Hi Richard, thanks for doing this interview. How are you doing?
Ric: I am fine thank you.
You started Spektralized back in 1994, what was the reason why you started the band? Did you had the typical dreams that every beginning musician had? What were your goals and dreams?
Ric:Back in the days when Spektralized came to life, we were tree young boys that were very
enthusiastic towards the idea of starting our own synth band. All tree of us loved electronic music and
the feeling of being at concerts or festivals. I don`t know what, but it was just something about the
synth music that made us crazy and wanting to start a band. Of course we had the dream that one
day we would stand in front of an audience being as great as DM, Nitzer ebb or Front 242 was at that
time.
Who are the current members of Spektralized and what is their role?
Richard Bjørklund: vox and lyrics/songwriter and production.
Ken A Nilsen: Guitars
Magnus Sørli: Is the newest member Spektralized`s and he plays Synth/keys/ and does Backing vox live so far, but we hope that he will stay with us in the future and will be a part of our developing process both studiowise and live as well. He is a great musician and a good friend as well, so we believe that we
have brought in the right man for the job this time.
How has your music evolved when you compare your debut album “Elements of Truth” with the new one “The Puzzle”?
Ric: At the time when Elements of truth came alive, the synth scene was weary infected by the Trance/ House scene, which is more dry sounding and beat related. the sound of Elements of truth was pointed in that direction, but that was also a part of the plan with the release as well. To give us as much fans in the club scene as possible and to be played as much as possible on the radios.
Capture the moment was more directed towards the bigger( and at that time more trendy) pop scene. Bigger sound with a twist of both Techno and synth pop but still a darker sounding album than Elements of truth.
The Puzzle: is more direct from the hart,soulful Electronic pop music with an edge. A twist of a
darker more mystic sound, but more grown up and direct than the two earlier releases, I feel. So I think that we have found more of the nerve that needs to be found in a band to believe that the
music they make is the true sound of their own project and I have the feeling that Spektralized is
developing in the right direction with our new album The Puzzle.
Can you give us an insight in your creative process, how is the music for Spektralized created?
Ric:Most of our music comes alive in the studio, but it helps a lot to go out in the nature or watch a good movie to get some new creative income. On a good creative day I wake up and just feel a eager to make music, that is often the days when the best tracks come to life. When I make a harder track I often get the ideas from a fat base drum or a groovy lead/bass. When I make a slower track, it is often the lyrics that makes the rest of the track.
Who are the potential listeners for Spektralized and how are you trying to reach them?
Ric: When we make music,we don´t make music directed towards a certain group of people in the scene.
I think that our music can be just as potential for the synth pop listeners as well as the EBM/Industrial scene, even listeners of other types of music. I think that music in every genre and style can be suitable for any one, it compares on the feeling that the music makes you feel when you listen to it.
If I would compare your music to some other bands I would come up with names like VNV Nation, Assemblage 23 and Icon of Coil, all bands you have played with, are they sources of inspiration for you and in what way?
Ric: Off course I get inspired by such wonderful musicians as the ones you mention´d. They are all great in different ways I think. They all have different quality`s in their music,and by that I mean Tom and Assemblage 23 has his melodic and catchy refrains, Ronan and VNV has his wonderful
lyrics and dark melodies and Sebastian of Icon of coil with his masterclass rhythm composing and
production. Off course the Icon of Coil guys have inspired me, they are my friends and has been since long
before Icon started, so I have been with them along their career. But I cant say that spektralized has
developed to what it is to day, because of the inspiration that this bands has given me. I have always
bean more in to the synth pop scene of the EIGHTIES (depeche Mode,Tears for fears,A-HA,New
order), NINETIES(Elegant Machinery, mesh, de/vision, And One) older EBM/industrial(Nitzer
EBB, Front 242, Die krupps, Dance or die) and so on. And I almost forget APOPTYGMA BERZERK, that was one of the main inspiration sources to start our own band back in 1993-1994.
Playing with such big names must have been really inspiring, have you learned some wise lessons by these people?
Ric: Well, I must have learned a thing or two here and there through the years, but what I learned from who I can't say for sure.
What label did release “The Puzzle” or is it a self release? What does it take to release an album on your own, it must bring a lot of extra work with it?
