The following interview appeared in the free weekly magazine Uppsalatidningen, issue 3, 2007.
Text by Andreas Victorzon. Translated with permission.

Note: Real name excluded in translation.


How Deer you do that noise?

Feedback. Walkie talkie noise. A humming hair trimmer.

The musician Hjorten, 23, creates sound terrorism.

- It's got to be some kind of sadomasochism, he says.

Radio signals on long and middle frequency. Feedback. Screaming and humming. Walkie talkie noise. Computer game sounds.

Anything can be used when Hjorten creates his music.

Or should we call it sound art?

It can, for example, sound like: a fax modem on speed, an insect war in an airplane cabin, or the sound of exploding bombs far away.

Why not a vicious school teacher that drags styrofoam and all kinds of nasty stuff along the black board? A tumble drier? Stomach rumble. An almost unhearable radio station from Islamabad?

And so on.

- Then I add sound effects, Hjorten explains when we visit him in the sauna.

That is his music room in his parents' house in Nåntuna. It is warm from all the power-eating equipment.

The genre is called noise.
- But it's a rather wide genre; it includes everything from recorded cement mixers to massive sound walls that just hurt your ears.

What's the thing?
- A time waster; a sort of therapy. If I feel down I'll make a song during a couple of hours. Then I feel better. It's about seizing the moment as it is. You can't change the songs later. It isn't the same.

If it's therapy for you, what do you think it'll be for the listeners?
- I ask people to listen and comment. Usually they don't do that - they think it sounds too bad. I of course want people to like it. It has to be some kind of sadomasochism.

Everything started in April last year. Hjorten, then calling himself O2FN, sat down and created feedback by holding a microphone in front of a speaker.

How do you decide if the music is of a good quality?
- It depends on what you like. It can be really wonderful and really horrible.

The new album, Omringad av mörker, was released a couple of weeks ago.
- I'm very pleased with that one, but the demo that came before it, Ljudterrorism, is also very good, since it's completely improvised.

To record Ljudterrorism, he borrowed three walkie talkies from work. One was lying next to the microphone making noise. With the others he walked around and created feedback. One of the four tracks ended up being 22 minutes long.

- I'm all for improvisation; it feels more authentic, he explains.

How do you recommend people listen?
- When you've had enough sleep. To not be hungover is a smart move. Start at a pretty high volume and work yourself up gradually. But if it starts ringing in your ears, then just lower the volume - you're not supposed to shut it off!

Have you been to an ear doctor recently?
When I was a kid, I had problems with my ears and had tubes in them. A couple of months ago, I had an operation to put a tube in my right ear. Haven't had any problems since.

Message?
- Some tracks hint towards Big Brother and similar themes, for example: Nakenchock, Spritfest and På löpsedeln. But I usually name a track after how I'm feeling at the moment. Tandvärk, for example.

Which sound are you most pleased with?
- The feedback on Ljudterrorism. I've never heard feedback like that before. It's got a nice static sound to it.


We brought Hjorten's previous demo, Ljudterrorism, downtown and let people listen:

C.G, age 61.
This was terrible for my ears! Just one big beep. Otherwise I listen to quite a mix of music. But I don't get this genre.

N.H, age 27.
I think these are the worst sounds I've ever heard in my life. If you want to become completely furious this is probably good.

M.K, age 22.
How long do I have to listen? It sounds like joke. Like a Candid Camera thing. Who's gonna listen to this? It sounds like the album is broken.

L.B, age 70.
Hurricane? What kind of cheating is this? Bloody hocus pocus.