Interview with Niels Nielsen, music producer and musician!
Photo by Anders Ristenstrand
First of all, thank you so much for allowing me to interview you for Mayhem Music Network. The fans will be thrilled to hear from you, and it also provides us with a learning opportunity. You wear many masks in the music industry. You play your own music, assist other bands when they perform live, you own your own label, make your own records, and you produce and mix music. You are a true gem in the industry. And you are primarily self-taught which is just amazing to me. It seems from the biography at your website, http://nielsnielsen.net, that you started playing instruments very young. Can you expand more on this? You mentioned your mom had played it for you. Did your mom help you learn? Did you take lessons? Play by ear?
“When I was about 7, I started taking guitar lessons. I didn’t want to play classical guitar (which used to be mandatory when playing guitar), so instead of going to music school I took private lessons and was allowed to go straight for the electric guitar! I got my own when I was 10 years old and I still have (and use) it today! After a few years, I stopped taking lessons and put the guitar away to play computer games. But when I found bands like Refused, Entombed and Nine when I was 14-15, I started to play again, and that’s when we formed our first bands. Still play with some of the guys! We had our own place where we could practice and hang out, it was a great time.”
You started on piano at the age of 6 or 7 (I also had a Cascio keyboard when I was about 9 year’s old---hated playing piano. Then you picked up guitar. I noticed in Dead Soul, you still play the keyboard a bit, as well as guitar. You also had your own drum kit set up when you did your own recording. Did you kind of picture yourself a one-man-band? Or did you just want to know as many instruments as possible for purposes of been more versatile and more marketable to other bands if they needed someone to help out on a record or on a tour?
“I really wanted to play drums, and even if I’ve recorded some on my records and can play simple beats, I’m really not a good drummer. I just never really progressed. In fact, I’m not that great at any instrument, but I’m a decent guitar player, and I’m good enough to play keyboards to get away with it, but I wouldn’t call myself a piano player. The reason why I’ve learned to play more than one instrument is because I’ve had my own studio and I’ve been collecting different instruments. I’ve learned by recording my own music basically.”
Photo by: Anders Ristenstrand
You started recording your own albums since the age of 15-16 in a small basement studio. As you stated in your own biography, “…lo-fi indie seemed to work well for the American market,” why not stick with it and try to get signed to an indie label? Perhaps your first albums could gather more attention is they are re-recorded and distributed worldwide? Streaming can only get you so far…
“I made my first albums in a time when the record industry was dying, Spotify wasn’t around and streaming was not yet invented. Labels where losing money and many small indie labels disappeared. No one even answered anymore when small bands sent demos and wanted to get a deal. So I figured my only chance is to do it myself. I’ve actually released two albums with different labels and it was fun and all, but for me it didn’t make sense to do it that way. With Dead Soul, we got a deal with a label and of course we’ve reached out more than I’ve done on my own, but I like being in control and how things are… I guess I’m pretty happy with how things are.”
“Nowadays streaming is everything here in Sweden. Sure, vinyl and CDs are still cool for the collectors, but many bands don’t even release physical [albums] anymore. It’s just not a strong enough market for many bands. And even if it were, many labels can’t afford to invest that way in artists anymore. Streaming is so easy and cheap in comparison. So if you don’t belong to a scene where you usually release CDs or vinyls, it can get tricky ’cos how do you reach out and sell those actual albums? And I don’t belong to a “scene,” so I have no home so to speak. My friends who play death metal or punk rock have a scene where they belong with magazines, blogs, fans, clubs where they can talk about their albums. What scene do I fit in? A guy who releases different music on every record? It’s a little complicated but I don’t complain! And things might change…”
I admire the fact that you followed the path that your heart was set on and did not stray from it. No matter how difficult that path was (and maybe still is), you stuck to it. Many people who have a longing to be in the music industry tend to back out because it doesn’t provide a guaranteed, steady paycheck, myself included. So I followed a different path, until I was led back to music. Could you, at this point in your career, see yourself doing anything else?