Ric: We decided to released the puzzle on our own, simply because we wanted to try out what it takes to release a cd to day, to learn how it is done, and to gather my own contacts. Kind of a learning process about the whole system, just to be prepared in the future.
The album has a really good flow, how did you manage to get that flow? What can you tell us about the new album, is there any tracks that you are more proud of than an other.
Ric: The new album is a total honest release. With this release I didn`t care about “what was the thing” what was a trend in the synth music scene now if you know what I mean. Then I would have to make agro tech, or the same future pop that came with syntec back in the mid nineties, and that I am finished with. So I just decided to do what I felt was the right thing to do, and put together the stuff that fell out of my head at that time, and ended up with a” dark non polished, edgy pop album” that came
directly from the heart, and I must say that I am actually realy pleased with the end result. It is difficult for me to say witch track I like more or less on the album since I have worked on the album for quite
some time, and then in the end of the production all the tracks are starting to get boring, hehehe!
How would you define the career of Spektralized so far, a lot has happened in these years?
Ric: Since we released the album Elements of truth we have had a lot of ups and downs. But even if we have had a lot of shit that has tried to break us down, we are still going strong. The thing that I love and thank our fans for, is that they have stayed with us, even if we have had a lot of unwanted delays that has held us back, and that could have been the end of Spektralized. It is only because of our loyal fans and listeners that we decided to not give up. It started with Allied, that was a very successful release, it was ranked as best single of the year on both polish and German radio stations. Our first album Elements of Truth was also a success, four of the tracks from the album were ranked as track of the year from different respective internet sites from Germany, USA,Sweden. Then after a long and silent break we released Capture the Moment in 2006, it immediately became a success, and in 2007 Capture the Moment went all the way up to the top five ranking for album of the year on the Swedish alternative Music awards together with artists as Covenant ,Apoptygma Berzerk and Alice in videoland and that is not bad to be a second release. After this we thought that things were starting to loosen up a little bit and that things would start to go our way. But instead we were met with negative attitude from
Acession, why I don´t know, but the feeling I got from them was that nothing was positive because of
the bad times in the record business. In the end I felt that everything was only negative vibes all the
time, so I started working on The Puzzle instead and was taking the time that I wanted, just waiting for
Accession to contact me and come up with something new. But in 3 years I did get one mail or phone
call from Accession. So I decided to give myself a date to be finished. So I finished the album and sent
it to Accession. Then I got the feedback that they don´t have the capacity to release such an album right
now, so they had to let us go. The thing I wonder is how long was he going to wait before before he was
going to tell me that? I must say that I don´t like to talk about them like this in an interview, but I have to
say something to cover my own ass when a question like this comes up. Anyway! So after that I decided to try to do the release on my one instead.
In my mind, Spektralized released great albums but always had a tendency to have misfortune on the business side of music, is it a right impression I have?
Ric: That is absolutely right. We signed with labels that we thought could do the job, but instead we gave away our rights and decided to believe in the labels. The impression I have got towards the record labels today, is not the best to be honest.
What is it in you that makes you go on despite the bad luck, what is driving you?
Ric: The thing that makes me going,is that I love to make music and work with music.
Will you support the album with a tour again, can you say anything about it?
Ric: We wanted to release the cd digital first, and finish up the promoting and distribution work, so that things start rolling on its own again. The plan was to use most of this year to do the best job possible and start the year with the plans for a small european tour, maybe try to book some festival gigs during the summer, and so on.
What will be next for Spektralized?
Ric: It will not take long until you hear from us again, that I can asure you. We have in plan to release the long wanted My needs single that was supposed to be released back in 2003, but never was released. We will all so release a compilation of all the 3 albums in one + mixes and so on. I also have some other plans in mind, but it will be a secret for the fans and listeners that I will come back with when I am getting closer with it.
Any last words for the readers?
Ric: We are deeply sorry for all the delayed releases, and al the promises that were broken.
Now we can set the plans and decide how to do things our selves for a while. So we will try our best to follow up and show you that we really care about you all and want to make thing good again. Stay with us, and remember to check us out on Myspace and facebook. There we will keep you updated
when there is something new happening.
Thank you for supporting Spektralized, remember that you help us BY SPREADING THE
NEWS!!!!!!!!
www.myspace.com