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Ticon (Digital Structures / MPDQX, Sweden)

Article posted by TweeKUniT on 19th Oct 2005

Ticon (Digital Structures / MPDQX, Sweden)

--Hey guys, how are you?

* Thanks, we are very good. After working on the new album for two years we took some well earned vacation!! So now we are fit for fight again so to speak.

--Not much introduction needed with you guys, Ticon has been a name synonymous with the progressive scene for a long time now. It's been a great journey from the first releases and landmark albums like "Rewind" and "Aero". It's been a while since Aero- tell me where Ticon are at…

* It has been a fantastic journey from the very beginning, now, six years after (which also is the name of the album) we can look back with smiling faces and enjoy what Ticon has become.

On this third album we really wanted to take our time and get it right, the way we wanted it! That’s why it took us 2 years to finish. We also felt that by making songs over a period of two years the album would be much more varied than if we made it during, say, one year. Since we change our opinion of what we enjoy creating in the studio almost every month we got an album that we think could appeal to a great audience and the variation of the album makes it more interesting to listen to!

--Tell us a little about the new album then. I understand its going to be released both CD and Vinyl? Can you tell me a bit about the updated sound of Ticon?

* As just been told, we tried to make an varied album, we have covered many music styles, from groovy club music to electro to rocking trance and morning music that makes u fall in love.

This time we felt that we covered all perspectives of music that we like and we think this is a little bit more mature album from us, but this is up to the listener to decide...

We also wanted the album to be released both on CD and on Vinyl because that it’s usually a different audience that listen to Vinyl in the stores and to keep the Vinyl alive is important for us, the raw and analogue will never die!!!

--You're style has always been quite diverse, and pretty genre defying. I loved the remix of Sub6 and the updated Mammoth Hunters- any other projects you're working on beside the album (compilation releases etc) you'd like to talk about?

* We are glad that people enjoy our recent productions, the Sub six remix of 7th son was really fun to make, and we really love the vocals on that one. Michelle Adams is a fantastic singer! The remix of we are the mammoth hunters was a different story, we hated it! It was really close that we threw it in the trash until we played it out and it was like magic!! Now it’s one of our favourites... quite funny!

Right now we are working on our new live set and our new website that will be launched same day as the album so we have no time for producing but in some time we will be on the go again making both remixes and Ticon, not to forget New Disco Science Alliance.... We are also planning with the Son Kite guys to open up Qlap again, but that’s in the future.

--Your side project New Disco Science Alliance used to release in a more housey-direction. Is there any future in this project?

* We have been so busy with Ticon that we had no time left for New Disco Science Alliance, but now we will definitely start working on it again. But don’t expect it to sound the same as the old tracks, we have gone in a little bit different direction... u will see!! Woohaaa!

--Which artists inspired the sounds of the new album? What do you listen to in your cd player at home? Any new artists you've heard lately that deserve mention?

* This is an interesting question. For the album we listened to tons of music, all kinds of stuff, and I really mean TONS of music! It came to the point where we got deaf of all the music and had to isolate ourselves in the studio with nothing to listen to except our thoughts and the sound of beer-cans opening... It worked! Really good also!

The music coming out of our private speakers is at the moment quite different from what we did in the studio some months ago. Filip is in to Swedish rock pop (with a big risk of getting my ass whipped by the trance mafia) and Fredrik has his endless need for Frank Sinatra (Here Filip insists that all that read this have to listen to “Miss Kitten- Frank Sinatra is dead") awwuch... (I got hit by Fred now, haha).

There is no particular artist that we are going to mention, we think that the people that sit in their bedrooms all night long and are close to get evicted because they play, bum tsss, bum tsss, all night gets our attention, they are the future of music, not some old guy sitting and eq-ing a hihat all day long so he can get the sound "perfect"! So, all u out there, keep it up!!!

--What do you think of the progressive scene today? Do you think it's healthy? It seems as if it's gotten over the troubles of a few years back and is on track. Where can you see it heading?

* The progressive scene is getting better and better we think, it has come to the point that people say “I like full on but that progressive sound is really getting to me now" and that’s cool. We are playing on many full on parties at the moment and it is always getting people wild. The progressive scene is merging together with the full on scene at the moment and that is a really good thing for both genres we think.

The reason the progressive music has got back on track is because many talented artists worked their ass of making inspiring and quality music...

Where it’s heading? For the Sherwood forest maaaan!

--Have you had much of a chance to tour the sounds of the new album yet? What have the results been like?

* We play a mix of the old and the new at the moment and we have to say that the new sound is really getting the people wild!! There is a special energy that we created in the new album that we feel is amazing on the dance floor. When the new live is ready there will be endless possibilities for our live set and it will be even better... wohhhoo!!

--Where have you guys played lately? I guess you'd be touring quite a bit these days? What's your favourite place to visit?

* Right now we are gigging every weekend, promoting the new album. We are going on tour in Brazil which we really like. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people. Not to mention the food, wow! We also like Mexico a lot... Well, we have a good time in most places and that’s what counts.

--I know there would be many moments over the years that have fully stood out, but is there any party you've played, or moment that has been extra special in your career as artists? Life-changing moments I mean?

* There have been many funny and great moments during the years; one of them was in Mexico. We and Son Kite had to do a television interview for a Mexican TV station and they didn’t know how to speak English, they also had some small people dressed up as elves and they messed around in our hair. That’s sick man!

Playing in front of 16 000 people on Brazil party XXX perience was also a cool thing to do. The whole way of life is life changing I think, touring all the time makes us more open-minded and we think about life in a different way now than before… bla bla bla.

--I know you've played down under some time ago. What do you think of your little neck of the woods? Did you enjoy playing here? Any memories that stood out? Any plans to return soon?

* We always had a thing for Australia, how couldn’t u? The country has so much to offer. Melbourne is a lot like our country but on the other side of the globe, strange... Byron bay is also a wonderful place!

The memory that stood out most must be the incident with the big spider, in Sweden there are no big spiders but we had an encounter with on in the place we stayed in Sydney once! It ended with that the dog eat it!! The horror, the horror!!!

We had a booking for the rainbow serpent festival but it got cancelled somehow... but we hope there will be a new booking for us soon! Come on party promoters!!!

--What kind of things do you guys get up to when you're not making music and touring? Any hobbies or interests outside of music? What do you do in your spare time?

* Well, the music takes up most of our time, but when we are not touring or in the studio we try to be with our family and friends, drink beer and work on our future plans of becoming astronauts!

--Any last words before we wrap this up? Thank-yous or people you want to mention?

* As usual on the thank u list on our albums, we thank all the party people and promoters around the globe for making it all come true... And Fredrik have to thank Frank Sinatra. Filip wants to thank Miss Kitten for making the track Frank Sinatra is dead... awwuch! (I will file a police report on u, u bastard! Haha)

--Thanks so much guys, was a pleasure to have this opportunity to talk to you. Good luck with the new album, I can't wait for its release!!!

* Thank u for the nice interview and we hope to se ya "down under" soon!

Interview with Fredrick and Filip from Ticon by Jesse Kuch (dont forget to check album samples on their website www.ticonmusic.com)

Photograph by Pernilla Sjöström