Review and interview. SIEBEN - THE OLD MAGIC (2016): I started with Lietuva

Album starts from heavy sounds of no wave and continues with neofolk which has the sound that is only in SIEBEN's works. This is a music for a magic trip into cosmoses of our deepness. All this year was full of good albums, for example, HYPNOPAZŪZU and many many more (about it i will talk later, in other publication), but SIEBEN's THE OLD MAGIC deserves to be the best. It's original, fresh, strong, interesting, melodic and powerful.

The (not so) Old Magus answered to some questions. 2015 December's talk.

What collaborations were/are the most interesting and important to You and why?

They're all important. Not to be polite, or non-committal about it, but each brings a new angle on ways of working. Each requires you to bend outwards, to lean towards the musical sensibilities of others. Some were more interesting than others. Some were more involved, some more fleeting than others. I'm currently collaborating once more with Job Karma (PL) for our second album together as 7JK. A really fun collaboration, where I get to take it easy and just be the singer. I'm also starting to think about a second Rasp album with Jo Quail (UK). We wrote, performed and recorded the first album (Radiate Power Words) in two days, all in front of audiences. Rasp will always be unconventional. Work is ongoing, with Empusae (BE), re-working each other's material. Often these days collaborations aren't ever present in the same room at any point. It makes it somewhat less truly collaborative, but I like to work, and especially write and explore, when alone.

The Old Magic photoshoot; photograph and light-painting by Chris Saunders

What are the main ideas are behind Your music?

The main ideas, for me, behind my work, are the ones wrapped in the summoning of sounds. How they weave together and interact. How they touch people's senses. Where the passion and energy hide in the nuts and bolts of music. How this 'thing' you have created fits through two speakers.

One of my main drives is to develop and improve my awareness of this. To tread new ground, musically and lyrically. As a wrapping for that, and integral to the whole, are the themes. I often draw on the natural world, on the weight of history for these ideas. Equally, fascinating lives, acts and times inspire me to lyrical ideas. These themes are themselves wrapped in a love for language, a playful nature with words and sounds. I love to explore such things.

Could You name Your favorite Your compositions / albums / collaborations?

I think Rasp's Radiate Power Words is up there at the top oif collaborations. It was two very intense days. A documentary charting how rasp wrote, performed and recorded an album in two days, all with the help of my college learners can be found here:

It was such a pleasure working with Jo Quail, both looping, both keenly intuitive to each other's musical sensibilities. 7JK is also a real pleasure- nice to work with electronics, power and volume – and have the head space to fully enjoy what I'm doing as I have less technical tasks to undertake whilst performing. (Not much looping or button pressing).

What about the new album? (At the time of the interview it was not released yet.)

The new album will be formed from the new tracks I'm writing for the tryptic of digital Eps, Lietuva, Norse, and Briton. The album will be called The Old Magic, and be out sometime in 2016. My head was firmly planted in pagan/Roman times, hill forts, celts, carnyx and ritual, for this one, thematically.

What ends, when there‘s no sound?

Words in the head.

What is and what is not a Sound Art?

“All music is meaningless noise, to the unreceptive mind.”

I'd suggest anything where sounds happens (exceptions applicable ;), or anything people consider a sound art (exceptions applicable ;) is a sound art.

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

Yes, for sure, I'd say. New means to an old end; to develop and create. As a species, as with our art, we can be fantastic and elastic. Ant-like and industrious. Swayed and unmoved by others. Always pushing to develop our craft, to hone out talents. Musically, I love the advances that computers have brought about for me: The ease at which you can create and combine sounds together. How you can go from creating to releasing now would have been magic and trickery only a few years ago. I have access to virtual versions of musical hardware I could only have dreamed of using, twenty years ago. In the back of my mind there is a slight twinge of worry: That perhaps nothing will impress when anything is possible. But this nagging pain was present back when they invented the printing press, I'm sure.

What do You think about thousands of neofolk/industrial/ambient/tribal/electroacoustic/avangarde etc. bands/projects? Is it a kind of trend, o just a tendency forwards better music?

I wish it was a trend. And I didn't realise there were thousands! In fact I assumed there were probably less than previously. The neo-folk scene in particular is lacking in new blood, lacking in new pairs of ears. Its been a very kind scene to me, over the years, and I hope it gets some new impetus from somewhere. Music continues to evolve. Yet I daren't turn on a national radio station for fear of the dross that offends by eardrums, generally.

What do You know about Lithuania? How and when did You come to it?

I came to Lithuania courtesy of Mėnuo Juodaragis Festival. I've played twice now, and both beautiful experiences. Both times I've had the pleasure to experience a little of Lithuanian life, food, beer, nature, fun and generally frolics- all good ;) Trying some craft ales, wandering round Užupis, wandering round lakes and villages. Met some lovely people, and had most pleasant times.

Is there a need about a book on experimental music of Lithuania?

Reading it now, and enjoying both your words, and what the artists involved have to say. Enjoying reading your thoughts on sound art as opposed to experimental music, too. I don't read a deal at all anymore, and even more rarely books on music theories – though do enjoy, when I do get round to it, as there are many interesting ideas and theories here.  I studied Literature at University, and thought I would one day be a writer. But maybe that's for when I'm old and experienced ;) For now, I find it hard to read, having read so many books in those years at Uni- and so little time when I'm not working with music or sleeping! Enjoyed  reading it, though, and I wish you all the best with the book release :)

Thank You. What inspires You most?

Life. I tend to start a lot of ideas whilst travelling. That feeling of purposefulness, going on a journey, combined with the forced inactivity of waiting to arrive. It tends to push me towards a pad and pen, or a draft text on my phone if I have neither. The world going past your window only heightens and sparks your thoughts. The motion of travelling plays its part, somehow, too.

Could You tell more about Your newest albums - especially Lietuva and Norse. What inspired them? I was especially pleased to see Lietuva's name:)

I started with Lietuva. An EP. Try out a purely digital release, out of interest.

The idea grew into a trilogy of EPs, that would then combine to form the next Sieben album. And a different format in my mind; songs that last ten minutes, that travel further than I can do in a four minute 'song'. Six or seven of them, their themes intertwined into an album. Juggling both concepts, while trying to also push in a new direction, musically. The 'edges' of the music not sanded and polished, the layers of loops building over each other, eradicating what was written before, palimpsest. In my mind these are set in ritual, in a Celt-pagan-Gaul and Roman era, of hill forts, of old and new gods, old and new worlds colliding.

Matt Howden December 2015