MUSIC PROJECT

WAR SAN

Since 2019

After several years of silence, Kim Warsén released two records in 2019 under the name WAR SAN (New Religious Movements and Silent Talk). The following year came the instrumental album Lortbron, consisting of piano, organs and field recordings. Since then, he has released several critically acclaimed EPs and singles that found its way onto lists of the year’s best instrumental music and has been compared to composers such as Nils Frahm, Arvo Pärt and Christian Gabel’s 1900.

/Transnational Records 2024

SELECTED REVIEWS

"Almost spiritual", "Blends contemplation with optimism" // Aural Aggravation, Christopher Nosnibor on the EP Carabanchel Prison 2023

"20 minutes of pure gold" //HYMN Music Magazine, Daniel Andersson on the single Float Pt. 1 2022

"Worth millions of listenings" //Barometern, Rasmus Thedin on the single Fe 2021

“5/5” // Slavestate magazine, Michael Porali on the single Fe 2021

"One of those albums that you can resort to whenever you need some peace of mind"//Echoes & Dust, Ljubinko Zivkovic on the album Lortbon 2020

“I am completely amazed by the musical verbiage of this man, he is incomparable, what he does is tremendous”, “A brutal change”, “A real delicacy”     

/El Telescopio 635, Jorge Obón & Chisco Fernández on the album Lortbron 2020

"An unsung hero of the underground music scene in Madrid. A genuine artist traveling off the beaten track"

//Lovemonk, Borja Torres on the album Silent Talk 2019

"Sparkling literary exorcism", "Ode to restlessness", "One of this years album"

//RUTA66, Emilio R. Cascajosa on the album New Religious Movements 2019

DISCOGRAPHY

PRESS RELEASES

Nov. 2023

The making of Lortbron

For many years I have been a big admirer of Alejandro Jodorowsky and his psychomagic theories. I strongly recommend his book “Psychomagic - an art that heals” or the wonderful “El Collar del Tigre” by his son Cristobál Jodorowsky. The mix of humor, madness and wisdom is fantastic. Basically it comes down to growing spiritually by using your own imagination and creativity as tools. So, LORTBRON is the result of these theories and became a ritual for my own spiritual growth.

During the making of the record I had our one-year old daughter sleeping in the garden while her brother was on his way to arrive. It was an overwhelming time with ambiguous feelings towards fatherhood and responsibilities. Therefore I decided that the record had to be performed and captured on a slightly untuned piano. It seemed like the fair thing to do, since I wasn't bringing my children into a world that is perfectly tuned. It can be a pretty nice place, I told myself, if the mind is balanced and the circumstances accepted. Throughout the whole recording process, keeping the mind balanced and learning to enjoy the imperfect sound of the piano became the main task.

Most of the field recordings on the record are the sounds my daughter, and later her brother, was hearing while sleeping in that garden. The sound of the terrace door opening and closing, the wind chimes in a tree nearby, the leaves and the field. In my imagination the record would become a place for them to visit later, to reconnect with the sounds that surrounded them at their arrival. Three years later it turns out the record has been a very effective lullaby and peacemaker for them during cartravels. I would like to think that it connects to their subconsciousness somehow, but anyway I'm very happy it has a calming effect on them.

There is also the sound of a giant buddhistic gong (on Sibyllans Stad) that my wife and I found and recorded on a mountain in the north of Sweden some years earlier when we were traveling up there to reconnect with the roots of indigenous Sami people. Although the record circulates around my hometown Nybro in the south, my grandmother moved there from the north. Therefore her travel also has something to do with my origin. I can't explain what the buddhistic gong was doing on that mountain, but while working on the record I sometimes imagined myself being a buddhistic ghost revisiting my own memories.

To honor my grandmother and the Sami people a song is named Fatmomakke, which was a holy place in the north for the indigenous people before they were christianized and a church was built upon the place.

During our trip north we visited Fatmomakke and the church that was built on the Sami ground. Since the Christian church back then considered the indigenous people satanists, I performed “Sympathy for the Devil'' by The Rolling Stones on the organ. It seemed like the right thing to do and Jodorowsky might even consider it an act of psychomagic.

Three years ago I had still never seen my biological parents together. They split up before I was born and made their lives in different parts of Sweden. I kept telling myself it didn't bother me, but since I had just become a father myself it felt wise not to leave things unsolved.

My biological father is a musician, so I sent him the songs and asked him to mix them. He gladly accepted and did the work beautifully, with a great amount of care and devotion. My mother on the other hand was at the time responsible for designing the interiors of the newly renovated Grand Hotel of my hometown Nybro, a place once called LORTBRON. The cover of the record is the windows of the hotel my mother was decorating. Basically what the record did was to bring my parents together, without them knowing, for me to be able to visualize them together. My father mixed the album and my mother's work covers it. Ironically, or maybe not, less than two years after LORTBRON was released, they were both sitting together in my kitchen laughing.

So, the album LORTBRON is a chain of acts that combine my parents, grandmother and children in one. It most likely just matters to me, but could maybe inspire someone to tie loose knots together. I see those rituals as a way to create new memories to one's narrative. They kind of stabilize the chain of actions and can also complete unsolved issues. I strongly recommend it, in my case LORTBRON became quite a peacemaker.

