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Based in Norway, and recording under the Amethystium name, Øystein
Ramfjord has released two superb and highly successful albums, and
a
third much-anticipated record is on its way.
Odonata (Neurodisc
Records), Øystein's debut album, was a huge hit
reaching #5 on the Billboard New Age charts. Odonata also did extremely
well on MP3.com, with music from the Amethystium page having over
one
million plays/downloads! Øystein's last record, Aphelion,
carried on from
his debut release, garnering a number of impressive achievements.
Besides
spending seven weeks in the #7 position on the Billboard New Age charts,
Aphelion was chosen by Echoes listeners as the seventh
best release of
2003 and picked by Amazon.com editors as one of the top ten New Age
albums of 2003. And last but certainly not least, Aphelion was New Age
Reporter's #1 radio album of 2003. Wow!
What makes this all the more impressive is that as the twenty-three
year
old Øystein says in our conversation: "I consider myself still
in a starting
phase, still learning new things and developing my skills." Humble
and
talented -- my favourite combination! The fact that Øystein
has remained
as a person open and unaffected, even after all of his considerable
success, has only solidified my belief that this is an artist we will
be
listening to for years to come.
If you'd like to learn more about Øystein and Amethystium,
please visit
his website.
Jamie:
I think why I enjoy Aphelion so much isn't the deeply
complex
textures, although they're certainly present, or the overall sense
of stellar
musicianship, but it's the emotional effect it has on me. The first
track,
"Shadow to Light" is a great example of what I'm talking about.
Your
production and arranging are first rate -- they support the emotion
of the
piece. And this isn't an easy thing to do. How do you keep a sense
of
the emotional when working with such complex and evolving textures?
Øystein: Most often the
textures are melodic and form parts of the
composition as a whole, in which case it's done while I'm engaged
in
composing, where the emotion just comes naturally. It's kind of
hard to
put down in words how it's done, cause when it comes to the composing
part of making and recording music, it's usually not a process where
I consciously try to keep a sense of anything really. I tend to
just play
around and let the songs unfold, and although I soon get an idea
about
the feel or "story" of a song and where I want it to go, whatever
impulse
jumps down in my mind tends to override that direction. Like in
"Gates of
Morpheus", where the song turns from being somewhat gloomy to a
lighter
piece towards the end, it's not something I had planned or thought
about,
it's just how I felt at the moment when working on it. I tend to
think of a
song in a sort of linear way, like a journey from a to b - where
I'm not
quite sure where b is when starting out. Then I usually work on
it part
by part, completing each part with arrangements and all before moving
on to the next. So the textures and arrangements for each part are
pretty much created at the same time as everything else, it's not
something that I go back afterwards to add on top. I think maybe
that explains it.
Jamie: That
explains it perfectly! One of my composition teachers talked
a lot about letting the piece develop on its own. That it's o.k.
not to know
how every last element in a piece is gong to unfold. To get out
of the way
of the music.
Are all of your pieces based around "the feel or 'story' of a song"?
Do you
have a specific mental picture for each piece that helps to inspire
you?
Øystein: Not
as a starting point, but as soon as a piece is starting to take
shape, I almost always form mental visuals and ideas around it that
gives
it a unique "identity" to me, and that influences the further creation.
The thing about getting out of the way of the music sounds right
to me,
at least the way I work on Amethystium. My experience is that if
I end
up trying to consciously control things too much, I either get completely
stuck, or things go very slow and I'm less happy with the end result.
I've
also noticed that when composing a melodic part, it's usually the
first
improvised attempt that works best, and that if I go back later
to try
to make it better, it's very hard to improve on it by conscious
effort.
I'm curious how this process works for you when writing your
guitar-based music, how much of it is planned and how much
is spontaneous?
Jamie: Well,
I'd say my music is about half planned and half
spontaneous. Generally, my pieces follow a jazz-based structure
of A-B-A or head-solo-head. And I almost always have a lead sheet
(melody and chords) of the tune before I start arranging. Most of
my
arrangements come from me experimenting with different sounds and
loops etc. in Logic, but the basic melody and harmony are written
away from the computer. I know.... that's very old fashioned : )
Your comment regarding first takes on improvs rings true for me
as
well. Although often, because I do my own engineering, my first
takes
(particularly on solos) don't work out due to a "bad" mic placement
or
the gain structure not being set up correctly. After five or so
times
through a track if I can't nail it, I call it a day and just move
on to
something else. That's one of the joys of having your own studio
-- you can work at your own pace!
And talking about studios, could you tell me a bit about your own
studio and gear?
Øystein: It's
a pretty straightforward project studio, where the most
important gear so far has been my Korg synths. The 01/W is probably
the most-used keyboard on Amethystium, but I'm also using the Triton,
Z1 and Wavestation. When recording I use an Allen & Heath mixing
desk and two dual-monitor Pentium 4's, custom built for audio use.
