1 artist. 30 musicians. 7 Days.
1 album…Unify
Interview by Ratha Gud
What happens when a professional musician locks himself up in his studio 24 hours a day for a whole week and invites more than 30 established musicians from various genres to join him and create one unique 30 minute long musical piece? It’s what Danish producer, guitarist and songwriter Noah Rosanes set to find out during 1 week in January, as he implemented his unique new experiment for The Ball and The Wall with Music Marathon…
Listen to ‘Unify’ here…
Welcome to DMC World Magazine Noah, what is the best piece of new music you have heard today?
Haha! Well so far I have only heard my new The Ball And The Wall “Thinnest Air “single that i just got back from mastering, so I’ll stick to that.
What’s the story behind your name ‘The Ball And The Wall?
I wanted to start a solo project, but the idea of me sitting alone in my studio didn´t turn me on…It is so much more fun and inspiring to work with other musicians. I need a wall to play against, therefore The Ball and The Wall. I collaborate with a new artist for every The Ball and The Wall song made, so every song has a different vibe. It’s important to go with the flow and get a natural sound out of the chemistry between me and the other artists. Sometimes it´s obvious to make dark hard music, but with other artists it feels more right to make beautiful uplifting music.
So hang on a minute, Your new album ‘UNIFY’ is an incredible 30 minutes of continuous music, but recorded during only 1 week (!), with no less than 30 (!) different musicians by way of a music marathon in your Denmark studio, not an easy thing to orchestrate by anyone’s standards! What was your inspiration behind this mammoth project?
I wanted to take the concept of collaborating to the next level! The idea came to me in a spur of a moment and then I just went for it! It great fun and very inspiring for me and all the musicians involved. It turned out great and the final track ‘UNIFY’ has so many vibes in it, that really sums up what I’m about.
How did you go about selecting the artists to get on board and who was involved?
I wanted a vast variety of musicians, so I was looking for that, but also musicians that I had the feeling of being able to create good music from. Some of those involved in the project include Selina Gin (Nelson Can), Thomas Edinger (Saxofon, Lukas Graham), Regina Unnur Olafsdottir (Classical Singer) and Anders Bo (Guitarist, Medina).
Did you have any preconceptions about what you wanted to achieve with style or sound prior to the project, or was it totally impromptu?
I started with nothing, no ideas or anything planned, so it was all about going with the flow and the letting moment take over.
There are a huge cross section of different styles and tempos throughout the piece, how did you go about putting it all together to flow as 1 piece of music and why did you decide to make it so?
It felt natural to me. After being in one vibe for some time your mind wants you to go somewhere else, so one thing led to the next.
You’ve culled in all sorts of musicians with various unusual instruments and more, tell us about some of the cool sounds you’ve used.
There was one guy playing a Hurdy Gurdy which is a very old instrument, kinda a blend of a Cello and a Bagpipe! Crazy and he was so good, I looped some of his phrases and soon I had a Hip Hop vibe going on all made from him!
What was the most difficult part of the project?
Sleeping my studio, I had to be there 24/7 for the whole week. At the end I was pretty tired!
What was the funniest moment you had during the recording sessions?
The story behind the title is interesting! Me and vocalist Selina Gin where having a hard time coming up with the right lyrics for a section. After about 10 minutes of treading water and not find the right line I suddenly got a Facebook message from a young guy who had be following Music Marathon online. He sent me a Drop Box link with all his lyrics hoping to inspire! We opened the files and BOOM we saw the line “I Want To Unify”. This line really sums up what the Music Marathon project is all about- bringing musicians together…That’s how it ended up called UNIFY”
How was it camping in the studio for a week, what did you eat and what kept you going?
I’ve got this great food catering company that sponsored me and kept me alive! Thanks
Will there be any singles released from the album?
Yeah!!! ‘Thinnest Air’ will be released, it´s a part of ‘Unify’ taken from towards the end. It’s the most outgoing segment of the project, so perfect to send out on it’s own accord.
You also work a lot with the amazing folk singer Simon Lynge, tell us about some of your upcoming projects with him?
We have a joint project called Astral and I have also produced his solo album which is coming out soon!
You also travel a lot with gigs and writing, what part do you most enjoy about your musical career, writing and recording or playing live on stage?
Being a musician is all about playing and creating music, I love it all!
Tell us a little more about the music scene in Denmark, who is rocking it?
Obviosly Lukas Graham is doing great! That´s cool, in fact it is his Horn section that played on ‘Thinnest Air’!
Finally, name one piece of music you cannot live without?
Imagine by John Lennon
The Ball On The Wall ‘Unify’ will be released worldwide on April 15th on 10.000 Records
