Joakim Forsgren releases a new 6-track LP inspired by autonomous cells in our body
Swedish producer, Joakim Forsgren, takes his moniker, AUTORHYTHM, from cells in our body that don’t need instructions from the brain; cells that function autonomously. Forsgren started working on his project, Songs for the Nervous System, in 2015 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s — a disease that gradually affects the brains ability to control the body. Thanatosis means to play dead. AUTORHYTHM on the other hand means to play alive.
Losing control over his bodily movements pushed him to explore how analogue music technology could replace his human touch in the composing process. The album is a series of intuitive compositions drawing from the latest medical research on how light and sound at specific frequencies has a potential to affect bodily functions, down to the cellular level. Except for mixing and minor adjustments, computers were avoided. Forsgren instead relied on an assortment of synthesizers which were roughly the same age as himself (relics from the pre-digital generation). Conventional sounds and solutions were avoided as well. All of the tracks on the album were created in a dialogue between the artist and his hardware. The result is a surprisingly human-sounding take on electronic music.
After years of work, Forsgren plans to release Songs for the Nervous System next month.
AUTORHYTHM – Intercellular Communication
Cover photo by Mohamed Mire
