Interview with Runfell

RavenzCraft Arts interview project 2019 

Welcomes Runfell

1.Well first i just want to say that this interview is very exciting for us at RavenzCraft Arts as well because after doing some research and listening to your music we still have not found out much about you or this project so we are all interested to learn more about how Runfell began..

Can you briefly tell us where you are from, and if Runfell is a solo musical project or is there other members involved in producing and creating the music? 

Hey Tim! Thanks for reaching out to me, it’s an honor. 

My name is Fabijan, 24 years old and from southern Germany, been living here for my whole life. Rúnfell is indeed a solo project which – of course – has big advantages and also disadvantages. Things like artistic freedom are very important to me but that also means e.g. I had to get into photography for shots of my instruments to upload them to Instagram and so on. Much work but I think it pays off.

2. Can you explain to us the roots and meaning of Runfell and what you aim to express with this musical project? 

Sure! The name “Rúnfell” combines the word “runes” with the german word “Fell” which translates to “fur”. I wanted to create a word with a bit of a deeper meaning that invokes a homy and safe feeling in you. For myself, it is exactly that when I think about protecting runes and a stormy environment, a fireplace and some fur laying around to get warm. 

That feeling is also what my music should invoke. Something familiar, something protecting, something that sounds like home.

3.Tell us a bit about your personal background, when did you first start having ideas of being an artist and creator yourself? 

I’ve been playing instruments since I was around 4 years old. I started with accordion, continued with piano, took guitar lessons after that and was actually guitar teacher for quiet a while. Of course some friends and I started a band in school times and had a lot of fun. But after school my interests changed. 
I sold my electric guitar and bought old, historical instruments off of eBay, repaired them and re-sold them. 
That’s how I made money back when I studied archaeology for a while. But after a long time of feeling under-worked I cancelled Uni and started teaching myself how to compose. Unfortunately there aren’t many musicians around with the same interests regarding music. That’s mainly because I’m living in a small village I guess. 

This was in April 2017 and since then I continued working on tracks, trying to make them better everytime and I also got a training as sound / music designer, starting September 2019, after sending in my work! I could never

have imagined that but I’m super happy. 

4. I have noticed your posts on social media about the many unique instruments you use to create your music , we love the education and info you provide to explain the use and roots of the instruments use...what is your absolute favorite instrument you feel most connected to and why? 

Glad to hear! I’ve caught myself searching for such instruments A LOT when it comes to other musicians / live performing bands and what instruments they use, so I thought it would be nice to outright tell everyone what I’m using so they don’t have to go through the same procedure. 

My absolute favorite instrument is my Kravik Lyre. I feel most connected to it because I experienced the full journey of creating something unique and “alive” out of a piece of wood. I could really feel at the end how this material began realizing that it’s no tree anymore but a wonderful, playable instrument. It’s sound is also very soothing and fits in many Tracks

5. Do you have any special techniques when creating or recording for music? Such as places you go to record music for example playing in the woods or near water or near a fire burning to add special natural effects to your music?

Yes! I often go outside and capture the sounds of nature with a small handy recorder (Zoom H5N) so I could later use it as ambient layer. It’s also very important for me to use nature to it’s fullest extend when it comes to instruments. 
Old and dry sticks are used as percussion, dry logs for the same purpose. I also started building instruments myself to use them in my compositions. Things like a bullroarer are made rather quickly whereas the lyre took me around 2 months. 

6.so tell us some of your favorite musical artists or groups you looked up to and inspired you early on? 

And what about today...i know its hard to pick only one but what do you currently have on your recent favorite playlists? 

This is an easy – and probably obvious one. Wardruna. They were my inspiration at the beginning and are still my inspiration now. Their mindset regarding music, the creation of it and the feelings connected to it, it’s so unique and honest. 

But as always with inspiration: it’s important not to straight up copy it. You have to find your own style and adjust, do what makes you like: “yes, this is my track. This is my music. It’s recognizable”.

7.So we have a few favorite tracks from you already such as freyas forest and Blodorn, is there any specific song that is your favorite that you have created that has alot of personal meaning to you?

Oh this is a really good question. The thing is that every song to me has a very special part atleast that always gets me. But if I had to choose, it would be Freyas Forest, Solstice and Farewell because of their unique styles.
 A calm, magical and natural forest, untouched by human kind, a rhythmic ritual with a great and powerful melody and a song about saying goodbye, whether it’s family, a partner or a friend. Especially the last one is very emotional for me. 

