Once again I find myself on a train somewhere, this time heading home after rehearsals in Århus. Lately I have been thinking a lot about my blog and what it is, I use it for. I can’t figure out if I am a private person or a public person in here. Maybe I am both, and maybe that is just the way things are in my line of work?
I need some time off, I think. I have decided to quit DJ’ing for a while. It’s not fun anymore and I don’t enjoy it the way I used to. For the most part it’s drunk people at 3AM in the morning, talking shit. Once in a while it’s fun and thrilling, but mostly I just want to be somewhere else. I am not so much into the club-thing anymore, and I think that’s part of the reason why, my next album, BLCK will not be what most of you – and myself up until recently – think it will be. It’s more mellow and down-to-earth and not so hyper-hyper. I think it deserves to have more depth and more musicality, than ten “five-minute-bangers-on-a-disc” can give it. It is a an album and that format needs to be treated with respect. Otherwise I could just release singles.
I have been working twenty-four seven the last couple of weeks, and I am frankly a little tired. I have an upcoming tour I need to finish the preparations for, and after that I am going to Bornholm to work with Speaker Bite Me on their next album. All the while I am trying to finish some moviemusic-projects I have embarked upon. I enjoy what I do, but too much work is too much work, no matter how much you enjoy it.
And I do enjoy my work. But lately I’ve been having these thoughts about living by the sea or living in the country. Be self-sustaining and only live of what I can grow in my own garden and what my animals (I have animals in these thoughts) can provide. No internet connection and no social-media-sites. No twittering, facebooking, myspacing or emailing. No TV, no computer, maybe just a radio. No interference.
I am never finished. I am never satisfied. I work all the time. I am my work and my work is me. I can’t separate one from the other.
Dude, take a holiday. Maybe go backpacking for a week or two, or go for a break somewhere chilled out (just came back from Biscarrosse, France – that’d be a good example), cos it sounds like you just need to clear your head.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
Comment by Scott — October 6, 2009 @ 15:11
Troels, you are a great artist. Never forget that. What makes you so special – apart from your obvious talent – is the fact that you THINK what you do and why. What I gather from your music and this blog is that you need reasons for all the things you do. Not all people think that way, nut those who do, they make a difference. And I think it’s good that you write (at least some of) the reasons down for us fans to read.
I think I speak on behalf of a large crowd when I say that we do not listen to your music to get hyper party music; we listen to it because it has a depth to it. We can hear that you have thought about things. Making music that way must be exhausting, because it feels that you, as a musician, give a lot more of yourself than most other musicians. We buy your albums because they are well-thought and made entities. And the fact that you are never satisfied just makes it all more interesting.
Personally, I think WHT is the best album in ages, and I’m not lying when I say I’ve listened to it at least a hundred times. And I will listen to it a hundred times more. No matter what kind of music you’ll publish, we will be there to listen and to appreciate.
I sincerely hope things will work out for you.
Best regards,
a loyal fan from Finland
Comment by cyancyancyan — October 6, 2009 @ 15:16
Sounds like you just need to take a really long break. Take a month off without ANY work… go somewhere quite, where you can relax and think about life.
Comment by stefan — October 6, 2009 @ 15:30
“I learned to switch it off”..
Kunsten bliver til i lidenskaben, brænd for det du laver ellers drop det..
all best..
Comment by Frederik Lunde — October 6, 2009 @ 16:41
Hello Troels!
I’ll second what cyan wrote. I like your music because it has depth to it, regardless which name it has.
The depth thing also goes for your “bangers”, and personally i wouldn’t mind some more “bad move” or “sit” style songs, because they’ve got depth, one can tell you put thought into your songs. So thanks for that.
Also, please release BLCK on bandcamp just like you did with WHT. Maybe you can bundle up a nice T-Shirt with a download-code too?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Comment by Bionictom — October 6, 2009 @ 16:48
By the sea could be a nice experience or simply changing the lifestyle for a while will help you see trough the window.
Good luck with the new album and back off our expectations.
Comment by Scintillula — October 7, 2009 @ 00:07
Ill third what cyancyancyan wrote!
WHT is one of the best albums in decades. simple as that – It was stunningly marvelous and I hope that BLCK can be just half as good as that – I need this depth in the songs – thats what I like personally about your art. and it is art – but it sounds like you could use a week or two clearing your head with the waves of the western seas of Jutland, to realise and figure out why you do what you do… I hope you find solace and comfort in the thought that there are a lot of us out here that really appreciate all the effort and the hard work you do, and hopefully you will not stop doing this – but you should do what makes you happy.
And as Scintillula said – forget our expectations – make it as you want! good luck with it.
best
Mads
Comment by Mads Hindhede — October 7, 2009 @ 20:13
Greetings Troels.
I understand your thoughts.
If you find time in your busy schedule, I’d recommend you to watch the movie by Sean Penn called “Into the Wild”. You’ve probably already seen it, but I was fascinated and inspired, so I crawled out of society for just about two weeks (nothing wild) in a small hut in the forests of Sweden. I read a lot of the same literature the main character Christopher McCandless did and I really learned a lot about myself, nature and how we should respect it.
