Bio
SoundOkapi is a Danish sound artist with a diverse range of interests, but an easily recognizable sound.
SoundOkapi delves into minimal music, ambient, micro house, noise, and occasionally ventures into other genres, often blending them in unpredictable ways.
Synths form the core of his musical arsenal, enhanced by guitar pedals and loopers. Recently, he has developed an interest in incorporating his own vocals into his musical domain.
SoundOkapi has collaborated with vocal artists Helle Thun and Hanne Raffnsøe, as well as drummer Nicholas Wolf Haamann and the Berlin-based electronic trio Pausa a Pausa. While he frequently performs in Danish churches, he has also graced festivals in Denmark and smaller venues in Berlin.
SoundOkapi, real name Flemming Chr. Hansen, born 1968, originally trained as a classical organist and choir leader. He is still using these skills to finance his ventures into experimental electronic music.
He began composing traditional sheet music at the age of 10, primarily focusing on chamber music and pieces for organ and various choirs, meticulously notated and detailed. He briefly studied composition at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen but opted to pursue a career as an organist instead. Despite this shift, he continued composing and received numerous commissions, grants, and performances throughout the world.
During the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, SoundOkapi transitioned his long-standing interest in meditative music from the realm of classical acoustic instruments to the realm of electronics, reconnecting with his youth spent in the academy's electronic music studio. Since then, he has embarked on a journey of experimentation, exploring different instruments, genres, and creative methods.
Currently, SoundOkapi's focus is on 100% improvised music, characterized by ambient, minimalistic improvisations with occasional groovy undertones and bursts of expressive, noisy textures.
Among SoundOkapi’s sources of inspiration are:
Charles Tournemire (L'orgue mystique)
Olivier Messiaen (Turangalila, Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps)
Per Nørgård (I Ching, the symphonies)
Philip Glass (Koyaanisqatsi, Mishima)
Steve Reich (Drumming)
Jan Jelinek (Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, Tierbeobachtungen)
Laurie Anderson (Big Science, especially O Superman)
Aphex Twin (Drukqx)
…as well as Hainbach, Oval, Jon Hopkins, J.S. Bach, Kate Bush, Ole Buck, and many others, alongside folk music from various traditions.