8.Lets talk about your current success and signing with Danheims Fimbul records label, 

Congratulations on that by the way..

How did you get involved and in touch with them?

 Did they simply reach out to you or were you a friend and follower of Danheims work already? 

Thank you very much!

Of course I enjoyed Danheims creations beforehand but one day he messaged me via Facebook and told me that my music would fit in perfectly with his newly founded record label. So we talked about and signed the contract the very next day. I’m still very grateful for that and couldn’t be happier.

9.We are excited to mention that we are doing projects with the other newly signed artists of Fimbul records ..

Geayldyr and Fuimadane ..
are you acquainted with them at all ? or possible plan of featuring or collaborating together at any point in the future?

Yeah, we’re in contact with each other and there are definitely plans to collaborate together under Fimbul records. You can all definitely look forward to this since I think every artist is absolutely great of course – but has it’s very own special talent when it comes to certain things. Danheims rhythmic drums are one of a kind, Gealdýrs voice is very unique and so is Fuimadanes composition of exotic instruments. If you’d ask me where my strength lies, I’d say it’s melodies.

10.We noticed you mentioned something on social media about creating new music videos, .....what type of videos are you going for? Your own self created content or collab with another artist or producer to create them? 

For now it would just be me but that can change in the future. I already, as stated earlier, got into photography and filming for this and my goal is to capture cinematic shots of nature to later use them for these very special music videos.

11.So for us other creators out here reading this.. can you tell us about some of the equipment as far as recording software and music editing programs you use to produce and create with? 

There is so much new stuff out there it is hard to find something affordable and easy to work with...

Very nice question! Let’s start with your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), the software where you compose. I know successful artists that use Magix Music Maker (generally for beginners) and others that use Pro tools (Hollywood productions).
 And between that there are millions of choices available. The good thing: it’s absolutely possible to also get flawless productions with beginner softwares like Music maker. Don’t be afraid to even start! I myself use FL Studio and I absolutely recommend it. 

Other than that: a microphone. It doesn’t have to be a $1000 one, it’s generally more important how your environment is acoustically treated than having an expensive microphone.

12.Tell us what you plan for the future of Runfell..where do you want to take the direction of your music and talent?

Into movies/tv shows and soundtracks?

 or do you want to do more live type performances at concerts festivals and events?

This one is also really easy to answer: I have three main/life goals with Rúnfell:

I want to play a whole album live on stage at some point, hold my very first CD in my hands and compose a song for a game, movie or tv show.

13.One of the goals this year with RavenzCraft Arts is to inspire a small collaboration project with 2 artists or creators of the same genre.. would you be interested in creating a short collab music project with another artist or creator in the future? 

Definitely! I always love mixing styles of different artists together and produce something that shows the strengths of both of them!

14.So as far as graphic design and cover artwork for current or upcoming albums or merchandise do you have artists that make these for you or is this something that you create yourself? 

When it comes to creating artworks, merchandise graphics, photography and filming aswell as composing, it’s all done by myself. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and that can be annoying for me too sometimes, haha. But in all honesty: I like to create my own style and take it into my hands.

15.So sort of relating to the prior question on artwork and design,having connection with Danhiem and the artistic community that follow his work like Raevedis for example we know did design work for Danhiem in the past...do you plan to involve other artists or people from your genre or community to work with on the production and creation of your work? ..

I think I’d answer this one with “when the time is right, yes”. As stated, I love collaborations and working together with other same-thinking artist (my very first collaboration was with Sigurbodi Gretarsson in “Farewell” by the way, a great singer and instrumentalist). 
I also know that I might not be the best graphical designer out there but it’s enough to overcome my inner perfectionist which tells me it is pretty good. But if there are other graphical designers, musicians or similar kind, feel free to reach out to me, I don’t bite! .. most of the time  

16.Other outside interests ? Books ? Tv series , hobbies , special plans for travel 

My other favorite hobby in the world (besides composing) has to be LARP (Live Action Roleplay).
 Other than that, I’m into travelling the world (next stop: non-tourist regions of Denmark and Norway, got a few friends up there to visit) and having a kind of spontaneous lifestyle. 
I don’t like having everything planned ahead for the next 4 weeks. Regarding books: I don’t read very often to be honest. My favorite tv shows are: Breaking bad, Vikings, Game of Thrones and Black Sails. 

