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It turned out to be Michael Adler Miltersen —a very busy Danish artist and businessman— to be Sepiamusic's alma mater and its author, but luckily kind enough to find some time to make a stop for Aerial Phenomena and talk about "Stone", his world and the future ahead.
—Michael, your name has been linked with the advertising business but, at some time, you decided to start a network to recruit talents and produce music, Sepia Productions, and then it came Sepiamusic. Is it so? What was your musical background then? Why did you choose the word Sepia as a brand? —It sounds to me like an old time photographic look…What were your plans for Sepiamusic back then?
—Well, first of all, thanks for contacting me, and for liking the stuff I do. I really appreciate that. As to how it all got started —it actually happened in a different order than what you mentioned in your question. But you got the basic outlines right.
It's true that I was in advertising for many years. I have been passionate about music since I was a child and I grew up loving and needing music, and went to a school where I was allowed to learn music from a very young age. In my mid teens I sang in a choir at school, but quickly found out I wanted to play the instruments instead. So I was the 13 year old nerdy bassplayer in the background at school gatherings. I eventually switched to the drums, then the keys, and at 15 I was performing Depeche Mode covers at the school stage. In my early teens I was in various bands and at the age of 16 a friend and I performed live on national TV with the first song I ever wrote. That was a big moment for a teenager.
It's true that I was in advertising for many years. I have been passionate about music since I was a child and I grew up loving and needing music, and went to a school where I was allowed to learn music from a very young age. In my mid teens I sang in a choir at school, but quickly found out I wanted to play the instruments instead. So I was the 13 year old nerdy bassplayer in the background at school gatherings. I eventually switched to the drums, then the keys, and at 15 I was performing Depeche Mode covers at the school stage. In my early teens I was in various bands and at the age of 16 a friend and I performed live on national TV with the first song I ever wrote. That was a big moment for a teenager.
I grew up in a mid sized danish city with no real music scene, so the very thought of being a professional musician didn't even come up when I was growing up, and had to think about what I wanted to do with my life. And since I was interested in the arts, creativity, drawing and coming up with ideas —aiming for advertising seemed like the right path for me. I always knew I was a creative nut. So thru my early 20's I made a career in advertising, had quite some success —but eventually the urge to create music grew in me, and after moving to Copenhagen where the music scene was much more vital, I decided to leave advertising and start fresh as a professional musician.
I wanted to make a band. And I knew I needed a singer. So via my brother I met Erin. And that's how Sepiamusic got started. We were initially called Sepia, but we found out there were dozens of bands called Sepia thanks to the search power of the web, so we wanted to change it - but eventually decided to change it to Sepiamusic. After a few years I started Sepia Productions as a production company for our music and some of my side projects, and my former ties to the advertising business actually presented some opportunities to work on some big brands like Nike and Sony. So I teamed up with various talent from my network and friends of friends who were talented. I discovered so much talent around me, and had some amazing sessions with both DJs, singers and musicians. And since then Sepia Productions has been around. That's for 11 years. It's been cool to see how many of those artists I have been working with thru the years who has made a name for themselves and are quite successful today. So in that way Sepia Productions became the foundation to build a real professional studio and the basis for my network, while Sepiamusic was the project everything was built around.
—Prototype, your debut album, was released by the end of 2003. Many of its songs should be considered classic pieces —I will not hide how fond I am of "Ease", for instance—, but again "Stone" has magic of its own. While writing Máscara (Mask), I probably played the song many dozen times as my point of view was flying back and forth over the story sentimental trenches. What did you have in mind while writing "Stone"—Prototype's opening title? What is the concept behind?
—I'm glad you consider some of them classic pieces. I'm not sure I would dare to see it that way, but I am still proud of some of the songs on that album. And some of them I absolutely hate. The songs "Prototype" and "Stone" for sure being the ones that can stand the test of time in my opinion. They are very personal and very emotional songs, and that is what is the key to every good song in this genre. "Stone" was a very personal song for me. I wrote that song in the middle of the night, and it was actually a song about my relationship with my ex-girlfriend. It's a bit difficult for me to explain every feeling in that song, since (like all good songs) it just came out of my soul and practically wrote itself. The story is that I was the one who ended the relationship maybe around 6 months before that song was written. And I remember feeling like I made my heart turn stone cold just before I had to make the decision to seperate myself from her. It was emotional turmoil, but I remember thinking that she, unlike me, was wearing her heart on her sleeve. And I found that admireable and brave. I loved her very much, but I had to let her go because we had different needs and different adventures ahead. If you read the lyrics with that in mind —I think they are pretty self explanatory.
