Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal – Placebo
Hi guys, how are you doing today??
Digital 21: Fine, rehearsing the songs from ‘Complex’ with the string quartet.
Stefan Olsdal: Good, finally we get to play together after such a long wait.
How have you both changed and developed as people, and artists over your time together as Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal?
Digital 21: When you are so focused on music it is difficult to see it. No more clubs and nightlife (unless when we play). And every year I enjoy more music. I thought it was impossible to enjoy more and more, but I am.
Stefan Olsdal: The focus becomes clearer, and the focus is the music.
How do you look back and reflect on ‘Inside’ now?
Digital 21: It was the beginning of our band, so it was a long process making the strings arrangements, recording them, and working with the string quartet for the tour. Great memories.
Stefan Olsdal: It was exciting to see how our world of music came to merge with that of the strings. Inside was the beginning of that journey,
How has the process of pulling together ‘COMPLEX’ pushed you in new ways as artists?
Digital 21: Every new album is a new challenge. We make songs the same way but we have much more experience working with our string quartet after all these years. Now we have many ways to make arrangements and songs. We even made a new instrumental band last year, “Made For Humans”, for our slowest/instrumental music.
Stefan Olsdal: The creative and recording process for Inside was the inspiration for Complex. We saw what more angles we could approach the string quartet from.
Individually, how do you define success as people, and artists?
Digital 21: Being alive (what to me means making the music you love and loving your people). Making more and more new music is healing… It is the motor for my life.
Stefan Olsdal: As people we are constantly up and down, and it gets tiring. Music for me is the fuel, the food for the soul. Success is creating music that feeds you and the ones you love.
Tell us a couple of fun stories from pulling the record together – maybe in the production, or just a good time?
Digital 21: On our last Russian tour, we decided to record some voices for the album there, watching Saint Petersburg from the hotel. The city is so cinematographic so we wanted to capture it.
Stefan Olsdal: Running to catch our connecting flight to St Petersburg, and getting to the gate just as the flight took off!! We hitch hiked the rest of the trip.
What is your message for fans over in the UK who have yet to discover you, and those who continue to support your work?
Digital 21: Music is our message. We are thankful for the support and we really believe that we make the trip together with our supporters. So anyone that wants to join us on the trip is welcome.
Stefan Olsdal: Our door is open, come on in!
Thanks for your time, as always!!
Thanks!