I currently do both sequencing and recording with Sonar 3 Producer
-- having grown up with the PC, I feel more comfortable in that
environment than with the Mac applications. The amp and monitors
are from Alesis, and also worth mentioning is an old collection
of
"cheap stuff that sound crap but look nice in a rack"...haha. When
it comes to other instruments, I have two electric guitars, two
djembes, some other percussion instruments, and some
more or less usable flutes.
The thing about being able to work at your own pace in your own
studio has really been critical in the realization of the Amethystium
project. Usually what takes a lot of time for me in the creation
process is the more technical aspects, putting it all together and
making it sound good basically. It's a very time consuming and often
somewhat frustrating process for me, and there's no way I could
have
afforded to rent a commercial studio to do all that.
Jamie: Texture,
and sound design in general, has become so important
for a lot of today's music. I can definitely see how recording Amethystium
albums in a commercial studio would have cost a bundle!
Do you start with a pre-defined sound palette for each piece or
do you do
the sound design as the piece emerges? And a second somewhat related
question: is there any particular sound or keyboard/plugin that
you feel is
integral in creating the Amethystium "sound"?
Øystein: I
do the sound design as the piece emerges, although sometimes
a particular sound can also be the starting point. As for the second
question
I think I should mention the Korg 01/W again. On the initial 11-track
demo
of the Odonata album, which was completed just before
I turned 19, it was actually the only keyboard used. So since it
was almost all I had to work
with back then, I had to learn to use it properly to get all I possibly
could
from it. I think all the Amethystium songs released so far have
featured
one of several pads which I programmed on the 01, and there's also
a few
other re-occurring sounds from it on both albums, like the synth
flutes. On
the 14-track commercial release of Odonata, the 01
still stands for almost
all of the electronic sounds. Although I'm happy with the sound
on the
album and have gotten lots of positive comments on it from both
audio
professionals as well as listeners, the fact is that it was a very
low-budget
project, with things like mixing desk and cables pretty much being
the
cheapest of cheap. I remember thinking how easy things would be
if only
I could afford this or that synth or equipment, but looking back
I think the
limitations were really a good thing. Now I sometimes find myself
almost
wishing I had less options, to simplify things.
Jamie: I
think I know exactly what you mean. Just to throw on my
soothsayer hat for a moment, I think technology will eventually
force
musicians to simplify -- to be more specific in their choices. There
will
be (maybe there already is) far too many sonic choices. At what
point
do you stop auditioning bass drum samples? How many compressors,
eq's and delays are too many? If your computer will be able to play
back eight million audio tracks will it matter? Technology can be
as
much of a hindrance as a help if it overwhelms the artist. Whew....
glad I got that off my chest!
One thing in your last answer that I didn't know was that you're
so
young! Now I'm really depressed.... Could you tell me a bit about
your musical background? Have you always had an interest in
"electronic" music?
Øystein: I
wouldn't say I've had more interest in electronic music
than in other music, but I grew up loving synthesizers and keyboards
as instruments, creating little tunes on organs, keyboards, and
piano
before I learned to play from notes. Still though, I didn't really
listen to
any music that could be considered electronic until I discovered
Jean
Michel Jarre, Deep Forest, and Vangelis when I was 14 years old.
That was a big change in my musical taste at the time, and obviously
influenced me.
As for my musical background, I don't have much formal education
in
music. I started playing early though, having good access to instruments,
and received lessons in keyboards, church organ, and drums/percussion
over a few years as a kid. I also taught myself to play guitar,
and did a lot
of bedroom recording of my own songs. I have several hours worth
of
cassette tape recordings from when I was between 13 and 15, which
is quite fun to listen to now. I also played in a couple of bands,
and
eventually started Amethystium as a solo-project in 1998.
Your thoughts about technology being a hindrance if it overwhelms
the artist is how I often feel it as well, not because I think having
a wide
array of sonic options is a bad thing in itself, but because it's
impossible
to really familiarize yourself with it all. What was so nice about
working
with a simpler setup was that I knew exactly what I had to work
with,
and had a good overview over the tools at hand. Now when the options
are virtually unlimited, it's so easy to get lost and not know when
you
have in fact arrived - cause who knows what is out there, right?
Your own music is, I think I can say, less dependent on technology
than mine, but do you also experience these aspects of technology
as potentially negative in your own work?
Jamie: Definitely.
Part of the problem is techno-lust. Musicians often
believe that a new piece of gear will re-invent them as an artist.
That
it will bring them closer to what they're hearing in their head.
And
sometimes that's true, but from my personal experience, I find that
too many options can take me further away from what I want to
express emotionally. In many ways, I want the guitar and the
computer to disappear -- to be completely transparent. And I
can't do that if I don't know where the A string is or if I have
to
have my head stuck in a manual every two minutes! It's tough
though.... there's always a new plugin waiting around the corner....
my wife says I need therapy.... she's probably right....
