Kjell Øyvind Braaten

I compose music for theatre, movies, and live performances and perform on stage solo and with other projects. I also mix, produce, and master music for other artists in my studio. I find inspiration in Mother Earth’s wonders and spend much time in Nordic nature. I do not try to reconstruct the music performed in ancient times, as that music is long gone. I seek inspiration from the same views, sounds, and fumes surrounding those living there a thousand years ago and more. I also draw inspiration from what we know about them. I find the sounds of their instruments and the fragments of documentation about them inspiring and fascinating. Still, I like considering where those instruments originate from and adding musical flavors accordingly. Then again, I combined those sounds, inspiration, and knowledge with modern technology to create my musical expression. I started my search for the origin of music in the mid-nineties. Around the millennium- change, my focus shifted toward Norse music traditions and their roots. Out of this, the band Ehwaz came to life in 1999. Later, I participated in numerous projects inspired by the north’s ancient music, like Skvalthr, Wardruna, Nebala, and my solo project. My primary focus has stayed here in the last twenty years, both musically and in my lecturing on old Norse music history. I started composing music at an early age. At seventeen, I was a certified conductor and worked as a music instructor. I finished my sound engineer and music producer education when I turned twenty-one. Since my debut with Origami Galaktika in 1995, I have participated in more than one hundred releases and worked with many projects and genres worldwide. I have also composed music for movies, tv-series, and plays, produced albums, and added tracks as a studio musician for many other artists.