Inspired #0038 - Janice Prix
Swedish four-piece Janice Prix have recently dropped their moody alternative rock single, ‘Glitch’ and took a moment to talk to us about the lighter things in life like the people, places and things that inspire them.
Who are you top three musical inspirations and why?
Richard: Prince. I’ve grown up with his music and I think his songwriting is genius. All details and nuggets within his productions keeps me from ever getting tired of him.
Viktor: U2, kent and The Smiths. These bands shaped my music making when I moved from metal to pop music some 15 years ago.
MK: I’d say Radiohead and Bon Iver. However, one person that has inspired me consciously and subconsciously music wise is probably the Swedish producer/songwriter Max Martin. He has probably written the vast majority of big pop hits I’ve heard in the last 20 years. He’s really great at what he does and has probably affected my production and songwriting a lot, whether I want to or not. He has a certain thought-through effectiveness in his productions that I’ve learnt a lot from.
Victor: I grew up on kent basically, so they are a huge inspiration of course. Thom Yorke is another huge one for me. Lastly, Bob Dylan have made so many great records which I hold dear and come back to all the time.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
Victor: Norwegian Wood. Incredibly gloomy film, I was drawn by the atmosphere in it and the score is fantastic. The films and songs that tend to stick with me seems to always have a melancholic tone to it.
Viktor: I don’t watch movies.
MK: I watched the new Beatles movie the other day (Yesterday I think it’s called). Movie wise, it was shit in my opinion. The idea for the movie is a really great one in itself - a musician wakes up to the fact that nobody remembers the Beatles and their songs any more and he becomes a world famous artist playing those songs. But I think the team behind the movie probably underrated the audience’s intelligence when making the movie, and made the movie so crystal clear and one-layered that nobody ever could misinterpret one second of the movie. That is a common problem with movies I think. However, the music in Yesterday really made me inspired and I listened to a bunch of Beatles albums after seeing the movie and wrote some song ideas after getting heavy inspiration from the Lennon/McCartney catalog.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
Richard: Fengersfors, Sweden. It’s a small village where my dad’s side of the family comes from. A former industrial community based around a paper mill that shut down in the 80’s. Whenever I go there I feel a strong connection to my heritage, closer to the memories of my late grandparents and get inspired of how the society has managed to stay alive even after getting its spine removed. Also, it’s the most beautiful place I know.
Victor: I’ve been to London repeatedly lately, and I find it very inspiring. I’m an introvert by nature but the city is so vibrant and alive, incredibly diverse place with lots of different people and stories I imagine.
Viktor: I don’t really like cities, I prefer the serenity of an empty forest.
MK: I think the most inspiring places for me has always been airports, at least the good ones. I’ve always been an aircraft nerd and I also wanted to be a pilot for a long time. Airports makes me feel like I’m moving forward to somewhere I don’t know, which to me is very inspiring.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
MK: To me, our drummer Victor is probably the most inspiring person I can think of. The reason for the inspiration boost I get from him is, and few people know this, that when he was like 17 he won the official competition for being Sweden’s fastest drummer. He personally doesn’t like to brag about this achievement, so we have to. Maybe he could star in Whiplash 2.
How would you like to inspire people?
Richard: I think one of the main reasons I make music is that I’d like it to infuse the same kind of sensation within someone that I get from listening to my favourite bands.
MK: Going to great concerts is one of the most meaningful things in life for me. This has been the case since I was a child. I can remember going to big stadium concerts and getting goose bumps from feeling the music’s power in my stomach and body, which is one of the best sensations I know. So, I think that I would like to make people going to our concerts feel goose bumps from the sheer force of hearing live music. Also, we’re a poppy band but I think our music has intricate layers and a kind of resistance in its construction, that can make the listener listen to the song to the 150th time and still find a new layer to listen to. At least, that is my goal. A lot of pop music these days does not have those layers.
Interview feature by Karla Harris