I've been asking people about the music scene in their part of the
world
lately. I know this is a very open-ended question, but what's it
like for an
artist living in Norway?
Øystein: It
depends on how you look at it I guess. Norway isn't exactly
the center of the world obviously, so it's not a very strategic
location in
an international sense. But I think the environment for music and
arts in
general is pretty strong and diverse here, especially for such a
small
country. I've heard it said that no other country have as many musicians
compared to the population, which may or may not be true, but there's
quite a lot of government-funded activities and programs available
that
makes it very easy for kids to get started at an early age - and
so
many do. The music scene here has become quite interesting
during the last few years, with really good acts in several
different genres.
A downside with this country, not least for musicians with techno-lust,
is the high prices on pretty much everything. Having to usually
add
from 30% to even 100% on top of the US/UK retail prices when
buying studio equipment for instance, is a bit frustrating. Financially
speaking, Norway is overall a pretty "stupid" place to live when
having
your income elsewhere, but artistically it's a nice environment
in my
opinion. The nature can also be inspiring, and I even for the most
part
like the climate, believe it or not, so I probably won't be moving
anytime soon.
Jamie: I
have a second question along the same lines and I know this
is a tough one to answer. But, do you feel that your music is in
any way
defined by living in Norway? The reason I ask this is, specifically
with the Internet's growing influence, music of all types is available
throughout the
world. And in many cases easily and readily available. Musicians
today
have such a wide range of possible influences -- I know my own listening
habits are all over the board. But still, I feel being a Canadian
artist is at
least a somewhat different experience than being a Mexican artist....
can't really quantify it though!
Øystein: In
terms of instrumentation, harmonies, etc., there's nothing
particularly Norwegian about my music. But there is, at least for
me, an
underlying sense of "fantasy" that I feel is quite connected to
the nature
and folklore here. It's hard to say exactly how much influence that
has
on the music though, and much of the non-electronic instrumentation
is Asian rather than Scandinavian, so I wouldn't say that my music
overall is defined by living in Norway. But I do think it represents
an
important element of it. I'm sure most people don't know much, if
anything, about Norway anyway though.
How do you feel about this yourself? Do you for instance feel that
there
is a strong distinction between being a Canadian and a US artist?
Jamie: I
thought about this question all weekend -- especially
considering how close I live to the US. I know I feel like a Canadian,
but I'm not sure if that translates, in any tangible way, to the
music
I make. Like you, I don't think there's anything in terms melody,
harmony, rhythm or texture that is definable, in my case, as Canadian.
Many of my musical influences come from the US and US artists,
but many more come from all around the world. So even after thinking
about this question all weekend, I still don't have a clear answer!
I know you're currently working on a new record. Can you tell a
bit
about the direction you're taking on the new album? Any changes
to the Amethystium "sound"?
Øystein: I'm
still exploring essentially the same style of music as on
the first two albums, so there won't be any dramatic changes in
the
sound. Things are still a bit in the air though, as the album isn't
done
yet, but one difference is that guitars are going to be used quite
a bit.
I'm also running around sampling lots of silly things, from toy-like
instruments to environmental sounds and sounds that I remember
from my childhood. Like, sounds from the houses where my
grandparents used to live - a squeaky old attic door, an old piano,
a ticking clock on the wall, things like that. A dash of personal
nostalgia thrown in... Not sure how much of it that will eventually
end up on the record though.
Anyway, I would say that the differences in sound are developments
rather than changes. I consider myself still in a starting phase,
still
learning new things and developing my skills. Those who didn't hear
much difference between Odonata and Aphelion will probably say
the same about this one, while those who found Aphelion to be very
different from Odonata might find this one even more
so, I don't know.
It depends on the perspective I guess, it's not like it's going
to be
gangsta rap or anything, so if anyone expects a change like that
they will obviously be disappointed. When it comes to changing
sound, I guess it's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kind
of thing - someone is always going to be displeased. Amethystium,
for me, is still about creating and exploring some kind of "musical
fantasy world", and I feel that is best done within the boundaries
of
the few genres I'm already working with. That said, I do think this
album is more experimental than the first two, with more unique
moments, but I don't think I want to say too much about it yet.
What about you, can you say anything about your next project?
Jamie: HaHa
-- you took my answer! Like you, I'd say my new record
is really an evolution from my previous albums. The biggest change
is
the addition of a few tracks with vocals and the fact that I didn't
write
every piece on the record, like I have in the past. Sonicly, I'd
say this
record has the best sound quality I've ever had -- I worked extremely
hard on the engineering and production. I like to think my new album
is "better" than my first two (everybody likes to improve!) and
shows
a certain degree of artistic and technical growth, but obviously
I'm
biased!
Thanks for taking the time to do this conversation Øystein
and good
luck with your new record!
Øystein: Thanks,
and the same to you! I'd also like to say thanks to
NewAgeReporter, and everyone at Neurodisc Records.
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