I am very excited about our interview with ’Ruumisto’ and to hear the story behind your music which I find very atmospheric and unique in its’ genre. Since we are all Fins, lets do this the other way – eli kuis kulkee?
– Ihan jees.
How was your band ’Ruumisto’ born and how long have you been making music?
– Before Ruumisto we have been working on some projects together and in late 2017 an idea popped up that it would be fun to try making some ambient music. We came up with the ’Sotakesä’ EP and decided to put it on Bandcamp. We have since made an album each year.
What inspires you to write this kind of almost doom like nordic folk music? Where do you get your inspiration?
– We like the sound design aspect and if we have an idea of some feeling / place / atmosphere, we will try to recreate it with sound and then the music itself becomes the inspiration. We think that we both work in such different ways that we fulfill each others’ ideas on the go. Inspiration can be a story, a place, some folk instrument with a melody etc.
What instruments do you use in your music?
– Acoustic guitars, kantele, jouhikko, some percussion instruments, synthesizers, sampled instruments and so on. Pretty much everything that just produces sound can be used. We like to experiment with instruments and find interesting sounds – not just from the acoustic instruments but on digital as well.
You are from Finland, how do you find the darker folk music scene in your country?
– As far as we know, the scene in Finland is fairly small, and we don’t really pay much attention to it.
From which influences are the lyrics of your songs born? Do you sing in Finnish?
– Our songs are influenced by Finnish folklore, history and stories. All of our lyrics are in Finnish.
What kind of bands and artists have influenced your sound as a band?
– Our main folk influences include Wardruna, Forndom and Tenhi. Traces of black metal may also be found within certain tracks.
When it comes to songwriting how does it work? Do you write your music together or do you have a certain way of doing things?
– As we mentioned earlier our approaches to making music differ slightly between us. One idea may start up with a percussion pattern, another with melody, some song with lyrics etc. Each track has its own unique story and creation is a part of that story. With previous albums we have always created the tracks together. We usually experiment with sounds, and when we come up with something we like, the sound/music just starts taking the song to some direction.
Do you play live?
– Not at the moment. We have been thinking of ways to perform live and it would be interesting to try it at some point. With only two members and a whole lot of things going on in the songs it would be a challenge to make it work.
You have released two studio albums and one EP, can we expect new material from Ruumisto in the future?
– For sure. We are just getting started.
Any wisdoms you’d like to share with the world?
– Stay true to your roots, and hail Ukko!
You can find ’Ruumisto’ on:
https://ruumisto.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ruumisto/
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