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Interviews
Hellride
Music: First of all, congratulations on last year's "Void"
album...certainly the most all-out haunting album of the year in my book.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background as a musician?
How about inspirations as an artist and musician? Have you always been
drawn toward emotional types of music? Voidar: Thank you for your kind words and for your support. All the positive response has come as a nice surprise for me. My background as a musician actively starts in 1996-1997 when I took up learning guitar, but I remember that I used to play around with these old "trackers" (Scream Tracker, etc.) in my even earlier days. Actually, I would constantly find myself making music in my head and with my mouth as a child. I guess the drive to create something was always there. Hlidolf started up early as a heavily Burzum-inspired Black Metal project. I later came in contact with slower forms of music, like different Doom Metal acts, and immediately knew that this was what I had been searching for all this time. It had to be dark and slow. Acts that I respect the most musically would be Burzum (obviously) and Esoteric. The list is much longer and it would be pointless to list it all here, but I would say that you could describe Hlidolf as being a mix of Burzum, Esoteric and Neptune Towers. Some might agree, others might not, but this is not really interesting anyway, so I will continue... I remember being drawn towards many of Bach's organ works as a child. Some of them being extremely powerful and emotional. I would say that I gravitate towards that sort of thing. Music with passion and despair. The less resembling human life, the better. Anything with real spirit. Hellride
Music: Let's talk about the VO1D album for a bit. How did
you get in touch with Dragon Flight Recordings? Had Clint (DFR Label Head)
always been a fan or did you send him a demo? Or neither? Voidar:
Our contact was spawned and maintained on the Internet. We
had known of each other for quite some time, and one day I told him about
my music. He looked forward to hearing it, and the day came when I dumped
a track up on my Mp3.com
page. He immediately liked it and his interest increased after hearing
more. I only had to direct him to my Mp3.com page. That was my demo.. Hellride
Music: The album is quintessential doom, however not in
the traditional sense. It's got a very ambient feeling to it.... I believe
you call it "Ambient Alien Psychedelic Drone". However you put
it, the music ranges from soothing to disturbing. Can you tell us about
the composition? What are the emotions and/or situations behind it? Voidar: The ambient quality is mostly due to the lack of any percussion, and of course the general sound (weird guitar sound etc.). Also the progressive elements are quite important. The whole
composition came into being this all of a sudden. I had originally planned
to re-record older material for this release, however, suddenly I got
this impulse and I just had to record it. I could just as well do it I know I had at least one traumatic emotional experience at the time, but that happened after the start of the recording process and closer to the end, so I doubt it had any effect overall. My antisocial behavior at that time definitely had something to do with it as I spent most of my time alone, sleeping during day and living at night, often gazing at the stars. Alienating is perhaps the keyword. And solitude.. I felt alienated towards the world. I still do, but not as strongly. It is such a great inspiration that I sometimes wish myself back to those times. Too much social behavior has left me in an artistic draught and I feel Hlidolf might suffer from this in the future. I need to find some more time for my self again soon.. Perhaps this all can help to explain the deeper meaning of all the labels that I give my music. Hlidolf dwells in the cosmos as well as the psyche.. Hellride
Music: That is a great description of the VO1D album
- I knew there had to be something starkly emotional behind it. What are
the instruments you used to compose VO1D? Voidar: I used a minimum of instruments when recording the V01D album. This is mainly due to the limited gear I had available. V01D is just guitar layers and some old and out of production Casio synth. I found the organ patch on it to be quite usable if I ran it through various effects, like ring modulation, etc. Actually, effects are quite important to me as "instruments" in the making of my music. For the extra low-end I had to rely on a pitch-shifter f.ex. Anyway, since then I have replaced all my equipment. I now own various Virtual Analog synths, a Yamaha RGX 420 Drop6 guitar and a Yamaha RBX 775 bass, as well as new amps. So the next release will be affected by this. Hellride
Music: Why did you compose this as one long track, instead
