You combine the kanklės, a traditional Lithuanian stringed instrument, with electronics and Indrė's soft vocals. Is this basic recipe still in order? 

Bert: There is not really a basic recipe, we just make what we like. Some pieces are based on traditional Lithuanian folk songs like Lopšinė (an old Lithuanian lullaby) and others like Kouma on our own compositions. The kanklės is a big reference point, but other things can also serve as a basis: field recordings, synths, voice sampling or a feeling that triggers us. 

You've been making music together for more than a decade and should know each other's weaknesses and strengths inside out by now. Or can you still surprise each other? 

Bert: Definitely. You keep evolving, both as a person in your own life, and musically. Almost inevitably you start to seek out new things. We've both dived more into eletronics, both on kanklės and by using synths. Bit of changing colours, looking for new song structures, new sounds and we were in the studio this time with a lot of guest musicians.   

On top of that comes the joy of making a new song. Finding something out of nowhere, cherry-picking an idea out of thin air. You never know when you're going to find a song. It could be in something very small, then you go with that and that becomes a song. It’s magic. 

“Every sonic choice feeling deliberate but sitting loosely enough to feel natural.” writes a Scottish culture magazine about Vėjula. What criteria do you use to give an idea a place in a song? Do you each have a veto? 

Bert: That goes very naturally. We build a space for which everyone provides a stick. And then when it's finished, someone says ‘wait I want some leaves and moss here’. It's always nice to have someone's input, not necessarily just Indre's. I showed the record when it was almost finished to a few friends, rather to feel how that music resonates. Something changes in music when you listen to it together.   

You're also credited as a producer. So, much of the overall atmosphere on Vėjula is down to you. Did you have a listening moment or place in mind for the listener?  I envision a space where the light increases rather than decreases. Rather a morning record than an evening one. 

Bert: Funny, because our 2018 record, Naktės, we recorded only at night. This record rather represents wonder and the creation of something new. For us, Vėjula means a spirit of the wind, a new influx. Can definitely fit well in the morning, but also try it in the evening.

Vėjula is described as ‘a self-styled musical rebirth’. In what sense has it broken with the past? 

Bert: Not so much broken, but rather built on. Mainly thanks to those collaborations. We already collaborated on Salos with the choir Jaunu Muzika and Shahzad Ismaily, but that still remained much in our hands. For Vėjula, we dove into the studio together and created spontaneously together. We both do like improv in the moment.  

Indeed, we already saw multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily by your side and he will join you at Bozar on 1 December. How did you get to know each other?  

Bert: We met him in 2018 at the PEOPLE Festival organised by The National and Bon Iver. That festival was meant to be a creation space for 170 musicians. There were no rules. Everyone was allowed to do what they wanted, but at the end of the week there was a festival for whoever wanted to play. In the beginning, no one knew what to do, but as the weekend came, everyone wanted to play with everyone. Since then, we have continued to meet Shahzad on different continents and it has become a friendship. Something so precious, we cherish that.  

What do you admire about him?  

Bert: Shahzad is in demand by a lot of musicians because he knows better than anyone how to create in the moment. He plays many different instruments and takes musical turns that never cease to amaze. I feel that he always starts from a kind of zero point and not from the idea ‘I am a musician so I play this and that’. Shahzad is just an incredible magician.  

It doesn't stop there, on the album we also hear Bill Frisell, Laraaji, Toma Gouband and Craig Taborn. Quite the line-up! 

Bert: Bill, Laraaji and Craig joined us at the last minute without us having a plan. We were in Brooklyn, NY with Shazhad at his Figure 8 studio and then just called them up asking ‘can you join us next 3 days?’. That's how that happened, kind of old school. Just diving into the studio, no plan, and making some music.  

To what extent do you still see Merope as a duo?    

Bert: For now it starts from Indrė and me, but I see Merope more as a sound. Indrė and I both come from the improv world, ranging from jazz, Indian classical music, African music... That love for the moment remains. Live, we also improvise large parts of our set. The openness to the moment and playing together with people continues to inspire.   

Do you have a favourite track?  

Bert: There is a story behind every track that I like. But I would choose Vija. A lovely solo kanklės track. It is an ode to the instrument and brings poetry and peace. It sounds like the essence to me, it can go very directly to your ears and heart.  

To conclude, let's zoom in on the colourful album cover. Who is the artist behind it?  

Bert: Our artworks are created by Indian artist Avinash Veeraraghavan. He draws from digital collages that are turned into an embroidery. This does tie in with Merope; a mix of many worlds. Not knowing what is what gives way to imagination.  

It also reminds me of the moment when you look outside and see everything swarming: bikes, houses, nature, people, the sky... so much to see. That's how I like to see our music too. Something you can dwell on, just look at and make your own world out of.