Marcus Henriksson

As many of us may know, the line between reality and fiction is very thin. This is something that Marcus experienced already as a child. He grew up at a farm in a very safe, supporting and loving environment. In his backyard playground -the woods - he had a lot of time to use his imagination, play with different dimensions and getting deep into the inner worlds. Playing the roles of both the creator, actors and audience, he built up imaginary worlds with lots of different characters and adventures.

His burning desire to share his inner worlds with others became at first possible through drawing. This he did while listening to preferably instrumental, long tracks music (like Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, Front 242) with time to go deeper into the journey. Unconsciously knowing, he used the music as a tool for focusing, so that he could stay in the other dimensions and being able to express this.

At the age of six, he found an even more powerful way to express the inner worlds. At his families friends house, he came in contact with the piano, realizing he could create stories, using the keynotes to present different feelings, atmospheres and landscapes. He wanted to take the listener on his journey..telling the story together with the music, taking the listener into his adventure, magic and passion. This is where the seed is sown, and Marcus career sees it's first light.

The experiential with the inner had to take a break when he began secondary school. Now, most of Marcus' energy was focused on the outer world, which was very frightening for him at that time. He was bullied for showing the feminine aspects of his personality. Being scared not to fit in he started to search for an identity that fit in. The fear of others and what they thought was devastating for his creative process. This fear made him stop drawing and listen to the music he used to listen to. Instead he started to copy others, listening to music that was modern. He was drawn to different groups and trying out what they liked to find out who he was in this new environment. At at the same time loosening connection with his true-self in the need of fitting in.

In high-school, life stabilized when he found friends he felt had mutual interest and taste of music. Marcus started to trust himself again and his own feelings, but was still in need of his friends to like him. Nevertheless, this connection made him feel confident and safe enough to once again begin to share his passion for music, drawing and travel into the realms of the inner worlds.

1993 was the year Marcus discovered techno music. He had a life changing experience when he went to his first techno party in Christiania/Copenhagen where dj Hell and Monica Cruse was playing.
Without substances or enhancement, only with music as the carrier. The hypnotic atmosphere made him feel that he was part of a sacred ritual. He cut through his tiredness and fears so that the inner powers that is embodied in all of us, came into life. Deep from within, perceiving this vivid dear inner worlds again, connecting with his true self, as when he was a child, now together with everybody --- this time he was here to stay...
The choice was so natural he didn't even think about questioning it. He had to make that music, tell those stories, get people into that hypnotic state full of life. Soon after he and his friends frenetically started collecting underground techno records, creating their own parties and playing as djs.

With no musical education but a great deal of passion and stubbornness, he learned by doing how to use and manipulate drum machines, sequencers, and synthesizers.
Since 1997 he has been producing music under the name Minilogue and Sonkite together with Sebastian Muellert. Theire career as Son Kite took a quick start when they released their first album in 1999. They where suddenly traveling and playing clubs and festivals worldwide as Son Kite. Mostly on "trance" parties even though they them-selves never put their music under the style "trance".

He feels very blessed for all the travelling and playing worldwide, since 1999. This taught him to deal with his fear for others and for new situations and cultures. He realized that it didn't matter wherever he went, it was his own perception of the world that was playing, everything coming from within manifest in this world.

And now some personal words from Marcus:

"My life has been in a very dramatic change this last years. I think I'm going through some sort of cleaning out… cleaning out my subconscious. This is good but it sometimes get a bit scary and turbulent when there is a lot of change at the same time. I have imposed this onto myself for a number of reasons… but the biggest reason was that I was not happy with my life as it where. It was time to stand up for myself and start to take control over the things that was out of control.
I started experimenting with meditation, yoga and entheogens. Tried a lot of different methods of exploring my inner being. Doing this opened up a lot of new doors and new ways of seeing on the world and life. This was very good for me but I also realized that I had to make some big changes in my life to be able to live it in a more harmonious way… a way that was suitable for my life and tempo.
Sebastian and I have worked together for over 15 years. We have learned so much from each other and I am very greatful for this! We both want to explore new territory within ourselve and have decided to put full focus on our solo projects and only do a few "special" Minilogue shows a year. We are both very happy about this decision
I really learned to stand up for myself and say what I want and what I don't want whithout feeling guilty for wanting it. It's not always easy telling the truth for me… and it is not always easy to know what the truth IS for ME… this is where the meditation, yoga and entheogens have helped me understand and heal myself.
I have been dj'ing since 1993. Gone through many different fazes in music "styles" over the years. Discovering new ones and leaving old ones behind… and after a few years picking up some of the old ones again
But one thing that has always been with me is the search for the hypnotic and psychedelic… the music that makes me go into trance… the music that inspires me to forget about myself and go beyond my normal life.
My first techno years (1993-1996) I went to a lot of parties in Denmark and Sweden without doing any substances at all. I was high on the music alone… dancing for 8-12 hours nonstop… of course I had to go to the toilet a few times .
How could I do this 12 hours dancing withou substances or enhancements???… I was in trance… like the native african people when they do drum ceremonies. I found some sort of power within myself. A power I could not find in my daily life. This is where I got "addicted" to trance! I don't mean the style trance I mean getting into a trance state.

