Aἲτιοn is an experimental ambient/neoclassical act created by Helsinki-based producer Lasse Lindgren.
The project recently released a new album called “Ornamentum” which was all composed and performed by Lindgren and is absolutely stunning in every way.
I caught up with Lasse to talk about his early musical experiences, how he started playing music and the making of the new record.
CMM-What was the first music that really made an impact on you as a kid and what artist or band did you enjoy the most?
Lasse-When I was in the kindergarten I entertained the teachers and other kids by singing and playing air guitar after hearing dad playing a rock’n’roll record. I don´t remember which tune it was. The first band I was conscious of and really liked was KISS, and especially their 70´s live bootleg “Stoned in Paris”, which was spread by fans by copying from casette to casette. I still like the raw lofi energy of this recording. I remember being impressed by Michael Jackson´s Thriller and Jean-Michel Jarre´s Rendez-Vous. The first CD I acquired was ZZ Top´s Afterburner. I heard Eric Clapton and Gary Moore, and eventually all this music took me to the blues greats Albert Collins and John Lee Hooker. I was also learning classical violin and remember liking Prokofiev’s Peter andf the Wolf, Sibelius´s Impromptu, Arvo Pärt´s Fratres and Ravel´s Pavane.
CMM-When did you start playing music and writing songs?
Lasse-I remember that as a kid I made drums from styrox boxes and played them along with the music of KISS. I started to play the violin when I was 9 and bass guitar when I was 10. I remember my school teacher was teaching the basics of how to arrange a simple tune. I was captivated by the process and also I loved the music theory lessons I was taking in a local music school. I told my teacher I wanted to become an arranger. Being a composer at that point felt too overwhelming and difficult. I was playing in bands with school mates. The first songs I wrote myself were simple instrumental rock songs, a blues shuffle inspired by Freddie King´s “Hideaway”, and a bossa nova song in the style of Stan Getz and Jobim.
CMM-You recently released a record called “Ornamentum”. What was the writing and recording process for those songs like and what gear and instruments did you use during the sessions?
Lasse-Ive been recently fascinated by Iranian music, especially Hossein Alizadeh and Kayhan Kalhor. I got my hands on a traditional Iranian setar, a lute-type of an instrument which immediately felt amazingly expressive in my hands, and suited very well on some melodies I had written recently. The recording process was very spontaneous. After realizing I had a proper insrtument for the music and enough songs for a release, I quickly recorded the songs in my home studio with a minimal setup with two microphones. Most of the tracks are solo setar. On tracks 3 (Mitras) and 5 (Torques) I´m playing an Azeri frame drum (dayere) and a software synth (XILS 4) for piano-like sounds. On track 5 I´m also playing Greek baglamas and some additional percussion, and on track 6 a medieval European lute-type of an instrument called citole. The last track is a melody with lofi esthetic, created with XILS 4 synthesizer.
CMM-If you could do a score for any film director, who would it be and what would the film be about?
Lasse-I spent last winter nights watching classic silent horror movies from the 20´s. It would be interesting to create new scores for them. From more recent films I liked Ari Aster’s Midsommar, The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers, the new Suspiria by Luca Guadagnino, Arrival by Denis Villeneuve, and the wonderfully minimalist The Limits of Control by Jim Jarmusch. It would be great to create a score for some kind of folk horror movie directed by Ari Aster.
CMM-What do you have coming up next? Any new recordings or performances?
Lasse-Right now I´m preparing for a performance on August 13th in Etno-Espa, a festival of modern folk in Helsinki. I´m playing there Moroccan gnawa inspired music with Saad Kaya, a Moroccan musician based in Finland. He plays a traditional three-stringed bass instrument called gimbri. I will play my traditional lute instruments there. I´m also working as a bass player in a couple of bands: There’s going to be a new release of songs by a new rock group called Bonuslapsi, in co-operation with Finnish record company Helmilevyt. Post-jazz group Oddarrang will play a small tour in Finland in the end of this year, culminating with the final concert in WeJazz festival in Nov 29th. In addition, one of my songs is going to be included in a game that is still under development and will be released in five years or so.
