Interview with Erik Ekholm
Erik Ekholm is a composer and owner of Brickwall Audio, which provides high end production music and sound design for film and media advertising.
You can follow Erik Ekholm on Twitter @BrickwallAudio, on Facebook, YouTube, and on his blog.
TMN: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you get into music?
Erik Ekholm: Oh, start of with the big one right away! 
I have always, for as long as I can remember, had an interest in music. When I was 13 I got a copy of a truly horrible music program for the PC called “Techno Maker”. This was an 8 track sequencer, locked at 180BPM (!) with 128 ready made loops sampled from some God-awful General MIDI device.
Basic as this application was, it was amazing at the time for me. I began exploring the possibilities of computer-music, mainly focusing on little techno-trance tracks in the style of mid 90′s rave records. Mind you, I was pretty much the only kid on the block into this kind of music, so I spent an awful lot of time in record shops, music stores, and on the internet 1.0 browsing sites like http://www.synthzone.com looking for bits of information and the odd free midi app!
My first real peace of music gear was Propellerheads Reason v2 – an arcane software emulation of two TB-303′s, one TR-808 and 1 TR-909. This was like, one of the super high-end of software synthesizers back then. It still sounds pretty good but for anyone starting out in computer music today it would seem to be nothing more than a toy!
I gradually improved my skills, writing techno-trance, house, drum’n bass – all that sort of music I was into (and still am). I remember when I first bought Emagic (now Apple) Logic Audio 5. By today’s standards it’s a hugely underpowered DAW, but then, for me, it was amazing. It had 48 audio tracks, 16 instrument tracks (VST) and some 30 odd plugins!
My music had progressed into a more mature sound at this time – it was much more melodic trance, house, and I also started to do DJ mixes. I was hangin’ around local underground rave clubs, soaking up the ambience’s and the feeling of the pumping music and when I got home, I would imagine myself at the DJ booth, blasting my tracks to the crowd! I still do that – I imagine every beat and how it will affect the listener.
In 2007 I had been churning out techno tracks for almost 11 years, and it was at this time I put my skills into action. I went under the alias “Lacuna Origin” – an amalgamation of my favorite artists (Lacuna Coil, Rammstein, Charlie Clouser, Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, hard synth acts like Combichrist, and of course the huge influence from the sound of Trimada)
The light trance-type sounds had turned into all dark techno music – fast beats, rumbling atmospheres, big breakdowns and build-ups. As Lacuna Origin I managed to release a number of singles on some big record labels such as Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Ministry Of Sound, EMI Music, Blutonium Media and Tunnel Records!
I also did radio shows at this time – 1 hour shows on on-line stations, and a couple of local live gigs. It all climaxed with a performance in Germany in 2008 at a huge festival event with around 25,000 visitors or something crazy like that!
At the start of 2009 I began to explore new ways of expressing myself. For me, techno music had stagnated, becoming an undifferentiated mass of blippy-bloppy noise. This was probably a result of the feared “growing-up” syndrome… I just wasn’t into the juvenile hardcore partying like I had used to be. I still loved extremely climactic music though, but I didn’t want to be constricted by styles or genres – trailer music fitted perfectly!
Here was this style of music, condensed into 1 or 2 minutes with huge power and an endless buildup! It’s like taking the best “hands-in-the-air” part of a really good techno song, making it 10x more intense and I was like… I remember running around my project studio like I crazy – the fast drums, screaming choirs, the orchestra playing like it was no tomorrow.
I fell instantly in love.
I actually had explored soundtracks and trailer type music before that as Lacuna Origin, but taking the step and REALLY listening to it was huge for me!
Now you might think – “But hey, where’s the many hard years at music school, the long sleepless nights studying Bach, the teachers whip of the ruler when you missed a note in the piano lessons?”
The truth is – I have only really been composing for close to 2 years. Before that I was mainly focusing on the SOUND of music, the actually building blocks. It wasn’t until I really got into composing that I took up learning classical theory.
Music always came naturally and easy for me, so it has been a really rewarding experience studying classical composition. The harmonies, scales, modulations, all that stuff is really great tools once you understand them! As regulars of TMN will know, I try to improve on every song I do – when you hear something new and cool on my youtube it’s probably me having learned about a new piece of music theory!
Right now though – I never focus only one one part of the creative processes. I always incorporate everything I did as a techno artist – I focus deeply on the sounds, the mix and I combine that with classical compositional techniques to create my sound. I try to put all my influences into every cue I do!
TMN: What is Brickwall Audio? Where does the name come from?
EK: Brickwall Audio was originally intended as an online portfolio showcasing my music. I wanted a name that worked internationally, and as a reference to the kind of music I did!
The name “Brickwall Audio” has many layers. The main idea though, is to take the ULTIMATE rock n roll cliché – the brickwall poser photo… You know, some guys with long hair standing against a brick wall trying to look hard. I think it’s really funny taking something like that and turning it into something cool!
Also, if you’re into sound production, you’ll know that in audio processing there’s a tool known as a “brick wall limiter”. This thing basically takes your signal, puts a lid on the loudest peaks and lets you push up the sound from below, making it as loud and powerful as it can be!