17.so far in your career in music have you met with any other unique artists or musicians in the past  or been to any big concerts or festivals such as midgardsblot or any big events you have attended that you really enjoyed? 

I was able to enjoy Wardruna live when they came to Heidelberg last year and it’s seriously something different than simpley hearing them over your speakers. You can feel the raw emotions, the power and the magic. I recommend going to their concerts, even if it means selling your firstborn’s soul!

18.so we noticed some of your song names are the names of some of the gods and goddesses of the nordic tradition ...outside of music do you have any other deeper interest in things like folklore, Runic art or the practice of the old ways and studies of magic or research? 

A tricky question – as always when it comes to religion. I definitely think there is “something” up there that watches over us but who am I to define what it is. I enjoy the old Nordic traditions, the folklore like you mentioned and also the zeitgeist from back then. And I think if that wouldn’t be the case, connection to these ancestors through music wouldn’t be as effective as it is for me right now.

19.Have you visited any historical or places that have connection with the gods and the old ways such as old viking burial sites or any unique places that you have around your area you like to frequent ? 

When I studied archaeology we went to a place where they said an old settlement of a Germanic tribe was established. Not only that, I dug out a piece of engraved copper myself. That was a magical moment that I’ll probably never forget.

20.I have also noticed with your current music videos you have alot of clips from the vikings tv series..are you connected in any way to the music or production of the show or are you just a fan of the story ?....

And what is your opinion on how they express or fabricate the story from the original legends and folklore? 

Yes, for my first album “Vangheimr” I wanted to give people something similar to watch when listening to my music. But I changed that for the release of my second album because I now think it distracts too much from the actual music. 
Vikings itself is a great tv show that sadly got worse with each season starting from the 4th one.

Difficult to answer the second part because we barely know anything about historical accuracy. Just imagine if they’d written down much more! 

But maybe one shouldn’t focus on said historical accuracy too much when watching this show. Just enjoy it!

21.So this last question is open for you to say or mention anything you may want to add in or say to all the fans followers and fellow creators out there....

There’s especially one thing to say: THANK YOU. Thank you everyone for your support.
 I almost reached 2.000 subscribes with Rúnfell on YouTube, got a training in my dream job because of you, am signed under a label now and so much more. 

It really means the world to me an I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Also, thank you Tim for interviewing me! It was a great experience and I also wish you all the best the world can offer you for RavenzCraft Arts  and the future.

We want to thank you again for taking part in this project and for creating such awesome and brilliant music..!



Follow and purchase music from Rúnfell here at

https://runfell.bandcamp.com/




Discover more from Fimbul records here at
https://www.fimbulrecords.com/





Follow RavenzCraft Arts for more events and updates here at 
https://m.facebook.com/RavenzCraftArts/

Watch the official music video introduction here at

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95bFF-xNLMcxAzRO7rFiCQ

Ursprung Interview with Andreas Skald Axelsson

RavenzCraft Arts Presents

URSPRUNG

Band Members


Andreas Skáld Axelsson


Mathias Nóttúlfr Larsson




Ursprung Is a unique old norse folk project made by Andreas Axelsson from Värmland, Sweden. The instruments used such as the tagelharpa, lyres, shamanic drums, jawharps etc is blended smoothly with ambient drone like sounds along with the greatest music there is; Mother nature.

1.First we just want to thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview project

it is an inspiration to myself and many others to have the opportunity to speak with and get to 

know you and your perspectives on life and creating music,.

Hello, and thank you too for this interview..



2.Can we first start off with a brief introduction about yourself for people who may not be familiar with you and your music.. Where are you from?, tell us about your home land, is there any historical places or interesting things about your area you enjoy? 



My name is Andreas from Värmland, Sweden. I am the creator of the band Ursprung. I grew up in a home surrounded by deep forests on the outskirts of Munkfors. So nature is important to me as it has always been in my life. 





Historical places, sure there are some. We have a couple of runestones close together around Karlstad hehe. I can't really write down everything I know, but I'll tell you the last folk legend I heard... 



