1. I read you're originally from Älvdalen. Not far from where I had my first and only snow trip as a child! My mom broke her leg day one so we sat around in a cabin playing board games burning fire logs for a week. Absolutely loved it! I know two things about Älvdalen, 1: they have an accent so distinct that it's almost its own language and 2: Larz-Kristerz are from there. How was it to grow up in Älvdalen? Did you listen to Larz-Kristerz and can you still talk älvdalsmål?
That doesn't sound so bad, except for the accident of course. I've spent a lot of time in overnight cabins and summer cottages in my youth. Hehe, that's right, we who are from Älvdalen are very particular in calling it a language and not a dialect. I can understand and speak a little (though I wish people around me had spoken it more to me as a child). I can't say I listened to Larz-Kristerz that much as a youngster, but I did listen to Jonny Cartong a lot!
2. When and how did you first come into contact with punk? I imagine it's kind of hard to find like-minded people in a small place like Älvdalen, especially if we're talking kängpunk.
Hm... It must've been around middle school, with the usual suspects (Sex Pistols, Ramones etc). It was, however, Black Sabbath, early Metallica, Venom and Motörhead who put the final nail in the coffin when I was around 12 years old. Discharge was introduced when I was in high school and just like with the former bands I was completely hooked. I just wanted more! I think we were approximately 5-6 people who shared this interest and all of us are still going strong.
3. Wagner Ödegård mastered your first tape and shows up in the notes on the new one. More on the tapes in a while, first I want to briefly talk about your relationship. I'm guessing he's a close friend of yours? Is he a childhood friend (taking into account that he moved to Mora, merely 40 km away from Älvdalen, in 1996) or did you find each other later on?
We got to know each other somewhere around 2003 and since we share the same interest in sound, imagery and how things should be done we've kept in touch.
4. There's some similarities in your projects, at least when it comes to primitive imagery and (granted different) unapologetic sound - have you inspired each other or is it just how it is in that part of the country? I imagine long and dark winters.
He's definitely inspired me, I guess that's what happens when you share the same vision about music related things.
He's created some really cool music (however it's mainly his black metal releases that have interested me) and put it out in some pretty unique packaging. I remember drooling over a beautiful wooden box with etched artwork containing 8 cassettes and a 32-page zine. And it wasn't that long ago you yourself made me aware of his more recent dungeon synth/ambient/chiptune project Mauvet Mauve that was, among other things, released on a NES cartridge.
5. Now, while your tapes aren't as extravagant in comparison they've none the less had something extra to them. The first one came on a printed shell and also had a red version with a... "hype wrapper" of sorts (which isn't that common when we're talking about the very first debut cassette), and now the second one comes with carefully crafted handcut artwork. You seem to also like taking care of what you put out, even though the sound and sentiment is rugged and raw. Is this some sort of intended mix of "fuck it all" and "but with love"? Or are you involuntarily pretty involved and caring behind the blunt front?
The "hype wrapper" was a coincidence, Andy over at EDH had printed these flyers to go with the release and I thought it was pretty fitting to just wrap them around the tapes. It worked aesthetically. At first the thought was to use barbed wire, inspired by harsh noise/power electronics releases I've seen but in the end I went with rubber bands. That's also easier to store in a shelf, hehe.
For me the packaging and presentation is just as important as the music itself! The handmade and rough makes for half the pleasure, in particular when you can do it all with scissors, a knife, glue and your hands.
6. I'm aware I've put us in present time with questions about your newest tape, but let's go back a bit again; When did you leave Älvdalen for Stockholm, and why?
First I moved to Falun at ninteteen, together with my girlfriend at the time. That changed my whole life pretty rapidly. One year later I'd started Livet Som Insats together with Kristofer Jankarls and Simon Eriksson, the first serious band for me. We played for a couple of years before my involvement with the band came to a close and in 2014 I moved to Stockholm. I've stayed here since.
7. Looking back you've played bass for years in Livet Som Insats as stated, and briefly in Honnör SS (during the time they also went under the name of Conflux I've noted, what's that about?). It also seems like you've written a few lyrics for Panikattack. Does that cover most of it or have you done more stuff I'm not aware of? Are you focusing solely on Nagasaki at the moment or do you have more projects in the works?
The name change was probably to separate themselves from "SS", the band had some trouble with that which people outside the scene can probably easily imagine. But I'm not the right person to answer that question.
I played together with Panikattack for a short while, it was a turbulent time in my life where I was searching for something at the same time as working through things that had happened earlier in my life. I wasn't particularly nice towards myself or others and made some mistakes that I've since apologized for.
Nagasaki is my main band at the moment, there's some ideas regarding a project called Moral Korps but more on that in the future.
8. You call Nagasaki a one man band, but on your first tape Jens Jefvel played the drums and on this second tape Ced plays the drums and someone named Nate plays the bass. Is everyone elses presence in the band just a spur of the moment kind of thing? Do you call yourself a one man band so that you alone get the last say? Is Nagasaki perhaps not a one man band from now on?
