Exploring the depths of artificial intelligence and the dynamic clash of man versus machine, the enigmatic Swedish artist Don Gog releases their debut EP ‘Cybernetics’. Following the release of the EP, we sit down with the artist behind the creation, to delve deeper into the kaleidoscopic world of Don Gog…
Congratulations on the release of ‘Cybernetics’! How do you feel now that it’s out in the world?
Thank you! It feels great its finally out!!! It took much longer than I thought it would
Can you share a bit about the inspiration behind ‘Cybernetics’?
The inspiration for the EP Cybernetics is an experiment with man versus the machine. Live musicians and samplers, tape machines, synthesizers. We wanted to create a cinematic feeling between Jazz, hip-hop and electronic. Also, the collaborations with other artists such as Fofo Altinell (video, photos), Jasper Redd (text, vocals),UMA E (vocals) and Katja Reimers (Coverart/graphics) has been an important part in the project.
Among the tracks on the EP, what was your favourite song to create and what makes it stand out to you?
Q – the challenge in creating a dark and Cinematic vibe. I also worked with a jazz trumpet player who improvised and then I took different bits and “sampled” them and created new melodies and recorded them to tape and then back to the MPC3000.
Being both an artist and a producer, what aspects of the creative process do you enjoy the most when making music?
The producing process, finding new ways to work with different sounds and textures, collaborations with other musicians, artists… The creative process in both visuals and the music.
Who are your main musical inspirations, and how did they influence the creation of ‘Cybernetics’?
Portishead, Massive Attack, Aphex twin, Burial…
For example. Burial, his album Untrue, where he sampled everything from game music to soul voices and built new soundscapes and new rhythms… one disappears into “his” world.
The others have the same thing… their way of finding new sound worlds, innovative rhythms. Everyone investigates and experiments to end up in their specific soundscape.
What led you to keep the identity of ‘Don Gog’ ambiguous?
We wanted it to be more about the music and visuals… and not the person – to be able to focus more on the art as opposed to the person behind it.
The music videos for ‘I Feel’ and ‘Q’ carry significant visual elements. Could you tell us about the inspirations behind these visuals?
Both videos were filmed and edited by by acclaimed high fashion photographer and videographer Fofo Altinell,. The video for I FEEL was shot in Iceland. The video is intentionally made to make the viewer feel as though they are tripping, with kaleidoscopic effects and tricks of the light capturing the character in the video exploring the elements.
The video for Q draws inspiration from the 90s underground art scene and visionary directors like Chris Cunningham and David Lynch.
“The visual inspiration is coming from disassociation.” says director Fofo Altinell “Our protagonist is clearly confused, maybe traumatized or intoxicated, walking the rough streets and suddenly the daydreamy glitter comes and she’s mentally somewhere else. The things happening in her head is our fictional protagonist’s personal dreams and fears”
Looking ahead, what can fans anticipate from Don Gog in the future?
A new EP is on the way… and some remixes for other artists and music for performance art.
I also produced a new EP for the artist UMA E during spring/summer.
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