In Ekshärad, a place not far from here we had a viking king that supposedly fought against the christianisation, if I remember correctly, this king has his grave on a mountaintop, which I plan to visit soon. 

Is there anyone in particular that had a big effect and influence on you as a young artist? anyone personally in your life that influenced you? ,,

I have no clue what drove my interest for playing music, as long as I remember I have always wanted to play music. As a child I wanted to play drums, so I built my own weird drumset of boxes and pots and stuff and just jammed away hehe.





I started practicing brutal death metal vocals at the age of 13-14 and I got kinda good at it. I was in my first band by 16 as a vocalist, but the band never really became anything else but an idea. 

Where I live no one really plays other music than country/blues, so I soon began teaching myself all instruments necessary for being a one man band. I wrote and released some black metal songs between a million failed projects with a thousand different people, and later on a full black metal album

I have almost given up on assembling people for a full band, but if against all odds someone were to cross my path and wanted to make music..id give it a try..

My taste in music varies alot, I can listen to everything that has that "thing" to it. I'm not sure why I'm drawn to the darker & depressive/melancholy themed music. 








Lately my inspiration has been old stories and a bit of history/religion. I am currently working on rune poems, inspired by: the elder futhark runes. And I'm pretty sure I will add them as lyrics to future albums with Ursprung. 

4.What about professionally, what artists or performers did you listen to or follow early on that inspired you?

 I noticed you like a range of different types of music , i can relate to this as well ...good music is just good music! there is no limits...

 and what about currently, who do you enjoy to listen to and follow as far as personal listening choice?




I swear I have no limit whatsoever to my musical taste. Dark folk ambient to folk music to pornogrind/brutal death metal a la waking the cadaver. 




To kind of sum up my music taste through the years: Job For a Cowboy, Circle Jerks Rise Against, Black Flag, GG Allin, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Shining, Lifelover, Eskapi, Burzum, Mayhem, Lil' Peep, Wardruna, Forndom, Nytt Land, Sigurbodi and Danheim. 




Currently I'm in a period of listening to :Of The Wand and The Moon: on repeat. I am also listening alot to Örnatorpet, dark swedish dungeonsynth. Lyrics are as important as the music to me. I don't write a song I'm happy with and just put some random lyrics onto it just to have something catchy or cool. It has to have a meaning or I won't have lyrics at all. I'm not really inspired by one person only, but the few bands that do it all on their own, the multi-instrumentalists,They are my kind of people.





5. So i noticed you have already had a few really cool collab projects with other artists in the folk ambient viking style genre scenes such as Anatoly of Nytt Land and Sigurbodi Gretersson ... this is amazing !

 if you had a dream collaboration opportunity who would you like to create a collab music project with?



Thank you, they are amazing artists and I'm very happy to have collaborated with them. Tough question to be honest, but for Ursprung I'd love to make a song with Maria Franz and Einar Selvik. 



6.On the topic of collaboration, one of our new projects this year is to influence the artists that participate in the RavenzCraft Arts interview project to connect and 

collaborate with each other to create small singles or short video projects..would you be open to doing something with another artist that fits your style to create something in the future with us?





Absolutely, if it feels 100% right for all parts I am open for collaborations.







7.So back to your creation of music,,,do you have any certain ways of influencing lyrics or songs? such as walks in nature, meditation or any other forms of creative process you go

 through to create your music? do you record outside near natural sounds and nature?



I write alot of things down, like keywords. I am a big thinker, I can write down certain words and just let them grow into sentences over long long periods of time. Same things with the musical part. Right now, I feel like I've hit a creative wall. But I have my way of countering this, by not creating anything at all and just shutting up and listening to music, stories, nature, videos, books, people. 



It takes some time but in the end I feel like I can get back in there are start creating again. Other than that, most of my ideas and lyrics come in the most unexpected ways and places. Some through dreams, some ideas have came at the very edge of me falling asleep at night and I just pick up my phone to write it down.

Usually when I get a "keyword" or a little piece of melody, just some simple note I just know what I'll be doing with it. It feels very natural yet unreal. And of course I am impacted by my surroundings.

I also have dropped all my cares for what other people think of the things I create. I don't care. Some people has told me I suck and some people has told me I'm very talented. I try not to care about neither. Sure, it's very fun to hear someone say they like my music. But I try not to let it disturb my creative perspective.






