Library Tapes - Sentiments of a Lost Time

To coincide with the release of the fifth album of his original project Library Tapes, Swedish artist David Wenngren talks about the intensely busy five years of his career, spent between collaborations and multiple monikers, and, now also at the helm of the Auetic label, offers a glimpse into today's modes of music consumption and distribution.

Let's start from the beginning: what's your musical background? How did you start playing piano?

I started playing quite late, when I was around twenty-two, and a year later I moved on to piano, right around the time I formed Library Tapes with Per Jardsell, actually using his piano.

How did the idea of applying electronics to minimal piano compositions come about?

It was a spontaneous process, after Per left the project. On the first record we worked mostly on the computer and with field recordings, and it was my intention to continue that kind of sonic exploration on "Feeling For Something Lost".

Library Tapes is your first project, in which you were initially joined by Per Jardsell, before your paths went separate ways. What's changed since you've been producing music on your own?

Per left Library Tapes during the recording of "Feelings For Something Lost" because he had to move to Stockholm for his studies, so he really didn't have any more time to devote to music.

The long titles of the first two Library Tapes records outlined a very distinct atmosphere and mood. Was it your intention to express that kind of lonely, negative feeling? Do you think your music carries only depressive undertones, or is there room for fragments of serenity and hope?

Both the music and the titles faithfully reflect the feelings that Per and I had while recording those two albums. As far as I'm concerned, the new record and the previous two feature more optimistic, hopeful songs. Yet I've read reviews claiming that "A Summer Beneath The Trees" was a sad album. I completely disagree!

From the piano-glitch of the early records to the more elaborate arrangements of, for instance, "A Summer Beneath The Trees", and on to the more sensitive electronic patterns of your latest records, how has your approach to composition evolved over the years? Are you perhaps searching for something different?

I think most artists, when making a new record, want to create something different from the previous one. It's more interesting both for the artist and, of course, for the listener.

Library Tapes, David Wenngren, Xeltrei, Forestflies, Le Lendemain, Murralin Lane… you've released records under different names: where does the need to differentiate the music you produce come from? How do you decide which alias a composition will be released under?

Library Tapes is a project in which I decide everything that goes into the recordings, but it's also a project I share with other people, which is why I wouldn't feel comfortable identifying it solely under my own name. I used the alias Forestflies for a couple of solo CD-Rs, while when I was about to release "Sleepless Nights" I felt it was time to start using my own name for the music I make on my own.

Xeltrei and Forestflies have been inactive for a while: are these discontinued projects, or could they be picked up again?

No, there won't be any more releases under the names Xeltrei and Forestflies.

Even though all your projects can mainly be traced back to you, you're not averse to collaborating with other artists. Your partnership with Danny Norbury is particularly interesting, first in Library Tapes and then on your own in Le Lendemain. How did you find working with him?

Danny is one of the most talented people I've ever met. I love everything he's done, so it was easy working together with him. It was a full collaboration, not simply a matter of adding a cello to some of my compositions.

Generally speaking, what have you taken away from your other collaborations? Is there any artist you'd like to work with in the future?

Working with other talented musicians, you always learn something and can draw important inspiration from it. Right now I'm working on a couple of projects with artists I really admire; there are so many I'd love to collaborate with, it would be hard to pick just one.

The only trouble with collaborating with major artists is that they usually have incredibly busy schedules.

Piano and strings in your compositions come together with electronics: two seemingly distant worlds meeting. What do you generally think about technology applied to music?

I believe that combining different elements can produce really interesting results. It's essential to experiment with new things and try to broaden your horizons.

What do you think of the label "modern classical"? Do you feel it fits your music?

I don't know. I think so. Honestly, I'm not that interested in putting a label on what I do, and besides, most of the most interesting music out there is hard to pin down under a single genre definition. And anyway, while calling my music "modern classical" wouldn't be entirely wrong, I wouldn't say it's entirely right either.