The short version is I can't play drums fast enough, haha. In the beginning Nagasaki wasn't supposed to amount to more than that one tape. I wanted to create something incredibly primitive where I wrote, recorded and mixed the music. There was something inside of me that needed to get out. Jens joined as a drummer, yes, he's a nice person that plays the drums just the way I like! Fast and improvising! Chaotic but tight! The reason Ced is playing drums on the second tape instead of Jens is that I had to get the music out before it became too stale and Jens were pretty busy with his other bands. He also had a wrist injury at the time.
Nate joined as a spur of the moment kind of thing, "Can you play the bass? Yeah? Okay, then you do that."
I guess Nagasaki isn't a one man band or a regular band, it's something more open-ended! It's true that I write all the music and have the last say, but everything can change when the right people are involved.
8.1. I know both Jens and Ced to be fairly busy people, is there a shortage of d-beat drummers in Sweden? It's like a few names, Jens and Ced being two of them, that's brought up time and time again. I remember trying to learn the drums (d-beat being my goal) back when I was 16, but it was too much theory and terminology that bored me to death. Well that and the fact that I was complete shit at it. I just can't stand programmed drums though, can you? Was it ever an option for Nagasaki to use software for the drums?
There are a few competent drummers around these parts but I'm not very good at networking and I don't really go to that many shows nowadays. Jens and Ced are safe bets where you know what you're getting. Quality. I would easily consider programmed drums if the songs were to take on a more digital approach.
8.2. Since you now have more people onboard, have you begun doing live shows?
There might be some plans in the works, hehe.
8.3. Nate and Jamie Elton (mastering) doesn't sound like common swedish names, is Nagasaki a bit international? What can you tell me about the "new" people involved?
Nate is born in Florida but have a swedish father, we've known each other for a couple of years and we live close to each other! Jamie is from England but lives in Prässebo outside of Göteborg and we've become good friends through my wife who's known him for a few years! He works with audio recording and live music (Elton Production) and had some spare time to dedicate to mastering the EP. He did a stellar job!
9. On Bandcamp you call Nagasaki "evil plain neanderthal type råpunk just the way it was meant to be" (on Discogs you similarly call it "troglodyte kängpunk"), and you add that the artwork is "handcut and glued the right way". You seem to have a pretty clear vision of authenticity with Nagasaki, do you feel there's a shortage of that in the world of raw punk today or why are you so adamant on underlining this is the way it's supposed to be done?
I have an incredibly strong vision and idea regarding how it should be presented. Sometimes I feel a lot of things look and sound pretty similar, with a couple of exceptions of course, but I'm not trying to make it sound like what I'm doing is the only right way. My idea is simple. It's raw, violent and primitive. It should make you feel things when you listen to it.
9.1. What sort of feelings do you want to evoke? I tried playing the tape back for people outside of punk and they acted somewhat stressed and didn't want to listen to the whole thing. Personally I can't get enough of it, and for me the music is hyping me up and calming me down at the same time. It's a hostile explosion, but an entertaining one.
That it's for real, it's no "stand around drinking beer and listen to 'rock'". It's a desperate scream from the heat, you should feel hate towards how the world looks today and at the same time feel a hopelessness that it's gone too far.
An alternative version of the EP cover that was ultimately scrapped:
10. I asked for (and recieved, thank you) the lyrics to read through for my review on 'E.P', I'll go into greater detail of the contents in the review but suffice to say there are some nods to old classics. There's Discharge in there, there's Anti Cimex in there. Which other bands have influenced you? When listening only to the sound of the guitar bands like Anti-Metafor and Bombanfall come to mind.
First and foremost Voivod I think, it's something about their skewed riffs paired with pummeling drums and bass lines from hell. My influences in general would make a too long list but you're not wrong in your guesses. One thing that should always be present in the guitar sound of Nagasaki is chorus! It should sway and go straight into an amplifier at absolutely maximum volume.
11. The recording quality have taken a step forward on the new tape. What has changed behind the scenes? New equipment? New studio?
It's the same gear but this time around I have more experience and patience!
12. 'Kriget Utan Nåd' was released by EveryDayHate, a now defunct (?) grind label, right? And 'E.P.' is released by Fucked Noise Sound - which is being run by yourself? Is this the first release for FNS?
Exactly! EDH was important for Livet Som Insats and Andy seemed to think it was a sensible investment to release Nagasaki on tape. And yes, Fucked Noise Sound is my label and it's a way for me to keep busy and do it my way. There might be some future releases, nobody knows.
13. The j-card to the cassette version of 'E.P.' comes in two flavors, white and brown. Is there any particular thought behind that? Before sending me a tape you asked which one I'd prefer and I told you to go with the one closest to your initial vision – and so I got a white one. Coincidence or deliberate? I can't really imagine you'd run out on white paper mid-process and had to switch to another color, it's oftentimes the other way around.
White and unbleached natural paper goes so well with the contrast of black and each other. If you can create a bit of variation without having to put in extra work, then why not do it? Hehe.
14. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Do you want to add anything? Did I miss something that you really wished I had asked about?
Thank you very much! It's been interesting and fun since this was my first personal interview and not as a "band". Thanks to everyone who's supported me and of course to Ced, Nate, Jamie, Emelie, Kristofer and Ola who helped me do this.