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| Gently Unveiled, 2019 |
While the music of Silent Cabin speaks volumes, I do wonder were the projects origins lie. What caused you to so dedicatedly make this type of music?
So, in late 2015 I started to get into more extreme and experimental (for lack of a better word) music, Vaporwave and Black Metal mostly. The first thing close to Dungeon Synth I listened to was Dream Castle by Tanning Salon and I was instantly intrigued by it. I then found Depressive Silence and Voldsom Tapes and spent the first half of 2016 listening to more and more Dungeon Synth and Ambient music.
I then soon decided to start my own project; inspired not only by the sounds I had discovered but also by my own very much melancholic mindset.
Those are some great starting points when it comes to discovering a new genre! While there are a lot of differences between Vaporwave, Black Metal, and Dungeon Synth, all three genres do heavily tap into feeling like melancholy and nostalgia.
What do you think that makes Dungeon Synth such a fitting vessel for these feelings of loss and longing?
I think Dungeon Synth as a genre is still considered a relatively outsider one. For me, it has always been easier to put out my thoughts for a smaller audience.
I’ve always enjoyed listening and creating the minimal and hypnotic side of the genre the most, and I think that those elements make it perfect for expressing myself at the rawest.
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| Garden of Death, Hugo Simberg, 1896 |
When listening to your debut, Forgotten in a Cold Forest, it seems that there’s been quite a transformation in Silent Cabin when it comes to atmosphere. How would you describe the project has evolved throughout the years?
Looking back, I didn't really know about music theory at all when I made my first recordings. They were mostly experiments with VSTs, trying to emulate the atmospheres of Old School Dungeon Synth. My personal favorite from the early releases is definitely Lonely Mountains, which was basically worshipping the earlier mentioned Dream Castle album.
There were four releases in total made in 2016, and I actually think I had burnt out quite a bit by the release of Gates Of Autumn. On We Left, I returned to making music and I'd say that It was the turning point in the project. I started to go in a more ambient/drone/progressive electronic direction, inspired (mostly) by the early progressive electronic tapes of Oneohtrix Point Never.
By this time I also decided to do these releases as a trilogy (all having cover art by Hugo Simberg and his symbolic theme depicting death).
Fragile Voices was the final part of the trilogy and I actually considered ending the project there. Things took an unexpected turn though, as I was contacted in spring by Britt from So Called Hell wanting to release a new album of mine on cassette. I actually composed Gently Veiled very quickly, using some outtakes from Fragile Voices as the foundation, while also doing new stuff from scratch. Although Gently Veiled, as said, was done very quickly, I actually consider it my greatest work so far; my understanding of basic music theory has helped me improve a lot. In conclusion, Silent Cabin has evolved a lot primarily as my musical skills and life have changed during the years.
Sometimes the greatest things appear when we aren’t upholding ourselves to previous standards and just experiment within the moment - as you have proven with Gently Veiled. Will this be a continuous approach for Silent Cabin, or do you have other plans for the future?
I've been working on some new ideas recently, and am hoping in the future to release a new album on a label who would be willing to work with me. I also run my own small label, Lahja, on which I'm planning to reissue Lonely Mountains on a later date.
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| Talvimaisema, Hugo Simberg, circa 1891-1899 |
Is there a local scene for Silent Cabin and Lahja-releases, or do you find your music is mainly embraced by a small, faceless but world-wide group of connoisseurs?
My supporters are definitely spread around the world.
Also, I myself am not in any related local scene, really. Overall there's only been a handful of orders (of my tapes) inside Finland.
Does this also mean that there’s little live-activity for Dungeon Synth in Finland? And if Silent Cabin was to play live once, what would be the perfect setting and line-up?
Last year, I was actually contacted by someone planning to organize a small Dungeon Synth event here. I think nothing really came from it though.
As of Silent Cabin, I don’t have plans to play live at all. For me, Dungeon Synth is a genre you enjoy better on a tape player than in a live setting.
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