FEATURE Don't Be A Stranger

don't be a stranger

featured artist

questions and answers

pictures

"DONT BE A STRANGER" is an ongoing collaboration project between Dutch composer/producer Onno Krijn and world musicians. ONE is the title of the first album.

Collaboration-projects on the label NOON-records with many outstanding world-artists are what Don't Be A Stranger is all about, just recently finished NINA, a cd with my wife Leoni Jansen and the Senegalese trio les freres Guissé (also available from the store).

Coming Soon: a Dutch world music cd with the Frisian girl trio Three-ality, singing Dutch medieval songs arranged in a contemporary world/popmusic style, and an album with Vietnamese musician Quang.

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If you could duet with anyone dead or alive who would it be?

I would humbly choose J.S. Bach, which I consider to be the greatest musical genius that ever lived. What would we play? He would play, I'd have a beautiful tacet..

Who are your musical influences?

My influences stem from both classical and popmusic: I always listened a lot to Gesualdo and Bartok. Popmusic influences are the Beatles, Donovan, Yes, and Peter Gabriel.

How do you write your songs? Do you start with the music or the lyrics.

I prefer to start with the lyrics, but lyricists really like to start with the music, so it really depends on the situation...

Can you play any instruments if so which ones and do you have a favourite.

I am a piano/keyboard-player, but I also play some percussion and might add a backing-vocal here and there

How did you get into music, was it from an early age?

I knew I wanted to be a professional musician ever since I was young..

Do you have any musical training,

I studied classical piano and composition at the Sweelinck Conservaory in Amsterdam, Holland. I also studied arranging at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. During my composition studies in Amsterdam I got interested in worldmusic, this interest never left me..

Which of your songs are you most proud of?

As for the dont be a Stranger/ONE album, I am particularly proud of Calcutta Candy because it really takes you on this India-inspred journey, starting off very introvert, trance-like and gradually turning into extremely extravert dance/funky, held together by this hardly noticable 3/4 time that runs underneath the whole composition..

Where were you born, and do you still live there?

I was born and raised in Amsterdam and that's where I still live..(I might exchange the city for the countryside in a while..)

Where would you like to see yourself in five years time

In five years time I would be doing the same thing as I do now, but even more succesful. (but I'm not complaining)

Six words that best describe you..

music, silence, eclectic, relativity, silence, music

What’s your favourite of all of your songs?

from the ONE album that would be Calcutta Candy (see above)

how long did it take to write and record the Music for the ‘One’ album

it took me almost three years, mainly because I could never work on it full time..

Whats the best Live / recording moment you ever had

On a tv-show where I was the musical director I played Hurdy Gurdy man live with my youth-idol Donovan..

Where was your first public performance

At the farewell "graduation"party of my primary-school..

cd tracklisting

one

1 Changkha

2 Immamachin

3 Calcutta Candy

4 Bagdad

5 Daan'de Cheelii

6 Lovesong

7 Noero

8 Phala

9 Migchik

10 Wo Mbari

11 Circle Round A Fire

"Immamachin" is favoured by many, and it also has the most commercial appeal. It even made it to BBC's Charlie Gillets Sounds of the World 2007" compilation cd. That is a great honour. It mixes traditional Ethiopian singing (by Minyeshu) succesfully with a modern pop-sound. Eclecticism at its best..