Dans & Lær ‘New Zealand’
Wherever we go, birds are all around us. But in our busy everyday lives most of us fail to notice the rich variety of species. Bird crazed Danish act Dans & Lær (translates to “dance & learn”) have set out to change this in their very own way. Their unique combination of dusty old wildlife records and homemade electronic music has given them a dedicated cult following in their native Denmark. On their soon to be released third album New Zealand they take on their greatest challenge to date by moving their focus to the other side of the planet. The birds of New Zealand may not be aware yet but soon they will be treated to a major rhythmical overhaul. Fans of Public Service Broadcasting will feel right at home in the universe of Dans & Lær.
Dans & Lær’s combination of natural science and electronic beats is the brain child of guitarist and bird enthusiast Bjarke Andersen-Tran. While searching for musical inspiration among childhood possessions he came across an old beloved cassette tape with bird song. The idea of combining the knowledge stored on the tape with freshly composed electronic music seemed far- fetched at first, but after adding a basic beat and bass line to the chirpy voice of the Yellowhammer it was clear to Andersen that this old tape could prove a very inspiring canvas for his musical work.
Dans & Lær properly sprang into form when offers of live slots started flying in and the somewhat geeky recording project hatched and became a fully grown band. Old friends Lars Meiling (synths), Frederik Schumann (drums), Andreas Halberg (bass) and Rasmus Jusjong (percussion) were more than willing to delve into this new world of bird based music. Armed with bow ties, fully synced bird life visuals and impressive amounts of energy Dans & Lær quickly made a name for themselves on the Danish live scene, and they continue to win over batch on batch of live audiences.
On their journey Dans & Lær have realised that the bird theme touches the hearts of people from all walks of life and so new surprising fans and collaborators keep popping up. Dans & Lær have performed alongside sign language interpreters, sketch artists, cartoonists, origami specialists , bird house builders and not least the 76 year old ornithologist whose voice formed the introductions on the cassette tape Dans & Lær based their existence on.
Having so far focused solely on birds found in Denmark, Dans & Lær are now ready to take on the bird sounds and not least the music lovers in the rest of the world. With the new album ‘New Zealand’ on the horizon the future looks exciting for the five piece. Who knows what kind of live experiences, collaborations and fans will follow in the tail wind of tracks like ‘Kaka’, ‘Tui’ and ‘Bellbird’? This bird loving band is very ready to find out.
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