Artist Spotlight: Mauno Meesit

Published: August 25, 2015

There has been quite a pleasant number of interesting Estonian releases this year, for myself at least. White Sparks released an excellent space-themed album called Dark Matter Halo, Paean have refined their prog/death metal sound with Scorn of Eternity and are quickly reaching new heights, Okym Riim just dropped a collection of some real fine hip hop songs on us, Süngehel have finally managed to release their debut album Necromantic Blood, which is full of blasphemous black metal, Epp Kõiv has a nice, varied electronica album out in Heas Mõttes, and Avoid Dave have got the neo-soul corner on lockdown in Estonia with Insert Title. One artist who I didn’t mention in that line, but definitely belongs there as well, is Mauno Meesit, the man behind the synthpop project Sinine, who decided to close his laptop and strum on his guitar instead during the last few years. His new album, and acoustic debut by the name of Closer, is definitely one of the finest Estonian releases of 2015, and probably one of the hardest to categorize as well. By saying it’s an acoustic album, I’m actually saying very little about it. Hence why I got in touch with Mauno some time ago to let him properly introduce us to Closer, and what it’s all about. Take a look.

Hey Mauno! How is the summer so far?

Hi there! I just moved back to Estonia after living in Berlin for the last two years. Feels good to be back, to spend time in my summer house and to see my friends more often.


You released the first album under your own name on April 27th – Closer, an entirely acoustic affair. It’s been roughly three months since that happened. How has the feedback been?

Most of the feedback is coming after the concerts, and so far every single concert has been really special and I haven’t heard such warm words from listeners in a long time! It seems that the new acoustic material really shines in a concert situation. Album reviews are more mixed. As always, there are as many different opinions as there are people on earth. But it’s more than interesting for me that almost all the people who have listened and reviewed the album, have completely different favorites from this 10 song record, even the ones whose taste I know and trust. That shows how different our thoughts, tastes and realities can really be.

I know that the album is not for everybody and I made almost everything so that it wouldn’t be a safe bet. I knew it even before I started recording it. It is the thing where you either want to stand out or fit in. For example, when I made the decision to record all of the album’s vocals with a Turner microphone from the 1940s, I knew that it would instantly make the songs weird-sounding and confusing for some listeners, and will make the songs unsuitable for most radios. But for me, it is the warmest and most beautiful sounding microphone for my voice, and I hadn’t heard anything like that before. You know, you have to be bold when you want to create something different, something new. I have reached the point where I have already produced and played music that is polished, powerful, loud and straightforward, and therefore more easily accessible. With this album I went for the opposite direction. All the songs are performed really softly, also rather slowly and quietly, and I did put a lot of effort into making it sound special and different.

This is, of course, not your first album in general, as you have two very successful synthpop albums under the moniker Sinine. Obviously the recording process was different this time around, but the brainstorming of ideas, was that contrary to usual as well?

With Sinine, I have always enjoyed mixing together different genres, production techniques and all the songs have been quite different. For this Closer album I gathered together songs that have a similar mood. It is kind of (about) the feeling of peace and silence, something that almost makes time stop. I wanted to create something that you could listen to when you don’t want to rush anywhere, when you just take time for yourself while enjoying the album. And also sound-wise this was the first time when I wanted to create an album where all the songs would have similar sounds and instruments, so the album would be a very complete sounding work. Kind of like in the old days, where bands just recorded on the same instruments and the variety came from the songs themselves, not just from production tricks. So the brainstorming process was more simple and natural I guess, even though it took almost a year before I found the sound concept I was happy with. Actually half of Sinine’s songs were also born as guitar ideas, but this time I didn’t have to arrange the songs later to other instruments and bigger soundscapes.


Your music has always had this sensual quality to it, like you are in the same room with the listener when your songs are playing. Considering that, you did say in your press release that Closer is by far the most intimate album you have done. Besides stripping the music of all electronics, what else makes Closer such an intimate listen?

