The life of a musician has changed so much over the last of years and it makes sense that a lot of music has been made as a result of and in response to, the changed circumstances for musicians. For Danish artist Lasse Matthiessen, 2020 provided an opportunity to revisit places and times past: Past his old school in Copenhagen, the place where he sang in Copenhagen’s Boys’ Choir, his home in the middle of Copenhagen’s hipster paradise “Nørrebro”, where he grew up and beat his first drum set and powered his first guitar. The trip then moved onto Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where he has built up a large and loyal concert audience.
Revisiting these places, Lasse also revisited his musical style – the result is a five track EP, Coordinates Remain. Working closely with Stockholm based Produce Joakim Buddee, Lasse has moved from alt folk to electronic music, albeit infused with folk elements. The lead track, ‘Rome‘, and my favourite, has bass and a simple beat, while Matthiessen’s rich, deep voice supports and soars above. The folk roots are apparent throughout.
‘Dancing with Air‘ begins with a soft piano intro before building into an intense beat, eventually mellowing out into an epic, almost hypnotic anthemic sound. Lasse’s vocal range is highlighted here to great effect.
The folk roots shine through in both ‘Reed‘ and ‘Don’t Go To Sleep‘ before the power ballad style of ‘Colors‘ effortlessly flows over the frenetic electronic beat. I look forward to seeing where Lasse’s musical journey takes us next.
Lasse’s advice for aspiring musicians is all about learning to trust in yourself:
“At one point I was in the studio recording a new song I had written. There were some parts of the song that I really liked. Especially the melody. But there was something in the lyrics and something in the piece of the song that I could feel I was not completely happy with. But I let myself be persuaded by the producer. I let myself imagine that it was not important and I would forget it. We released the song and I have regretted it ever since. I should have listened to myself and worked on it until I was satisfied. This is one thing that has been important for me to learn. That what I feel deep down is right, I have to accept that regardless of whether there are a lot of musicians around me who say something else. Who says “this is not modern”, or “you are not supposed to sing it like that”. Because basically that is something that derives from their ambitions and not yours.
It is not always easy to know what you feel about music. It takes me days or weeks sometimes and even though it might irritate producers, I insist on taking the time if I am not convinced the music, performance or whatever is not good enough.”
Coordinated Remains was released on 19 November 2021 on Zpektakel Music. Get your copy here.
Catch Lasse ON TOUR through to 17 February 2022. Or if you can’t make it, follow him at:
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Lasse Matthiessen photo by Christian Friedlander
