Hi Elin, can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Elin Piel. I’m an electronic musician based in Gothenburg. I mainly work with hardware synths, but over the last two years I’ve also started dipping my toes into the delightful world of soft synths. My main genres are ambient and ambient techno.
How did you first become interested in electronic music? What drew you to this genre, and when did you start producing your own tracks? Also, tell us a bit about yourself at that age and the environment you grew up in.
I think my first encounter was with Björk’s Homogenic in 1997. I was thirteen, and I became obsessed with that album. I remember buying Antiloop’s LP and Depeche Mode’s Ultra that same year. But because I had no idea how to make that kind of music, I unfortunately fell into the more traditional singer/songwriter route.
I have this fond memory of being seven years old, maybe, putting my dad’s B&O speakers on each side of my tape recorder—one of those common in the nineties with a little microphone attached. I’d put on a Herb Alpert album (which was instrumental) and then record myself onto the tape, making up my own lyrics and melodies. So I guess the drive to make music has always been there, and my love for electronic music has been there since I was a teenager.
Fast forward to 2017, when I bought my first hardware synth. It was a Volca Sample, quickly followed by a Microbrute, and then I fell hard down the eurorack modular rabbit hole—all within six months. I started recording my own electronic music pretty soon after that and released my first electronic EP, Omsorg, on Mystery Circles at the beginning of 2020.
Looking back at the beginning of your musical practice, what key moments or influences helped shape your path as an electronic musician?
I think the fact that I’d been stuck in more “traditional” ways of making music for such a long time made the experience of working with synths, focusing on repetitive soundscapes, frequencies and polyrhythms almost magical. It unlocked something in me. I felt such freedom not being forced into verse, chorus and schtick.
I also think the modular synth community contributed a lot. It’s such a welcoming space.
It would be weird not mentioning how social media played a role in me evolving as an electronic musician. I created my Instagram account as a joke since my friends got tired of me posting synth videos on my “regular” account. And somehow I must have struck an algorithmic jackpot and gained a big platform in only a couple of years. This platform has given me the opportunity to work with music in a way I never thought possible. Releasing music, doing collabs with manufacturers that I love, commissioned work, scoring, teaching.
Being based in the north, do you like the seasons? And does the change in seasons affect your mindset and creative flow?
I get depressed every time it turns into spring. That can be tough at times. But as I’m more prepared for it nowadays I can use it to explore new creative ideas. I thrive during the fall. Looking back, I've made a lot of music during those months. September is probably my favourite. I often spend time outdoors because I have a passion for riding bikes (gravel, trail, downhill) and downhill skiing. I guess that's a creative catalyst.
Over the years, have you developed any techniques that assist you in maintaining your focus? How do you approach creative blocks when they arise? Do you dive into any non-musical fields to find inspiration or regain motivation?
Since I’m not a full time musician I have to grab every moment I can find to make music. There’s rarely much time in between my day job, kids and keeping up relationships. But when I’m stuck I play around with other genres, focusing on small setups/grooveboxes (Op-1, Sp404, KO133, Digitakt) or buy/trade gear.
What is your current setup?
I don’t have a studio, only a desk in our living room. I keep all my gear stuffed away in cabinets. So every time I want to make music I have to hook up a “new” set up. This is frustrating of course but it creates variation. So to answer the question… it varies A LOT.
Seems like you are working both with hardware and software instruments. How do you combine those two “worlds”? and how does it affect your process?
When I started making electronic music I recorded all my tracks live, in one take on a stereo channel. I found it incredibly inspiring and made a ton of tracks. I used Zoom H6 or Analog Heat 2 straight in to my iPhone. Almost completely dawless. But as I started getting commissioned work I had to change my workflow. Using T-1 and ES-9 from Expert Sleepers was a game changer for me. Both are great as motherships, sequencing, controlling all sorts of analog gear and connecting it with Ableton. Now I work with a hybrid setup: Ableton, eurorack, T-1, S-4, banana-stuff (Lorre Mill, Ciat Lonbarde), Digitakt, Buchla Easel.
Looking ahead, from which other art forms do you find inspiration at the moment and what do you find interesting to explore in the future?
Photography is something that inspires me. I would love to become a better photographer myself. Also working more with visuals overall. I have a Gieskes 3TrinsRGB that needs more of my attention.
What project(s) are you working on at the moment?
I’m scoring a movie, working with an app to make sleep music for babies and some other small projects. The biggest thing right now is that I quit my day job to focus on music full time..
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