Interview by Igor for Stigmata magazineQ. LETUM is rather unknown name for music lovers. I believe we should start
this interview from the very beginning... so, LETUM is one-man project, right?
Could you tell me a bit about yourself? I hate to ask questions like these but I
haven't seen any info about your project and even my promo CD has no answers....
A. My name is Mattias Henriksson and I live in Lindesberg, Sweden. I live in a
little house with Otis, my cat. I work, sleep and listen to music most of the
time. (this begins to feel like a singles ad)
I enjoy watching movies… Directors I like are Tim Burton, Dario Argento,
Kiezslowski, Claudie Ossard and Michael Mann etc. I collect (more used to)
Hong-Kong movies, some favourites are The Bride With White Hair, A Chinese Ghost
Story, Tai-Chi Master etc. I work as an educator (computers) half-time and
self-employed the rest, also with computers.
Q. LETUM is your first band or you have musical experience? Do you have musical
education or self-taught?
A. I have created music since I bought my first computer back in 1982, doing
poke commands for melodies :). Later when the tracker programs and the samplers
were introduced it really got fun. Actually made some quite nice tracker songs,
but that’s almost 10 years ago now. Then MIDI and sampler gear come into my life
and more things to play around with. All alone with piles of manuals! Luckily I
am a fan of technology :)
Q. So, you have seen development of computers and technology from the very
beginning... Do you think that evolution of technology brings to us evolution of
music as well (affects it), or the real Art does not depend
on technological miracles and every true artist always has enough tools to fulfil his ideas?
A. Tools as well as knowledge and ideas are very important. Art comes from
inside and you use your tools to release it. Of course even the best technology
doesn’t necessary mean better results, but poor equipment could also be
devastating.
Q. For how long you've been writing The Entrance to Salvation? Was it easy album
to create or you belong to perfectionists who fix their work times and times
before final result sees the daylight?
A. Well, it has taken a very long time to compose the album. I haven’t been in a
hurry creating and it’s for me I create so I need to be satisfied with the
results. I would be really disappointed to release anything bad. Many years of
recording sounds, learning and creating, listening and changing and changing
again.
Q. May be "The Entrance to Salvation" isn't a revolutionary album (I talk about
originality), but it extremely successful dark ambient piece.
Personally, I see the album as one of the best albums of the year. What Do you
think about your debut now when it's out and nothing can be changed? Was it good
idea to expose this music to general public? I'm pretty sure it was, ha-ha.
A. Originality is most individual! If I use choirs then it immediately sounds
like Dead Can Dance. Personally I don’t think my album is anything like Dead Can
Dance except for a couple of minute’s maybe. Even what you do today it could
always be compared with something else already made. How can you create anything
original today? I just want to make music for my heart and soul and use my own
set of sounds to archive that. I am pleased with the final results of the album,
maybe a couple of the recordings were to loud recorded by me but that’s what I
thought were best at the time being.
Feels good that it’s available to public and someone actually likes listening to
it.
Q. Why do you think that it's impossible to create anything original today?
Well... I can name a lot of bands... BAD SECTOR, for example....
A. Even though I agree with you on Bad Sector, some tracks sound much like some
songs that Controlled Bleeding did 15 years ago. So it all comes down to what
you think it’s original and not. Personally I don’t care if something sounds
like anything already done, as long as my heart agrees with it.
Q. Letum is 100% your own creation or there are people who helped you in making
the debut. Where do you get samples for the music?
A. Everything is made by me. I only have two or three samples from movies (The
Elephant Man & Black Cat). Most of the own sounds have been recorded from around
the area where I live. I also have a collection of sampleCDs.
Q. What do you think about reaction of the public? Do you receive many interview
requests from underground press? Feedback from listeners?
A. There have only been a couple of interview requests (incl. yours) but I have
seen quite many album reviews on the web. There haven’t been that much feedback
from listeners, just a few e-mails and some comments on the web. But I am
satisfied with that.
Q. Will you continue to write music in future? And do you have any side-projects?
A. I would like to do more music but there aren’t enough time left. But you will
here more of Letum, that I know for sure! I would like to contribute to the
CMI100 record, but I probably don’t get any material finished in time.
And I do have a side-project with a friend of mine. It’s called End of Crave and
is very danceable and electronic with catchy melodies and dark lyrics with some
distortion on the vocals. Quite nice.
Q. Could you tell me more about this side-project? Any releases?
A. No public releases yet, if I have had more time there probably would have
been though. Hopefully next year.
Q. Lots of people like music. Some of them even spend with music most of their
time. But not many start their own projects. What has influenced you to become a
- let's call that this way - professional musician? And how does it feel
to be a one?
