myself and my own taste, lets me create music that fully reflects me. And when I'm inspired and the workflow is good, it feels like that's all I need.

However, getting feedback and another point of view from somebody else is vital. Not necessarily to change anything, but it pushes me to have to make active choices on whether I like things the way they are. It can be truly scary to play my music to others, especially when it´s not finished. But sometimes that's enough to immediately realize what I like and don't like, without saying a word. I just listen differently somehow and get this sense of clarity.
 
Collaborating with someone, on the other hand, can be of great inspiration, and push music into new directions. For me it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to try to let go and leave other musicians to do their thing. But again, the music can end up in places I could probably never get to by myself. And I love being surprised and challenged.

Also I would like to emphasize, putting together my great new band for the upcoming concerts, has reminded me of the social side of working with others. I have missed that part for sure. Probably more than I realized. In the future I would love to do more collaborations.
 
How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?
 
I don't know if there is an easy answer to this one. Music is personal. Everyone relates to music in their own way. But at the same time music is international, easily accessible and everywhere.

Even though I'm Norwegian, a lot of the inspiration for this album comes from Japan. Maybe not directly through instruments and things like scales and harmonies, but more so in spirit.

In a world where many things seem to become more polarized and distant, hopefully my music can help to bring people together. I believe that music has the power to do just that. I guess at least that's what music has done for me.
 
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?
 
Music can often highlight or substantiate any state of mind or emotions you might be going through. And I often listen to music that fits or gives context to these moments.

But sometimes out of the blue, music can trigger memories or different moods, good or bad. And then music is the very reason you feel what you do.

One thing is for sure - life wouldn't be the same without music.
 
How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?
 
They go hand in hand. They challenge and elevate each other.

In terms of pure development, we wouldn't be where we are right now, with all these laptops and electronics, without all the technological advances we´ve gained through the years. But at the same time, if you were to break down music into theory, it's basically math that we've been more or less aware of since Pytagoras 500 years b.c.
 
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?
 
As I mentioned previously, I have this fascination of Japan. I think that shines through my whole record. I've tried to pick up on Japanese customs and manners, and especially how deliberate and mindful they can be of seemingly small details.

There is beauty and art in every movement, and Japanese culture seems to have grasped that in a completely different way to the western world.

The quality and sincerity of expression has everything to do with how you apply yourself. I think it doesn't really matter what the task is, as long as you do something wholeheartedly and to the best of your abilities.
 
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?
 
I don't. I can't explain it. And I'm not sure i want to, either. The beauty of it all is in the unknown.

But it's truly something magical.