—The cover artwork for Prototype depicts vocalist Erin Chapman in a incredibly sophisticated fashion. What is the story behind that picture?
—Our graphic designer on both albums, Kristian Boserup, made some cool "morphs" of some pictures from a photoshoot, and turned them into these warped spacy objects in a 3D application. We loved that, since we felt we "warped" and transformed ourselves as well thru that album, and we liked the artistic visual expression too.
—Michael, Prototype got very good critics at the time of his premiere, but after some struggling years without a consistent industry response, Erin Chapman and yourself got exhausted and let down by the industry, according to your website. I have seen it many times indeed how disappointing and frustrating can get when a really good stuff doesn’t get the deserved reward, but even so you decided not to give up and went on to assemble your second work by the end of 2009, Trenches, remastering three songs from Prototype and adding nine new tracks. Erin Chapman described Trenches as a collection of songs about small cracks and refuges from emotions and the inevitable need to jump out of them to face the battlefield of reality, and this is exactly what "Stone" inspires me. Why did you decide to keep "Stone" as opening title in Trenches? Was solely decision from Quango Records, your American label? Another song I really love is "Prototype", which appears near the end of both albums with his extraordinary powerful and elegant dramatic cut. Did you still feel as a prototype at this stage?
—The decision to add 3 songs from the last album to Trenches was 100% a label request. We actually fought the idea to begin with, but the label felt there was some strong songs they really felt needed a bigger audience. So we had to bow to that argument. So 3 or 4 songs from the original Trenches tracklist was then removed to make space for the older songs, since we didn't wanna release a 15 track album. So those songs that were removed are still not released. But we will soon. We kept "Stone" as the opening track, since we felt it was the absolute best to open the CD no matter how much we switched them around to start with something new. The label and our management had some input on this as well. And yes, it's true we were exhausted after the first album. And we got exhausted after the last one as well. For some reason it's not easy for us creating the music we want.
—I love how dark and sincere your voice and Erin’s sound in "R.I.D.", the 3rd track from Trenches, but what does R.I.D. stand for… ?.
| Sometimes I find it to be a bit of a shame to explain a song or a lyric. It's like explaining a piece of art as you walk into a museum space, instead of just looking at it, and doing your best to explore what it tells you. I see music as a feeling, and not a direct message. Michael Adler Miltersen Sepia Productions |
—Glad you like it. One of my favorite tracks too. And no, not because I sing on it, haha. Hmm... sometimes I find it to be a bit of a shame to explain a song or a lyric. It's like explaining a piece of art as you walk into a museum space, instead of just looking at it, and doing your best to explore what it tells you. I see music as a feeling, and not a direct message. But I will reveal that it's not about love or relationships as some people believe. And notice that Erin and I sing the exact same lyrics to each other. Think of all the tension in the world. That's all I will reveal at this point...
—On Trenches inception, you wrote “… For most bands it’s the classic tale of the difficult second album, but for Sepiamusic trouble came sooner than later, and not only the title, but the album itself speaks volumes about what the two have been going through. And what might even have been a blessing in disguise… “ But there still seems to be a feeling of guilt, though, flying all over this second album… Would you agree on that sentiment?
—I'm not sure if I think there's guilt. But struggle maybe. But that's who we are. Struggle and beauty combined. Melancholy and hope. Dark and light. We always very much about the opposites.
—In your eyes is the only track featuring your voice only, and sounds superbly emotive. I can even notice some Trentemøller’s traces in the background… Do you have any contact with Anders?
—Ha, that's funny that you hear Trentemøller in there. I would think more of old Depeche Mode around their Black Celebration / Music For The Masses days. Could remind me of a track like "Fly On The Windscreen" or Martin Gore's ballads. I never really thought about it until now. And yes. The song is the only song with as a solo vocalist. And the reason it's so emotive, is because the take on the album —is actually my first take on the song. After I had the basic melody line down and written the lyrics, I just sang it. And when wanting to re-sing it, I found that the imperfections where the beauty of the track. I can still curl my toes when I hear it though. I feel very naked when that track is playing.
