Responsable de la majorité des pochettes du label norvégien Rune Grammofon, le dessinateur/graphiste Kim Hiorthoy a également sorti deux albums sur le label Smalltown Supersound. La pop acoustico-électronique de Hiorthoy doit autant aux ballades électriques de Vincent Gallo qu'aux déraillements rythmiques d'Aphex Twin. Résultat d'une minutieuse mise en son où chaque note de violon ou de guitare compte autant que les conversations entre amis enregistrées sur un coin de table, l'univers musical electronica povera de Hiorthoy ne laisse pas insensible.

What were your first contact with music?
From 1991 to 1996 I studied at the academy of fine art in Trondheim, where I grew up, and they had a small studio there with a sampler, a mixer, an 8-track tape recorder and some other equipment. I worked with it a little bit.

Were you first attracted with music or visuals?
I always have always drawn, so visuals, definitely. I started freelancing as an illustrator and graphic designer in 1992.

Your main activity is visual, do you see connections between your visual works and your music?
Not directly.

How do you work when you create music ?
It's hard to explain, but I usually just start with a small fragment of something and when that sounds like it can become something more, I try to bulid on it and see.

Do you have any musical training ?
I played violin and guitar for a little while when I was between 5 and 10, but I never practiced, I never liked it.

What are the musicians/work that influenced you most?
Fred Frith, John Zorn, Arto Lindsay, some Tom Waits, John Lurie, 'Happiness' by Lisa Germano, '3ft. High & Rising' by De La Soul, early 90's house, early Dj Shadow/Dj Krush/Mo' Wax, Boredoms/Yamantaka Eye, Iva Bittova, Richard Youngs, Kevin Blechdom...

The guitar sounds in your work sometimes make me think of Vincent Gallo's work, what do you think of his work ? I like his work very much. You have two new releases planned on smalltown supersound, what will they be like ?
For the Ladies' is a collection of 'field recordings' or something similar to that, there's no 'music' in the general sense of the word, just recordings of the sounds from different places. 'Melke' is a collection of odd tracks from here and there, tracks for different compilations, some 7-inch B-sides, some remixes that I did for other people. It's more messy than 'Hei' and some of the tracks are a bit harder. There is also an EP coming out on Chemikal Underground later in the year and 'Hei' is being released on vinyl now by Vertical Form in London.

(Christophe Taupin)
Interview réalisée par e-mail en juillet 2002. Remerciements à Joakim Haugland.

Kim Hyorthoy Hei CD (Smalltown Supersound)
Kim Hyorthoi Hei LP (Vertical Form)
Kim Hyorthoi Melke (Smalltown Supersound)

www.runegrammofon.com
www.smalltownsupersound.com
www.verticalform.com

Tree Weekend est un recueil de dessins et compositions graphiques de Hyorthoi édité par Die Gestalten Verlag
[ www.die-gestalten.de/verlag/ ]