Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

What´s the name of your band? My band name is [ówt krì], I really get a lot of questions concerning the pronunciation of the name which is really quite obvious when you know the secret. It's the phonetic writing of the word "Outcry"

How old are you? / What got you started in music? / At what age did you start playing?

At the time of writing I’m 33 years old.  I’m a lifelong music fanatic, first as a listener and later as a composer. Music was always a way to enforce or tone down my moods and feelings. After the army, at the age of 20-something I started composing music together with a dear friend of mine.

Initially I used ready loops to compile tracks until I started recording my own loops and from there moved on into recording the free flowing sounds of today.

How was the band formed? Being a solo artist there is no clear moment for the formation of my project but the stylistic direction came to me late in 2005 and by New Year I had taken upon me the band name [ówt krì]
Can you tell about your band? Well, as I said in the previous question, it is a solo venture where I try to broaden aural insights to new levels and push boundaries of convention with elements of opposite polarities. so in a more common language I try to device new ways of mixing sounds together and finding new ways of expression.

Where are all band members from? / Who does what in the band? I am from Helsinki / Finland. Save a few collaborations most duties fall upon my own shoulders.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? All material is my own. I do not find any pleasure in practicing and repeating other peoples compositions,
instead almost every performance I do is a new and unique piece that lives only in that moment.

What are your goals with your music? When I first picked up the guitar, tried out a keyboard, all I really wanted was to play and record music.

This is pretty much where I still stand, with a growing desire to create new and unique music.
Album sales are of course a nice bonus also.

Do you have any webpages?  www.owtkri.org

Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you?  Explaining a feeling is always hard. It's like explaining colour to someone who has never seen any. Likewise with a voyage.

My music is a long journey through melancholic places and abstract shapes. It is sound entwined with sound and elements clashing together.

What's good/bad with the band? / What genre do you feel you are?

My pros and cons are, from my viewpoint, the same: My music is difficult.  It’s hard on the ears and it’s hard on the mind.

Still, if you give it time you will find pearls and emotions inside the aural cacophony. You might even find a story worth being told, but for that you need to open your senses and let your imagination flow.

I always feel that genre specifications are difficult, but given the nature of music business there is a need for it. I usually say I play a fusion of Dark Ambient and Industrial music.

Why did you pick that particular style? / What are your songs about?

I don’t think it was so much a question of picking a style or making a deliberate decision, I just found that many genres were too restricted. Too many rules and norms that put you inside a box.

As an instrumentalist I’m not even mediocre, but I have a skill to weave the sounds together and transferring my love for music into what I do.

As the music is highly abstract I really don’t have an answer to what my songs are about. I would much rather hear from listeners how they experience my tracks.

Have you made any albums? / If yes what are they?

Apart from a handful of digital releases I have released one CD in 2013 on the label Alrealon Musique (http://www.alrealonmusique.com) called “The New Seed”.

The album received fairly high acclaim in reviews around the globe.

What's the first step when making a new song?

For me the act of composing always starts from one idea. The aggregate can be a sound or a vision, even a word or a phrase. So by the time I get down to recording I have a clear picture of what I want to achieve.

From there on I take a ride with the sounds and we arrive at the goal together, wherever that may be.

Where was your first gig? I played my first gig in Helsinki, at a small venue called Korjaamo. It was on June 27th 2014 together with a nice setup with 6 other Dark Ambient/Noise artists from Finland.

Describe your show, visually and musically

My show is very minimal and dark. The live music is mostly based upon improvisation and therefore my moods play a vital part in the actual aural output.

The show is accompanied (when possible) by a video screen filmed and composed by my good friend from Sola Production.

Have you been part of any other projects? I have been part in countless projects since I started composing. Most projects have also been solo ventures, but also have been part of some collaborations like "Huominen" or "Ankea" which have been made virtually over the web.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? To the core I'm a metalhead and listen to all types of heavy music from Progressive rock to the darkest Doom. With that said I also listen to a lot of Ambient, Avantgarde and contemporary Classical music that gives me a lot of inspiration in my own ventures.

How do you view the music industry of today? Even if the music industry is in a state of struggle at the moment I feel that music has never been better. The world is full of talented artists who have a possibility fulfil themselves and create the most awesome music ever.
Of course this brings the challenge of distinguishing yourself from your peers.

What are the plans for the rest of the year? This year has been hectic through and through and the rest of the year will continue in the same way. I am going to release some more material in the coming months.
A tape through Cursed Tapes http://www.damned-by-light.com/tapes/
and a digital EP trough format-noise http://www.format-noise.com/

Also I have a few concerts coming up in the US.

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? You should really just trust in yourself, trust in your vision. With a solid base you can reach out for the skies, but it takes loads of work, time and effort to build a strong foundation.

Would you like to add anything else?

I would just like to thank you for this opportunity.

Please check out my website, listen to my album "The New Seed"!
…and above all, support the artists you are into. As fans you are the only ones who can keep a band on the surface.