I see the album as a 10 year circle of my music and life, so yes, it’s personal indeed. Some songs and ideas on the album are even 10 years old and have been waiting for their time to get released. In a way it is like a third album of Sinine, or at least it continues with the same story that I started with on previous Sinine albums. And the sound of the album is telling the same story. When I recorded my vocals and guitars, I placed microphones extremely close so you can hear all kinds of microscopic sounds, textures and details that one usually can’t hear on recordings. And to keep it as close and warm sounding as possible, I didn’t use any extra reverb or delay on this album. All the magic comes from instruments and microphones. To be honest I don’t know any other modern albums that are mixed in this way. That was also something that I found out during my endless trial-error process, that you actually can create music with plenty of atmosphere, without using mountains of reverb and delay.

You recorded the album in Berlin. Obviously it had mostly to do with you living there, but were there any other factors why you recorded there but not in your homeland of Estonia, for example?

I guess at some point I considered using some Estonian studio or rooms with cool acoustics, to record the songs. But I ended up getting more microphones and learned how to record in living rooms. And during the process, it (the recording choice) became an important part of the album’s sound and concept, because I recorded all the songs in different Berlin living rooms that had high ceilings and wooden floors.


The album is numbered to 333 copies. Is there any significance behind the number, or is it just that, a number? Do you believe in numerology and if so, to what extent?

Number 3 and therefore also 333 is my favorite number. I’m not really into numerology but I feel that 3 is kind of my number. Since the limited edition CDs are all hand made, it had to be a rather small number to produce these in such an expensive and time consuming way, so 333 copies sounded like a good idea.


Most of your songs (excluding the song “Sõnumid,” which means “Messages” in translation) are in English, not in your native tongue. Why do you prefer to use English?

I grew up listening to rock and metal and all my favorite artists were singing in English, so I haven’t really thought about singing in Estonian. Although as a teenager me and my friends had a punk/grunge band where we did some really funny songs in Estonian haha. Later on, when playing more serious music, I just felt that I am not singing only to Estonians and English is a more universal language. Though I must admit that singing in Estonian feels more and more interesting and precious to me now. It’s like playing a different and rare instrument, in a way.

Image courtesy of Röntgen

Image courtesy of Röntgen

Regarding the track “Sõnumid,” it features the only guest spot on this album. How did Allan Vainola’s (vocals) involvement with that track come to be?

Allan is a well-known Estonian singer, songwriter and guitarist and he has been and still is part of several legendary Estonian alternative rock bands, like Vennaskond, Metro Luminal and Sõpruse Puiestee. It is funny to think that I even remember how radios used to play his songs a lot when I was a kid. As I said before, I wasn’t so much into Estonian bands when I was younger. But I guess it was 2006 or a little later, when Allan started his acoustic project Unenäopüüdjad (translation: Dreamcatchers), and I was blown away when I heard their music for the first time. It was really my cup of tea and I was surprised to discover a band like this in Estonia. I love his distinct melodic handwriting and have huge respect towards him as an artist. I have done quite a lot collaborations with Estonian singers and I always had Allan in mind too. When I wrote the song “Sõnumid,” then at one point I thought that it might suit him. I’m glad that Allan liked the song and we ended up recording it together.


Did you have any specific goals in mind as well with this album, or is it purely a platform for self-expression, and that’s that?

It was always my dream to write, perform and record an album full of acoustic music, and I also feel that I have reached a new level as a musician, singer and guitarist, and that this is just the beginning. It’s very different to compose and produce massive arrangements in studio and to give concerts on big stages with a full band, like it has been with Sinine. But when you have quiet songs filled only with an acoustic guitar and your voice, and people listen to you in a small, silent room, it’s a completely different experience. It’s almost like being naked because people can hear and see everything that you are doing. You really have to have good control over what you are doing, good concentration to perform, and good stage energy and room atmosphere. And I love it! Every concert is so different thanks to different sounding rooms, lights and crowd. I also sing and play the songs in a different way every time, because I can control and change all the tones, rhythms and dynamics. It’s the beauty of details and live music that you can’t emulate in electronic music performances.