of separate movements? Voidar: As explained earlier the whole composition just fell into my head. It was thus natural to have it play as one continuous wave, either as separate tracks or as one long track. I could have divided the track up into parts, as it is quite possible, though I choose not to do so. The composition only has one start and it would thus be natural to listen from there. No other offset would work without losing context. I guess I felt like forcing my self (and others) to listen to it wholistically. That way it could make more sense... Or...? Hellride Music: Are there certain reactions that you wish to get from the listener from the album? Or was it mostly composed for your own enjoyment or catharsis? Voidar: I doubt it. I primarily produce music to satisfy myself. It is a drive I have, and a great emotional vent, and that is were everything starts. But of course, I later became quite interested in what others might think, friends especially and of course Clint. Luckily he and many others love it, all sorts of people really, and that was a huge relief.. It is music you either like or not. It is beyond critique, basically.. Hellride
Music: I see.... Tell us about your other works. Are they
similar in nature? Do you have anything else coming up you'd like to tell
us about? Voidar: I guess you are still referring to Hlidolf.. I would like to think of my other material as being of the same essence. The older works are more off-earth oriented than my newer works, which are more psychedelic - the inner void. The next release will not be as spacious as V01D, I believe. Or perhaps it will at some parts and just be more varied. Wider extremes.. Yes, there is another release planned. It will sound more professional and I might incorporate noise and rhythmic elements. At least it will be less off-tempo. It will most likely be divided into multiple tracks.. But this is just a plan - I could get one of these impulses again.. I kind of hope I do. Hellride Music: Do you create only with music or do you have other creative outlets as well? If so what are they and which do you prefer? Voidar: I create mainly with music, but I have other creative outlets as well... I used to draw since I was very young and the graphical interest is more or less preserved. I did the V01D art and layout f.ex. which I think came out quite nice, except for the print being a bit too dark on the booklet. Much detail was lost... It is all connected, it is all art. A future project could be to incorporate sound and film on a DVD release, perhaps. Psychedelia - I love that kind of thing. At this time of my life, I do more music than anything else, but that could change. Time will tell... Hellride
Music: What are you currently listening to? Anything new
that you feel deserves recognition? Voidar: When I first read this question, a friend of mine had just introduced me to King Crimson. I have come to like ancient Prog like that. Just felt like mentioning it in the context of this question.. As my musical interests are quite broad. I can not say that I am currently listening to anything lately as there really is no favorite record/CD at the moment for me. The music I hear these days is mostly what I create for myself, or that I am "forced" to listen to.. There is always something new and interesting. I use to surf Mp3.com for new and interesting sounds. Halo is of course something to look into.. Also, Uncertainty Principle is really great. It is the coolest sample/loop-based music I have heard lately, at least.. Azura - great ambient, goa psy-trance etc... Hellride
Music: What are your unexpurgated thoughts on the current
music scene, both in and out of your native Norway? Voidar:
Hehe.. The overall musical scene, be it domestic or international,
is very diverse. More and more people have the possibility to create and
record music, and most important of all, share it with the world by electronic
means.. This is for better or worse of course, but the so called "underground"
would be better titled the "playground", if you see what I mean..
But who am I to decide what is superior or not.. I only know that you
easily get to know a lot about people through what kind of music they
perfer to listen to, and that Hellride Music: Well I thank your for your time, sir. I enjoyed the interview. Anything you'd like to leave us with? Voidar: Once again, thank you for your support. It has been a great pleasure to do this interview as it forces me to analyze myself, which is something I need to do more often in my present situation. Other than that, be sure to look out for the next Hlidolf release on DFR Doom this Summer/Fall. Hopefully. Also, the contact address in the V01D booklet is not used anymore. Please direct everything to voidar@online.no. DFR has sold out its copies of V01D, so if you are having problems getting hold on a copy you can contact me, as I have some left - below 50. If you want it signed then just ask. Regards,
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Hlidolf's
VO1D album took me completely by surprise - I could only describe it as
"where the universe collides headlong with hell." Astral doom
for the head... soothing, depressing and downright frightening all at
the same time. I got a chance to catch up with Norwegian artist Voidar,
the man behind Hlidolf and ask him a few questions. What I got was a refreshingly
honest, unpretentious and thoughtful interview about the man and his music.
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