Having released over 30 albums and EP's since 2005, Dag Rosenqvist has been involved in several projects, to say the least. His main project was a solo endeavor, Jasper TX, that formally came to an end in 2012.
Rosenqvist released Fall Into Fire in early May of this year; his first album since the ending Jasper TX. He has a signature sound in everything he touches. From his contribution to the film Toad Road or the music he created for a ballet piece, Rosenqvist connects the listener and viewer to something much deeper and, at times, darker than expected.
Fall Into Fire offers a personal glimpse into the life of Rosenqvist, which wanes from lo-fi acoustic guitars to nothing but noise and space. The combination creates an atmosphere that isn't often found nor is it regularly given the appreciation it deserves.
What is the first memory that comes to mind when you think of vinyl records?
I grew up in a home where there was a lot of music around. My mom listened to The Rolling Stones and Prince while my dad was a big jazz fan. So music was always surrounding me.
We also had a lot of Tintin Adventure’s and Disney’s The Jungle Book on vinyl, and whenever I stayed home sick from school, either of my parent’s would put those on and then make tea with honey and you could just lie there in the sofa, drinking hot sweet tea, listening to the stories for hours on end.
Growing up, did you play any particular instruments? What are your earlier connections to music?
I started playing double bass when I was 9 and I played that until I was 19. Since music was always around at home, I got exposed to a lot of different genres, and that’s something I am very grateful for today.
I remember my brothers and I got The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden from our parents one Christmas and that really was an eye-opener towards heavier music. That eventually got me into punk, death metal and black metal which in a way brought me back to the jazz I had listened to when I was a kid.
I started playing electric bass in a band when I was perhaps 10 or 11, just covers of Swedish songs basically. We called ourselves Rebell and thought it was so cool to play in a band.
What's your favorite record store?
Well, Gothenburg doesn’t really have that many great record stores. There are a few with a good selection of used vinyl, and a few that carry an alright selection of new records as well. But generally I buy most of my records either on Discogs or at the concerts I attend.
Could you tell us about the writing process behind Fall Into Fire?
I started working on Fall Into Fire in early 2012. I had the idea of creating something that dealt with the stages between being awake and sleeping but also between life and death. I wanted a recurring musical theme to go through the whole album, but a theme that changed as the record progressed, something you could at times perhaps barely glimpse. I wanted to work more with rhythm and real drums and also further explore acoustic instrumentation and analog destructive treatment processes. I pretty much had all the ideas there except the title. But as everything in my life changed, the theme of the record changed as well.
Were there any major influences behind the creation of Fall Into Fire?
Fall Into Fire is a direct response to my wife leaving me in the summer of 2012. It deals with the process of losing your best friend, someone you love more than anything, and the inability to handle all this in a sane and balanced way. This is by far the most personal album I have ever done and it’s the album that I never wanted to make. Music is therapy and a way of coping with life. It may sound like a cliché, but in this case that’s exactly what it was. I wouldn’t say it helped me stay sane, but it helped me to pull through one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with.
You have created music for an array of projects. From dance performances to film scores, what attracts you to these types of projects?
I need challenges and working with both dance and film can be really challenging as there are so many aspects you need to consider. When creating for dance you have to be aware of the fact that this will be presented in a three dimensional room, and this may of course sound very obvious but it’s actually quite complex. You need to think about the physicality and the volume of the sound and also consider practical matters such as the distance between the speakers and where on the stage they are placed.
The music also has to represent the work of the choreographer while still being true to your own artistic vision, and that can sometimes be quite the struggle. You must also be able to interpret the vision of the choreographer and the artistic team and work together towards a common goal, which is of course the best performance you can create. So, yeah, it’s a challenge but a challenge I really enjoy.
Are there any musicians or composers out there you would like to collaborate with?
I don’t really think about it in that way. The people who I collaborate with are all great people first and talented musicians second. But it would be interesting to work with something totally out of my context, like working with something very commercial and learning the “tricks” of writing hits. Although I’d probably suck at it and fuck everything up…
What is your decision behind pressing your music to vinyl?
Well, I think vinyl is a very nice format as you can go all in with the artwork when you have access to a big canvas like that. It’s also a format that encourages active listening. Since you only have 20 something minutes per side, as a listener you have to be there to flip sides. It’s not a Spotify, “random awesome pop music” list that can just play discreetly in the background while you’re busy doing dishes.
But I don’t think all music necessarily fits on vinyl either. I think in general you have to have the format in mind when creating an album so that you can suit it to the physical and audial limitations and advantages of the format in mind. On vinyl the way you open and close each side has to be thought through meticulously. And as for a CD, you have to have the same thinking in terms of dynamics and contrasts and silences.
So when I started working on Fall Into Fire I had this idea of a recurring theme throughout the whole album, and I wanted it to be something told in two parts, so vinyl was sort of the given option for me. Had I made it for CD I think I would have had like a 30 second silence after the first three tracks. ∆
"seven years a bird in the wood, seven years a fish in the flood.."
playlist:
mountains - sand (centralia)
chris forsyth - downs and ups (contrasts: loren connors/ chris forsyth)
rivulets - i told jesus christ how much i love her (ride on, molina)
alan sparhawk - sagrado corazón de jesu (second attempt) (solo guitar)
martyn bates & m.j. harris - the cruel mother (traditional) (your jewled footsteps: 1978-2005)
jasper tx - black sleep vi (black sleep)
bardo pond - maggot brain (funkadelic) (rise above it all)
bangtwister - downside up (the moon on a stick)
