October 5, 2023 • 12 mins
Explore the sonic and frigid landscapes of Yukon with Daniel Janke. Daniel talks European influence, musical influences, the challenges of Canada's vastness, and more.
Featured music:
Dancing Man
Time You Thief
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi everyone, welcome to Notes of the North Talks, a series where we get to know our local
(00:17):
Canadian composer talent.
Today I'm here with Daniel Janke.
Thank you so much Daniel for taking the time to speak with me today.
Hi, my pleasure.
First and foremost, I'd love to get to know your background a little better.
So where in Canada do you call home?
Well I grew up in Ontario and my first involvement in music was gospel music.
(00:43):
I played piano as a young person and then I ended up going to university and studying
music and I played culture bass in the orchestra and became a composer.
Even later on I moved, I live, most of the time now I live in Whitehorse, near Whitehorse,
(01:08):
Yukon, Northern Canada.
But I work a lot of places and you're calling me right now, I'm actually working in Berlin
and Germany for a couple months.
Oh, fascinating.
How do you think working in Europe may have shaped your work?
I don't know, that's hard to say.
I worked a lot in Canada, in Toronto when I lived there and there's more multiculturalism
(01:31):
in Canada than there is in a lot of parts of Europe.
It's really interesting.
Germany has some elements of multiculturalism, a big Turkish community, but a lot of neighbourhoods
aren't multi-ethnic at all.
Whereas in Canada I had much more of a multicultural experience.
(01:53):
If you could describe your musical style in three words, what would they be?
Eclectic, contemporary, improvising.
Those are a couple words.
Interesting.
Could you elaborate a little more?
I have a very eclectic background, music, I work a lot in jazz.
(02:17):
I'm a composer, I do some film scores, I'm currently working, as I mentioned, with some
singers, in a contemporary opera genre.
I played a lot of jazz and recorded jazz, but a lot of the music I play is improvised,
so it's not jazz per se, it's more like improvisational genres that are, they include jazz, but they're
(02:42):
also just free music or that sort of thing.
Interesting.
What are some of your works that you feel best represent this musical style?
Wow, that's a good question.
One piece that I really like is on a recent album I just released called Martha Black's
(03:04):
Real.
It's a piece for solo violin and prepared piano.
Martha Black is on the album called Body in Motion, it's on the center discs.
It's a piece that's kind of compromised, so the piece is scored, but the player has lots
of options how they can play it, so they're also at the same time they're improvising
(03:26):
a little bit as they play.
Interesting.
Well now, if you could describe the Canadian composition style in three words, what would
they be?
I think a lot of music is just described in terms of geography or titled or labeled or
inspired by.
(03:46):
I live in northern Canada and every once in a while this comes in as an influence, but
more in terms of the subject matter or I don't know if it's the actual style of music.
It's really hard to answer.
I'm influenced by some contemporary Canadian composers.
(04:08):
Claude Duvier is one, a French composer who lived in Paris.
I guess R. Murray Schafer would be one who was an English Canadian composer whose music
is often very much associated with the environment.
(04:28):
Do any of your specific compositions connect you closer to Canada, I guess in this geographical
sense or heritage sense?
Are there any of your works that you feel really represents Canada's musical culture?
I just did a piece I wrote a few years ago.
It's called Loon Returns and it's kind of an environmental operetta.
(04:49):
It takes place on a lake.
I would say that's probably about loons.
They're a very Canadian archetypical bird.
That's one piece.
Loon Returns is a kind of piece that we just staged on McLean Lake near Whitehorse, Yukon.
(05:13):
I did an album that is being released in January where I wrote the music as part of a residency
when I was in Northern Canada.
I found myself drawing on things like Winter Ice is one of the pieces.
It's kind of inspired by the sounds the ice makes in the winter underneath the river.
(05:35):
Another piece is called Available Light.
It's kind of inspired by the available light in Northern Canada in the winter, which as
you know, there's less light than there is in the summer.
I think our environment inspires us but not so much specific music styles.
Maybe that's partly because I live most of the time in the middle of nowhere.
(06:00):
I don't teach.
I'm not part of an academic circle.
A lot of my work is done while I'm traveling currently in Germany.
Only your surroundings and Canada's unique landscapes inspire some elements.
We are, in many ways, our environment.
It's a form of environmental determinism, I guess.
(06:24):
What do you think is the role that composers play in Canada's cultural scene?
Whatever they choose, I think.
You make your contribution politically, socially, in whatever way you choose.
Everybody's doing it, I guess.
Definitely composers can be integrated into the scene in various different ways.
(06:47):
Yeah, I mean there's pop music scenes, there's all the different music scenes where some
people are specifically in a genre and that's their thing and that's what they do.
They find success in many ways because they're specific, because they stick with one genre,
one style.
But oftentimes when you think of a composer, they're by definition, they have a broader
(07:13):
application of their skills.
They're doing things similar to what I do.
