Antti Mikonmäki: “If there wouldn’t be any sound the mind would use other senses to seek out different symbols with mind-altering qualities from its surroundings” (video)

Links:

http://taatsi.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/taatsi.band

http://astrummalum.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/AstrumMalum

http://adornmentsoftheking.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/AdornmentsOfTheKing

http://tknkntj.bandcamp.com

Interview (2015 04 09):

You’ve worked with a plethora of artists over the years. What collaborations were/are the most interesting and important to You and why? 

I have indeed worked with numerous people/artists in many projects over the years, but very few of them have continued for very long after the work/release has been done, either because of losing interest in the project, or because of subjective opinions/egos getting in the way of forming the bigger picture. This is why I prefer to work alone. With one of my current bands Taatsi however (it’s a two-man band), myself and the other member can work fine together, which has resulted in a demo and three full-lengths, all of which we are satisfied with.

I remember in the nineties, me and my friend used to smoke hash and just start doing music. This resulted in very satirical and funny stuff of course, but it was always great, and extremely fun to listen to afterwards. I wish I could do something like that today.

Can You tell me in short the main ideas are behind Your music? Could You name Your favorite compositions / albums / collaborations? What about new albums?

My current bands include TAATSI, which is Nature Mystical Black Metal the way we did and loved it in the mid-nineties. This band is all about nostalgia, but also very ambitious/serious when it comes to the psychedelic folklore-inspired lyrics and music in general. I work with an old friend in this band.

Then there is ASTRUM MALUM with which I wanted to create dark and heavy (again) psychedelic stuff taking influences from styles such as Black Metal, Doom and Neoclassical music. The overall themes deal with the negative aspects of Western civilization, as well as the general workings of the human mind. I was joined in this band by a friend to do speeches in Latin, and my brother to write lyrics.

I have also been putting all my love for Black, Thrash and Death Metal and Crust / Hardcore in a band called VINORISTI lately, which is a continuation of my older band TKNKNTJ.

Besides these I’m going to start a multimedia-project using various internet-portals, something dark and Electronic with various styles, but this project yet has no name.

It’s very hard for me to name a favorite album, since I very rarely listen to my stuff once it’s done. I rather think about music to be made than music that has been made.

Sound is magic. But, what ends, when there‘s no sound?

If there wouldn’t be any sound the mind would use other senses to seek out different symbols with mind-altering qualities from its surroundings. This is the function of Art. My favorite senses/channels are the Audial and Visual worlds.

What is and what is not Sound Art?

I cannot be the one to determine what is and what is not Art, since different things work differently with different minds, but I would say anything which affects your mind deep enough is Art, which leaves very little for the opposite.

What do You think about relations between the old art and computer art? Are they compatible?

Well, if comparing techniques like painting on canvases with brushes to digital visual Art, I know painting digitally is just as challenging as the traditional way, so I wouldn’t compare them. What I would compare is the meaning of Art, which might have had more depth to it in the older times due to the difficulties of actually creating it, while these days anyone can put shit in a blender and call it “Modern Art”, but again, fortunately I am not the one to decide what is or what isn’t Art.

What do You think about thousands of Neofolk/Industrial/Ambient/Tribal/Electroacoustic/Avangarde etc. bands/projects? Is it a kind of trend, or just a tendency forwards better music?

The first styles on that list are something I’ve always thought of quite easy to create, if staying loyal to the roots of the styles, meaning they have indeed become trends at some point, cuz it’s quite easy to copy the pioneers of those styles. This is why I prefer to listen to the pioneers rather than the hundreds of newcomers, like in any kind of music, except when it comes to Electronic music in general, which I find to be the most interesting platform for creating today.

What do You know about Lithuania? How and when did You come here? What Lithuanian and foreign musicians do You value most?

I am ashamed to admit I don’t know much about your country, cuz I haven’t ever visited it, and also because my general knowledge of the history of the Baltic countries is not very good due to lack of education (I never went to high-school), but I would sure like to visit Lithuania at some point.

Could You tell, please, some words about my initiative to print the first book about Experimental music / Sound Art (I call it Postmusic) of Lithuania (and, at least, Eastern Europe)?

It is indeed a very ambitious and vast project, so in that sense I respect your efforts greatly! I hope you finish it one day, and I wish you the best of luck with it!

What inspires You the most?

I would say the workings of the human Mind and Life in general inspire me the most. There is a Universe under the surface of our daily consciousness, something I love to visit often with means of Meditation or Psychedelia. I am also inspired by different human cultures in general, I see mostly positive things about our time on this planet, rather than the negative ones.

Tell me more about Your other than musician's activities - magazine etc.

Besides the bands mentioned above, I am currently working with my emag/blog Adornments Of The King, publishing Reviews of different kinds of Books and Music, and Interviews and Features with/of Artists. The only style the emag has is my personal tastes, so everything you find on the site is something I personally like, that’s why I don’t use grades when reviewing music and so on.

I also like to exercise a lot, lifting weights and boxing, and skateboarding in the summer. I like to watch the occasional good movie now and then, and study Occult, Spiritual, Philosophical and Psychological topics among others. I live in the very center of Helsinki, meaning I love the urban city life compared to rural small town life. I like to think of myself as an Anarchist, but I support my life by being a cook (at the moment). I try to raise my daughter to the best of my abilities, and I also try not to argue with my wife.

Thanks for this interview, much respected!