Anyway, I’m glad to hear others deal with same thoughts.
Take care and good luck in the future mr. Abrahamsen.
Comment by Oliver — October 10, 2009 @ 13:44
Off topic: Troels, I like the new login/logout system!
Good Luck
Comment by SebastianChristensen — October 10, 2009 @ 14:08
Good gig in aalborg tonight.
Loving this authentic danish mood more and more.
tusind tak
Licia
Comment by Licia — October 23, 2009 @ 00:21
Dear Troels
What you say makes utter sence, and i even get that mood when i hear your album (which is often). I actually just thought it was me, because i’m in a situation, but it plunges my heart and hope.
I hear frustrated hope of deeper meaning and crude cynicism pointing out reality.
I suggest you see this http://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_sagmeister_the_power_of_time_off.html and evaluate if you can muster something like it.
I have heard so many brilliant sounds of your creation, and in my book you are a bright shining northern star. Please be gentle to yourself.
Best regards
a huge fan
Comment by chrßjñ — October 27, 2009 @ 13:19
I felt like I was hearing myself speak reading this entry. I think about living off the grid often, I just haven’t done it because I am too scared. There is a certain comfort in having a steady income, a feeling of safety and security. Is it worth it? I don’t know, in fact I’m pretty sure it’s not. I think when you give too much of yourself away it starts to weigh heavily on you because there is the knowledge that you only have a little bit of time on this earth and you see it slipping away, being taken up by things …maybe you just need a break for a little while, your fans will understand. I say this even though I stalk your blog waiting for the day you will announce that the new album has been released. lol. I really enjoy your music, I identify with a lot of the lyrics and I admire you for having the courage to follow your dreams. One song in particular, “shine your light” has been on my mind a lot lately, you are truly an inspiration to me. I hope that you can find some time to get away and just be for a little while, you know what they say about all work and no play. In the end it is your life and you need to live it for yourself too.
Comment by Alan — October 28, 2009 @ 19:29
Hi Troels!
Wow, I came here with some ideas and just had everything upside down on my mind by this post.
I discovered you and Veto a few months ago and you’re voice has been on my mind all the time since than. Most of the things you sing about make a deep echo in my life no matter how distant and different the realities of Brazil and Denmark can be. This should be no surprise at all once the entire planet lives today under the same pressures, values and desires, but I couldn’t help expecting that such inspiring artist in such healthy and developed country could be free of some frustrations felt by an history teacher from a bad managed city (and country) in Amazonia.
There’s some kind of justice and sadness about knowing that none of us is free from confusion, doubt… All these images, information and expectations can ruin our focus and pleasures of daily life.
But I really hope that by now you just feel like what you’ve wrote here was product of a moment only. In case you still feel the same, I give my support with all the messages and opinions posted here before.
I guess I just wanna say today you inspire me getting through a lot of stuff so I hope you can get through it too.
Thanks
Comment by brazilian_new_fan — November 6, 2009 @ 03:34
Thank for your kind words. It means a lot to me.
Comment by Troels Abrahamsen — November 6, 2009 @ 08:53
Frederik Lunde is right, life is to short for wasting it on being in a bad mood.
Recharge your batteries
Take some time off.
and
Head out and seek new inspiration!
Comment by James — December 9, 2009 @ 23:01
Mr. Abrahamsen. Der er brug for din musik. Du er med til at nuancere den enerverende mainstream musikkultur der hersker i radio, tv samt får størstedelen af musikkens opmærksomhed. Din musik gør andet end at hentrylle dine lyttere hen i en eller anden form for øreorgasme-trance-halløj,du omend ikke introducerer så appellerer du til folket med dit andetsteds inspireret musik, dog stadig din egen, din musik, med dit personlige udtryk, fanger du folk og giver dem et alternativ. Du har en kunstnerisk forpligtigelse til at bevæge musikkens retning, og skabe et alternativ til den mainstreame musikscene.Kun ved at folk boykotter pop-musikkens nemme fristelse, og udvider deres musik repertoire er vi i stand til at redde den internationale musik scene. Dig og din kunst, er mere end som så. Jeg ved godt at du taler om en mindre pause, og en pursuit på inspiration etc. Men Troels! Du kan og du bidrager med en forandring igennem dit udtryk. Det er på ingen måder meningsløst! Desuden angående din nye plade. Grunden til at bl.a. en kunstner som Max Ernst formåede at være interessant, var hans konstante udvikling og genskabelse af sig selv som kunstener, så du skal endelig ikke være bange for at betræde nye stier du ikke har begivet dig ud på før. Gør det endeligt! Du har ikke lagt op til i din blog at dit musik er meningsløst eller at du vil stoppe, sådan forstår jeg ikke din tankegang. Men du bidrager trods alt med glæde og adspredelse til dine lyttere, så det kan ikke være helst så slemt igen at være Troels! Det lyder dog utroligt fedt med havet og markerne osv. Hmm… Djursland skulle siges at være et hyggeligt sted.
Comment by - ! - — December 10, 2009 @ 01:59