A. I like to create things and to accomplish something that are important to me.
I don´t recon me as an professional musician, I doubt I ever will, I just want
to get my self acceptance.
Q. For how long do you listen to industrial music? Do you remember the first
industrial recording you got? The one impressed you most?
A. Approximately 10 years and Raison D´êtres Prospectus I must be the album that
captured my interest the most. I play it often even today. The album that I
probably have listened to most of all is Sisters First, Last & Always.
Q. Do you listen a lot to contemporary industrial music? Any favourites to name?
A. Yes, and other than Raison D´être I listen to Delerium, Arcana, Ordo
Equlibrium etc. But I listen to a wide range of different musical genres, not
only industrial music. To name a few other genres/artists that comes to mind…
dark wave (Diary of Dreams/Endraum), death metal (Tristania/Ancient Drive), new
age (Oliver Shanti & Friends/Kitaro), gothic (Garden of Delight/Larcrimosa/Stolzes
herz), psychedelic trance (Man with no name/), electronic (Welle Erdball/Hocico)
etc etc.
Q. You are signed to CMI, cult dark ambient/ industrial label. Was it easy
for you to get this deal? As a rule it takes a hell of time for Karmanik
to release a CD. What about LETUM?
A. Well, I have had contact with him for a long time but yes the process was
slooow.
Q. I haven't seen original package of "The Entrance to Salvation" because
I have only bare promo CD. On the cover I see a door with a cross on it. Is
this just a "nice" picture that fits album's title or there is a message
behind the unity of visual and musical concept?
A. The picture is taken in a monastery in Egypt and it’s meant to represent the
music in that way that the songs take you (probably more me) beyond the door and
into your mind and from there thru your salvation.
Q. I continue my previous question. LETUM has a lot of samples with
religious (Christian?) choral music. What do you think about religion? Do
you see it as the entrance to salvation? When I look at today's world I
begin to think that Christianity wasn't a bad idea like many want us to
believe these days. Have you ever heard Russian Christian choral music?
A. No, I do not see the entrance to salvation in religion, not for me anyway. I
believe you create your salvation in your mind and your life and maybe with help
from religion, I don’t see anything wrong with that... I like religion in the
way that it represents (for me) calmness, belief, sadness.
No, I don’t think I have heard Russian Christian choral music. But I would
probably like it!
Q. Great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov has written a lot of them. Do You
listen to classical music?
A. No, but I do enjoy Stoa very much, and they don’t sound so very much
different.
Q. I hope you do not belong to people who avoid reading books. Do you read much?
What kind of stuff you prefer? Who is your favourite writer? Do you know a book
that would be a perfect companion to LETUM's music?
A. I do not read much literature other than those concerning computer software
and hardware! :) But by my bed there are and always will be a book by Swedish
writer Pär Lagerkvist, he’s really the only one for me, his words are my
salvation and religion!
Q. Every issue of Stigmata has its own concept. This issue's concept:
"Is suicide a solution?" We ask every musician the same question. What is your
opinion about suicide? Could it be a solution?
A. If life ONLY is pain and suffering and simply no reason to stay alive then it
could be a solution, but often there are help to be found and better ways to
deal with it. I do believe that the suicide rates in the world are way too high
though!
Q. What do you think about decision of Netherlands to legalize euthanasia? And
what do people in Sweden think about legalization of euthanasia (I'm pretty sure
it was a big topic in your press)?
A. It should be up to each one of us if we do not want to live anymore. But
relatives or a second opinion somehow should always be made.
Q. Topics like "death", "genocide", "suicide" are pretty popular among
industrial bands. I'm pretty sure you knew that I will ask you about things
happened on September 11 in the States. For sure we can't miss that. I was
really surprised of reaction from majority of power electronics/ industrial
extremists... people who bored others with their manias of total genocide and
cultural terrorism cried like little girls when it came to the real situation.
It looks like majority of so called "extremists" are posers who just wanted to
get attention. It was a surprise for me, cuz in my country we look at such
things a bit different. What about you? Was the reaction of industrial
underground on 9-11 predictable one?
A. It’s really an awful event that has happened and it’s a fucked up world full
of terror, war, starvation etc. Luckily there are reasons worth living for, and
music is one of them! I rest my case here.
Q. As a rule in the very end of every interview bands say silly things, quote
smart people and so on... I don't really think it's good idea to ask you to say
"something smart".... Are there anything important you'd like to mention in this
interview? If not I'd like to say that this mag is
distributed even in Siberia... have you ever dreamed that you musical
experiments would bring such results?
A. No nothing important to say, but I thank you for interesting and good
questions!
If readers and listeners would like to say anything do so to
letum@mail.nu
Homepage:
http://www.stigmata.name/ |