Hi, Sheik Anorak! We’ll leave the article intro to you—write whatever you please.
Hi, my name’s Frank aka Sheik Anorak. This is my solo project and the name I use when I play in different bands. I’m really happy to come and play in DC Rojc Open Air in Pula this summer!
Sheik Anorak started around 2006 as a noise project. How has your sound evolved since then, and what are your most prominent musical influences?
My music changed directions several times since 2006, actually. It all depends on what I’m into at the moment and the mood. It started as a noise solo project with guitar and drums (using loops mostly), from there I slowly moved towards a more indie/alternative aesthetics, then something more minimalistic and after that I explored the IDM/minimal techno sounds. Today, I have to say, I went full circle and went back to the start of Sheik Anorak as the new material is definitely noise and intense/repetitive.
Through all the years a couple of bands artists kept an influence on me, like Steve Reich (for the repetitions), Warpaint (for the drumming and melodies), Goat (the japanese band, for the polyrythms), etc.
Frank, as Sheik Anorak, you’ve played more than 400 concerts. What’s the best (core) memory from your live performances that you still keep close to your heart?
I can not mention one specific memory or maybe as core experience, just to be on tour and be able to have people who come to listen to something i’ve been working on in my practise room – is just amazing. If you think about it, that’s luxury to travel the world, have people listening to you every evening, all over the world, talking after the show, meeting new friends.
There’s a couple of places I love to go back to as I know for sure i’ll have the best time on earth with the people there.
It’s inevitable for artists like you to carry a lot of emotional weight from touring—the ups and downs… Is it harder to tour, or even to create, as a solo artist/one-man band?
It has its ups and downs to play and tour solo. It’s a lot of freedom for sure but it’s also hard to know when it’s “good enough”.For example, as there’s no one to tell you when you’re doing well or not.
As for touring I love to drive, listen to music really loud in the car, sing along… But I also like this moment when I arrive at the venue and I can talk with people and socialize after hours in the car by myself. It’s a fine balance.
But in the end, I really need this solo project to fulfill all my artistic needs and all the ideas I can’t express in other bands. Having those ups and downs are very important, feelings are 100 percent part of the process.
You are a Frenchman living in Sweden. What are the differences between French and Swedish people when it comes to music preferences, concerts, and the music scene?
I’d love to say there’s no difference but this is not how I feel about it. I love Sweden and being able to live here and enjoy the Swedish way of living is really nice. As a society it has some interesting values when it comes to anti-racism, feminism, social awareness, climate change awareness, etc.
But when it comes to music and arts Sweden is unfortunately not so “advance”. I have a hard time finding bands and artists that are outside of the mainstream/music industry. Most of the bands play a specific genre, without deviation, DIY is not really a thing here as it can be in France or other places in Europe for example. It’s more official, declared gigs, promoted. Art is treated as a job, which is nice in a way and kills the creativity in an other way. In the end it’s very interesting, just not what I prefer.
Since you are a multi-instrumentalist, how does your creative process look—from the initial idea to the finished song?
Since the beginning of Sheik Anorak I always started with a rough idea in my head, usually a drum pattern and then I create the rest of the music with the tools I have at the time (it was a guitar in the beginning, then guitar and vocals and now it’s more computer/electronics).
Sometimes I have drum patterns in my head that are too advance for my level, so I can spend several weeks learning and mastering certain drums patterns. Hard work, haha!
Which album from your discography would you recommend to someone who has never listened to your music before?
That is a hard question as i changed asthetics so many times that it depends on the mood. All I can say is that most of my recordings are all over the place and I hope there will be at least one or 2 tracks people can enjoy in each of them, whatever you like to listen.
You’ve been to Croatia a few times already, and now it’s time for a festival performance. What can we expect at DC Rojc Open Air, and what do you expect from the crowd?
I just expect a good time with nice people, I heard of the festival through friends and it seems like a lovely place to perform.
As for what the audience can expect, I’d say if you’re into heavy/transe, intense repetition and noisy aesthetics, this new set might be for you.
See you soon!
Interviewer: Sara Jerman
Tickets for DC Rojc Open Air are available HERE.
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