Conversations featuring Systur (Sísy Ey) provided listeners with a tantalising sample of Kasper Bjørke’s new album Puzzles, that released the beginning of this month. With Tomas Høffding (WhoMadeWho) on the bass and Systur on vocals, Conversations is a “secret love-letter to the sound of New York in the 2000s”. It is a song of soothing melancholy. From the gloominess of Nordic winters to the pulsating energy of New York, Bjørke’s music encapsulates a myriad of emotions and experiences.
From the confines of his Copenhagen studio to the dance floors of Europe, Kasper Bjørke invites us on a journey through his mind and through his sound.
Hi Kasper, congratulations on the release of your new album Puzzles. Where are you answering us from?
Thank you ! From my studio in Copenhagen.
We last interviewed you in 2019, what have you been up to these past five years?
My daughter was born in 2019 so that's been a game changer, two kids in the family is a game changer (laughs)! But I still found time to release quite a lot of music. There was also the pandemic of course which made everyone stop and think, for some time at least.
Conversations was released as the appetiser for your new album Puzzles. What made you choose this song as the first to be revealed?
I first released a song with Sísy Ey (also working under the name Systur) back in 2012 called Apart, and it's been so lovely to re-connect and work with them again after all these years. The song Conversations sort of shaped the mood of the whole album - and I thought it was a nice way to get an introduction to the sonic landscape of Puzzles.
The song is at once energetic and soothing. Did you visualise the context in which this song would be played as you created it?
I was listening to the demo a lot at home and it's a song that works best in a home setting or while commuting, I think. It's definitely not made for a nightclub setting.
Systur’s hypnotic vocals, Tomas’ soothing bass, and your tantalising track create a Scandinavian dream team. Tell us about your relationship with your collaborators? What sparked the collaboration?
I have a deep connection to Iceland and have been there countless times these past 20+ years - both DJing at clubs and festivals, travelling around the country and visiting friends who live there. Since I worked with Systur/Sísy Ey before, it felt natural to ask them again to write the lyrics on this particular song. Tomas is my go-to live bassist. He is the best I know for the vibe that I’m after.
I understand that your last album Mother explored themes of the healing power of music and nature. What themes are you exploring this time round?
This album is my secret love-letter to the sound of New York in the 2000s. Much of the music I love is from that era and I used to go to New York a lot to DJ and record new music. I felt inspired by that time and place in my life, it's crazy that it's now 20 years ago.
Tell us about your Danish identity. Can we find traces of your Nordic roots in your music?
I guess there is some sort of gloominess in my music, that you can find in the Nordic music culture in general. I’m not so much into happy music, I thrive mainly in a melancholic universe. I also mainly love winter and autumn, not so much spring and summer. I like the darkness in winter - I guess that’s why I also love Iceland a lot because their winters are even longer and darker than here.
You are a DJ as well as a musician and producer. How do the two compare in terms of your ability for creative expression?
DJing is to me a very in the moment experience for myself as the provider of a vibe for a group of people on the floor, and this can create some fun memories and an immediate boost of energy and endorphins. When I produce music and release it officially, it stays in the world after I’m gone and potentially a lot more people can listen and connect with that music over time. So it's two very different kinds of creative energies that I put into it. Mostly DJing is spontaneous and for me writing and making music requires more thought and carefulness if it's going to be released for everyone to hear it.
The sound of the album has been compared to artists such as Fleetwood Mac. Is there an artist that inspired you to become the musician you are today?
I’m very happy about that comparison. Maybe more producers like Brian Eno and James Murphy, who have inspired me throughout my career in a more or less subconscious way.
I find the many sides of Brian Eno’s musical output (from ambient to indie music) very inspiring and James Murphy’s danceable productions since the early days of DFA and later LCD Soundsystem has been a creative beacon of some sorts.
I find the many sides of Brian Eno’s musical output (from ambient to indie music) very inspiring and James Murphy’s danceable productions since the early days of DFA and later LCD Soundsystem has been a creative beacon of some sorts.
Tell us about the Kasper Bjørke Quartet? I understand that it is with the Quartet project that you released the album Mother, in which you used musical compositions to explore what the evolution of our planet sounds like. Could you elaborate?
Mother was the second Quartet album, yes. I love working with ambient music - to create something completely different than dance music. Recording Mother was a way for me to deal with climate anxiety, to create a soundtrack as a documentation of the evolution of our planet. So, from its early formation to the creation of life, the dawn of man and the current epoch.
With a new album, I’m wondering if there will be an accompanying tour. Any updates on this? And also, how do you prepare for a live show?
I’m not doing any live shows - but I’m currently planning some DJ dates with my agent around Europe including Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Reykjavik, Barcelona, Munich, Hamburg etc. To be announced very soon!
