In February, SOHN gave interviews in Vienna for his debut album “Tremors” that was just released on the 8th of April by the label 4AD. Currently celebrated as one of the most exciting names in electronic music, the English musician, who adopted Vienna as his hometown, did not just appear from nowhere. He has a past, but does not necessarily like to talk about it. In an interview with Sebastian Fasthuber, SOHN reflected on his personal background, explained the rise of SOHN and spoke about his work as a songwriter and producer.
How was SOHN formed?
SOHN: It was a reaction to where I was standing about one and a half years ago. Not a good place. The idea was born after two written songs. At that time, I did not know that this would emerge into SOHN. These songs were written out of a desire to be someone else. I decided to make a fresh start, because there were things I didn’t like about myself. The same applied for the music I had made up to that point. I wanted to bundle my musical energy and focus on fewer ideas – but stronger ideas. As SOHN I want to say less, but in a much more meaningful way. And this has changed me. I would say that I am now a completely different person than I was one and a half years ago.
The songs of SOHN are not exactly minimalistic, but then again they are, when you compare them to the music you used to make. Less is more.
SOHN: Yes. In the beginning I had to force it a bit, but now I have internalised this way of working. It has become quite natural. Initially, it was a big deal. It is all about having more confidence in the strength of your ideas. The less you believe in your ideas, the more ideas and elements you stuff into one song. That was my problem for a long time.
The mysterious aura surrounding SOHN and the missing musical past in the artist biography is kind of secretive. Is this intended?
SOHN: No, not really. I don’t want to hide anything. But I also don’t want anything to distract from my music. For me, there is a new truth. The things I did before SOHN are now irrelevant. Maybe in five or ten years I will think that it was all part of my musical evolution and personal change. But for now it feels as if my past and my present have nothing to do with each other. It feels strange to talk about my past. It is almost as if it wasn’t me. Weird, but that’s just how it is.
Why the name SOHN?
SOHN: First of all, it was important to me to find a short word. I had already written a few songs and knew that the name wouldn’t be a project name, but would become my new name. It was also important how the word sounds. It sounds gentle. What also speaks for the choice of SOHN is that the name does not imply how the music sounds. It could be metal or techno. With a newborn son [Sohn means son in English], you can’t predict how it will once develop. It is a term for a new being. And here we get to the final reason: I also wanted to express that I am a son of my former self.
You addressed the first two SOHN songs. How did this come about?
SOHN: The first song was “The Wheel”. “I died a week ago”, as it says in the lyrics, felt very true at that time. The next song was “Oscillate”. With these songs I immediately knew that I had broken new ground. I had just started working with a new manager, an old friend from London. I played him the songs and he liked them. He wanted to release an EP which resulted in the “The Wheel”-EP. He also liked the idea of uploading the first two songs on SoundCloud. At that point I still had no name. I chose SOHN only six hours before the songs went online. My manager wanted to follow the reactions to see how the project would develop. Surprisingly, there was a lot of good feedback. And so everything went much faster than planned. Two weeks later, the next song followed and soon after the EP.
SOHN condenses a lot of influences: modern R’n’B, Dubstep, Ambient, Electronica. Was this all intentional?
SOHN: Yes. I have made a huge musical leap since I started using synthesizers and drum machines as real instruments. The music is no longer produced with software, but is played. I work with sounds that I create in the moment. The beauty of it is that the work is a lot more spontaneous. You no longer have to plan ahead, but just play. And if you like what you hear, you quickly press “record”. The dubstep element is created by an old synthesizer and its filters. Most dubstep producers use software; I produce the sounds on the synthesizer – just like Kraftwerk used to do.
When you perform live, you do not reproduce the songs in the form they appear on the album. The songs develop a life of their own.
SOHN: And it feels great. I never really enjoyed performing live, but now I love it. Instead of shows I now give concerts where I produce something live on stage together with two other musicians. It’s very much about reacting to what the others are playing, what frequency areas they cover and what they leave out. If you are well attuned to each other, you can create amazing moods and energies. These are based on what you feel in the moment. This would be impossible when working with software.
On stage the songs are much longer than on the album, where they have the typical pop song length.
SOHN: Yes, most of them are three and a half minutes. Live, some of them can last five or six minutes. We enjoy expanding and filling the room with the atmosphere of each song. For me the best concerts are when everyone closes their eyes and sinks into the music. Sometimes people dance, but it is not the kind of dance where people communicate with each other. It is a rather introverted form of dance. I want the people to enjoy my music in an introverted way. This is probably the reason why a lot of stoners are responsive to my music. They think I am a huge pothead, which is definitely not the case. This is just the music that came out of me.
Listening to music as a solipsistic act?
Sohn: Why not? For me this is perfect. I am happy when a person comes to a concert with a group of five people and can go home with the feeling: I had a few moments for myself.
One thing hasn’t changed since your previous project: at heart you’re still a singer/songwriter, right?
SOHN: That’s probably true. The emotions that come out in my music are not feelings I would allow in real life. If I wouldn’t scream any songs, they would probably remain inside forever.
It is interesting that everything changed with the new project. Since SOHN you have been on an amazing roll.
SOHN: This has a lot to do with my attitude and behaviour. A lot has fundamentally changed. I now have more self-confindence and can therefore handle criticism a little better and listen to what people think about my music. I feel a lot better today than two years ago, because I no longer ignore my environment. I can listen when someone gives me a piece of advice. I am a stronger person.
It took a while until you found your team and 4AD as your label. How did you decide these things?
SOHN: Together with my manager. He has known me for a very long time and knows what I really want, what I am willing to do and what not. And luckily he is well connected in London. We always got the people we wanted to have for the project. We have a very small but perfect team for SOHN.
The presentation of SOHN is also important. You probably do not want to be an average pop star. You rather hide your face or perform in the dark.
SOHN: You have to have a very clear idea of how you present yourself to the public. Consistency is what counts. The easiest way to do that is to present yourself as you are. I do not disguise myself, the performance factor of SOHN is equal to nothing. This is me. It used to be the opposite: in the past I was not the person I presented on stage. But I really wanted the world to believe that this is who I was.
You have now also started a career as a songwriter and producer for other artists.
SOHN: At the moment I actually have two simultaneous careers. I produced Banks. Then I created half of an album for Kwabs, a really amazing singer. I also just returned from L.A.. The last three weeks I have been doing nothing else than writing or producing for others. There is yet a lot to come. Yesterday was the return flight, today I am giving interviews in Vienna, tomorrow in Berlin. It’s crazy. But it would be even crazier not to make use of these great opportunities. I am able to work with great people. This Kwabs, for example, will soon be a superstar. It is a very privileged situation.
How is it to walk into a big studio in LA?
SOHN: It definitely helps that I am now more confident. I always have my Juno synthesizer, my drum computer and my old laptop with me. It’s a bit ridiculous when you show up with these tools in a giant studio with platinum records hanging everywhere. The mixer has 64 channels. But I don’t care. I set up my laptop on a coffee table and ask where I can plug in. Okay, I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated in the beginning. But that quickly subsided. The people called me, because they appreciate my work and want something from me.
Is Vienna still your home base?
SOHN: In the past four months I was only here for about two weeks. But it is always nice to come back. Here I have my peace and can recover from the crazy experiences that I have elsewhere. I recently spent a lot of time in L.A.. Some people have suggested moving to there. But that is probably the last thing I want to do. It is always great to have an escape. If I lived there, I would be working constantly. It is important not to overdo it, otherwise all of the ideas would quickly go down the drain.
Interview by Sebastian Fasthuber (translated from German)
Links
SOHN | sohnmusic.com
4AD | www.4ad.com