TMN: Why did you choose to set up your own imprint?
EK: The reason I decided to convert my musical portfolio into a fully blown trailer music company was simply due to the fact that as I launched my website, put up some music and sent some emails to a number of publishers and others in the industry, the response was so HUGE I couldn’t believe it – really, here I was, a total no one with a few tracks combining my techno music with some cinematic type stuff, and suddenly I had a full in box every day with people wanting music for this and that project.
I really didn’t know how to handle it, so I put a couple of tracks together into an album, slapped on a title, sent it to some publishers and also put it out on iTunes and Bandcamp, and Epic Trailer Impact had seen the light of day!
A little while later I registered Brickwall Audio as a publisher company and now I have publishers distributing my music in close to 24 countries… I’m still gob smacked as to how this happened!
TMN: Do you play any instruments, and does that influence your music?
EK: My main instrument is the piano/keyboard. I wouldn’t say I’m a master at it by any means, but it’s how I work. I also play guitar, but not to the same extent as the piano.
In my studio I have a number of drums – frame drums, tom-toms, random percussion toys I make myself and stuff like that. I can play them all, but I’m especially good with the frame drums.
I always, always add live instruments to my arrangements – this just take it to a whole other level. When you’re working extensively with computers and samples, the human touch can really give things a life of it’s own. There’s no way around it.
TMN: What drives you to create music? How do you approach a cue?
EK: This is a tough one. What drives me – I say it’s an obsession really. I don’t think about why I make music, I just do it. Regarding my approach of a song, it usually starts with a basic idea, often influenced by a movie I seen, a new game, another piece of music I heard – I do things like that to “charge” my creative energy until I feel it’s ready to be let out in a new song.
TMN: What tools do you use to create your music?
EK: I compose, mix and master primarily in Reaper. Reaper is one of those applications that just “clicks” with me. Everything is very logically laid out, extremely customizable, and it’s users drive the development so it has all the benefits of the major DAW’s out there. You tell the developers what they want, and next week’s it’s in an update! Amazing stuff really!
In regards to sounds, I’m a Native Instruments fan! Kontakt is the premiere sampling platform out there and most of the tools I work with are in the Kontakt formats.
I go in depth about my actual work flow in my tutorials on the blog: http://erikekholm.com/tutorials
TMN: You also do custom sound design. What role does sound design play in your music?
EK: It’s one of the main parts of my music. As I said earlier, I come from a background where the sounds are the main point, and it’s not unusual that I spend half the production time just creating sounds.
For the actual sources, there’s nothing quite like recording stuff you may have around – drums, kitchen gear or a field trip to the nearby industrial complex! Anything that goes “bang” is a great starting point for a new sound!
I process my sound with a variety of sources but a little know but hugely useful toy is Paulstretch! This thing can take a sound and through some weird and wonderful FFT algorithm stretch a simple “click” into a pad playing over 200 years!!! http://hypermammut.sourceforge.net/paulstretch/
TMN: Your use of social media is extensive, and you really try to communicate with your fans. Why do you take this approach?
EK: Before I set up Brickwall Audio as a publisher company, I studied business economics for 6 months. I had the opportunity to take part of some great lectures regarding the new social currency – engagement. I knew this to be true, since the companies I follow and devote my time to are those who regular come up with new stuff, give away free products and are really cool guys to hang around!
Also, when I started listening to more trailer type music and soundtracks, I always went to Youtube looking for music – I still do that. There I saw this community of people who uploaded their favorite tracks as videos and it was great! I wanted to do the same thing and to this day, one year after the launch my company, I’m absolutely amazed at the response my music has gotten!
I think, that at this time it’s around 300,000 views of videos by me and those of friends and fans, with my music. Lol, I didn’t even reach 25k on my myspace. Youtube is the number 1 platform for spreading your work, and I tell that to anyone asking how to build a rep.
Most of my current clients have seen one or two videos with my music on YouTube, Facebook or similar so to me social media is a key in “getting it out there”.
TMN: Where do you go from here?
EK: Currently I am working as the lead audio designer / composer in Space Cowboys Studio, on an undisclosed title, a AAA game production for PC and Xbox360.
I am also in the final stages of a new epic album, BWA005, to be released early next year and I’m also writing music for other publishers as well, it’s mainly hard hitting trailer music type of stuff and sound design. Besides this, I’m working on two new sample libraries for Kontakt, one which will be released FREE to the public around the time of x-mas. The success of my current sample libraries has been great, so this is a path I really want to continue exploring!
TMN: Do you have any comments for your fans?
EK: Just one… YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111one
No really, the TMN community, the followers on Facebook, Youtube and everything – it’s super awesome and not one day goes by without me thinking about what new music you guys want to listen to! It’s also fantastic the support I get on my public edition albums – they’re actually selling better than the big-label times when I was an artist. I can’t begin to thank you guys enough!
This last year has been a real pleasure and I’m looking forward super-excited to the coming year!
TMN: You rock too Erik! Thanks!
