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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Oh No Ono
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 23 February 2010
Formed in 2003, Oh No Ono are an experimental pop quintet from Denmark. Since releasing their EP ‘Now You Know Oh No Ono’ in 2005, the band have been highly influential on the Danish music scene. Debut album ‘Yes’ saw them mix alternative pop, electroclash, funk and new wave. Their latest album, the self-produced ‘Eggs’, was recorded over a period of nine months in various studios, as well as more unusual places like churches, forests, beaches and abandoned factories. With ‘Eggs’ out now on The Leaf Label, we spoke to frontman Malthe Fischer to ask the Same Six.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
My mother taught me to play the guitar a long time ago, around kindergarten. I wrote stuff then but it wasn’t exactly songs. I dropped out of high school to play music full time when I was sixteen and aimed for being the best guitar player in the world. When I was around nineteen, Christian Hjelm (the singer of Figurines) moved in with me and I started getting more into songwriting. At the same time I met Aske and we started Oh No Ono with Kristoffer and our former organist Kristian Olsen.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
We knew the songs were really good, but we inspired each other to take our ideas even further. It resulted in a long period of time without any personal life, especially for me and Aske. The only thing we did was work. Aske during the day and me during the night. It wasn’t a healthy year and I don’t think anyone in their right mind would choose to make a record that way!
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
Most of our songs are small pieces written separately and glued together along the way. Some of the new songs have been developing over four or five years. We are all very shy and the only way we can present new songs to each other is by recording a demo first, to be sure it comes out like you intended it to. We work hard and a bit too slow.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
I’d like to think that I’m influenced by anyone I’ve ever heard. Both stuff I like and dislike, stuff I know well or have only heard once, and stuff I have heard both consciously and unconsciously. More specifically, I feel inspired by artists like David Lynch, Syd Barrett, John Lennon and albums like White Noise’s ‘An Electric Storm’, My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless’, The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’, Animal Collective’s ‘Strawberry Jam’, Pink Floyd’s ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’, The Zombies’ ‘Odessey & Oracle’, Scott Walker’s ‘3’ and ‘4’, Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Histoire De Melody Nelson’, Talking Heads’ ‘Remain In Light’, Dirty Projectors’ ‘The Getty Address’, and so on…
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Take your time. It’s impossible to get all of it the first couple of listens, but I really think it’s worth anyone’s time. Especially yours!
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest single, and for the future?
Our latest single, ‘Helplessly Young’, is maybe the only obvious radio hit of ‘Eggs’. When I recorded the vocal track I sort of tuned in to a ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ mode and became Cindy Lauper for a short period of time. The song is a nice contrast to the dark sides of the album. Right now we’re planning to record new songs as soon as we get the time. Maybe an EP in the fall!
MORE>> www.ohnoono.com