Time passed and 1997 I met Sebastian. We connected and soon after we started the Son Kite and Minilogue projects. I became a musician. This is where I lost the old Marcus who did not think about production, mastering and how to do a techno track. I still had the hypnotic and psychedelic experience in my mind when making the music but it faded away in becoming a famous trance artist.
The electronic dans music scene was changing… so did I.
I felt that everything became more "commercial" and with less soul and passion for the psychedelic and hypnotic state that I was looking for. I did not realize this back then… I was just not happy about the parties anymore.
Back then (2003) we where running 3 labels and a publishing company… AND touring the world every weekend as Son Kite or Minilogue. Everywhere I wen't I got the same feeling… the parties was not as they used to be. I was so into the whole industry that I was not aware that I was forgetting why I did this. Of course there where a few occasions where there was magic but it was rare. I wanted to make the "most" hypnotic set as I possibly could for the crowed so they could leave their restless life behind and go deep into the music and them selves.
In 2001 an organizer in Japan contacted us for a booking. It was for a festival called The Labyrinth. A festival a few hours outside Tokyo. Up in the Japanees mountains. We where so happy to go to Japan for the first time. And I was so happy to see a crowd that really went deep into the music… like the "good" old days! I could feel the joy, hypnotic and psychedelic vibe that I had been looking for since that day back in 1993 .
I got so much inspiration from the Labyrinth festival. This was the start of the journey back and I now remembered why I was doing this "

And now back to the writer….

In 2007 he bought a little house in the forest. A lot of long walks, with the pure inspiration from the nature made an impact on Marcus, he got more patient and his music reflected this and became more spacious. His inner longing for peace and freedom grew, and shortly after, he built his studio there. Both living and working surrounded by nature alone, made it sure that the influences came from within.
The interest for the inner grew stronger and Marcus went deep into meditation and yoga, even becoming a yoga teacher. Today Marcus uses the meditation and yoga as a toolbox. Tools for helping Marcus letting go of his person, and invite Nobody Home.

As a producer, Marcus vision is to create an environment for the listeners' inner journey. He knows it takes time and courage to enter oneself and to fully accept what will be put in the light. Letting go of ones expectations, projections and fears is not always "easy". But when we let ourselves loose and leave all behind we can finally meet our true self. Inspiration to make music he finds in everyday life, it comes in so many ways, like a sample from something that resonates in him, natur-sounds, fellings and so on. The bonus is then to see the people on the dancefloor unleash, play, express and experience themselves when he plays.

Since the beginning of time we Humans have a long history of using different methods of inducing altered, heightened or trance-like states. Like the native humans used rituals, drumming, dancing and chanting to get "into" an trance-like state.
Trances and altered states follow the pattern of a journey: departure, traveling through (inner worlds and dimensions) space, and then returning home.
In the classic shamanic journey traditions, rhythmic drumming, rattling or chanting is used to facilitate the entering into, traveling through and returning from the spirit world.
Research in consciousness and brain function suggest that something called auditory driving or entrainment take place: the rhythmic beat of the drum brings the rhythms of breathing, of the heart, and of the brain into resonance or coherence with each other. This is the same thing happening when we dance together on todays modern clubs.
Another method in shamanic traditions worldwide involves psychoactive, visionary or entheogenic plants or mushrooms to provide an amplification of perception. In classic enteogenic plant ceremonies the ingestion of plant is usually combined with rhythmic drumming and chanting. By the use of hypnotic and deep dance music in combination with psychoactive substances brings in the shamanic journey into todays society.
In modern dance/club culture the use of psychoactive substances is well known, but how to use them in a creative and uplifting way is not… For the one who is traveling deep within, set and setting are very important factors. A safe and friendly environment is crucial, without the "right" circumstances (set and setting) there is more room for negative energies to enter the experience. This put's a responsibility on the event/club organizer…

To go deep within can take some effort. To let go of todays stressful society we need to let go of our preconceptions and roles we play in our daily life. This is where the hypnotic and psychedelic dance music come in (the ritual). The traveller is not bound by time and space or of personality or gender. We travel together to a place where there is no limitations. To a place where we are free. A place where we can be ourself without fear. A place where we all can be co-creators and enjoy ourselves as much as we possibly can.

… and the story continues...