“You want to do what?”
“We want to build a recording studio in shipping containers and take it to record unsigned bands.”
“But… wait, what?”
That was a long meeting. But the studio was duly designed. And it was built. And it appeared on the first day of this year’s Smukfest festival – one of Denmark’s biggest outdoor music gatherings, and coincidentally just down the road from Dynaudio’s HQ in Skanderborg.
And it was good.
Five incredible bands played – each getting half an hour of recording time and mentoring with star US producer Ashley Shepherd. Each got to take away a mix and a video of their session to use however they want, and each also had an in-depth interview with Ask The Expert’s Christopher Kjærulff (look out for those on our YouTube channel)
First up was Brask – a Danish power trio from Randers who rocked the early afternoon crowd with their summery, upbeat set, taking full advantage of Ashley’s expert guidance. The perfect opening act to set the scene for the day.
Next came Lillevangen: jazzy, hip-hoppy, R&B-y grooves – and staggeringly accomplished given that they only formed in 2017. Our team was hugely impressed by their effortlessly polished performance. We can’t wait to hear more.
Third on the bill was was stripped-down urban pop group Gwænno from Aarhus. This ambitious Quasar Rock-winning act experienced a meteoric rise since their 2017 inception – you can read about their journey in our interview with lead vocalist Steffan Jørgensen here.
Then it was Gurli Octavia’s turn. From growing up in a world of street performers and getting her name from her birthday (8/8/88), Octavia wowed the audience with her haunting melodies and adventurous lyrics (not to mention a stellar band). And almost half a million streams of her single Winter Arrived on Spotify can’t be wrong…
Closing out day one was the hair-raisingly effervescent, political and eye-bulgingly cathartic Puke Wolf, a post-hardcore band from Aarhus. ‘Intense’ doesn’t even begin to describe them.
Thank you so much to all the bands who recorded with us – and for their open, honest, enthusiastic interviews.
Stay tuned tomorrow for a roundup of Monday’s festivities. We’ll be showcasing the considerable talents of Zaina Jouret, L.T. Valentin, Alcabean, 2nd Strike, Liive, Simone Tang and Nordnordnord.
