001 - Eternell
Eternell is one of the many monikers of Ludvig Cimbrelius, a Swedish producer who works across a range of musical genres. It is also the name of his own imprint, through which he has released many of his own works and collaborations since 2012. Ludvig has put together a beautiful, heartbreaking and often uplifting 80 minutes of music for us in support of his new full length album ‘Life Will Set You Free’. The mix revolves around an ambient core, with all tracks coming from the Eternell back catalog. I’m immensely proud to help promote such an inspired musical mind.
If you enjoy the mix then I highly recommend that you purchase the album HERE. It’s one of the best records you’ll hear this year.
I spoke to Ludvig about the mixtape and his new album.
JH: Hey Ludvig, we’ve spoken quite a bit about your music. You mentioned that the new record is very special to you. What makes this record especially personal?LC: Hello Jack. I would say that my music is both personal and impersonal, since I see music as an opening to what lies beyond the personal sphere... yet it is always translated into a specific form, and that process of "creating" the music I find highly personal, and always different. This album took shape during a dramatic time in my life, when I had come to the end of my own personal drive to succeed in this world and had chosen to let go of everything I was doing, quit my jobs and leave my home in order to focus solely on spirituality. I believed that it was necessary for me to let go of all attachments to this world in order to know Truth or God, so that was the path I had set myself on. I tried to let go of making music as well, but there was still strong inspiration for it at times, and the sketches that I took down on my laptop sporadically during the following two years is what eventually became this album.
JH: I absolutely love the whole album as you know, it’s extremely emotive and has an atmosphere that I can feel long after the record has finished. I think maybe that’s because it’s such an emotional record - what inspired the record?
LC: I have always felt a deep longing that I never really could explain or define. All through my life, what has brought me the closest to feeling complete and whole has been experiences of music. I believe that the inspiration for all music I make is in that longing... for something that cannot quite be reached or experienced entirely. At times during the last three years, I felt lost in the dark, and in those moments music has always been there for me... a guiding light, helping me find my way back. Sounds and harmonies would take shape in those difficult moments, and some of them are part of the album.
JH: I know you record under a number of different names. Do you find it difficult moving from one genre/style to the next, and do you think each project draws on the others in some way?
LC: When I create, I try to be as free from expectations or future ideas as possible. Afterwards I will think and feel where it fits in... sometimes tracks will move around between different projects before finding the right place. I believe that diversity is a great thing in general, and definitely when it comes to staying fresh in the way you express yourself creatively. If you only listen to techno and only make techno, pretty soon you will most likely experience stagnation... your ideas will cease to expand.
JH: You were born in Sweden and are back living there now. Do you think Swedish culture, art, music, environment play a role in the music you produce?
LC: My experiences of nature plays a huge part in what I make, and I find that the natural landscape where I'm from speaks to me in a very strong and unique way. I spent a lot of time out in nature while growing up... I have always been somewhat of a loner, and never really tried to keep up with everything that's going on. I think it is important to be selective in the kind of cultural expressions and environments you participate in. I try to be sensitive and trust my intuition with these things. We can look at cultural environments as arenas where all kinds of emotions can be expressed and explored, but to me it is essential that the core stance is that this process in the end should be uplifting to both the one expressing (artist) and the one receiving (audience), leaving everyone involved feeling better and clearer than before.
JH: Finally, can you give us a few words on the mixtape?
LC: I wanted to showcase 'Life Will Set You Free' while also providing a context that somewhat connects the new album with what has come before. There is however a lot more to explore in the Eternell back catalog, with releases ranging in style from deeply relaxing ambient to dynamic techno. I don't want to limit myself and try to stay true to what I feel in the moment.
JH: Thanks for being part of the project Ludvig. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.
The original artwork below was created for the mixtape by Jack Hardwicke.
