The acoustic guitar, which has become one of Erik’s trademarks, plays the leading role on Movies on a string. The melodies are known from the world of the movies but the interpretations are free. 

“I got the idea for this album when I saw Rambo-First Blood in the fall of 2007. This is a movie were the score is brilliantly interwoven and character-enhancing. The music is also very energetic and rhythmically interesting. Hulk is a great action movie for childish people like myself. The main musical theme is brilliant and makes up half the movie if you ask me! It´s not particularly “guitar-friendly” and was an interesting challenge to arrange, Erik says. 

Movies on a string contains interpretations of well-known melodies like The Godfather and Now we are free from Gladiator. “In the melody Cabaret you can hear me in a more jazzy style than usual”. On the last track, the famous Duelling Banjos from the pulse-pounding ordeal Deliverance. Erik plays his “banjo” with a single pick in a guitar-ish style. Mono, Lo-Fi recording. 

On the new album Live the life of a star, Erik Borelius creates a totally new breadth in his music with epic encounters between different instruments, styles and voices. He mixes beautiful, suggestive, tracks and innovative thought provoking lyrics with pirouettes from his nylon strings. The acoustic guitar, which has become one of Eric’s trademarks, is of course present on the new album.

"It was a natural development for me to start singing, and even more so after the encouraging reception of my previous album. I now feel that I have an additional instrument that has helped me develop and vary myself", Erik comments.

When work on Erik's latest album, the collection Guitar, was coming to a close he felt it was time for something new. Erik has always enjoyed singing and was curious to hear what it would sound like if he composed from the basis of his own voice - if he made songs that suited him. "It's a completely different matter to make music with vocals. The voice in itself gives room for so many emotions. With the guitar it can be harder to reach all the way. Because of that composing was easier and more pleasurable than I had anticipated. With the voice, possibilities are unlimited - you can use it as a background, rhythm-instrument, choir or bass. Creatively it is the ultimate instrument", Erik says.

His lyrics deal with unusual subjects. For example he writes about the older generation that is forgotten by their children in Woman on the floor. The romantic The fan is a story about a boy who worships a soccer-hero and how he gathers courage to contact his idol. In the title-tune What is success? he gives a description of how humans have a tendency to value success and happiness in terms of money and assets.

The album is unusual in that eleven completely new versions of Erik's favourite melodies are included. They are not remastered or remixed, but completely remade, from scratch. In addition, "Erik Borelius - Guitar" includes five original recordings and one completely new track. In total there are17 tracks and more than 73 minutes of music!

Usually Erik is a sceptic when it comes to collections. He feels that every album has it's own style and sound. At the same time, making a collection felt like a logical step after releasing six albums and Erik was inspired by the idea of recording the tracks from scratch and allowing them to be influenced by the feelings and the knowledge that he has today.

With the new recordings, Erik has taken his original intentions with the melodies one step further. Much of the material has therefore received a new sound: "Duende" has become an even more heavy-beat spaghetti western track. The Flamenco guitarist Alberto Vicente helps put more heat into "Säg inte nej, Señorita" (Eng. "Don't say no, Señorita"). More action has been added to the Bond inspired track "My Kind of Picture" and the melodies from Perfect Partners and Fantasy have been refined and received a richer character.

Erik was very excited when he saw a book full of naivistic drawings by art director Johan Adelstål. "This is how I want the cover to look!" And so it was done! Every illustration and all the text in the 24 page booklet has been specially made for the album by Johan Adelstål!

One could state that reality bites! But you create your own reality. Mine is filled with music. When I enjoy music the most it is like a dream or a fantasy in which I travel. And because "Reality Bites" I have to - and that is probably one of the best things with my job - work hard to remain a disciplined dreamer!

To me, music speaks a more clear language when it is free from verbal communication. When my mother gave me a little book with English poetry two years ago I came to think differently. This language had an intangible beauty and flowed in a way that inspired me to put music to the words. The poems focus on matters that are eternal questions for mankind!

"The Minstrel-boy" by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) tells the story of the minstrel that goes to war, gets captured and chained. He tears the chords of his harp and says: "Your songs were made for the brave and free, They shall never sound in slavery". The spirit of art can never be imprisoned! "Remember" by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894). Is about the fear of being forgotten when you reach "the silent land". A uncompromising desire to be remembered. But it has to be happy memories. Better to forget and be happy than to remember with sadness.

"Ms.SWE" - "Mother Sweden" is out of sorts. Nothing is like it was in the great old days. Silent sighs from the surrounding world when they look at Svea. Diamond clear and honest in the past, tired and worn out today. The whole world misses its guide of conscience through time and space! "Nobody Knows" - a question to everybody that believes in a god: Should you worship a being that can see all the pain and fear on the earth but despite its inexhaustible powers takes no action against it?

The instrumental music is not forgotten! "2Cult" - Nordic harmonies meets Latin temper. "Mexico" - a sweaty story about six unowned horses (guitars) struggling across The Gran Desierto in northwestern Mexico. "Pacific" has a recurring theme that everything circles around and takes its energy from. Like the ocean. "Action" is a mix of tv-thriller music and hard rock. You may smile! The old villain Blofeld is back with his purring Persian cat.

