Audeze gets technical with experimental music producer Sune Søgaard Hansen

 Sune is a danish experimental music producer and technical director based in London most recognised for his work with Arca, Fred Again… and The XX and award-winning film compositions with director, Andrzej Dragan.

"The transparency of the LCD-5’s truly revolutionized the way I think of compression down to the tonality of transients." - Sune Søgaard Hansen

Here's our chat with Sune:

Can you pick out any highlights from your work that you're particularly proud of?

First thing that stands out is having had the pleasure of touring and working with Arca for the last decade, an artist that I’ve always believed in. It’s been inspiring to follow her evolution and witness the movement she has manifested. 

Arca - Spotify Profile

How would you define your main role on most of the projects you work on these days?

I will always be an artist first, but my titles morph between music producer, musical/technical director, songwriter and engineer on a daily basis, an eight-legged abomination.

How did you get started in music? What kind of music did you listen to while growing up and how has that progressed?

I feel like I grew up on the internet, so getting lost in soundcloud’s deepest wormholes was my version of crate digging. I taught myself how to produce and accidentally came up with unusual ways of making sounds, mixing god knows how many genres of music together in highly transgressive ways.

Can you name any factors that influenced the course of your musical life?

I have been lucky to have had an amazing mentor from early on in my career, but mostly I'm just terribly stubborn and obsessive with almost everything I do.

Can you briefly describe a moment of frustration from your past work, and what you may have done to overcome the obstacles? Would you approach it differently now?

Pursuing music creation as a career without a safety net is a giant leap of faith - and I had so many doubts and stipulations throughout my journey so far. Financial hardship, sleep deprivation, mental health crisis, unfulfilling conclusions to time consuming projects and just the crushing pressure of continuing to outdo and one-up yourself. However, many of these seemingly dead ends turned out to be instrumental to later opportunities that shaped my career, which today has led me to trust the process blindly. I’ve also found a community in the music industry from acknowledging my vulnerabilities instead of pretending to be invincible - it’s not fooling anyone anyway. This industry is cut-throat and we gotta look out for each other if we wanna make it out.

Is there any gear you find yourself turning to most when working on a project? What are some of your favorite tools/instruments recently?

Lately, I have been obsessed with the custom controllers from Drone Machines created by Tristan Shone. Specifically his oversized knobs and his linear actuator, that I’ve been lucky to work and perform with. They bring an unmatched tactility to electronically produced music that is sorely needed, but they are also just really really cool. 

Do you have any words of wisdom for people who might aspire toward a similar path for their own careers?

Your integrity is all you have. Real recognize real.

How long have you been working with headphones, and how do you typically use them in your workflow?

I travel most of the year, so producing on the go has become a way of life. I can’t live without them.

How have your Audeze headphones affected your work?

The transparency of the LCD-5’s truly revolutionized the way I think of compression down to the tonality of transients. It’s also been a godsend to have headphones that translate well to speakers on the go, so I can mix confidently and take room out of the equation all over the world.

Can you tell us what you've been working on with them recently?

Since getting Audeze headphones, my favorite compressors have all changed. Now I’m reforming my workflow and have been exploring a lot of new gear and plugins. I just opened a studio in London featuring the only 88-key Una Corda Piano in the UK with self-playing technology and a wide array of vintage microphones.