With love /K.

Sep. 2023

The mysterious cover of Silent Talk

In 2018 Wences made a beautiful cover for the album NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS, recorded back in 2012 and released seven years later on vinyl by Batir Records (2019). After listening to the record he imagined a sea battle with several ships burning. With the band's blessing he then turned it into an amazing painting that became the front and back cover.

The same year I finished the album SILENT TALK and reached out to Wences, who I actually never had the pleasure to meet, and asked him to do the cover for this album as well. He agreed and I sent him the songs. Some days later he wrote back that he imagined a man holding up a new born baby and a woman lying in the grass just after giving birth. I was stunned and quickly asked if he knew that my wife was pregnant, since she was only in her third month and we had kept it to ourselves. He answered that he didn´t. This is what he imagined listening to the record.

There are no lines on the record about wanting to have children and the songs had been written before I even met my children's mother. But there was a task I had given myself working on that record: “Become your own best friend and imagine a future you would like to meet”. Even though I didn't describe having children, I guess I was indeed longing for them. Somehow that is what Wences heard and his intuition blows my mind.

While the childbirth was getting closer it felt a bit overwhelming to illustrate it on a record cover. We finally decided not to use the whole painting. Instead you see the fire from the sea battles at the horizon. SILENT TALK was released on the 11th of April 2019, nine days after our daughter Lou was born.

I strongly recommend you to visit Wences homepage www.wenceslamas.com

Love! /K.

PS. SILENT TALK was released by Lovemonk and is available in their catalog and on most music streaming services. It wouldn't be possible without the support of Chloé Gilson, the beautiful violins of my dear friend Amir Trabulsi and the amazing voice of his father Esmaeel Trabulsi (Gates).

Aug. 2023

Interview

Carabanchel Prison

Transnational Records.

War San aka Kim Warsen is back with short film, a soundtrack and a new single. Read our interview with him below-

You have just made a short film with footage that you filmed in the Carabanchel Prison, in Madrid in 2006. A film that portrays a person painting a line from the prison´s epicenter across the walls and out. 17 years later you decide to edit the images and make a soundtrack to it. Tell us about this project.

Well, it has been quite a journey to work on this material after such a long time. Back then it just seemed like the right thing to do. The prison came to materialize any kind of traumatic historical event and to draw a line out of it, a way to represent the will to overcome that. For me it can be seen both from an individualistic and a collective perspective. I guess the fact that this gigantic prison doesn’t exist anymore gives the footage an extra value. The Soundtrack is built from the film but should also be able to stand on its own, as a journey from confrontation to relief.

Tell us about how the idea came up.

I was brought to the prison by a good friend, Jesús Martín-Gil, with whom I shared a passion for abandoned places. We used to visit a lot of weird places around Madrid back then but this one was by far the one that made the biggest impact. First of all because it was gigantic and standing in the middle of the Carabanchel neighborhood. Then it had all this history that became so present when you stepped into it. I just felt an urgent need to go back and do something with the place. The idea of breaking into a prison instead of breaking out of it has some kind of therapeutic meaning as well. Like if something was left unresolved and could be fixed. So I asked my good friend Ragnar Bey who lived in Madrid for a while to come with me, we bought a bucket of white paint and got started. We had no idea the prison was going to disappear the year after.

Was the place open to the public?

No, the place was kept locked and you had to climb the walls to get in there, but it had become a pretty well visited place for graffiti painters, junk collectors and youngsters from the neighborhood. Back then I was into metal junk as well, but not for selling it. I was building percussion and doing concerts and performances with it in a couple of bands.

What can you tell us about the history of the prison?

It was constructed by political prisoners after the civil war in the 1940’s and became the most notorious prison of Franco’s dictatorship. It was used until 1998 and then left abandoned for ten years before it was demolished. It was perhaps the strongest symbol of Franco’s regime and I guess that’s why they decided to destroy it. During my years in Spain I met people who lost relatives there, you could notice that it was still difficult to talk about.

What would you like to say to the viewers to encourage them to watch the film?

I mean, for me it is not so much about saying something about Franco’s regime or to give anyone a history lesson. But it is a fact that many cruel things have happened, are happening right now and will continue to do so. Somehow it seems relevant to face those things and find a way to deal with them. I guess that is what I have been trying to do. To find some kind of way through the burden.

How come the film is covered in shapes of streaming water?

I was struggling with the film being too explicit. Somehow it is about revisiting a difficult memory. The prison could very well represent any kind of traumatic experience and the whole act is some sort of ritual to help memories to transcend. Water for me has a healing quality. I have started working on another video and music piece that is about water streams, so I tried those images on the film and it seemed like it got a better tone. Images that are more sublime or abstract can sometimes help the mind in other directions and I hope the film also creates space for reflection. I mean, there is no closed message to consume.

