In Conversation with Canadian composer, NORA BERG on how her psychedelic 60s upbringing forged the way for her success as a musician
Today we give a huge welcome to our artist NORA BERG, who hails from the west coast of CANADA. Here, NORA talks to us about her passion for composing, her influences, and her musical diversity.
RADIOSPARX: Welcome Nora. Thanks so much for joining us on the RADIOSPARX virtual sofa for a relaxing chat about your musical life, the universe and everything else in between. Here’s your bio so our readers can get a snapshot of who you are, before we dive in:
“Canadian artist Nora Berg has been producing unique, intelligent, and engaging Electronic music since the 1980’s. A child of the psychedelic 60s and 70s, she went on the road singing and playing keyboards in numerous Top 40 bands before creating her own one-woman Electronic project. Nora has been formally piano and voice-trained in Classical and Jazz Music. When she’s not composing music, you’ll find her enjoying the nature of West Coast Canada where she gets a lot of her creative inspiration.”
And while we’re chatting, we’re going to play one of your beautiful tracks in the background. It’s called ETERNITY and it’s an IBIZA-style retro CHILLOUT track that’s exquisite. Our readers can listen here as they read:
https://www.radiosparx.com/music/archive/Lounge/Chillout/Eternity/785240
RADIOSPARX: First up, tell us about your day composing, what routines you keep, and how you get into the composing zone, over where you are in West Canada.
NORA B: Thanks RadioSparx. It’s lovely to be here. I get up early and go for a walk on the beach or I go for a bike ride, both are so important for my mental and physical well-being, so my mornings are devoted to that. Most of my composing takes place in the afternoon when I feel focused on the project.
I make sure the house is quiet and there are no interruptions. After about 1.5–2.0 hours with headphones on, I render what I have done during the session and then play it through my bluetooth JBL speaker system to see if it has the energy I am looking for. I play the music many times before I go back into the studio and this helps me to fine-tune the composition. I only work on one song at a time and finish it before starting another. I used to have many projects on the go but then I lost a lot of data because of a software glitch, so that taught me to focus and get everything down with one song before I move on.
RADIOSPARX: That sounds like a lovely way to organise your day Nora and mornings out in nature, moving your body and calming your mind is perfect for creative work, isn’t it. Tell us where you live, so we can go with you, in our minds, on your beach walks.
NORA B: It definitely is! I live in Parksville, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada.
RADIOSPARX: We’ve heard that’s a beautiful place, with stunning beaches and beautiful nature. Amazing. Thanks for sharing this. What technology and software do you use?
NORA B: Oh, thank you, yes, it’s beautiful. I used a lot of technology but to keep things short, I use an ASUS Republic of Gamers computer paired with ACID and AUDACITY.
RADIOSPARX: Thanks Nora. We’ve really been inspired by the diversity of your tracks, the many different genres you work in. You’ve got 70 tracks with RADIOSPARX across different genres. We’ll talk about that in a minute but first up, how do you get inspired to write music, and how does your song writing develop to the finished product?
NORA B: Inspiration for me comes from many things like nature, activities, reading, watching TV, and browsing the internet. I have a little notebook where I write down the names of songs that I think of during the day. When I start a new project and need a new song title, I just look in my notebook for one.
I am blessed to have more ideas than time so I have never experienced writer’s block. I use sound samples for most of my compositions. I find a riff I like and then add beats and bass lines. To me it is like putting a puzzle together with all the right sound samples. I am so grateful for the availability of high-quality sound samples from all the best gear and musicians.
RADIOSPARX: Thanks Nora, you use all these features very well in your compositions, creating very unique tracks. What’s your favorite musical style/genre?
NORA B: I love all forms of music, especially electronic house music, techno, psytrance, reggaeton, hip hop, and chillout.
RADIOSPARX: We’re the same Nora. We love all the genres you mention and we’re always playing RadioSparx playlists as we work. Tell us about your life, in music, growing up, your influences, your loves and any people who impacted you greatly.
NORA B: I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s with so much fantastic music from rock to pop to disco. I was influenced by Elton John, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, Kate Bush, and Peter Gabriel. I took classical and jazz piano training from a young age and I then had light opera voice lessons in my late teens. I started playing keyboards and singing in pop dance bands in the late 70’s and then progressed into my one-woman band lounge act through the 80's.
Using my University education in science to fund my music habits I had many years to develop my electronic composing and mastering skills. After a University job layoff in 2011 I realized it was time to return to music. I have had a lot of positive support from friends and family and coupled with my inner passion I have been able to live my music dreams.
RADIOSPARX: Fantastic Nora, music has been your life, hasn’t it, so we feel a total synchronicity with you. Tell now a little about how you approach the ‘not-so-glamorous’ business side of being in the music industry.
NORA B: Treating your music like a business is essential for any musician who wants to go further in their career. Networking on the internet has always worked well for me to make the contacts I needed to succeed. I have had many setbacks but thanks to companies like AudioSparx I still believe in positive ethics within the music industry.
RADIOSPARX: Inspiring words, thanks. The Music Business is tough, but like any creative industry, if you have passion, patience and a belief in yourself and your abilities, the door is open to you to succeed. Could you tell us about the musical equipment you use, and give us brand names, so our readers can go and check out your kit for themselves, where they might be.
NORA B: Thanks, my kit is listed below:
· Roland ep-95 digital piano
· Korg Kaosillator
· Akai MPK Mini Play
· Boss Jam Station JS-5
· AKG D330 BT microphone
· Samson dynamic microphone
· Panasonic wired headphones
· Fostex Multitracker Model 280
· JBL Partybox 200
· Beaver Creek 6-string acoustic guitar
· Donner ukulele
· Three Djembe drums
· A First Nations Elk skin drum
RADIOSPARX: Thanks Nora, that’s an extensive list, and we love that you use lots of real, physical instruments as a nod to the indigenous peoples from your part of the world. Awesome. What would you advise a young person getting started in the music industry? How can they be different yet authentic in an overcrowded yet amazing industry?
NORA B: If you are passionate about your music and you are ready to work hard for many years, music is the career for you. The younger you start the better and if you can find band members you get along with, play in a band because the support is awesome. All music is marketable but the modern trends will always pay more.
RADIOSPARX: Great advice Nora. Are you on the side of AI in life and music? Do you think AI is something musicians should embrace to aid their composition of their music?
NORA B: AI will do some amazing things for music composing and life in general. On the other hand, playing an instrument live will never go out of style. Be versatile and ready to try new and exciting things in tech. Just do your own research and find what works for you. I have been working with AI art for the past few years and it works very well for creating music album covers.
RADIOSPARX: Nora, that’s lovely, so true and great advice all-round. We thank you so much for talking with us today. Keep making your awesome music.
Your friends at RadioSparx.
Check out NORA’S music catalogue on RadioSparx and AudioSparx below:
