Varjo

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Interview : Antti from Varjo

When and how was your band created?
Varjo was formed in early 1996 by Henry Waldén and Antti Lautala (myself). I had an idea of forming a gothic rock/post punk band. But there wasn't many people around at that time who was into that kind of music. It was very unpopular to like that kind of music in early/mid-90's in Finland. Henry was a friend of mine from the school days. We used to go to same school when we were kids in Heinola; a little village near Lahti. I found out that he was into that kind of music too, but couldn't play any instrument. I had 2 electric guitars, I lent another to him. So he could practice playing. There was also another guy called Jussi who was our mutual friend and played bass with us in the beginning, but there was still a major problem. No matter how hard we tried we couldn't find a drummer. It was the hardest part for us, because we wanted a drummer who could play tribal tom-tom beats. All the drummers we knew, didn't have a slightest idea what the hell was that. They were into mainstream music of that day and tribal drumming was something they haven't even heard about. So we bought a drum machine Yamaha RX5 and programmed all our song into it. That's how it all started.

Where is the name of the band coming from?
Henry Waldén came up with a name Varjo. We were considering some other names too, but they were very stupid and Varjo sounded best. Varjo means as a shadow in English. We thought it was a good name to a gloomy band.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
There are many artists and bands who have a major influence in my life and in my work. To name a few, maybe the biggest musical influence in my life is Glenn Danzig, he exploded my mind when I was 12 years old. That happened in the late 80's, the first time I heard The Misfits. After that nothing was how it used to be. From that day started my fanatical collecting for the stuff by Misfits, Samhain and Danzig. Especially The Misfits (the original one, NOT the 90's re-union version) and Samhain are huge influences to me as a person and as a mucisian. Glenn Danzig's bands influences are not so clearly heard from Varjo's music, but they haunt there in the background. There's a lot of other bands and artists who are in a way or another a major influences into Varjo's music too. To list a few of those important acts: The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Brian Eno, Slowdive, Durutti Column, Southern Death Cult / Death Cult / (early) The Cult, The Church, Bauhaus, The Stooges, Danse Society, Joy Division, Amebix, Killing Joke, Monster Movie, The Smiths, Danse Society, The Chameleons.and many more.

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
The negative aspect is that it's very hard to play in a band as a job in Finland. There's only the most popular ones who really get payed that much of playing gigs that they don't have to go to daily work. It's very usual that people who play in a band are in daily jobs somewhere else and in the weekends play gigs with the band.

A positive aspect in as being as Finish "musician" is that this is so small
country that if you play marginal music as we do. There's not much competitioners. We are quite alone playing this kind of music in finish and in Finland. Nowadays there's only one goth group in Tampere, who sings in Finish too. It's called Suruaika. In the 80's there where more bands who played that kind of stuff in finish and made records, but even then there wasn't many.

How could you define your style of music?
We play music that is influenced by 80's gothic rock/post punk movement mixed with Brian Eno's atmospheric landscapes and ethereal guitars and thundering tribal beats.

During the years how has your musical style changed?
In the beginning we were more noise oriented. We used small 20 watts Gorilla amps turned to max and firing hellish feedback. We wanted to achieve a total wall of noise like The Jesus And Mary Chain had in their LP "Psychocandy." All that hosted with raging tribal beats by the drum machine and tuneless vocals. Nowadays, we have a living and breathing drummer and I've been told that I have learned to sing. Our guitars are also more echoed now and we use feedback fire as an effect not the whole thing anymore.

How do explain these changes?
We have grown old and boring, har-har! No, all the shocking elements doesn't make any sense when it becomes a standard. You have to look for new challenges. When we started and now the most important thing is still that you've got to have good songs. If you don't have, the production doesn't save it. You can't bake a blueberrypie from shit. Today, Varjo is more interested in creating different atmospheres. Ethereal, minimalistic soundlandscapes.

What are topics you treat in your songs?
Lyrics in our songs reflects the atmospheres in our songs and we use vocals as an instrument. Not like traditional storytelling way. Lyrics might be abstract, hypnotic repeatings or just another layers of melody. We don't use singing as a leading instrument in our music. I'd like to think that for exsample French people could listen to our music, like I can listen Cocteau Twins. They used to sing in language that Elizabeth Fraser had created by herself. It distantly sounded like English but wasn't. It just sounded good and they used her voice as an instrument for melodies. Of course the words were very clear to Elisabeth, but listeners didn't understand what she was singing. I'd like think that our music could be universal as theirs are.
These moods and melodies we handle in our songs are universal and there are no language barriers. We sing in finish and that could be quite exotic too.

Our music operates in the same ways like ambient music. We build atmospheres. All the instruments are equal and all of them concentrate in the atmosphere of the song.

What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
It various, but now my favourite Varjo song is "Vaellamme rakkauden soilla." It is from our new album "Muistijälkiä." I think it represent very well what kind of music Varjo plays and I think it's one of the best songs we have written so far!

Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
I like both ways. I think recording new songs in the studio is highly inspiring. All the pieces of puzzle finally finds their places and you can be part of it. It's very stressing, but at the same time totally satisfying. Playing live is a very different vibe. It's more about performance, not just playing. At the best concerts you lose a sense of time and space. That's how it should be all the times, but it's very hard because in every song you have to dive into these moods, which can be very extreme.

During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
It's a fantastic feeling when you have made a song at home and then go to rehearsals. The first time when you play the song through and all the guys know what are their places in the song. It's a great feeling to hear the song that has haunted in your head. Similar feeling is the moment when you mix a new song in a studio and you make the final changes and hear that all the things just click. It's finally ready and kicks ass! That's fantastic.

A stupid question but... what is among all the songs you've been listening in your life the BEST song?
There are so many songs I could call the best song. It's absolutely impossible to just name one. So, I'll mention couple of songs which I could call the best. Slowdive's cover version of Syd Barrett's "Golden Hair." Durutti Column's "Never known", Brian Eno's "An Ending (ascent), The Cure's "The Figurehead", The Church's "Under the milky way". I could go on with this list forever. But anyway here's few songs I think are worth of listening.

What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
I think internet is kind of a revolution. It's so much easier to get in contact to people all over the world. It's also an easy way of hearing new music in a good and bad way. It can be a good way of promoting your band, but it can also be ripping off. If people just download music to their computers for free and don't buy records. As an artist I think the music is much more than just a mp3 at your computer. I think the record and sleeves and all the songs there is, is the complete thing and that should be taken as a piece of art. Not as an icon in your desktop.

What are your projects?
We have just finished our new album's tour. Next we are going to concentrate in writing new songs and practicing them.

What "image" do you have of French music?
I'm ashamed to admit that, I don't now much about French music...

Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
It's hard to say any single song, but I think the band called Air sounds good.

Interview by Vincent Lefrançois - 2006