That Time When // Mokira

Photo by Hanna Kihlander.

When we last spoke to Andreas Tilliander in 2015, he was laying his Mokira project to rest for a while. He noted it was one of the few projects he was entirely comfortable with, so it's understandable that he might not want to jeopardise a more or less immaculate run. Given this, it was somewhat of a surprise to see a new full-length Mokira offering emerge this year in the form of Chill Out. Tilliander can rest easy though, as Mokira's discography remains unblemished.

Across six tracks of aquatic dub-ambience, we reach Mariana Trench level depths. Despite this, Chill Out is far from an exercise in crafting the darkest, most brooding soundscapes possible. Tracks like 'Kobbar' or 'Cancelled Show in Paris' sit in catatonic bliss, bugged-out arpeggios and woozy synthetic motifs drifting by innocuously. Other offerings such as 'Cuchla Congos' and 'Octa Octaves' drift in and out of gauzy, faded stupors, vaporous atmospherics and tumbling rhythms locked in hypnotic sway. Chill Out is an album for the after party's after party; those roll-throughs where we cling to the night before in smoke-filled living rooms with the curtains tightly drawn.

Tilliander will be dusting off the Mokira guise again for a live performance at this year's edition of Intonal Festival in Malmö. Entering its fourth year, Intonal will bring together choice Nordic talents such as Tilliander himself, Aleksi Perälä and Ellen Arkbro, as well as internationally revered acts such as Charlamagne Palestine, Pan Daijing and Japanese noise-wave duo Group A.

In light of the Mokira project's reemergence, we invited Tilliander to contribute to our That Time When series, discussing five of his most memorable gigging experiences...

###Advanced Art in Hässleholm, Sweden _ 1993

I made my live debut in March 1993 when I was 15 years old. It was during a night of electronic 'body music' in my hometown of Hässleholm, Sweden. I was singing in a band. I’m an awful singer and I knew that back then too, so I was super nervous. The headlining act was this Finnish band called Advanced Art. Their singer Jana is a short guy, and I’m over six foot. My band was called One Inch Too Small and after sound checking Jana approached me and said: ”One Inch Too Small? I can’t see that. Or maybe only the groupies will see that?” Being a virgin at the time, I responded with a nervous teenage smile...

###Helsinki, Finland _ 1999

The first time I got to play outside Sweden was in 1999 with my friends Mikael Stavöstrand and Benny Nilsen. We played in Finland, the neighbouring country to Sweden. There’s a ferry going from Stockholm to Helsinki that's legendary. It takes 16 hours each way and you get to purchase tax-free alcohol and listen to shitty live bands covering old Swedish and Finnish hits. People go on these ferries not to visit Finland or Sweden, but with the sole purpose of getting super drunk and dancing to the weird cover bands, returning home after 36 hours or so with a month's supply of cheap vodka. I once played on the ferry myself too...

###Tokyo, Japan _ 2001

Japan has always been my favourite country. When I was a kid I studied Japanese martial arts. I could tell you many stories about my eleven visits to the country (I’m being precise here because Kontra Musik's Ulf [Eriksson] always nags me about this). One of the favourite moments was playing during Onsen Festival in Nagano in 2013... You never forget your first love though and in 2001 I played in Tokyo for the first time. This was the second time ever that I was on a flight and I forgot to ask for vegan food so when asking on the flight I was handed an apple, a spoon and a napkin. The gig was also memorable. It was a sleeping bag concert, meaning I travelled to the other side of the globe to perform while people slept. I loved it.

###Rhythm & Sound in Amsterdam, Holland _ 2002

If you’ve followed my record output, you probably know already that I’m a huge fan of all things Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus. I think it was in 2002 that I opened for them and Tikiman in Amsterdam. While sitting backstage we got interviewed by a local journalist who thought I was part of the Rhythm & Sound posse too. Mark and Moritz played along, so for a brief moment I felt that I was part of the best duo (well, trio then) ever.

###Nadah El-Shazly at Fylkingen in Stockholm, Sweden _ 2018

In January this year I witnessed a concert by Egypt's Nadah El-Shazly at Stockholm’s best venue, Fylkingen. It was something else, I tell you. For some reason, I never listen to music with vocals anymore. Well, I sometimes listen to My Bloody Valentine, The Cure or some hip hop when I feel nostalgic. I really dig the voice of Nadah and I don’t speak any Arabic at all, so perhaps that’s one of the reasons I dig it. No lyrics for me to process while enjoying the music. I did an interview with her for my radio show 'Elektroniskt i P2' and her set at Fylkingen is the best I’ve heard this year. I’m looking forward hearing it again at this year's Intonal Festival in Malmö where we both are performing. My show will be very different from my usual live sets...

Find further details about Intonal Festival on their website.

• Published
• Mar 16, 2018

• Credits
• Words by Theo Darton-Moore