Jesper Sørensen is a multi-instrumentalist, whose hypnotic melodic beats and chilled out atmospheric tunes, have captivated the attention of music enthusiasts. It was from the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark where Jesper was born and raised and at the age of 11, he started playing the guitar and writing his own music. At the age of 14 he improvised on various techniques, and went on to teach himself to play a range of other instruments. In 2000 Jesper moved to England where he now lives with his wife and 2 children. However in early 2006 he was diagnosed with cancer and after a year of treatment and recovery, he rediscovered the joy of making music and since January 2007, he has produced and finished his albums ‘A New Time’ and ‘Origin and Twilight’.

E.P: Hi, how are you doing today?

JS: Thanks I’m fine. Live every day as if it was your last and that’s what I am doing.

E.P: So what have you been up to today?

JS: Enjoyed a trip to town with my wife, browsing shops and having a nice cappo (coffee). I just love York, a fantastic city, also because of all the history here and since I am a Dane (Viking) it’s almost like home.

E.P: How did you get started?

JS: Well it’s about 37 years ago, my late uncle played House of the Rising Sun for me and it just blew me away. I just had to learn it, so he showed me the chords and the rest is history. In the beginning, I played almost only Elvis Presley and Beatles and then I discovered Mike Oldfield. I was so impressed by his music and ability to play guitar, and hints to him does come up in my music. Jean Michel Jarre and Mark knopfler have also inspired me a lot.

E.P: How would you describe your music?

JS: Very much chill-out, with a hint of ambient and also at times very emotional, piano especially. People like different types of music, some enjoy my guitar where others like my piano and then again, some like my electronic tunes. I don’t really think about what I want to do when composing, I just start somewhere and see what happens; but I rarely spend more than a day on a piece of music. After that I lose interest and it just fills up my hard drive. I have learned from the above named artists and as I learned from them it somehow finds its way into my music somewhere.

E.P: What are you bringing to the scene?

JS: Physically not much, I mean on stage. I hope that my music will take the listener on a wonderful journey that they would like to return to. That my music brings some enjoyment to people so they can chill-out and relax. Which is what most of the comments I get are about.

E.P: How long have you been in the music scene for?

JS: I’ve been playing for the past 37 years and performing up until 1996 where I meet my wife and in 2000 moved to York UK. I didn’t really play much until after I had recovered from cancer. I was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2006 and during that time Mike Oldfield’s music helped me a lot. In January 2007 something happened and within 4 weeks, I made the album ‘A New Time’. It was well received on the web, i.e. MySpace, which for me was a whole new world.

E.P: Who did you listen to growing up?

I did what everybody did, listen to mainstream artist through the years but was mostly inspired by the 60s, Elvis, Beatles and later Mike Oldfield, Jean Michel Jarre, Mark knopfler and Kraftverk.

E.P: Who do you like in the scene at the moment?

JS: Actually not many. The music scene has become too much pop. X-factor, boy and girl bands and it’s very boring. One, that I have enjoyed very much lately is, Adele… what a fantastic voice. I do enjoy some on MySpace. There are so many great musicians out there on the web and since the software marked has exploded with great software, so many people have been able to produce at home like me some fantastic music, I think by far, better music then what is played on the radio now.

E.P: What is the song you are currently promoting?

JS: I don’t promote that much. When I have made a new track I upload it and make some of my friends aware of it. I let people find me.

E.P: Who have u been compared to?

JS: Well, as many have heard and said and can hear in some of my music, Mike Oldfield and Jean Michel Jarre. When I feel uninspired I just need to listen to some of their music and then I’m off.

E.P: What sort of feedback have you received from the public?

JS: People have been kind to my music and I am so pleased that they find enjoyment in it. Below are some of the comments I have received from the web.

“Beautiful and inspiring, Mike Oldfield couldn’t have done this better.”

“Your music kind of sounds like Tangerine Dream slow dancing with Vangelis.”

“Your music is stunningly beautiful, “The Time Has Come” is really enjoyable.”Snowfall” is soft and joyful like the snowflakes falling here today, they go down and they go up again, whirling like a swarm of mosquitoes. When your music is flowing I know that you have been inspired by Jean Michel Jarre”

“My friend – you have done such a tremendously wonderful job with ‘I’m not alive’ – from the ingenious electronics to the spine-tingling wonderful guitar work. I am so proud to be part of this – thank you and congratulations! It’s a massive track! Those Left Behind proves again how your inspiration is flowing and there seems to be no limits for you to give us so outstanding music… just stunning beautiful. You are such a wonderful composer.”

“Misty Mountains is a masterpiece.”

“You have exhausted my personal thesaurus of synonyms for ‘evocative’ and ‘resonant’; what else can I say? Beautiful! I was especially struck by ‘Those Left Behind’ only in it seemed more song like where “Misty Mountains” seemed more impressionist and ambient. Each is stunning in its own way.”

E.P: Have you been on any tours recently, if yes? Where? What was the atmosphere like?

JS: I did have some gigs with a band in my younger days before I joined the Army, and also played in the National radio in Denmark. Later I’ve played with cover bands. I love the buzz you get from a concert, you never forget it. I have always been nervous before a concert but as soon as you see the crowd, you just blow steam and before you know it’s over.

E.P: I have been told you get quite a good response from the ladies? Are they feeling your stuff?

JS: Hmmm…Some have found more joy in the music then others. Let’s leave it at that ;o)

E.P: How about the fellas?

JS: Same as above

E.P: Is there an album/video in the pipeline?

JS: I am currently working on the world of Electron and possibly a compilation album of Piano tracks. I have been asked to do a purely guitar based album… lots to do.

E.P: What was it like working with the artists on your album/single?

JS: As I make and produce it all myself, I don’t get the chance of working with others. I have done some collabs with artists on the web and that’s great. On the album ‘Origin’, I have a track called I’m not alive. I did the music and sent the file to Ramsaygee, http://www.myspace.com/ramsaygee another fantastic musician. He added the singing, it came back to me and I added some more guitars. A great example of how you can work together via the web. We did the same thing but the other way around, he sends me a track, I did the guitar and he published it. It would be fun though to do a project with others nearby, but York is mostly know for its acoustic music scene so….

E.P: How did it come about?

JS: The love of making music, I guess Ramsaygee enjoyed what I do and I admire what he makes.

E.P: What’s next for Jesper Sørensen?

JS: Keep making more music.

E.P: Where can we get more info on Jesper Sørensen?

JS: www.jespersorensen.org – www.myspace.com/jaydane

E.P: Tell us something we don’t already know about Jesper Sørensen?

JS: I’m hopefully a JKA Shotokan black belt in 1 month.

E.P: Anything else you wish to add? And would you like to give a shout out to your people and Ereomala Presents viewers.

JS: You can download some of my music absolutely free, just visit
www.jespersorensen.org – register and download. Keep coming back for more and spread the word.