duelling ants just released the album then/now on TIEP. Hooray 🙂
So, we made a little questionnaire with the artist himself!
duelling ants is the solo project of Hans Marius T. Jacobsen. He has released several albums as duelling ants in recent years, in addition to various collaborations and side projects.
He lives in Kolsås and also works as an architect.
How and when did you start making music?
I started making music in middle school. At first with a bit of guitar playing and attempts at some bands, but it quickly moved over to computer and electronics. I remember discovering Propellerheads Rebirth where you could make rhythms! There was a lot of fumbling with MIDI cables, formats and stuff at that time, and I spent many years figuring out how to manipulate/mangle audio to create the sounds I was after, but I’ve always had a lot of fun with the process.
During my teens, an interest in electronic music also grew, and I eventually became very engaged with the Norwegian experimental scene. In the early 2000s, a friend and I started the website Elektrofisk, which was kind of a blog about Norwegian electronic music. The interest has stuck, and although I’ve broadened my horizons over the years, I still feel a pull towards exploratory music.
What role does music play in your life, and does it influence other things you do, and vice versa?
It has actually become a bigger and bigger part of my life. Beyond just listening to different music, I spend a lot of time thinking, fantasizing, and planning. I definitely have a need for creative projects in my life, and usually they overlap in one way or another. I find a lot of inspiration in small everyday things, and I think much of what I make carries a certain lightness that comes from this. I also believe that the way I see things is influenced by music, and vice versa.
Why ants, and why duelling?
While working as a school attendant a long time ago, I made a drawing of some ants fighting. Then I suddenly needed a cover for a small EP my good friend Morten from the label Marsmelons wanted to release, and that drawing became the cover. The name mostly came about because I thought it sounded nice, really. That’s usually how it is with titles and names — I just land on something I think looks good written down, or that has a nice ring to it. Over the years I’ve also found a lot of inspiration in nature — colors, cool mushrooms, moss, etc. — so I guess there’s some connection to ants there too.
What’s this about “then/now”?
I think it had something to do with turning 40. The slash represents what lies ahead of me on one side, and everything behind me on the other. A bit grandiose, really, haha, but that’s probably where I was mentally when I made it.
Can you tell a bit about the recording process (which instruments you used, how you compose, improvise, and do recording/mixing)?
When I sit down, I often have a loose plan about which technique/which instrument I’ll use, and then I usually record everything I do. I work in a somewhat collage-like way and often combine recordings from different sessions with each other. Tracks come together by combining bits from here and there, and I like discovering unexpected soundscapes and combinations that way.
Everything is usually improvised by “feeling” my way forward. I also work completely freely without ties to tempo or meter.
On this album I used quite a bit of the Cocoquantus from Ciat Lonbarde, as well as Monome Norns for audio manipulation/mangling. I really like the combination of electronic and acoustic instruments, and I always bring that along in one way or another in what I make.
What are your plans going forward?
My father thinks I should make longer tracks, but the tendency for me has been the opposite. I still dream of making something that fits perfectly into +/- 15 seconds.
Otherwise, the plan is to keep setting aside time for music. Combined with family life, it’s not always easy, but that’s fine. Maybe play live a bit more. I’ll just take things as they come.
