Welcome! This is a page about me, the man
imagining and creating the music of Animobo.
My name is Michael Eriksson and I am a
composer and musician, 32 years old from
Norrköping in Sweden.Music is the main theme of my life. From my
childhood's pianolessons, to the more recent
studies in musicology and music production,
I have composed my own music trying to
recreate the music of my mind and heart.
When I was around 10 years old I began to discover electronic music and the
possibilities of electronic timbres. I became fascinated by the sounds in music
by Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk, and soon the great works of retro-futuristic
pioneers such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Swedish electronic composer
Ralph Lundsten, all fundamental influences for my music to come.I got my first real synthesizer at the age of 14. It was a fairly simple piece of
gear without filters and effects. During the following years I learned the
fundamentals of electroacoustic sound and sequencer-programming.Piece on my first synthesizer
Around 1995 I came into an acoustical period of music exploring the sounds
from "real" instruments and the expressions of the symphonic orchestra. The
result was some music for the piano and a couple of fully scored orchestral
pieces, including an overture to, a not so serious, "Space Opera" that was
never realized. Along with electronic music I have always loved classical
music, especially that of J. S. Bach, W. A. Mozart and Claude Debussy, all great
sources of inspiration to the deeper meaning of music.Opening theme of 'Space Opera- Overture'
The motives of music and its frontiers were issues that started to interest me
more and more in 1997. I set out to investigate the zone and border between
sound and music, which resulted in a couple of compositions I named "sound-
poems". The first of them was called "Angelica and the winter" and tells the
story of a woman whose bewilderment in losing her faith turns into showing
her the real values of life.Excerpt from the beginning of 'Angelica and the winter'
Nocturnes (1999): "The nocturnal melodies begin within the dreams of the
ethereal mind..."
The exploration of sound and music eventually led me to a new musical phase,
blending these two components into soundscapes where the melodies play an
important and leading role. This is reflected in my "Nocturne suite" from 1999.
If one sees to the music of the past centuries no one is really sure of how it
sounded in matter of instrumentation and techniques, but the melody lines are
often rememberred and carried on to coming generations.Solitudes (2001): "Wherever I searched, I heard the echoes from my heart
- the sound of solitude..."
In 2001, I continued my musical journey with a new album, ‘Solitudes’, where
I further developed the elements of the melodic dreamscape.
The years that have passed have lead me even deeper into the existential and
emotional side of music - to its sublime borders of emotions beyond and within
our dreams and desires...
There has always been a minimalistic approach to composing in my music.
Both the albums were created using solely a Kurzweil K2000 synthesizer,
with a maximum of 24 simultaneous voices in each song. The result may
sound bigger than it is, and that's because, as always, less is more...
2005 has brought inspiration to explore new and esoteric relations of
music, nature and human emotions. This involves new approaches to
composing, technique, and musical aestethics. So, stay tuned for the
continued journeys into the soundscapes of mind and heart...
