Issue 29 / Dec 2012/Jan 2013

RAVE ON
Words: Amy Greir
THE RAVEONETTES is the project of Danish duo Sune Rose
Wagner and Sharin Foo, and this year marks the tenth anniversary
of the release of their debut EP Whip it On. Their latest album,
Observator, sees them being reunited once again with producer
Richard Gottehrer (known for his work with Blondie and The
Go-Gos), who worked with them on their earlier 60s-girl-groupinspired
LP Pretty in Black. Observator adds a darker, contemplative
streak to the Raveonettes’ repertoire, using subtle delicacies of
piano weaved into guitar riffs for good measure, but still throwing
in that familiar 50s’ surf sound drizzled with noise. Following in
the footsteps of Jim Morrison, the new album took the band to
the legendary Sunset Sound Studios for recording. Whilst they
found this experience inspiring, the band claims Observator did
not become ‘The LA’ album. “It’s a collection of observations that
occur in life...and life happens everywhere,” Sune tells me.
Although he’s just moved to Los Angeles from New York City,
and is still surrounded by boxes, I manage to grab Sune for a
quick cross-Atlantic chat to find out more about the magic and
meaning behind that Great Love Sound.
Bido Lito!: We know you’ve spent a lot of your life in the States,
but tell us about the Danish scene when you were growing up.
Sune Rose Wagner: At the time there was a lot of good music
in Denmark, and there were lots of bands who I was inspired by. I
think that because I grew up in Sønderborg, a small town near the
German border, I always had an urge to move outward and discover
the world... So that was the driving force behind it all, really.
BL!:
Do you think you bring a particularly Danish stamp to your
work? Did you come from a music background or were you seen
as the breakaway child?
SRW: [laughs] I didn’t grow up with music on my parents’ side,
so I had to discover it myself. Being a child of the 70s and 80s I
was introduced to hip hop music. I really fell in love with it and
I’ve been in love with it ever since! After that I had to discover
Gig Guide and Ticket Shop live at www.bidolito.co.uk
more music. I went to the library and read a lot of books about
music history. I stumbled upon a lot of music from the 50s and
60s, and so I fell in love with that type of music as well.
BL!:
How much would you say you’ve been able to incorporate
this love for hip hop into your music? Your third album Lust Lust
Lust is pretty drum machine-heavy and uses a great mix of beats
and noises.
SRW: Yes I think we’ve always done that...we sample a lot of
old records and use break beats, and then twist them around a
little bit. I got a drum kit when I was five years old so I’ve always
loved the whole drum part of music... Using samples you could
always get the sound you wanted for each song so all the songs
sounded different in their drum approach, I’ve always found that
very appealing.
BL!: Whatever the blend of genres, there always seems to be
that recognisable thread of the ‘Raveonettes Sound’; your voices
and use of harmonies are so distinct. But each album sounds
unique at the same time. What do you think ties the albums
together?
SRW: We were always very much interested in all things
electronic. People thought we were this garage sort of band who
would only listen to a certain type of music, and that we always
used instruments from a certain era, but it couldn’t be further
from the truth. All our music was made on computers and used
samples, even the guitars weren’t played with amplifiers, they
were just played directly into the computer. So we were always
much more electronic than most people think.
BL!: On both Whip it On and Chain Gang of Love you wrote all
the songs in a set key. What was the thinking behind that?
SRW: I was experimenting with different guitar tunings at the
time, and I found that tuning the low E string down to a B flat
made a really nice sound. It was good to challenge yourself as
a songwriter... It forced you to come up with something that was
different from whatever everyone else was doing. So yes, I guess
it was a conscious decision after I figured out what the key was!
BL!:
Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to achieve
with Observator?
SRW: Not really, the new album was kind of open. We don’t
make anything complicated. I was always in love with simple
music, everything from Buddy Holly to Suicide to the Velvet
Underground. You know Hank Williams made a legend for
himself by just using three chords? And for that matter so did The
Ramones. It seemed very honest and simple music and I always
admired that.
BL!: So, after releasing your sixth album are you tempted to
get more into film?
SRW: It’s something I’d like to explore, but these things take
time. Now I’m in LA I’ve got many great contacts [for] film music;
it’s definitely something I want to do more of. But The Raveonettes
will always be my first love, no matter what I do on the side.
BL!: You released a solo album in Danish a few years back,
would you do another?
SRW: I’d like to do another solo album, yeah. Maybe... a solo
in English, something like that? Out in LA there won’t be as many
distractions so I think I’ll be writing a lot more than I’m used to.
BL!: As the ‘observator’, are there any bands out at the moment
you’ve been keeping your eye on?
SRW: Yeah, Savages. They’re four girls from London. They are
very confrontational in their songwriting which is great and
they’ve got the potential to be a really amazing band.
The Raveonettes play Eric’s 5th December 2012
theraveonettes.com