Lerin / Hystad Release ‘Creatures of the Deep’

A favorite musical duo, actually a married couple, called Lerin/Hystad have released fine music and are hot up with a new album called Creatures of the Deep. The music is a skeletonian mix of elecetronic music with happy easy going tight drums, a kind of cozy lo-fi blip-blop intellectual background music. I mean background music in a good way, as a good album should be able to stand the test of being played from the start and left to loop until it’s time for silence, or something else. Compared to their earlier releases Amaterasu and Mount Buzhou this album is more melodious and yet downscaled – bringing about that catching sound that signifies a Lerin/Hystad release. The minimal setup for Creatures of the Deep is synths, guitars, upright bass, live drums, marimba.

The album is set to be released on the 25th November, still some weeks to go. You can hear out the single Jelly Moon in the meanwhile. But as I looped it with my preview edition I had to write something down, and in the same wave ask them to see what they’ve been up to and plan for the time to come.

What have you two been up to since the release of Amaterasu? What are you up to beside this project?

After the release of Amaterasu we did some touring in Europe, we also did a month of touring in Japan and China. Our first album Mount Buzhou was based on field-recordings of traditional Chinese folk music so it was really interesting to go back and perform that music for a Chinese audience and the response was great. We have also been busy with some art exhibitions and we are currently working on preparations for a solo show at Kunstmuseet Nord-Trøndelag opening in January where we will present both visual art and a large sound installation.

How would you explain the obvious difference between Creatures of the Deep and the previous releases?

The writing process for this album was quite different then our previous albums. Our two first albums started with field-recordings and where then developed on the electric guitar. Creatures of the Deep was written with a modular synthesizer and a keyboard, at the time we recorded the album we also worked at a music school where we could borrow instruments like the marimba and an upright bass which also gave the compositions a different vibe. We became very interested in the different textures and tones of the modular synth and how it blended with the acoustic sounds of the marimba and the upright bass. We also used an acoustic drum kit on this album and while I recorded the drums I was very interested in the rhythms and textures of electronic music and tried to reproduce those sounds and beats on the live drum kit.

Are there plans to take the new (or older) material on the road for some shows?

Yes, we are very excited to perform these songs live. We have spent a lot of time this summer trying out a new live setup where Simon plays drums and some keys and Bettina plays synthesizer and electronics. The set will probably mainly consist of material from the new album but we are also doing some of the old material but in a new way because of the new setup. It will also give us an opportunity to perform some of the more electronic songs of Amaterasu which where difficult to do live with the old guitar and synth setup. We are currently working on booking a tour in Europe in 2017 and hope to also be able to go back and tour in Japan at the end of next year.

Thank you!

Damo Suzuki on stage with Lerin/Hystad (photos)

Interview in Swedish

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