In this edition of Behind the Headphones we speak to Copenhagen native Kasper Bjørke about his recent release ‘Sprinkles’ & the scene in Copenhagen.
Since he first began making music in 1998, Kasper Bjørke’s passion and appreciation for contemporary art has been exposed through his amazing outlook on music and originality that has seen him release on labels such as Kompakt, Ghostly International, and Permanent Vacation to name a few. His previous releases have at times been a dark and melancholic lovechild of kraut, disco, new wave, and punk influences, seemingly isolated on their own somewhere in between and have been remixed by the likes of Gerd Janson, Marvin & Guy, Multi Culti and others.
However aside from that, Kasper is a brilliant ambient producer who, along with his brilliant Kasper Bjørke Quartet, has released some amazing music – the album ‘The Fifty Eleven Project’ was voted #5 in the Guardian’s 10 best contemporary albums of 2018 list. His latest project however, seems like a combination of both.
Hidden behind the intended joyful, summery, and naive intentions of ‘Sprinkles’, the album seems to show a conflicting mindset between missing the dance floor and adjusting to the calmness of life in lockdown. The record – recorded in a cabin out in the Danish woodlands – is a juxtaposition of uplifting ambient soundscapes, nostalgia inducing arpeggiated synth riffs, 303 acid leads, and slowly swung drum grooves that seem calm in comparison to some of his previous work. But dig a little deeper and a strange tension in the music presents itself time and time again, almost signalling his yearning to be back in the clubs whilst also staying positive about the calmness of this new life…
You have had so many collaborations over the years. Are there any standout ones that really resonated with you?
They have all been lovely experiences and I enjoy collaborating a lot. They all seem to happen smoothly and where there is a creative understanding for one another.
Working with vocalists is always a pleasure, one of the artists I have collaborated with on several albums is Toby Ernest. He is Danish but he lives in LA. Besides being the sweetest man and by now a dear friend, he has one of my favourite falsettos and he a great songwriter with a big heart and a lot of sensibility in his songwriting. His solo releases are also wonderful in case you want to check them out.
The music scene in Copenhagen is strong considering its size. How has it developed from the 90’s, and how is the atmosphere between promoters, artists, etc?
I guess we were put on the world map with the not so cool Eurodance (no names mentioned, no names forgotten) but these past 20 years a lot of great artists from many different genres have been making a name for themselves outside our little country of only 5 million people.
I guess IceAge, MØ, Lucas Graham, Oh Land, Trentemøller, Kölsh covers the whole spectrum from genuine big pop songs to punk, shoegaze and big room melodic techno. And then there is certainly a strong underground electronic scene which has been growing since the 2000s – most recently the whole fast techno wave of artists and labels – f.ex. Courtesy´s Kulör label and Kasper Marrott with his Axces label. The DJs and artist around the promoters Fast Forward seem to be having a very strong following of ravers and its great to see such a small city have that kind of scene.
The Distortion Festival promoters are – due to the pandemic – doing an outdoor event for 500 people every weekend in an industrial off location by a hangar which is super fun. They book all kinds of music – from disco to fast techno and I rarely had so much in Copenhagen as last weekend when I played my release party with Roman Flügel there along with two local DJs, Prom Night (who also does his own house label called Prom Night Records) and Christian d´Or, the uncrowned disco-vinyl-digger king of Copenhagen.
Who are some of the city’s best talents for people to look out for – musically and otherwise?
Musically, definitely some the names and labels above from the electronic scene… on the art scene I would recommend checking out Klara Lilja who does ceramics, painter Luca Bjørnsten, David Risley ex-gallerist turned painter – and galleries like V1, Gether Contemporary, Bricks Gallery… we have quite an exciting art scene here, the Chart Art Fair is also brilliant with some of the best galleries from the nordic countries exhibiting works by the artists they represent.
Your new project ‘Sprinkles’ was inspired by artwork from painter Luca Bjørnsten. How exactly has his work inspired you, and what were some of the creative and technical processes that you used on this project?
I think that kind of lush, utopian garden and fountain on the painting resonated with me during lockdown. And the colours too… as I wanted to do a fun, joyful, summery and almost naive album and the painting and its title just matched completely with that. So I asked Luca if we could use the work on the cover and luckily he said yes. Then I would just look at the painting once in a while, when I was coming up with ideas for the album which I mainly recorded while I was staying in the family summer house by the beach along with my girlfriend and two kids.. it was a very spontaneous and intuitive process to create this album.
You have often stated that you are a fan of ambient music. Are there any ambient artists that you are currently listening to?
I’m not only a fan, I also produce ambient music myself. The triple album The Fifty Eleven Project came out on Kompakt in 2018 and I’m working on a follow up for that. I really enjoy the process of making ambient as its very different from making dance music. It’s the complete opposite target, you want people to relax, even sleep, not dance…. and I also record everything analog and live, whereas the electronic stuff I always work with Midi.
I mainly listening to ambient at home. I urge you to check out my Journey playlist on Spotify which I update regularly….currently listening to the Jon Hopkins EP with new piano works – and the album from Green-House and the Danish rising ambient artist Sofie Birch’s latest release…
“I have always loved helping others achieve their goals. Its just as fulfilling as achieving my own goals and it keeps me grounded”
What is your favourite gig memory? (As a fan and a performer)
The first thing that comes to mind is when I played Sonar By Day 5 years ago. I guess around 15.000 people were dancing and I ended with James Holden’s remix of The Sky Was Pink by Nathan Fake because I remember having heard that track on a white label the first I ever went to Sonar many years prior to that at a Border Community showcase off-Sonar which was super special as well. It felt like kind of full circle for me to play that track there as a performer after having been at the festival many years as a fan. Obviously the five times I have played at Panorama Bar at Berghain have been unique as well. I hope to be able to return to both places again.
You have said in previous interviews that you have been heavily inspired the book ‘How Music Works’ by David Bryne. Are there any other pieces of literature that have inspired you that you can share with the readers?
I honestly don’t read many books…. I can’t seem to focus for so long and doze off. I’m much more of a movie buff and get very inspired by film and film soundtracks. The soundtracks from Tenet by Ludwig Göransson and Arrival by Johann Johannson are two that comes to mind. Obviously Vangelis soundtrack for Blade Runner too.
Out of all the amazing tracks/albums that you have made. Do you have a favourite and if so, why?
I rarely listen to my own stuff after its released to be honest. However The Fifty Eleven Project I consider a milestone in my career – and if I stopped making music tomorrow that would be the work that I would like to remembered for.
How did you end up as an artist manager and A&R? What is it about this work that you love?
I have always loved helping others achieve their goals. Its just as fulfilling as achieving my own goals and it keeps me grounded to not just do stuff that has to do with myself all the time: it gives me a sense of doing something good for other artists and thats an important thing for me and is sort of a fuel that keeps me on my toes too.
I actually spend 80% of my time working with management I think. It then also gives me a natural focus – so once I finally have time to work on my own stuff, I really dig in. And I’ve always loved finding new talent to collaborate with – so the A&R function is basically a side-effect from that…
If you could make a track with anyone in the world, who would it be?
I used to say Björk. Now I would say Billie Eilish. Her voice, songwriting – and her approach to her music and her career choices – it is just fantastic for such a young artist and I’m a big fan.
You can buy ‘Sprinkles’ from Kasper Bjørke here.
