Interview by: J. Hakan Dedeoğlu
Before their mind-blowing show in Kadıköy arkaoda on 18 October, Batoh and Espvall answering our questions:
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The inevitable question. How did your roads cross each other, how did you team up?
H: We met at Terrastock6 in Providence, USA. We saw each other’s shows and enjoyed it. Batoh gave me an Unari Yumi (hand-made bamboo instrument), I gave Batoh my solo CD, we stayed in touch and decided to record an album during my Tokyo visit in 2007.
What are your similar tastes in music? Which musicians do you both enjoy?
B: Both of us love old rock from ’60s and ‘early ’70s. And also classic, medieval, tribal, ethnic and, etc.
“Overloaded Ark”seems to have more energy and more diversity in sound compared to the debut album. How did “Overloaded Ark” shape, what were the initail ideas behind it?
B: There were diversity of methods in the beginning. We could easily play Swedish trad arr again or gentle folk tunes of course. But I had concrete idea to construct quite different commotion in spirits beforehand. Anti-war has been my consistent attitude in any notion of me. War-such a futile hell had been supported by ordinary citizens for sometimes like US/ Afghanistan war. Simply I wanted to write a song to make people notice how tragic it is for all over the world. “Ark” is just only a thought provoking ornament. Such a symbol of Christianity won’t move our minds easily by itself. But who knows that anecdote can expose how much we fell through again and again. “Ark” was made in our minds.
These kind of collaborations tend be one-record-only, but it seems like, with the second album, you will carry on doing this, and it’s not just a side project.
B: Yes we’re a team! Will do more works.
What kind of musical void does this collaboration fill for you? What does the “Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh” have that your other bands don’t have?
H: I’m usually mostly playing the cello, for me it’s exciting to get a chance to sing and play guitar too. and also this is the only collaboration where I get to play early music, which I love. And Batoh is a very unique musician, he’s a joy to work with.
B: Classic musical aspects are what we wanted to do. We are mixture of the pure essential of phsychedelic music and classic / medieval.
So what is happening with your other bands? Any new albums of Ghost and Espers ahead?
H: Espers will release a new album on drag city later this fall.
B: Ghost is playing in Berlin soon just before Istanbul show of Helena and Batoh. Ghost is on production for new album next year hopefully.
There are 5 covers on the new album. Covers of old and anonymous tunes. How do you decide and pick the tunes and how does interpretation process follow?
H: I went to a music school in Sweden where music from all over the world was being taught, songs from Balkan, Haiti, Brazil, France and so on, and other songs I learned while traveling. Some of them stayed in my mind and I suggested to Batoh that they could be used for our duo project. Since we live continents apart, we send each other demos with different arrangements and interpretations that we try out when we get together. Some things are carefully planned out beforehand, other arrangements are happening more spontaneously in the studio. I was very hesitant to use any Swedish folk songs for the second album. But when I heard Ogino’s lovely recorder ensemble as accompaniment for Vem Kan Segla, I was convinced!
Listening yo your music I feel a huge longing to the past, ancient times, an infelicity to today’s world… Would you say that your music carries this thoughts and emotions, or do you really feel this way?
B: Thank you for your deep imagination. I really appreciate it. My belief on music is that takes listeners to far away beyond secularism. Each listener should have each own impression and trip in their minds. It’s quite natural phenomenon. But recently people seem forgetting it. Music becomes realistic material.
H: Being a woman, I prefer to live in today’s world and not in the past. But I’m deeply unhappy with many aspects of modern life: car culture, ugliness, rampant capitalism, soulless materialism, destruction of old beautiful buildings and thus minimizing possibilities for artists and others to choose simple and inexpensive housing, etc. These feelings are probably reflected in the way I live and in how I play music too.
Which music makes you wanna dance?
H: Afro beat and samba.
B: Bon odori-Japanese traditional ceremony music.
What are you listening to now-a-days?
H: Turid (swedish folk singer), Guty Cardenas (mexican singer from the 1920s and 30s),
Jordi Savall (viola da gamba player), Eric Dolphy, some Brazilian music like Novos Baianos, Joyce, Milton Nascimento, Elis Regina and more.
B: Sorry I don’t listen to music completely.
What was the best gig you’ve seen recently?
H: A silent movie by Eisenstein with live piano accompaniment by Matti Bye a couple of days ago. Brilliant and beautiful.
B: Umm….. Roy Harper in 1989?
What are you reading now-a-days?
B: Henri Michaux , Osamu Dazai
H: Ruth L. Ozeki, and “teachings of silver birch”.
What bothers you and what makes you happy now-a-days?
B: Sad: Terrible situation in Tibet caused by China. Happy: New president of US.
What is your recent favorite item?
B: Counselling therapy.
What is your favorite city in the world?
B: Maybe Marrakesh in Morocco or… Sevilla in Spain.
So, Batoh, you have been here before, what are your memories from you recent visit and what are your expectations for this one? The second question goes for you too Helena…
B: Istanbul was very strange beauty to me. It was a most wild precious stone in the middle of east and west. People were so nice in the city even in the club. So naturally they yelled and crapped with our music. We were completely fascinated by them. I wonna visit small islands if it’s possible.
H: Never been to Turkey. Very curious to see Istanbul, I’ve heard it’s enchanting…
