Aldrin is the moniker of Oslo based musician Øystein Dale Svendsen.
His interest for manipulating sound started as he picked up a guitar for the first time in his youth, focusing on textures, eternal pads and happy accidents between sounds.
After two decades of experience performing with ensembles such as Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson and Ben Leiper, band schedules have slowed and new life experiences led him to focus more on his own creative output.
In 2021 he released his first collection of sounds in "parentes" on Folded Note Records.
After The release of my first album (parentes, Folded Note Records, August 2021), I have been struggling to find a larger theme, technique or sound to build a new full length release around.
Building loops and small pockets of compositions is, however, something I do as soon as I am able to sit down alone for a quiet moment in my closet turned studio space.
This is a small collection of these loops, tests and unfinished compositions that have lived on hard drives, iPhones and Raspberry PIs for the past few years. Things that have never materialized or felt like it was part of something structured enough to validate any existence outside of my own headphones.
It feels good to share while at the same time it is horrifying to open up my process like this, I guess I’m afraid that the transparency will expose all my shortages as an artist. But here I am, taking the plunge.
Sometimes a piece of equipment sparks a series of ideas. Sometimes it is a chord shape. Sometimes it’s something completely different. Sometimes the idea evolves further. Sometimes it doesn’t. I’ll try my best to give a short outline, to the best of my recollection, of what is going on in these tracks.
When I started writing longer explanations of ideas behind the tracks and why they never moved beyond their current phase of completion, I quickly decided to strip it down to key equipment used and here and there also simple notes about context. This is due to a varying degree of memory attached to the different tracks.
All tracks are dated on the date of recording, e.g. trackname_YYMMDD. All tracks are stereo recordings, no post processing or overdubs, just some slight editing to make longer recordings shorter.
SIDE A
1. startphrase_221012
- Fender Jazzmaster
- Vongon Polyphase
- Recorded rehearsal for gig in Oct.2022
- Chord progression «borrowed» from a Duster song.
2. doomrest_211014
- Elektron Octatrack
- TE OP-1
- Monome Norns
Script: Cheat Codes, MLR or Barcodes(cannot remember exactly)
3.degradedplaza_230808
- Elektron Digitakt
- Fender Jazzmaster
- Squier Bass VI
- Terre Seed Shaker
- Monome Norns
Script: Tapedeck
4. bitphrase_221012
- Fender Jazzmaster
- Vongon Polyphrase
- OBNE Dark Star
5. hospiano_220611
- Out of tune piano found in the halls of Oslo
University Hospital
- iPhone
Apps: Tardigrain, Gauss Looper, AUM
- Main samples recorded in the days after my first child was born
6. octares_221012
- Elektron Octatrack
- Fender Jazzmaster
- Meng Qi Wingie2
7. hopeloop_221112
- Elektron Octatrack
- Fender Jazzmaster
- Sampled Piano (either Felt Instruments or Norns script Mx.Samples)
8. endphrase_221013
- Elektron Octatrack
- Fender Jazzmaster
- Vongon Polyphrase
- Mtl.Asm CT5
SIDE B
1. resine_220719
- Monome Norns
Script: Ocean Noise Generator
- TE OP-1
- Wingie2
2. farpluck_220913
- iPhone
Apps: Tardigrain, AUM, Gauss Looper
- Microcassette Dictaphone
- Kalimba
- TE OP-1
3. prevdrop_220914
- TE OP-1
- Microcassette Dictaphone
4. rippleplaza_230809
- Elektron Digitakt
- TE OP-1
- Glockenspiel
- Monome Norns
Scripts: RPLS + Sines
5. distantmel_220309
- iPhone
Apps: Tardigrain, AUM, Gauss Looper
- Microcassette Dictaphone
- Fender Jazzmaster
- TE OP-1
6. latereply_220907
- Fender Jazzmaster
- TE OP-1
- CBA Habit
- Mtl.Asm CT5
7. springloop_230403
- Fender Jazzmaster
- Wingie 2
- TE OP-1
- iPhone
Apps: Voice Memo
Having a full time job and a family with two little kids occupies most of my time. From early mornings to early evenings the flow of my day consists of what someone else might describe as the mundane and stressful tasks of being a father and having a full time job. I thankfully find inspiration in spending time with my family and doing the tasks expected of me at work. Carving out the time to sit down in my walk-in closet studio to process the input gathered is a challenge, both due to time and energy. So the simple answer to the question is: my favourite time of day in the studio is whatever time I’m able to sit down and make something.
The short and boring answer is the guitar. Everything usually starts with the guitar. Although I am not a very technical/skilled guitarist. From the early stages of picking up the guitar I’ve always treated it more as a sound source.
An oscillator, if you will. But why not just use an oscillator, you might ask? For one, finding my way around the guitar is more comfortable than any other interface, but I also prefer sound sources that make their sounds by the movement of tangible things/vibrations through air. I think the air and slight unpredictability of using something that needs to be manipulated by hands in order to make sound just gives the sound more life and character naturally.
That being said, Side B of this release features a lot less guitar. But in lieu of the guitar there are sampled instruments and tape recorders to add movement and physical textures.
I tend to spend a lot more time playing around with sound, texture and gear than actually composing. Ideas I’ve had in my head that I want to test out might make the base for a session, but to be fair I mostly tend to just get lost in sounds before I’ve had the chance to explore the ideas further. Asynchronous and free looping is the red thread that ties most of what I do together. But at heart I am very much an improviser. So I guess my routine would be to improvise.
Then find the structure and composition of a session of improvisation later.
Always. Especially since I don’t really know music theory or how to properly play an instrument. And I always fear that my inspirations become too apparent in what I try to do.
But as you grow older you learn to appreciate more what you are and delve less into the dark depths of self deprecation.
I usually prefer non-fiction books about music, art or design. But the name aldrin is actually from a book of fiction. The book by Norwegian author Johan Harstad «Buzz Aldrin, What Happened To You In all The Confusion» really made an impact on me when I read it 15++ years ago. Mainly because the main character resonated with how I feel. Not wanting to be in the spotlight, or as he argues: "not everyone wants to be a leader, some just want to be the secretary.
Not everyone wants to star in a movie, some just want to watch the movie.". While making music and releasing it alone kind of clashes with this mantra, at least my music doesn’t try to take center stage. It’s just content with existing.
Apart from the things mentioned earlier, I find the short period between seasons to be the time where I am most inspired/productive. I guess there is a sense of wistfulness of time passed combined with the sense of hopefulness of the time ahead that combines into this slightly manic feeling that sparks ideas in my head or ignites the drive to make something.