Tell us about the Soundtrack

I started working on the soundtrack half a year ago and I kept wrestling with the question if you should compose music for a prison at all. Maybe it is an absurd question, but I was really obsessed with it for a while, it felt bad somehow. So, at first I just recorded noises with guitar pedals for several weeks and ended up with a light version of tinnitus. Then I recorded all the electronic sounds in my house, like refrigerators, the ventilation system, the dishwasher etc… some of those sound textures are still in there. But then it started to feel ok to work with melodies and harmonies again. It was much more difficult than I could possibly imagine to compose music to this piece. But mostly it was a moral battle, since the music creates the emotional state through which you perceive the images and I wanted to keep a certain amount of mystery to it.

You will also release a new single The Stranger in a few weeks. Are they related?

Sort of. It felt necessary to start working with my voice again. This song is almost more of a poem than a song. I like working with words, because I discover the meaning of them after the song is done. During the process I just try to find words and expressions that resonate with me and feel relevant. The final result is sometimes a bit frightening because the words don’t feel like they are mine anymore. They speak by themselves and create this feeling of being able to look at yourself from outside. I like having that kind of dialogue.

We used a pitch effect on the voice that normally appears when people want to stay anonymous in an interview. It creates a feeling of something being very intimate and still alienated. Like if you hear yourself talking and ask yourself; Who is that person? Sometimes I find myself asking that question and it is quite liberating somehow.

Interview Dec. 2021

FLOAT Pt. 1

Transnational Records.

We are happy to announce a new release from ambient maestro War San: Float Part 1 will be released December 12th.

Float Part 1 is a 20 minute long piece of stunningly beautiful ambient music, it will be released December 12th digitally, globally on all streaming services. Below is an interview with War San about the new long single or perhaps we should call it a one song EP.

War San, aka Kim Warsén, has just finished FLOAT Part 1, which will be his third release on Transnational Records. We caught him for an interview to present this new piece of music. The interview is free to quote from and to use for publication.

Can you describe Float Pt 1?

Yes, it´s a twenty minute, instrumental piece, starting with a three minute minimalistic sound wave that slowly transforms into something peaceful and meditative.

Is it a single or an EP?

That is a good question, but it leans towards an EP, since a single is normally a bit shorter. Twenty minutes feels more like a piece in itself.

It is called Float Pt 1, can we expect a Pt 2 later on?

Yes, that is the idea, but I am not sure it will come straight away.

You released Lortbron a year ago. What have you done since then?

I released the single Fe in the beginning of the year. Since then I´ve been experimenting a bit and working on other projects, but now I hope to be able to spend more time on War San again. Hopefully there will be a new album next year.

Is this a continuation on your last album?

Both yes and no. On the album Lortbron I put up some rules. I forced myself to use only piano, an old pedal organ that I have, and field recordings. With these limitations it became some kind of neo classical music with pretty clear melodies and a quite a lot of emphasis on the piano. This time I have gone more towards ambient music and introduced some synthesizers in the soundscape.

You work a lot with limitations and rules. Why is that important to you?

The possibilities are endless but I feel like I lose focus on what I want to transmit if I spend too much time choosing instruments. By putting up rules I can concentrate on what I want to express, rather than with which tools. The recording and mixing still takes a long time, you try different things, add and take away, but the essence and focus lies more on trying to capture something sincere.

What is it that makes this kind of peaceful ambient music interesting to you?

In the end I guess it´s about finding some sort of balance and being able to free myself from my own judgement. I am pretty judgmental with the stuff I do and I always found it very hard to release music. But this kind of instrumental music has a pretty calming and hopeful impact on me, so then it feels ok to share it with people.

How would you define ambient music?

I would say that good ambient music makes you forget that you listen to it, and then you miss it when it´s gone. Ambient music has a huge potential to create some sort of narration and to express things, experiences and insight if you give it time. I guess many people associate the genre with elevator music, but I see it more as a tool to step into and out of mental states.

What can you tell us about the album artwork?

It is made by Chema Castello, a Spanish photographer and a close friend. He has meant a lot to me so it feels great to have one of his photos as the cover.

What do you wish for with this release?

That it reaches as many listeners as possible and that some of them find it useful in some way.

Float Part 1 will be released on the 12th of December on all digital music services.

PRESS 2020

LORTBRON

Transnational Records.

New album Lortbron with War San is out now. Below is the first bunch of interviews and media coverage.

Kalmarposten
https://www.kalmarposten.se/nybro/nybroson-slapper-albumet-lortbron-blir-intimt-och-personligt-9fdd09bf

Nybro Extra
https://www.nybroextra.com/2020/10/22/slapper-skiva-om-sin-hemstad-nybro/

Barometern
https://www.barometern.se/kultur/han-slapper-skiva-med-ambientmusik-inspirerad-av-nybro-e9975552

Kulturbloggen
https://kulturbloggen.com/?p=136194
https://kulturbloggen.com/?p=137255

Echoes and Dust – Review
https://echoesanddust.com/2020/12/war-san-lortbron/

Musicazul
https://www.musicazul.com/noticias-war-san-anuncia-la-publicacion-de-su-nuevo-trabajo-discografico/

Revistaindie
https://www.revistaindie.com/noticias/lorbtron-proximo-album-war-san.html

Contact

warsanmusic@gmail.com