Chaos Tamed interview: ‘It’s very much a laboratory experiment’
Chaos Tamed interview: ‘It’s very much a laboratory experiment’
In the early 21st century, Future-Pop was a defining presence in the underground Electro scene, with numerous bands rising to prominence, among them the Swedish act Colony 5. After the band went on hiatus, Magnus Kalnins gradually began to carve out his own musical direction. His project Chaos Tamed is not a continuation of Colony 5but a distinctly different endeavor, merging elements of EBM, IDM, and Dark-Electro into a precise and stylized production. Ethereal, almost ghostly vocals enhance the atmosphere, evoking associations with artists such as Haujobb and Neuroactive. Earlier this year, Chaos Tamed released its second album, “Elbrus”, through I/O Music, providing the occasion for an in-depth conversation with Magnus. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Chaos Tamed emerged after Colony 5 went on hiatus. Had you already been considering starting a solo project at that time? And how much of your work with Colony 5do you feel still resonates within Chaos Tamed?
Magnus: I had several bands and projects before I was absorbed into Colony 5 so I was always doing something. During Colony 5I kinda paused a bit because P-O who writes the vast majority of songs was so damn good and I’m very result-based and wasn’t at all prepared to shoehorn in my own stuff if it wasn’t up to standard.
When the pause became years and I just made the odd remix and soundtrack here and there I started to get restless so I just started playing with a new project and finding my sound. I have tried to steer clear of sounding like Colony 5as much as I can, it just wouldn’t feel right to chase that. It wouldn’t have been as good as Colony 5 anyways so what’s the point. So what influence there is from Colony 5 to Chaos Tamed is perhaps about as much as I brought into Colony 5.
Q: When you began Chaos Tamed, did you have any specific influences or concepts in mind regarding sound and production? How has that vision evolved from your debut album to “Elbrus”?
Magnus: I kinda did initially. I was listening to The Klinik in the car and I felt like making very simple bass driven, old-school, EBM but modernized a bit, including film-samples, like many bands did back then which isn’t quite as prevalent these days. With that as a recipe I’d see where I end up.
But then it sort of changed a bit in the studio, turning more playful and Experimental and I was just trying out things. There are so many magical things you can do now with the tools available.
Q: Could you walk us through your creative process—how your songs take shape from idea to completion? What do you find to be the biggest challenges along the way, and how self-critical are you during the process?
Magnus: Sadly the boring answer is that it’s very different every time. Sometimes you just nail a bassline and go from there and sometimes you start with something and that part isn’t even left in the final song. Since it’s only me doing everything it’s some pros and cons and one of the good things going solo is the total control of everything, but you really need to be your own quality inspector and not be afraid to kill some darlings along the way. But it all depends what you’re after really, the main goal wasn’t become rich of course so you can be a bit relaxed when your choosing where to go commercially. If I really feel the song is better with a 2 minute intro I keep it even if it’s commercial suicide. I feel like if I’m trying to chase that I will probably end up with something I really can’t defend myself, and in all likelihood you miss the target anyway.
Songwriting, especially in this genre I feel, is so much about choices. You make thousands of them all the time, it’s part of the creative process. And not just at the end as to what to keep and to delete, but which notes and which words and the volume and rhythm of the hihat and low end of the bassdrum. Thousands upon thousands of decisions. Luckily there is not really a right answer so whatever makes my heart smile I tend to keep. And in addition to that I have some really close friends in the scene that give really good feedback when I’m a bit bewildered.
Q: Tell us more about “Elbrus”. What is the album’s concept or thematic focus, and were there any specific influences or pivotal moments that shaped it?
Magnus: I have really liked that word for a time now, it’s a mountain in Russia (highest in Europe if I’m not mistaken) but in Swedish it literally means Electric Noice so I was very surprised none of the numerous Swedish Electronics acts hasn’t nicked it already. So that was in the back of my mind and then when both Korovina and UVB76 turned out to be Russian themed it sort of tied it all together.
Q: Now that “Elbrus” is out, what are you most proud of when listening back to it? Are there aspects you’d like to improve on—or perhaps completely change—in future releases?
Magnus: The first album “Shock Waves” now feels a bit unfocused, “Elbrus” was slightly more forged together and it feels like it’s still converging. But saying that I’m really trying to have very few limits. For me the idea of concept albums is a bit outdated as a default. Artists still do it and some of them are fantastic but I wanna work faster and with more flexibility and use this highway we have now.
So I’m not consciously trying to find a sound and stick to it. I want to do whatever feels right and release it as Chaos Tamed, within reason.
Q: Are there plans to bring Chaos Tamed to the stage? And what other projects or plans do you have in the pipeline right now?
Magnus: No immediate plans to perform. It’s difficult to recreate everything on stage, it’s very much a laboratory experiment. But I’m too old to say never, things change.
Besides Chaos Tamed I’m working on another project with lighter songs and a female voice. I can’t say much yet but hopefully there will be a release this year, if all goes according to plan.
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