“Sure, I’ve been thinking about it over the years. I’ve tried to have jobs on the side but I seem to attract enough work (mixing, mastering, production) so I can pay my rent. I don’t make much, but it’s enough to make a living. Some years are tougher, some years are easier. Now when I tour with In Flames, its better, since they play a lot and they pay me enough to feel a little more secure. But you never know from year to year. But sure I could work with something else, I just don’t know what. Earlier I just didn’t want to do anything else, but now that I’m older, and I’ve honestly been blessed to try this business for such a long time, I’m more relaxed and thankful for what I’ve done. So it wouldn’t be a problem if I couldn’t do music full time anymore.”
You mentioned you had gone to university to study music production, but you left. Would you ever consider going to school again, perhaps a college like Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts (US), or The Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. Perhaps it could lead to a different kind of career, where you may find yourself teaching.
“I studied music when I was 16-19 and I did one semester at the University. But they don’t teach what I want to learn. I want to explore sounds and songs my own way. And I’m not interested in being too theoretical. I found that, sure you learn a lot from school, but the tempo is to slow for me. I learn more on my own. And to be honest, now with YouTube, if there’s anything you want to learn, you can spend a few hours on YouTube and get some great results there!”
You mentioned doing some touring with Ghost to help them keep things organized as a tour manager, and toured with them as a supportive act with your band Dead Soul. But it was a bit too much too fast perhaps. So you stopped touring. You have toured with your friends in MCC as their guitarist. Is it a preference for smaller venues? Or perhaps the more intimate environment which allows you to mingle with the fans?
“Ghost was nothing and became something really fast. The pressure was on and I didn’t want to commit to be a tour manager for the rest of my life, so I quit. It was fun and I learned a lot, but I wanted to make music and play my music. Dead Soul toured a lot with Ghost and we were fortunate enough to tour with them when they started to become a better known band, so we were able to play quite big shows. I really enjoy the 1,000-2,000 cap places. I don’t know what I prefer. Yes, it’s more intimate playing small shows. But I’ve played the biggest arenas in Europe and the biggest festivals as a headliner with In Flames and playing in front of 70,000-80,000 people is also really fun! I just like it all I suppose.”
Your most recent album, “Paramount People,” is fantastic! The sound is really hard to pin down. It’s like a mix of 80’s pop and rock, as well as 90’s alternative music with a healthy dose of synthesizers. Did any music in particular inspire you?
“Thank you! Well, I love Radiohead, Beck, Sonic Youth, Björk, Beastie Boys, Grizzly Bear, Beach House, Queens of The Stone Age, Nick Cave and a bunch of other bands. I’m not that much into metal or commercial pop. I guess I’m an alternative dude, so it makes sense that my music reflects that.”
Dead Soul has a completely different sound. It has a blues and rock sound with synthesizers. What is also unique about it, is the fact that you have two drummers! They play beautifully synchronized and it sounds amazing. “Hounds of Hell,” is my favorite song. It’s amazing to see two of each: Two drummers, two keyboard players, and two guitarists. How did you and Anders Landelius come up with the idea?
“Our first show we didn’t have a drummer. In fact we weren’t supposed to play live. That was our initial idea. But then after a few shows just using like some floor toms, etc., Ludvig Kennberg approached us and wanted to play. And by that time we had already asked Martin Hjertstedt to play with us. So we rehearsed together and we used one drummer at the time since Martin was playing with PG.LOST and Ludvig was occupied with work and kids. But when we rehearsed with two drummers at the same time we just liked the sound and started doing that live whenever we could. I love double drummers. I saw Modest Mouse do it and always wanted to do that ever since. It sounds big!”
You have a great subscription service through Bandcamp. The link is here: https://nielsnielsen.bandcamp.com/the-flying-foxes For a minimum donation of $20.00, a fan/member can access all your music including music never released and new music that is awaiting release. Do you have merch available through the Flying Foxes site? Can you tell us more about The Flying Foxes?