You have been in the music business for roughly ten years now. During that time, what has been the biggest change inside the industry that you have noticed?

Yeah, it’s constantly changing and there are so many aspects. Death of MySpace, fast growth of Facebook and streaming services. The traditional role of record labels has also changed and some old basics don’t apply anymore etc. This is a huge topic that is pretty hard to cover with only a few words.


Coincidentally, how have you changed as a person since you first started out?

I’m definitely wiser, a little calmer too for sure. But in a funny way, I see that I am kind of back in a similar place where I was about ten years ago as a musician. I’m really into guitar playing and singing again, and have so much new things to discover and so much magic going on with every song I write.


You have also written music for TV shows and theater plays. For you, how is writing music for such projects different when compared to writing for your own albums?

The biggest difference is that in my own songs I am dealing with my own life. TV and theater works are more about the characters and topics that they have. But I always put a lot of myself into every project. Hence commercial projects get personal as soon as I start writing the music.


Out of those that you have done, have you got a favorite side-project as well? Something that you were exceptionally proud to have been a part of?

So far my biggest collaboration work has been Estonian theater Von Krahl’s play “Lillede Keel,” which was based on Federico Lorca’s “Language of Flowers”. I wrote music for the play and made songs out of poems. It was directed by Rainer Sarnet, who is a wonderful person, and all the actors who I worked with made it (the project) special. I was really happy and proud over how it turned out, and it was quite a magical journey to be part of the project from the beginning until the end.

Image courtesy of Von Krahl

Image courtesy of Von Krahl

You have said that you feel very inspired by minimalist sounds. Has the music of Estonia’s most famous composer, Arvo Pärt, also had an influence on you?

Every time I read or hear his interviews, I feel so connected with how he thinks, how he sees life and music. But I guess I have actually listened to more music that is written by artists who are influenced by Arvo Pärt, than to his own music. I am still getting to know his music better. But concerning minimalism in creative work, I guess it is something that you have to discover yourself when the time is right. To me it is a specific feeling, I am searching for silence, pureness, holyness and non-aggressive qualities both in my music and design works. I have always liked these qualities in other artists’ music and art, but about two years ago I felt a strong need to go this way myself, and Closer was made with this new mindset.


Tell us a bit about Grainy Records, your own label. Was it founded primarily so you could release your own material via it, or do you plan to work together with other bands in the future as well?

I had the idea for years that it would be cool to release some of my music under my own label and with Closer the time was right to do just that. I started my own label primarily for my own releases but I would be happy to release other artists’ music too, if possible and everything goes as I hope. I also started Grainy Records to release physical objects of my graphic design work, something that I would be glad to give to my friends and listeners. You know these days everything is so digital and made of plastic, and I want to curate my label releases in certain aesthetics, so that every vinyl and CD would be a combination of beautiful papers, great printing and handcrafted items, paired with good music and my graphic designs or illustrations. For example, all the Closer CD covers are handmade, and every single item was hand covered with book cloth by me and my wife Anne. She is also a talented designer and she has previously been active in the book art and book-binding field. I am really amazed by her skills and that is why we can make something special out of every release, and every item will have collector’s value. We made only 333 copies of the Closer limited edition CDs, and there will be no more once these sell out. I don’t see these records just as musical works, the design and materials used are just as important. It’s the same as with some nice, quality books. You can always draw emotion from good paper and design when you take a book into your hands, without even reading it.

Grainy Records logo

Grainy Records logo

Now that Closer is out in the open, what do you plan next?

In a few weeks I will play at Estonian Intsikurmu festival and I’m pretty excited about that, because it will be the first open air concert for me with the Closer album songs, and I’m sure the nice nature surroundings will fit well with them. After that I will start work on original music for a really special TV series. That might be a cornerstone for my new instrumental material, I can’t wait to start. There may also be a film score project in the near future, time will tell. And in the end of summer/beginning of autumn, I plan a Closer album tour, and will also start work on a new Sinine album. Exciting times!

More about Mauno:
Mauno’s homepage
Facebook
Grainy Records
Instagram

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