Exclusive Interview with DAS ELITE

The electronic side project of well-known Swedish producer and mixer Andreas Ahlenius is called DAS ELITE. Working over the years with numerous international artists who have achieved gold and platinum sales, Andreas views DAS ELITE as a retreat, a creative endeavor, and a project that navigates in its own emotional soundscape and lets electronic melancholy set the mood. Life, Scandinavia, wanderlust, and a sense of not really belonging anywhere but everywhere all have an impact on the landscape.
Bands like Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, and other electronic groups have an impact on the musical landscape. Andreas, a wanderer who works all over the world, resides in Gävle on the Swedish east coast and works from his studio The Blue Room. Julian Lennon, Di Leva, Miss Li, Dada Ante Portas, Saybia, Ola Salo, Anna Ternheim, and Marty Willson-Piper are some of the artists with whom Andreas has collaborated.
On November 18, “Torment,” a single with four remixes and a bonus track was released. Andreas Ahlenius created, performed, and made the production. Fantastic musicians MOIST, RED CELL, WOLVERINE, and JEC are responsible for the remixes. Check out “Torment” and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

DAS ELITE: I’m Swedish and i grew up surrounded by music and developed an interest early on to play the piano and guitar. As a teenager I played guitar and synth in bands and got interested in recording stuff…basically on very primitive equipment but there was magic in whatever came back from different tape machines and weird pedals.
At 18 I got a position as an assistant in a recording studio and that’s where it all really started. I was fascinated by what you could actually do just with your imagination and some gear and instruments. From then on I just worked really hard, learning the trade and eventually I could make a living from producing and mixing records with lots of different artists.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

DAS ELITE: I have no formal training, I just spent long nights after sessions in the studio reading manuals and trying out stuff. There were lots of mistakes and bad recordings in the beginning but that was great lessons…you had to figure out ways to not make the same mistakes again and improve.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘DAS ELITE’?

DAS ELITE: I think it was synth-bands like Depeche Mode, but also bands like The Cure and some heavy metal bands.
Well, DAS ELITE doesn’t really mean anything, I just like it. It came to me years ago when I was on tour playing keyboards with another artist, and it got stuck in my head for some reason.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

DAS ELITE: That’s a tricky question, but key elements are electronics, some sadness and beauty, a feeling of being on the outside somehow, not really belonging. But I don’t think it’s gloomy and depressing…I basically want to get emotions across, and that could mean different things to different people.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?

DAS ELITE:

I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with so many great artists and musicians and you learn a lot from that. Also implementing my own ideas to someones production that gets filtered through them creates something new and unexpected that triggers new ideas.
You always get inspired by music, people, art, life, movies, technology etc….and when you try out ideas inspired by something else, new and interesting things happens in the studio.
Eventually you have a bag of tricks to try out in different situations, and they always turn out in an unpredicted way…you just need to know what to keep and what to dismiss.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

DAS ELITE:

Music is, and always was, such a big part of peoples life. Being political, religious, cultural or just pure entertainment…sometimes all of it at once, and all of that is fine and makes sense I guess. Music is a powerful vehicle to spread a message or a feeling.
My songs are mostly based on feelings that can be perceived in different ways depending on who you are, where you live and your situation. However, they usually touch the subject of being different and not really belonging.
That can be very comforting.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

DAS ELITE:

Absolutely. In DAS ELITE I don’t write music to make money. It’s something I need to do…a place where I can be totally free artistically, where I can write and try out sounds and ideas without pressure. Since I’m constantly working with other peoples music, helping artists to accomplish their vision, having an output of creativity on my own without expectations and commercial consideration is somehow therapeutic to me. The reward is always the magic…creating something that didn’t exist before. It always amazes me that something that was just in your head can be shared and enjoyed by others.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

DAS ELITE:

I usually write songs in a very traditional way, I sit by the piano or I just use a terrible keyboard piano sound and work with the song until I have something I like. Then I quickly make a beat or find some interesting sounds in the computer just to get a vibe and a tempo, then I sing a very rough vocal to catch the vibe I have right there and then.
When I have that basic idea of a track I can spend hours just working on a bassline, sounds, lyrics or whatever while looping the rough idea.
In this project I do everything by myself for now. I have so many other collaborations so it’s nice to have this little world to my self.

9. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

DAS ELITE: I love to work in the studio with all the tools and instruments. The possibilities are endless and usually magical things happens. I usually loose track of time and can just go on around the clock.

10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

DAS ELITE: Not really, I think the meaning of the songs should be up to the listener. I’m trying to get some emotion across and it’s fascinating to see how songs can mean so many different things to different people. My lyrics is not a diary but some things come from things I’ve experienced or people I know and/or met.
There’s always a story but it’s not up to me to be too specific about the story behind a song.