“Since I don’t release my music through a bigger label and don’t make much money from CDs/Vinyls, I wanted to figure out my own way of sharing the extra stuff to the really interested people. When Bandcamp released this option of subscriptions, I just figured it’s worth a try. I wanted a catchy name and it’s inspired from the movie Life Aquatic by Wes Anderson where the main character based on Jacques-Yves Cousteau has his own fan club. The fox was my logo on a record and it seemed to work. And the name just felt natural. The Flying Foxes Secret Society.”
You have done a lot of collaborating with The Great Discord, MCC, Tid, Old Town, Exon Banks and Witchery to name a few. Do you see yourself as staying primarily in the studio with these artists, or would you possible consider joining them on stage in a more permanent nature? It is sometime a preference of an artist to stay out of the limelight, but still contribute in a big way.
“I see myself primarily as a music producer. But since I’ve worked a lot on tours, that’s my second home. Touring is fun. Though the older I get the more I want to stay home in the studio. When MCC asked me if I could join them for a couple of shows, it was the right time. I hadn’t been touring as guitarist in a while, and it’s a relaxed group of people that I really like so I said yes. I don’t want to be a member, since it’s their band and their career, but as long as they need an extra guitar player and I’m available, I will continue to help them out. I really love MCC and we work together in the studio anyways, so it makes sense! If they find a permanent member and they don’t need me live anymore that’s totally fine with me. But for now I’m happy with the setup. With In Flames I’m just a hired session musician for live [shows]. I don’t do anything on their albums and I’m not a member of the band. They are a huge machine and I’m just a small part of that. But it’s super fun and an opportunity for me to play MEGA shows, which is somewhat of a childhood dream!”
Photo by Anders Ristenstrand
In 2005, you founded your own record label called The Cortina Collective. Can you tell us how that has been coming along? Is it primarily a label for your own work, or are you considering bringing artists on-board the label to expand?
“When I made my first album “Numbers,” and no one wanted to release it, I started my own label. It’s really easy actually. I just filled out all the papers and learned what I needed to get going. Over the years, I’ve stepped up and have better digital distribution etc., but apart from that, it’s mainly a small operation I run just so I can release stuff whenever I want. I’ve “signed” one artist that I help out, but I’m looking into signing a few more bands and promote them. It’s fun, but it’s very time consuming and the types of band I like don’t generate a lot of money, haha!”
Do you have anything planned for the remainder of 2018? Perhaps small venue shows, new music (solo or with other bands)? Will we see more music from Dead Soul?
“Right now I’m working on a bunch of new songs to release. I will release singles that will lead to an album, but I will mainly promote the singles now for some time. I’m in no hurry. It makes more sense to me to release one song at the time right now. I will tour the summer with In Flames headlining some festivals. I have some secret projects I’m working on. Mixing some new bands, working in the studio with some people.”
“Dead Soul is very much alive, but for reasons we keep to ourselves we’re still some time away from releasing new music. But we are still alive. Hopefully it will be more focused during late 2018.”
This is a standard question for Mayhem Music Network. What music is playing on your MP3 device (or streaming playlist)? This is often a nice way for fans to get introduced to new music that their favorite artists are listening to. The music may not be new as in recent, it could be old music that is new to the ears of the listener.
“Right now I’m rediscovering a lot of my fave bands from a few years back. A lot of Massive Attack, Portishead, Modest Mouse, Moderat, Radiohead, NIN… I try to find new bands but I’m getting old… And as I said, I guess I’m an alternative music dude and I stick mostly to the old classics…. Maybe I’m the one the needs to be introduced to new music….”
Please check out the following links to check out the work Niels has done in the past, and consider his Flying Foxes Subscription service for access to songs that have never been released, or that are pending release. You will get to hear them before anyone else does!
http://nielsnielsen.net/
https://nielsnielsen.bandcamp.com/the-flying-foxes
https://www.facebook.com/nielsnielsenofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/deadsoulofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/nielsnielsen/?hl=en
And also…the identity of the cowbell playing Nameless Ghoul still remains a mystery ????