But back to Trentemøller. I really dig him. I think he's one of the most talented producers in the world, and I generally don't feel that way about musicians from my country. Being world class that is. He lives in my neighborhood, and I see him around all the time. I met him a few times thru a friend, but I don't know him really. But it's safe to say we travel in the same circles.
—What does the cover artwork for Trenches mean? That was Kristian Boserup’s second contribution to your albums. He’s an incredibly gifted graphic artist.
—Glad you think so, and I will tell him again. Erin and I absolutely still love the artwork. Kristian was very patient with us, because this time around we had a very particular feeling about the album, but we couldn't really figure out what the artwork should be. And Kristian came up with 7 or 8 suggestions over time, but when we saw this one, we just knew that was right. Again, we'd like to think if it as ARTwork, so explainations are hard to make. But here's some words I think of: explosion, space, nature, landscape, flower, mountaintops, land, spikes, poison, fire, energy, beauty.
—You came across with Erin Chapman in 1999 and shared many ups and downs. Have you followed her whereabouts ever after ?
—Absolutely. We are best friends. She's like a sister to me. In fact, I saw her earlier today.
—Bruno Guez, from Quango Records, seems to have understood the quality of your music. In what sense is American public different from Europeans?
—I have no idea. I often notice that 80% of my favorite music in this world is from the United Kingdom. So I would think Europe was a better fit for our music. We had a close encounter with a few record labels in London for a while. But for some reason the USA has been more responsive. And obvously Erin being American has something to do with it. But I have strong ties to the country as well, and I think of it as my second home.
—You seem particularly pleased with people making remixes of your songs. I can now remember DJ Ronin, for instance. But you also made a remix for Sleepthieft… What is more interesting for you about remixing songs?
—I think my love for remixes is back from me listening to Depeche Mode back in the 90's. Back then I remember the Maxi Single was quite popular. Those records came in all sorts of colors, and were often 12 minutes long. Depeche Mode was the only band at that time, who had a lot of remixes released. And remixes is such a good way to work with other artists. Like a tribute. And I must compliment you and tell you, that you really did your research... haha.
—What music are you listening as of lately? Your own listening recommendations… ?
—Lately I have been listening a lot to Apparat —stage name for Sascha Ring— and Moderat —featuring Sascha himself, Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary—. Sasha Ring is a genius when it comes to creating emotional electronic music. My favorite band is still IAMX —Chris Corner's personal project—, and has been for years. Been listening to a lot of ambient electronica like Mount Kimbie, Telefon Tel Aviv and Flying Lotus —Steven Ellison—. I'm changing a lot these days between classic songs and electronic soundscapes. I have a few favorites, but I'm always in constant movement about what type of music I'm listening to.
—I have noticed many of your salient ad works are related to football. Are you a Culé —Barça fan—, too?
—Haha. No. I have to disappoint you there —I'm not into soccer at all. But if I was, I would be a Barcelona fan for sure. Nobody is better.
—What are your plans for the future? Do you intend to stay away from Sepiamusic or may we still have some hope for a 3rd album to be released in the future? "Trenches", the last track from your 2nd album with the same name —and so far your last song—, is a very short, mysterious and optimistically blended instrumental ambient piece. Is it pointing towards a brighter future?
—Currently there are no real plans for a new Sepiamusic album. We felt it was time to take a break, because we never found the proper routine of being a band. It was a constant rollercoaster - and that gets exhausting in the long run. Erin just had a baby (Ruby), and we haven't been in the studio together for a long time. But in a very short time we're gonna release a DELUXE Version of Trenches. With 4 bonus tracks + remixes. Follow us on facebook to find out when.
Lately I have been working with other bands producing, mixing or mastering. I have been travelling every chance I had, and it's very important for me to get inspired for those long studio days. I still work a lot for brands/movies, and this year has been busy. But there is still some new songs brewing from time to time. So I'm sure you haven't heard the last yet.
—That is just the way I want an interview to end, Michael... without an end.
Tak.
Tak.
"Stone" narrative power was discovered long before Máscara was published. Australian director Keith Loutit —known as the best in the business at timelapse / tiltshift movies (called Small Worlds)— used it to showcase some of his works. Also asked Sepia Productions to come up with music ideas for his new amazing production "The Lion City", featuring the city of Singapore. I hope you enjoy the combined powers of Keith and Michael in this video.