They're eclectic and diverse in their musical life.
I see.
So a little tougher question, but what has been one of the biggest challenges in your
musical journey?
Well, you know, being a composer is challenging, you know, staying true to whatever your desires
(07:40):
are and the realities of making a living.
That's a challenge.
I feel lucky I've been able to pursue my interests.
Travel in a country like Canada is a challenge.
I'm supposed to do some touring in the New Year and traveling around Canada is, you know,
(08:04):
expensive and arduous and I find it's just as easy to come to Europe.
That's a geographical challenge.
But in general, we have it pretty good in Canada.
Do you find it difficult to appeal since the, I guess, musical audiences are ever changing?
(08:26):
Do you ever find it difficult to write music that appeals to today's audiences?
Well, oftentimes I don't try.
I mean, I'm of a certain generation.
I have a lot of my music comes across as quite young, like in music in the jazz genre or
the new music genre, film music, to fit any generation.
(08:49):
A lot of new music, contemporary music is kind of a smaller niche audience.
One interesting thing is, like my daughter plays music now and I actually just recorded
some tracks for her new album and I helped release the other album.
She plays with a group in Halifax and I really found it interesting.
(09:10):
I'm recording these tracks for my daughter's album and I'm thinking, wow, I hope they like
it.
Because she's a generation that, you know, she's very plugged into kind of pop music
and that genre and that's what she does.
And music may not necessarily be her full time occupation.
She's also a master student, but she is, it's great that she is playing music.
(09:34):
What is this album called?
Sundown.
Yeah, the name of the album is Sundown and the group is called L-A-N-K-E.
I'm not sure when it comes out, but you'll be able to check it out.
Yeah, for sure it will.
So as a final message, is there anything you would like to share with young Canadians?
(09:56):
Well, I would say, think of the art first.
One of the things that I remember them teaching in art school 101, or they should teach it
anyway, is you should know the difference between whether you're in love with the art
in you, or whether you're in love with you in the art.
(10:17):
And obviously the answer is you have to be in love with the art in you.
And that's the thing that's going to keep you going for the long term, being an artist.
And social media and especially pop music genre now, there's a lot of emphasis on the
idea of being in love with oneself in the arts.
(10:40):
There's a cultural sort of impetus.
People can get on social media and promote themselves and create their own persona.
And my advice would be, buck that trend and focus on the art first.
I like that.
Stay true to yourself first.
(11:01):
Find your voice, right?
Put in your 10,000 hours.
Okay.
Thank you so much for taking the time for this interview.
Thanks for calling.
We'll talk again.
Hi everyone, welcome to Notes of the North Talks, a series where we get to know our local
(00:17):
Canadian composer talent.
Today I'm here with Daniel Janke.
Thank you so much Daniel for taking the time to speak with me today.
Hi, my pleasure.
First and foremost, I'd love to get to know your background a little better.
So where in Canada do you call home?
Well I grew up in Ontario and my first involvement in music was gospel music.
(00:43):
I played piano as a young person and then I ended up going to university and studying
music and I played culture bass in the orchestra and became a composer.
Even later on I moved, I live, most of the time now I live in Whitehorse, near Whitehorse,
(01:08):
Yukon, Northern Canada.
But I work a lot of places and you're calling me right now, I'm actually working in Berlin
and Germany for a couple months.
Oh, fascinating.
How do you think working in Europe may have shaped your work?
I don't know, that's hard to say.
I worked a lot in Canada, in Toronto when I lived there and there's more multiculturalism
(01:31):
in Canada than there is in a lot of parts of Europe.
It's really interesting.
Germany has some elements of multiculturalism, a big Turkish community, but a lot of neighbourhoods
aren't multi-ethnic at all.
Whereas in Canada I had much more of a multicultural experience.
(01:53):
If you could describe your musical style in three words, what would they be?
Eclectic, contemporary, improvising.
Those are a couple words.
Interesting.
Could you elaborate a little more?
I have a very eclectic background, music, I work a lot in jazz.
(02:17):
I'm a composer, I do some film scores, I'm currently working, as I mentioned, with some
singers, in a contemporary opera genre.
I played a lot of jazz and recorded jazz, but a lot of the music I play is improvised,
so it's not jazz per se, it's more like improvisational genres that are, they include jazz, but they're
(02:42):
also just free music or that sort of thing.
Interesting.
What are some of your works that you feel best represent this musical style?
Wow, that's a good question.
One piece that I really like is on a recent album I just released called Martha Black's
(03:04):
Real.
It's a piece for solo violin and prepared piano.
Martha Black is on the album called Body in Motion, it's on the center discs.
It's a piece that's kind of compromised, so the piece is scored, but the player has lots
of options how they can play it, so they're also at the same time they're improvising
(03:26):
a little bit as they play.
Interesting.
Well now, if you could describe the Canadian composition style in three words, what would
they be?
