Teitur leaves the stage and heads straight over to the stall
where CDs, vinyl and T-shirts have been on sale all evening. He sits,
looking relaxed and signs some copies of his music people have bought. After this,
I approach him and he is in bright spirits, as well he should be. He gave a
great performance.
I ask if an interview is possible and I am lucky enough to be
granted one as he does not hesitate in taking me backstage and answering my
list of questions with thought and warmth. He holds the eyes, he is indeed
personable, his words somewhat personal, and he seems completely at ease, happy
to be here in Berlin. The interview follows...
DJS: What inspires you?
Teitur: It’s a big question; actually, not so much music, just the stuff
that happens to me or things that I feel. Not really music. I make music as a
response to other things. Making music for me is something fun, and a way to
express myself, and I like composition in general.
DJS: What are your three greatest inspirations?
Teitur: There are so many. When you’re young, you are very impressionable. It depends on what you’re looking for. It’s hard to
say. It just changes all the time. I would say it this way – I think it’s
probably people who are close to me; it’s not so much someone I enjoy from a
distance. I can think of a couple of friends, who have inspired me, the way
they do things. When I listen to music today, it’s a lot just music that my
friends do, I like to think of it like that, like a community thing. I can
admire a lot of people from a distance, and say ‘’he’s very talented,
congratulations!’’ but it’s very hard to feel it unless it’s someone that you
know. I’m in awe of a lot of people, but the people that really inspire me are
my friends close by.
DJS: Do
you feel like your music deserves a wider audience?
Teitur: I do, and I don’t. It changes a lot. It’s a matter of showing off,
or even like spending money, to give it to people, to promote it. If you spend
money on it, that’s what bands do; if you have money, you can play for more
people. I’ll tell you what – I’m from a country with 50,000 people, and where I
come from it’s great that I can go to Berlin and the people come and pay to see
me, that’s how I look at it. I’m playing music with my friends, I’m in Berlin
and it’s awesome.
DJS: What
do you think about vinyl versus downloading, and the way listening to music has changed?
Teitur: Personally, I love vinyl, I think it’s fun. I listen to vinyl. What’s
cool about vinyl is that you find yourself buying and wanting to own the
records that you really love, those things that you’ve bought over and over
again or kept downloading, when you lose it you want to keep it. Like when you
get older you figure “no, I really love that record, I want that record in my
living room!” That’s what vinyl does, you find the records that you really love
and you want it on vinyl, it’s sort of the ultimate format for that, for
documentation. Then, I think digital things are great for discovery. It’s like
when you look for things. Also, it’s just the purity of the sonic experience; I
think also vinyl sounds better. It’s more pixels, it’s got air, it’s got
analogue, it’s got electricity, it’s better than a digital laser.
DJS: Where
is a magical place for you that isn’t your home, and why?
Teitur: What I really love is the forest. That really makes me tick,
somehow. It can be any kind of forest. That just makes me really excited. I don’t
know why. I didn’t grow up with any trees. There are no trees in The Faroe Islands.
Maybe that’s why. That makes me excited. Mountains too, I love being up in the
air. That to me makes me feel magic.
DJS: What
is your ultimate musical ambition?
Teitur: I think just to express myself. Actually, also to be generous.
DJS: How
would you describe yourself as a person and as a musician?
Teitur: I’m pretty shy, and personal, intense and loose at the same time. I’m
quite easy going, but also demanding. I want there to be something happening. I
don’t like when people aren’t genuine, I like there to be some intentions.
DJS: What
is peace?
Teitur: When you don’t crave anything, when you are content or satisfied,
and when you are not really driven, when you just are.
DJS: What’s
the funniest thing you’ve ever heard?
Teitur: That’s a tough one. I’m going to say I haven’t heard it yet.
DJS: Have
you ever had a job selling mobile phones or accessories (in reference to his
track ‘Antonio and His Mobile Phones’)?
Teitur: No, I haven’t. I worked in an aquarium shop.
DJS: What’s
your happiest memory?
Teitur: Probably childhood, I suppose. When you are in the snow and your mum
hands you a sandwich and your friends are waiting for you.
DJS: If
you knew exactly when you were going to die, what would you do with your last 5
minutes on earth?
Teitur: I would maybe play music, or listen to music. I’d listen to stuff. I
would probably listen to something that would give me a good feeling, something
that would really calm me down.
On that note, the rest of the band who seem to have politely left us alone for the interview, comes back in, all cheerful and friendly, to talk about the concert, the city and enjoy the rest of their evening in Berlin together, before moving on to the next venue on the tour.
_______Teitur's latest album 'Story Music' is out now_______
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