Diga in Denmark: Behchoko musician to record newest album in isolated Danish barn
'All we can do there is play music,' says producer Jan de Vroede
Behchoko, N.W.T.'s Juno-nominated musician is recording his next album in an isolated barn, "in the middle of nowhere" in Aarhus, Denmark.
Jesse James Gon, more widely known as Diga, decided his newest project would have a "weird, eerie, very homey vibe."
"I chose to not use a traditional studio... So we went to a farm that has a big wooden barn, and converted it into a mobile studio," said Jan de Vroede, Diga's producer and the brains behind this unusual concept for a studio.
The two decided to work together recently after meeting a few years back.
"I thought he was amazing," said de Vroede. "I liked his voice. I liked his vibe."
Surrounded by a field of cows on one side and the ocean on the other, Diga and his team of musicians are practicing, producing and recording.
"All we can do there is play music. We cook together, we play music…That's basically it," de Vroede said.
Experimenting with new sounds
The idea is all about experimenting.
"I hope to end up with an album that is very recognizable as Diga Wolf, but that also sounds very much unlike anything he's been doing before," said de Vroede.
Unlike before, Diga says he walked into this project not having much of it planned.
"For years, I pretty much called all the shots for the songs... I was a control freak," said Diga, saying he's "completely trusting" and giving de Vroede the reins for the album.
The idea of the project was to explore sounds with his poetry in an open, free atmosphere.
"It's really inspiring. It's not so rigid," Diga said.
De Vroede says the newest album will have a focus on live music — even the mistakes — to include the thrill of a live performance.
"It seems to take on a magic of it's own," said de Vroede.
With files from Loren McGinnis, Joanne Stassen