One of the most classic Swedish progressive formations, KAIPA, released their new "In The Wake Of Evolution" and HallOfMetal had the opportunity to speak with their leader Hans Lundin about everything related to this new LP.

HoM. Hi Hans, how’s everything?

It seems we’re having a lot of fantastic feedback on the new album. I had a feeling that we had recorded a great album but I’m not sure I expected this compact wall of great reviews.

HoM. You've been making music since 1973. After your career came to a standstill in 1983, you returned in 2002 with "Notes From The Past". What did you do during all that time? Other projects maybe?

During the 80’s I recorded three solo albums but during the first half of the 90’s I was far away from the music business and I didn’t thought that I would ever return. I became the father of two daughters and I didn’t want to be out on the roads when they grew up so I worked in a record shop. In the late 90’s I was invited to play in a musical project called Hagen, mixing traditional Swedish folk music and progressive metal. We recorded an album “Corridors Of Time” that was released 2001. Another member of Hagen was Per Nilsson who is now the guitar player in Kaipa.

I think working with Hagen gave me a lot new inspiration. I had written a lot of songs but I just didn’t know what to do with them. In 2000 I decided to record an album (KAIPA: Notes from the past) which was released 2002. Originally my idea was to start a new project using a new name but I changed my mind when Per Nordin, who made the artwork for the album, heard the music and he told me “this is exactly how Kaipa should sound today so why don’t you use the old name”.

HoM. Is Kaipa your main project or do you have any other musical adventures?

Kaipa is my main project it gives me the possibility to write and record my music together with the other great musicians in the band. Recently I also participated in another project called “Vargton Project” together with Italian-Swedish guitar player Mats Hedberg and Kaipa drummer Morgan Ågren.

HoM. Could you explain us the reasons for the break period?

The interest for progressive rock collapsed at the end of the 70’s. 1982 we decided to take a break but it turned out to be the end for the first part of Kaipa.

HoM. How did you feel when editing the new work? How did you see the 2000’s scene? And the current one?

It’s fascinating to be part of the music evolution and to see how what’s originally only some fragment of music slowly forms into an identity and finally a complete album filled with music.

I don’t know what will happen the next years in the music business. There are still a lot of loyal people buying CD’s but it’s hard to tell how the market looks in the future.

HoM. Your music always had folk with progressive rock elements. However, your new work is perhaps more progressive than folk, we saw this in songs like "In The Heart Of Her Own Magic Field". Is folk an essential element in your music or do you try to evolve over time?

I’ve always liked the special feeling in Swedish folk music tunes. They often contains both a melancholy and merry feeling at the same time that goes directly into my heart. There were some folk influences already on the first Kaipa album 1975 but today I feel it’s a more integral and natural part of the compositions and the Kaipa landscape.

HoM. What are your main influences?

I’ve been active as a musician since 1964 and of course I have been influenced by a lot of music. In the 70’s I was impressed by bands like Steppenwolf and Spencer Davies group with Steve Winwood. They were using Hammond organ with a dirty and distorted sound that I really liked. In 1967 I bought my own Hammond organ.

I suppose that my basic identity today is a mix of all my musical impressions since I started to play in my first band. I’ve been on a long musical journey and it seems that some of the places I’ve visited just continue to stay in my memory but they seem to change in size and form and sometimes they come back with a totally different identity. This is probably the seed to the music I’m writing today. I don’t know why and how they appear in my consciousness, I just think it’s my duty to take care of them.

It was very interesting to listen to the San Michael’s (my band before Kaipa 1970-1972) album “Nattåg” last year. It was recorded in 1972 but it was never released. Not until 2009 when Japanese record company Marquee released the album for the first time after 37 years. (This album is also released in an European version 2009 by Transubstans records.) I can hear lots of echoes of what I’m doing today in this old recording from the 70’s. As a musician and composer I have of course a lot of experience and knowledge today that I didn’t have 1972. I suppose that what I’m doing today is just a logic development and continuation of my past.

HoM. In songs like "Electric Power Water Notes" we can taste some European hard rock touch, a style very typical of people like Fair Warning, although in a progressive key, and also with a very important preponderance of choruses, was it your intention?

