Planet Origo ver. 0.10e
last updated 2008-11-02 18:43 CET
Planet Origo spoke to Harald Lervik (in 2004), founder and director of Origo Sound in Norway. The label helped preparing the success for Biosphere in the early and mid 90s, as well as releasing music from established and new artists in the ambient and ambient-trance genre. Origo Sound is now a division of Planet Origo, so please excuse the nepotism :-)
Nanotopia was part of a trilogy of CDs in the late 90s, called "Future Proof". The two other albums were Exile's Dimension D and Current's Enter the Dream.
Biosphere's CD Substrata, heralded as one of the masterpieces of ambient music in the 1990s.
Living Dreamtime is the Norwegian artist behind Exploring The Water Element, of the biggest selling albums from Origo Sound in the 00s.
Buy from Planet Origo shop
Available as: CD jewelcase: € 15.00 FLAC files: € 7.01 MP3 files: € 5.49 |
Available as: CD digipack: € 15.00 FLAC files: € 7.01 MP3 files: € 5.49 |
Available as: CD digipack: € 16.13 FLAC files: € 11.76 MP3 files: € 9.24 |
Planet Origo: When was your record label founded?
Harald Lervik: It all started back in late 1989, and Erik Wøllo was probably the main reason why Origo Sound saw the light of day at that time. He had been releasing two albums on the Norwegian Cicada label; Traces and Silver Beach. The man behind Cicada, Tormod Opedal, was working in my computer software company at that time, and he received a number of demos. By the time he got the new demo from Erik Wøllo (original title was Movements), he had decided to close down the label. I was thrilled by Erik’s new album, and after some consideration, I decided to establish my own electronic music label. Origo Sound saw the light of day in 1990, and the first two albums was launched in the autumn the same year.
I recall the first promo sheets for these albums with the slogan: "Give a listen to the new sound". I was out to create something new, something unique within the Norwegian music business. History tells I did manage that on a few occasions.
Planet Origo: Has your label specialized in one type of electronic music?
Harald Lervik: With a lifespan of 14 years [as of 2004], it’s inevitable that the Origo Sound label covers a wide range of electronic music styles. I was never looking for a specific type of electronic music, like Berlin School, ambient, techno etc. I always wanted to release music that was exploring new musical territories, blending different styles, without falling into the experimental bag. Looking at the first releases, this is clearly the case with Erik Wøllo, Green Isac, Langsomt Mot Nord and of course Biosphere.
Planet Origo: How many albums have the label released up until now?
Harald Lervik: Origo Sound have so far released 24 full length albums. In addition we have Erik Wøllo’s Fossegrimen project (25. min. CD + book with photos and poems) and five singles (one on vinyl, four on CD). It’s hard to pick out highlights without naming too many. Erik Wøllo’s Images of Light will always be special to me, as it was the first album on Origo Sound. Biosphere’s Microgravity and Patashnik are both generally regarded as milestones in Norwegian modern music. These albums are also the biggest commercial successes on the label. The first setting the standards for a genre later to become known as ambient techno. Biosphere’s Substrata album is also among my all time favourites.
Sverre Knut Johansen’s debut album Distant Shore stands out with some stunning melodies, great solos and symphonic arrangements.
I will also point out Dystopia's The Second Dawn which I personally regard as the best album on the label. A hidden treasure which I hope more people will discover in the years to come. In recent years Living Dreamtime’s Exploring the Water Element deserves to be mentioned. A great album, a great artist and a great person.
Planet Origo: Has there been a development in the type of music that the label has
released since the beginning?
Harald Lervik: As mentioned before, Origo covers a wide range of electronic music styles. The first years was dominated by mixing of styles, with elements of ethnic music, new age and techno. The mid 90s period saw some techno-influenced albums, while in recent years I have moved more in the direction of ambient and experimental compositions, still keeping up with the melodic approach with the three albums by Current.
Planet Origo: Tell us about the process of finding and selecting artists and albums for release.
Harald Lervik: It’s amazing how often random events become turning points in one’s life. So also with the selection of releases. In the early years, I was actively scouting for new artists, and that is how I came across artists like Karsten Brustad, Biosphere and Langsomt Mot Nord. Later, as the label became more famous, the demos arrived thick and fast in the mail, and artists like Neural Network, Current, Eyeman Reel and Dystopia were all selected from unsolicited demos.
Planet Origo: Since your label has specialized in electronic music, do you find it difficult to sell or market this type of music in general, with it's sometimes narrow appeal?
