Professor Johan Bring has just released a music video for his first single called Universum. (Music below)
If his name sounds familiar its because Bring is one half of the collective Punx Sthlm which we wrote about last year. They have created music and film projects for several years in bands like STYGG and The State Of Floral Beings. Right now, the film Tartarus whom he made with David Strindberg, is being exhibited at Fotografiska.
We spoke to the artist about Universum, one of his first solo projects.
Why this solo project ?
I really wanted to make something with this simple sound. Funky simple bass, real drums, old synths and swedish lyrics. Not that original perhaps but it felt nice. I got a lot of ideas very fast and it was really fun all the way through the process until the mastered tracks. At first I just wanted to fool around but now I have material for a full length album that’s hopefully very soon ready to be released.
How would you describe Universum?
Universum is about trying to see the world and life in a bigger way. And at the same time speculating about how it should be to be able to live anywhere in the universe and being totally independent. It examines how our daily life might like. The track Sweden is questions why we live here during the winter time and the track Stockholm is about why Stockholm is the way it is.
Did working alone change the way you produce music and video?
Its quicker but it’s important to have a little discipline so that things don’t take too long time so you won’t loose yourself in the small details and fall behind schedule. There’s nobody else stopping you but yourself. This video is an ordinary PUNX STHLM production directed and produced by me and David Strindberg though.
How have you evolved as an artist?
I started to make music sometime during the 90s and a lot has happened since then. But at the same time it feels as if one is always getting back to the feeling that you originally always have been inspired by. That’s when it feels the best too.
With The State Of Floral Beings we always want to fuck things up as much as it’s possible and then after that we twist it even some more until it gets as annoying and frustrating as possible. Then we’re satisfied.
With my other project STYGG, that I have together with David Strindberg, it’s a more slick and beautiful sound we’re after. But Professor Johan Bring is all about chilling out.
We’ll soon release a new single with TSOFB on Voz Alta records. We haven’t made anything in years. STYGG has an almost complete new album that’s just about to be mixed. There will also be a big remix album for Universum. Friends like Kompjotr Eplektrika who made the soundtrack to Tartarus, Peter Gordon, Abi Bha and others.
Do you think the audience of PUNX STHLM will like this solo project?
I don’t know! We do like a lot of things ourselves. But what we create probably ends up quite close to each other. Professor Johan Bring is a bit about self irony,. The films we make is, at least for now, more serious without any notion of self irony. But there is certainly a common thread in our expression that people can see and hopefully enjoy too.
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