 8.Is their anything new on the rise for Ursprung you can mention or have ideas for in the future?




Yes, there is. I'm getting a new tagelharpa built for me, by the skilled musician and instrumentbuilder Per Runberg.

I made a tagelharpa myself a couple of months ago, but it did not end up the way I wanted. There is also another new instrument in the toolbox, a bukkehorn. I'll be making more albums in the style of Urminnen in the future. In fact, I have three albums planned. I have plans for a music video soon, nothing fancy but not all the way homemade crap quality either. We'll see. 





9.Is there any sort of goals you want to achieve with your life or with your career in music, do you create to inspire others?




 I don't really create to inspire other people but I suppose that's something inevitable. Its a fun thing if I do, but thats not my point through all this. I have this intense driving force of creating things, 


not just music but in everything. I do want to encourage people to create. My whole life changed when I learned to write and record music on my own. And thats just the beginning of my whole philosophical frame.








 
10.Can you tell us a bit about your spiritual practice and beliefs?


obviously you incorporate this into your music as well can you explain a bit more on how you do this and what it means to you?
do you have a personal favorite song you have recently created that means alot to you ? can you explain?



I wouldn't say I'm a religious person. I do want to picture the old folklore/stories/religion can be applied to todays society, in a metaphoric way. It speaks to me that way and I write these thoughts and ideas down and let them become an idea of a song. I would say my own favourite song is Hören mig alla, and those lyrics come from Völúspá. My own idea to that song is at first you get a soothing/mystic tagelharpa & throatsinging in 


"modern" swedish language. Once the swedish part is past, the part where the Allfather wants me to tell the old tales... You're going to get ripped into old norse verses about the ginnungagap. 



I wouldn't say I'm awesome at explaining hehe...











11.So what about other interests, do you have any all time favorite movies or shows/books or albums that are all time favorites that you will never forget? any favorite hobbies outside of music, hiking, driving fast cars, hunting...

Movies... One of the movies I for some reason wont forget is Trolljägaren (Trollhunter). No idea why. Other than that, I love Tolkiens Lord of the Ring movies & books. 

I love reading musicians biographies. I recently read My Damage, by the punkrock vocalist Keith Morris. I also LOVED Scar Tissue, with Anthony Kiedis. I have been getting into alot of serial killer books and documentaries lately.
I have been gathering stuff to go hike. I believe I have assembled all things needed for it to happen, me and my fiancee is pretty much just waiting for a warmer weather. Music albums... I would say I'm very inspired by the black metalband "Grift". I heard the song Svältorna and pretty much knew I had to buy that release and so I did. I do also like alot of old bands like The Doors, John Lee Hooker, Hendrix etc. The list could go on forever. 

As for shows I love the walking dead ( & fear the walking dead), breaking bad, etc. That kind of outlaw and otherwordly stuff is fantastic. I've always loved survivalism and survival shows hehe. I can't pick just one thing out of 
everything I've seen and heard. Impossible! 

12.Is their anything you would like to share or say to any of the followers and other musicians and creators out there? any words of advice or personal experiences you would like to share that you have been through yourself on your path as an artist?

Yes, I suggest you to be as independent as possible when you make music or other art. And to never give up or care about other peoples negativity they often throw around. 

Build up a immunity to bullshitting people, they are a disease to creativity!

13.well we want to personally thank you again for talking with us and if you have any parting words or words of wisdom to leave us all with feel free to do so ...

We look forward to seeing and hearing more from you,,,you are a great artist and we encourage you to continue to persue your path of creating awesome music!!

Thank you for taking your time to do this interview. Heil Óðinn!

Special Thank you to Andreas Axelsson 

and Mathias Nóttúlfr Larsson

for taking time to reach out to the world with their amazing music!

Follow and Support URSPRUNG  here at these links below:

Bandcamp

https://ursprung.bandcamp.com/

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCajseV2Q-1ytpNKnB8ERRg

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/UrsprungOfficial/?ref=br_rs

Watch the official RavenzCraft Arts music video introduction for Ursprung here at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGulDtrA1jA

Follow RavenzCraft Arts for more interviews music videos and events here at 

https://www.facebook.com/RavenzCraftArts/

We have exciting new interviews and music video projects 

for the 2019 season!

Stay tuned!