Do you mostly listen to productions that usually fall under that definition, or do you like to range across different styles and genres? Which contemporary artists do you like best?

I listen to a lot of different genres, because I'd get deeply bored listening to just one type of music. As for contemporary artists I enjoy... Julianna Barwick is one of my current favorites.

What's your ideal state of mind for composing? Does it depend on your mood in the moment, or do your tracks come about in a more deliberate way?

It depends on the period: there are times when I feel particularly inspired, during which I tend to create a lot of music, while a month or two can go by during which I can't come up with anything new.

You usually write, compose and record everything by yourself. How does that differ from recording in a studio or having a producer?

The best part is the freedom to record whenever I feel like it. I think I'm more open to trying new things and experimenting with different approaches in the comfort of my own home than I would be in a studio with a producer. Though I think that can also depend on the people you're working with.

You're a very prolific artist, like many others working in electronic and experimental territories. Where does your creative urgency come from? And, generally speaking, do you think the larger output from artists making this kind of music is because it's somehow "easier" to conceive and make than, say, a record of "songs"?

I don't know where it comes from, it's simply something I feel the need to do, without thinking about it too much.

Making an album isn't difficult for anyone, and it can be finished very quickly. Making a great album, on the other hand, is a tough undertaking for anyone, in any genre, and it normally takes a lot longer. Of course there are exceptions, both in modern classical and in pop music.

Speaking of "songs", the Murralin Lane record is your first with a vocal element, and one that blends perfectly with the atmospheres. Can you tell us how the idea for it came about, and how did you find working with lyrics? Do you think you'll continue down this path?

I didn't write the words for the songs on the Murralin Lane album myself — Ylva Wiklund took care of that. I hope we can make more albums together, because it was really fun working on something so different from the rest of my music.

Besides being an extremely active artist, for some time now you've also run your own record label, Auetic. Where does the need to start up something like this come from, in a market as difficult as today's record industry?

For me it's essential to have my own label, since I'm trying to make a living from music. Having your own label means a bit more work, but also a bit more money if you're able to sell your records.

I'm very curious to see how the new record sells (self-financed through advance subscriptions, ed.). People should start paying for the music they listen to again. Illegal downloading doesn't just hurt the majors, as many people think, but also smaller labels and artists like me and many of my friends.

What's particularly interesting is that for the new Library Tapes album, released on Auetic, you asked for advance contributions from those who would later buy it, complete with bonuses and a mention on the record for those who funded it. Has the response to this initiative been positive? Do you think it could be a viable way to support record production?

It's not that strange, really. It was a kind of very long pre-order: I knew I would make the record, but I didn't know when. I started receiving the first orders in April, and the album is officially released on October 18th, so those who took part in the subscription had to wait about six months to get their copy. I was robbed of a considerable amount of money while on tour in April, so I was almost forced to go about it this way to finance the record, which I then released on my own label.

You offered a preview of your new "Like Green Grass Against A Blue Sky" in the form of a free download track for our compilation of unreleased tracks OndaDrops Vol.2. What do you think of the current way music is consumed and distributed? And how do you think the spread of downloading has affected it?

The internet is a great vehicle for promoting and spreading music, but as I already said, illegal downloading is now hitting artists significantly. Something has to change on this front.

"Like Grass Straws Against A Blue Sky" comes out almost two years after the last Library Tapes album: would you like to introduce the record and explain why it took longer than usual to make?

I wanted to take a lot of time over this album, so as to be able to gather together the best possible compositions. Even though last year I released a lot of other material, between my solo record, the Le Lendemain one, plus the reissues of the first two Library Tapes albums on my label, as well as releasing the Annelies Monseré record.

Lastly, what can we expect from you in the future, and what do you expect from music?

I hope to be able to tour for a long time with Library Tapes and Murralin Lane. I'm sure next year will be even busier than this one, with various collaborative albums and maybe just one or two releases of my own.

(17/10/2010)

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