This 18 minutes song started with just the main vocal melody but the inspiration took me on a long unpredictable ride before it reached the final result. This phase of the writing process is fascinating. I don’t know what’s going to happen and I am often surprised of where the inspiration in these magic moments takes me.

HoM. The progressive scene has expanded greatly in recent years, for example, in countries like Poland with bands like Riverside. Do you follow the scene status? Do you have any favorite band?

To be honest I don’t care so much about what’s progressive or not anymore. I like all types of music as long as it contains good melodies and performance.


HoM. Since you're the producer, have you recently discovered a promising youngster who has worked with you?

All the musicians I’m working with today are younger than me and I’m impressed by their enormous talent. Per Nilsson was born 1974 one year after I originally formed Kaipa.

HoM. What is behind the lyrics of "In The Wake Of Evolution"?

The songs “In the wake of evolution” and “The seven oceans of our mind” are dealing with how we take care of, or rather not take care of our planet and what waves we leave behind to our children’s children’s children. This ought to be an always present topic for all people on our planet. The other songs are independent stories.

HoM. The recording and production has been taken by yourself in your own studio in Uppsala. It makes work easier when you are in charge of everything. Are you more demanding than another producer may be?

No I don’t think so. It’s comfortable to have a studio in your own house. It makes it easy when I’m connected to new ideas and want to record them. We record keyboards and vocals in my studio in Uppsala, drums at Morgan’s studio, guitars at Per’s studio and basses at Jonas studio in different towns in Sweden. Then I fit all the tracks together in my studio and do the mix.


HoM. The guitars have been recorded in the studies of your guitarist Per Nilsson, and this is already the second album he recorded with you. I could not imagine that a guitarist from a band like Scar Symmetric could play such high quality progressive rock. How did the idea of he working with you come up? The boy does not lack quality at all.

As I mentioned before I met Per for the first time more than ten years ago. I immediately realized that he is a very diverse and gifted musician able to play any styles in his own personal way. When I needed a new guitar player in Kaipa 2005 there was just one person in my mind.

HoM. Speaking of guitarists, why did Roine Stolt leave Kaipa? Were there any problem or did he just wanted to carry on his other projects?

We had different ideas how Kaipa should develop. I wanted to continue my musical journey and find new directions and inspiration, develop the music in the modern progressive-fusion-folk-rock style we are playing now. Roine’s desire was to sound more old school progressive like in the 70’s with a lot of Hammond organ. This lead to a situation where we both realized that the best decision was to go separate ways.

HoM. In terms of composition, have you taken care of everything as before or did you leave the new musicians help you?

All the songs are written by me but the other members are very important to form the final result. When I write a new song I often make decisions based upon my knowledge of the other members personality and ability to shape the music. This feeling has become more obvious for every new album we’ve made together. I always record demo versions of the songs where I play and sing everything. The other musicians listen to the demo before we start recording so they can get to know the songs and understand my intentions, Some parts are strictly arranged but mostly I give them free hands to bring their own ideas and energy into the final result.

HoM. Have you changed your way of writing over the years, from the first album until now?

Today I have a lot of tools making it much easier to develop the ideas in my studio. But looking at the first step, to find the basic melodies it’s probably the same.

HoM. How many songs did you get to compose for "In The Wake Of Evolution" including the ones you didn’t record? I say this because it only contains eight tracks. I’m sure you have left something for the special editions.

If I look back at the previous albums with this second edition of Kaipa I remember that I wrote much more songs than I finally used. But on the two last albums I wrote the songs and stated this is what I want to do. So there is actually not one single song written for these albums that I didn’t record.

HoM. What future plans do you have to promote your new work?

We never play live with Kaipa so I have to concentrate on doing interviews.

HoM. Have you thought about launching a Kaipa’s DVD in the near future?

No, not if you mean a concert DVD. But we did some short recordings during the recording of the album. We’ve put this together in a short documentary film called “Short clips from the recording of the album In the wake of evolution”. You can find it on youtube and also on www.myspace.com/kaipa

HoM. Are you more of a study or a live band?

Kaipa is strictly a studio project.

HoM. This is it, what would you tell our readers of HallofMetal.com? Thank you very much for your time, Hans.

Thanks to all our fans who have been patiently waiting three years for our new album.

Elaborated by: Juan Carlos García; José M. Suárez
Translated by: Abel Fernández 

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