Basement Music - Viktor Skokic Sextett
After having collaborated with many of the most renowned musicians on the Swedish jazz scene, finally Viktor takes the leap and releases music under his own name. The music has been crafted in a basement in Hornstull, Stockholm where the process has been characterized by great care of detail.
"The music demanded that I put myself in a kind of receptive calm in the space between life with a baby daughter and late jazz gigs. It was a challenge requiring focus and reflection", says Viktor.
But if the process required a great deal of calm the result is all the more intense - the music is full of life, unexpected movements, spontaneity and at times sharp edges. The band comprises some of Sweden's most prolific and interesting jazz musicians - and in the background echoes some of Viktor’ s most important influences: Jan Johansson, Olivier Messiaen and Meshuggah, as well as, for example in the song Utgångsostinato, traces of
music from the Balkans where Viktor has his roots.
"To create a context in which I didn't glance sideways, but in which I listened inwards was liberating, both musically and personally. To me the music on the album contains a lot of love and cheerfulness.”