Friday, 5 September 2014

Roenik Q&A

Your name:
Niels Nankler (lead singer).

Where are you from?
Gothenburg, Sweden.

Name of band:
Roenik.

Who else is in your band?
Jonas Wållberg (keys and programming), John London (bass, engineering), Patrik Herrström (drums) and Polen Kurzawa (guitar).

How would you describe yourselves?
A group of school friends who shared the interests of making weird ideas come real, partying and - of course - music. 
Four years ago we were one of those bands that were bound to happen. With a management in London and New York, who shovelled money on us, we spent a year (2008-09) to and from London, playing showcase gigs, meeting labels and we recorded an album with demon producer Yoad Nevo (Air, Sugababes, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Gahan, Moby, Sophie Ellis Bextor among others). When the record was finished and it was nearing a release, the management two main characters could no longer cooperate and suddenly it was like the air castle under our feet disappeared.
Rationally, it was no difficulty seeing what needed to be done, but with so radically-altered conditions and plummeting spirits within the group, it became too heavy and the escape was close at hand. Especially as people began to leave and when Me And My Army (with several members the same as in Roenik) was born at the release party for Someone's Love Is Going To Die - the first single on what would have been our full-length debut - any other band would have gone to the grave.
But not us.
We still believe that what has happened can be turned into something to write on.
We have made this entire album ourselves, the whole procedure through, from recording, mixing to cover art etc. We feel incredibly invigorated by the process - this album is us. No selling compromises!
The feeling of gratitude to the people who always have been there and requested a continuation is extremely precious to us. Thank you!

Who are your main influences musically?
My very first musical love affair was with the Beatles and I guess it never really ended, it just evolved to include many others, like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, Depeche Mode, and many more.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
See above.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
See above.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
See above.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
I think I'm Still Here best represents our union between the organic and electronic. Or as put in other words below: "It's where the old clashes with the new that Roenik's music holds its ground. Never before has a pop and rock song had both feet in a so very modern four on the floor electronic foundation, yet held its head high in the melancholy and nostalgia of the Seventies and Eighties. With such elegance and total absence of friction that you don't know whether you're drumming the beat of the new or humming the tune of the old."

Where can we listen to it?


Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Roenik is still the platform for various ideas to take shape such as: beer breewing, underground clubs and recording as well as producing others in our studio "Lyckholmia".

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