The Setting. The elevator up to fifth floor. Thin walls from the early functional-style period. Lonely tones can be perceived. 44 square meters; studio, guitars everywhere. 17 degrees Celsius in the winter, 30 in the summer. Riddarfjärden ("Bay of Knights" in the middle of Stockholm) glitters and inspires. "My Kind Of Picture" has to a great extent been created under the influence of the environment in which it was made.

As the title "My Kind Of Picture" reveals Erik has, on this his fifth album, been thinking in pictures while composing: "Oceans May" - the power of the ocean is absolute. Waves against a desert beach. The sun is dark, dark red. "Silent Reunion" - pure and simple romance. "Northern Lights" - far away but yet so close. Northern lights was played every morning in Swedish Television between 1996-2000. Spreads light but also sadness. The title and title melody is a declaration of love to the motion picture that in its way of expression is related to the music.

SWEDISH GRAMMY-NOMINATION IN THE INSTRUMENTAL GENRÉ

"Duende" is, to a great extent, recorded on Ljusterö (an island) in the Stockholm archipelago looking out over the mighty Saxar bay. The nature there and environment has influenced me a lot and it has been a purpose of mine, in many of the melodies on "Duende", to try to describe the feelings I have by the shores of Saxar bay. For example in "Skymningsfjärd" ("Bay of twilight"). On "Duende" I mix different styles of music; the title song is inspired by a spaghetti western and in "Säg inte nej Senorita" ("Don´t say no senorita") you can hear Spanish flamenco influences.

I have tried to capture the Nordic melancholy in Hugo Alfvéns "Midsommarvaka" ("Midsummer-nightwatch") and "Fat Pal Party" is more of a jazz melody.

Aare Pöder is the name of the skillful keyboard player from Estonia who embellishes the melodies with his playing. "Hymn" is his own composition. On "Midsommarvaka" Aare plays on a 70 year old school organ. If you hear anything hissing it is him pumping air to the pipes. On the whole there is a chance that you can hear the wooden floor moving, when I stamp the beat or when the wind is howling against the window. In my opinion these sounds connect the music with reality. Not like in a soundproof room were the tone dies without effects. "Tiden står stilla där jag vill vara" - ("The time stands still were I want to be") is an unusual melody for me - I am singing!

It doesn't follow a common verse-chorus concept but it has an important message. Seize the day!

SWEDISH GRAMMY-WINNER IN THE INSTRUMENTAL GENRE

On "Sex Tio två", my third album, the acoustic guitar once again takes the leading roll. For me, its direct, natural feel is preferable to that of the electric.

Exhilarated melancholy, a feeling I love and try to convey, is easier to express with the acoustic guitar. On "Sex Tio Två" all the titles are in Swedish. There is a thought and source of inspiration behind that. A few examples; "Ebba Brun" ("Ebba" is a Swedish name. "Brun" means brown) - Ebba was the name of my family's brown Vorsteh dog, a happy, ball-crazy dog. "Gonda Strålar" ("Gonda" is a fantasy name. "Strålar" are beams)- is what I call the cleanest light, the light of dawn. "Dansadin..." ("Now you dance, you son of...") - is referring to the love-hate relationship I have with the guitar. Strictly but fairly it tells me - "practice more and I will give you what you want".

Two years ago Erik's first LP "Perfect Partners" was released. A debut LP that got a fantastic reception with plaudits like "A new star" (GP), "Outstanding musicality" (OJ), "Debut above the norm" (SvD). "Fantasy" is the name of his second LP, and just as on the first all the material is his own - the music and the lyrics.

Most of the album is instrumental and naturally it is dominated by Erik's guitar playing. He is autodidactic. Hard training over the years has given him a fantastic technique and on this album the turns are a little wider. 

It all started with organ, guitar and drums in a basement in Malmoe, in southern Sweden, eight years ago. Jens Johansson playing the organ, his brother, Anders on the drums and myself on the guitar (Both Jens and Anders are now in the U.S playing in Yngwie Malmsteens band.) The songs had titles like "The kidney-dead punk boots", "Respirator slime", "Asphalt in your ear" and "Parrot illness". The music was just as sick!

Today I am 23, I live in Stockholm and my taste for music has changed over the years. The music is more healthy and the titles have a different character. As for example "No Fool", "Never Been To France", "My Friend", "For Free", "Soft Sea", "Sun, Summer", "Black Sunday" and "Devils Cry" - melodies from my first LP.

Up to the fall of 1982 I only played the electric guitar. An all-night jam session with one of the best acoustic guitar players in Sweden made me think differently. I realized that the sound and the temperament of the acoustic guitar suited my way of composing and improvising. After doing my military service I began playing full time in the fall of 1983. Being with a guitar eight hours a day is quite demanding. But I felt that I had no choice. In the summer of 1984 I sent a demo to EMI and it was a wonderful feeling when I got word that EMI was interested and there was probably an LP-production in the pipeline.

What I know about music, I have learned through listening. I am completely self-taught and I have always felt a great need to compose. I want my music to tell a story. The most important thing is to have intensity variations in the melodies so the story moves forward. Many people think that musicians with extreme technique lack feeling. For me it's the exact opposite. Good technique means that I can realize musical ideas without stumbling on the strings. It feels as if I skip the step between the idea and the result; i.e. the technical presentation.