Harald Lervik: For some reason, electronic music in general has never had a major following in Norway, and not in other Scandinavian countries as well. This fact has made it hard to market and distribute the Origo Sound albums on the domestic market. The majority of the sales have always been abroad. We did get some commercial success with Biosphere, and with this success, the label received increased attention both in the media, and in the public.
Today, the independent label are facing an extremely difficult task. Music shops won’t stock independent releases which are not backed by marketing campaigns, TV commercials etc., and distributors loose their interest, the public loose the interest because they never find the albums in the shops anymore, and so the circle continues, spinnig downwards.
In recent years, our biggest commercial succes has been the Living Dreamtime CD, mostly thanks to the artist himself doing a remarkable promotion and sales effort, opening new channels for music distribtion and sales.
Planet Origo: Your label is releasing mostly Norwegian music; are there any special circumstances or conditions related to focusing on Norwegian ambient music?
Harald Lervik: The original idea was to breed the label as a Norwegian electronic music label. It soon became evident that talented artists were knocking on the door from various countries, and the borders were opened, so to speak, in the mid 90s. To date, only the Dystopia album is made by non-Norwegian artists (both band members are from Finland) but this is purely coincidental.
Planet Origo: How has Norwegian ambient music developed over the years, in your perspective?
Harald Lervik: It’s hard to speak about Norwegian ambient music in general, because there are so few artists active. Biosphere has made a great impact on the scene, and a number of artists draw their influences from him, often referred two as the arctic sound. Besides that, most artists are influenced by international artists. Both in Europe and in the U.S. there has been a big focus on the so-called Berlin School in recent years. This has not been apparent in Norway. The most influential Norwegian electronic music scene in recent years consists of artists blending electronics with elements of jazz and pop, apparent on a number of releases on the Beatservice label.
Planet Origo: With cheap music production equipment like softsynths and home computers being more and more used by amateur musicians, is it getting easier or more difficult to find the good artists?
Harald Lervik: The number of home-made demos are increasing in numbers, but the talent always shines through, regardless of the equipment and the recording facilities. It may take more time to spot the good ones, though.
Planet Origo: Why should an up-coming EM artist release his record through a specialized record label when the music can be released easily and to the whole world on the internet, or using home CD burners?
Harald Lervik: The obvious reason is to get more attention and get a wider distribution. Besides that, he (or she; where are all the girls?) does get professional help with production and mastering, cover design and all that stuff.
The most important reason is, however, in my opinion that we often follow the artist through the process of recording and producing new music, giving feedback, helping the artist selecting the compostions worth releasing to the public. Artists releasing their own stuff is often more concerned about making every little piece of music available for download, often lacking in quality.
Planet Origo: The CDR format has made it possible for certain record labels to release low-run titles that otherwise could not be justified financially as a pressed CD, what are your thoughts about releasing music to the public as CDRs?
Harald Lervik: I have considered to release albums on CD-R, but I am a bit worried about the durability of this format. Several of the demo recordings I received on CDR 5 - 7 years ago are no longer playable. Speaking for myself, I would be deeply annoyed to learn that my favourite music has eroded because of bad storage. However, the quality of modern CDRs is probably better than in the 90s, so I may opt for a CDR catalogue in the future.
Planet Origo: What are the most important ways of promotion for your artists, and the label's catalogue?
Harald Lervik: Today, being present on the internet is crucial. Besides that, live concerts and attending various fairs have proven to generate interest in our music. The success of Living Dreamtime is mostly down to his live appearances and being present at various domestic fairs.
Planet Origo: Many large record labels are accused of not meeting the MP3 / internet revolution. How does your label adjust to the new reality of music distribution?
Harald Lervik: We plan to make the entire Origo catalogue available for download from our new website. The "MP3 / internet revolution" is a good thing. It makes music easily accessible for young people in particluar, and will definitely be the major distribution channel for music in the near future. I do hope, however, that we will get some new and improved standards for download formats in the future. MP3 sound quality sucks!
Planet Origo: What are the future plans for your label?
Harald Lervik: First of all, I hope to spend more time working with Origo Sound in the years to come! I will definitely stick to the electronic music bag, but I will probably look for more adventurous, more experimental, and probably more ambient music in the years to come. I also hope to see some artists producing their music in surround sound formats (DVD-Audio or SACD).
Related articles:
Other Record label interview articles:
Copyright (c) 2007-2010, Planet Origo. All Rights Reserved
About Planet Origo | Terms of use | Privacy policy
About Planet Origo | Terms of use | Privacy policy
