1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the project these days?
At the moment I am waiting for the 5th Taphephobia release to come out. I hope it will be out soon since the music has been finished for a long time ago and the coverart is also ready. And lately Kalpamantra releases a 4*split cd. The other projects on this split besides Taphephobia are Cogwheel, Rasalhague and Psychomanteum. The split is called ”The unreality of time”.
I am also working on 7 new songs. I don`t know how many of them will be on a future album, split or whatever. Time will tell.
2. How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material and how it differs from previous recordings?
The songs on the S/T album are very much in the same vein as Black city skyline and Access to a world of pain. I will say that there is more variation than on these mentioned albums. It is an album with 6 songs which are very much different from each other.
3. What are some of the themes that you bring out in your music?
On the S/T album I have two songs about serial-killers (Cult & Entering the woods, green river) Middle of the night is about insomnia, Butterflies with needles is like lovely butterflies in the stomach meet Freddy Krueger. The garden of fire is about erasing something, like memories from the past or something concrete in the present. It`s up to the listener to decide. Now it`s dark enough is a tribute to the beautiful silence of night. the wonderful feelings you get when you are the only person walking on these dark streets. Sometimes when I have these trips, I fantasize about being the last person alive. I`m so tired of noisy people and cars.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the projects name?
The name of the project is simple: the phobia about being buried alive. I think this is something everyone is afraid of. I remember listening to the song Buried alive by the metal band Venom. It gave me the chills, and I could picture how terrible it would be to be buried alive haha
5. Have you done any live shows with project or is this strictly a studio project?
Some live shows here in Trondheim. I played here 3 times. Blåsvart aften I, II and IV, ambient events presented by Jan R of Svartsinn. And I was on a tour with Northaunt and Svartsinn in East-Europe 3 years ago. Great tour, Met a lot of great people on this tour, including the woman I am living with now J. We were playing in Dresden, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. I will likeably play on a festival called Støy på landet (this means approx. ”Noise on the countryside”) in July. I have to decide soon. It`s still not decided where it exactly will take place in Trøndelag. Somewhere on the countryside.
6. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to this project by fans of experimental and dark ambient music?
You don`t get rich by making ambient music, so nice words from the fans of the music is almost the only thing you get. And that is great, especially when someone tells me that this song or cd changed their life. Anyway, all feedback is good. It`s hard for me to say how many people listen to it though, I think that there are a lot of people who haven´t discovered it yet. For sure.
7. Are there any other projects besides this one or is this full time?
I al
I al Also have a sideproject called Mulm with members of Northaunt and Avsky. The feedback so far has been mindblowing, some say they have not heard such a great dark ambient release for a very long time. I also have a black ambient project called Aural Whiteout. It`s not a very active project, I am not often in that mood.
8. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
I can only talk about the new songs I am actually working on. I will say that is a bit far out to be called dark ambient. The guitarsound is more clean. There are less sound-manipulation and more melody in the music (if melody is the right word?)
I think this is the direction I am aiming for, but things can change. It is very difficult to plan things like this, is better to let the mood and taste of music decide. The only thing I can say is that my style of playing will be the same, the characteristic sound of Taphephobia will not change.
9. What are some bands or musical projects that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I listen to everything from pop music like Radiohead to grindcore like Carcass, It`s a bit hard for me to say how many projects there are that inspire me a lot. But I think Ulver, Robert Rich and Hammock are my main inspirations at the moment. When I make music I`ll never aim to sound like a certain project. If it happened, it is in most cases an accident. Sometimes I can read in reviews or comments that ”Taphephobia sounds a bit like this project..or that project”, and I never even heard about the mentioned project. Funny, but strange.
10. Does Occultism play any role in your music?
Occultism inspires me, that is all I can say. Just listen to songs like ”In the moonlight” and ”Black cloud” and you will hear what I mean.
11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Getting drunk with friends and watching a lot of movies. And I have healthier hobbies as well, like walking in the woods. It makes me feel free.
12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks for the interview. And to the people out there I would like to say: check out Taphephobia and Mulm, to see if you like it. If you have no experiences with ambient, take some time to discover this unique genre. This is not commercial or ”easy-to-digest” music.
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