I think a lot of music is just described in terms of geography or titled or labeled or
inspired by.
(03:46):
I live in northern Canada and every once in a while this comes in as an influence, but
more in terms of the subject matter or I don't know if it's the actual style of music.
It's really hard to answer.
I'm influenced by some contemporary Canadian composers.
(04:08):
Claude Duvier is one, a French composer who lived in Paris.
I guess R. Murray Schafer would be one who was an English Canadian composer whose music
is often very much associated with the environment.
(04:28):
Do any of your specific compositions connect you closer to Canada, I guess in this geographical
sense or heritage sense?
Are there any of your works that you feel really represents Canada's musical culture?
I just did a piece I wrote a few years ago.
It's called Loon Returns and it's kind of an environmental operetta.
(04:49):
It takes place on a lake.
I would say that's probably about loons.
They're a very Canadian archetypical bird.
That's one piece.
Loon Returns is a kind of piece that we just staged on McLean Lake near Whitehorse, Yukon.
(05:13):
I did an album that is being released in January where I wrote the music as part of a residency
when I was in Northern Canada.
I found myself drawing on things like Winter Ice is one of the pieces.
It's kind of inspired by the sounds the ice makes in the winter underneath the river.
(05:35):
Another piece is called Available Light.
It's kind of inspired by the available light in Northern Canada in the winter, which as
you know, there's less light than there is in the summer.
I think our environment inspires us but not so much specific music styles.
Maybe that's partly because I live most of the time in the middle of nowhere.
(06:00):
I don't teach.
I'm not part of an academic circle.
A lot of my work is done while I'm traveling currently in Germany.
Only your surroundings and Canada's unique landscapes inspire some elements.
We are, in many ways, our environment.
It's a form of environmental determinism, I guess.
(06:24):
What do you think is the role that composers play in Canada's cultural scene?
Whatever they choose, I think.
You make your contribution politically, socially, in whatever way you choose.
Everybody's doing it, I guess.
Definitely composers can be integrated into the scene in various different ways.
(06:47):
Yeah, I mean there's pop music scenes, there's all the different music scenes where some
people are specifically in a genre and that's their thing and that's what they do.
They find success in many ways because they're specific, because they stick with one genre,
one style.
But oftentimes when you think of a composer, they're by definition, they have a broader
(07:13):
application of their skills.
They're doing things similar to what I do.
They're eclectic and diverse in their musical life.
I see.
So a little tougher question, but what has been one of the biggest challenges in your
musical journey?
Well, you know, being a composer is challenging, you know, staying true to whatever your desires
(07:40):
are and the realities of making a living.
That's a challenge.
I feel lucky I've been able to pursue my interests.
Travel in a country like Canada is a challenge.
I'm supposed to do some touring in the New Year and traveling around Canada is, you know,
(08:04):
expensive and arduous and I find it's just as easy to come to Europe.
That's a geographical challenge.
But in general, we have it pretty good in Canada.
Do you find it difficult to appeal since the, I guess, musical audiences are ever changing?
(08:26):
Do you ever find it difficult to write music that appeals to today's audiences?
Well, oftentimes I don't try.
I mean, I'm of a certain generation.
I have a lot of my music comes across as quite young, like in music in the jazz genre or
the new music genre, film music, to fit any generation.
(08:49):
A lot of new music, contemporary music is kind of a smaller niche audience.
One interesting thing is, like my daughter plays music now and I actually just recorded
some tracks for her new album and I helped release the other album.
She plays with a group in Halifax and I really found it interesting.
(09:10):
I'm recording these tracks for my daughter's album and I'm thinking, wow, I hope they like
it.
Because she's a generation that, you know, she's very plugged into kind of pop music
and that genre and that's what she does.
And music may not necessarily be her full time occupation.
She's also a master student, but she is, it's great that she is playing music.
(09:34):
What is this album called?
Sundown.
Yeah, the name of the album is Sundown and the group is called L-A-N-K-E.
I'm not sure when it comes out, but you'll be able to check it out.
Yeah, for sure it will.
So as a final message, is there anything you would like to share with young Canadians?
(09:56):
Well, I would say, think of the art first.
One of the things that I remember them teaching in art school 101, or they should teach it
anyway, is you should know the difference between whether you're in love with the art
in you, or whether you're in love with you in the art.
(10:17):
And obviously the answer is you have to be in love with the art in you.
And that's the thing that's going to keep you going for the long term, being an artist.
And social media and especially pop music genre now, there's a lot of emphasis on the
idea of being in love with oneself in the arts.
(10:40):
There's a cultural sort of impetus.
People can get on social media and promote themselves and create their own persona.
And my advice would be, buck that trend and focus on the art first.
I like that.
Stay true to yourself first.
(11:01):
Find your voice, right?
Put in your 10,000 hours.
Okay.
Thank you so much for taking the time for this interview.
Thanks for calling.
We'll talk again.
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