Where are you currently based?
I’m currently based in Bergen, Norway. I moved here 10 years ago to study and ended up moving here permanently. It’s actually one of the cities in Norway with the most rain. Guess that helps out if you want to sit inside and make music 🙂
What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been so far?
Oh, where to begin. The past year has been pretty special. I’ve had sessions over Teams and been at home for the most part. Really looking forward to start playing festivals and shows again!
How did you first start playing music?
I started as a DJ just for fun in 2009, and after a couple of years I decided to try out producing. A lot of YouTube tutorials and so on. I still perform as a DJ, but my main focus is producing at the moment.
Lovespeake and yourself have a new single ‘Me In The Middle’ on the way, how did you come to collaborate with Lovespeake?
We first met at a songwriting camp hosted by Sony Music in Oslo. Made a quick demo together and decided to work again later. So, when I heard his draft of “Me In The Middle” I was sold!
What influenced the sound and songwriting for this track?
We want the listener to feel energized and listen to the track when they try to achieve a goal. At the gym, studies, work etc. I think this motivation helped us shape the track to how it sounds today. I heard our first demo over and over at the gym and came up with new ideas every time.
How did Lovespeake and yourself create Me In The Middle?
I heard his vocal draft of the song in the end of 2019. We sat a session with Jesper Borgen in Oslo and met up to write new verses and start to set the arrangement. Later we worked over Teams and sent ideas back and forth. We tried to set a couple of sessions in Oslo during the pandemic, but every date we planned landed on a new quarantine, so we finished it with online sessions. Luckily, we had similar ideas for the track, so this didn´t slow us down.
What programs/instruments did you use?
I work in Ableton Live, and on this project I used a lot of Serum and Kontakt for the “future bass”-sound with decapitator/devil-loc to crush the synths a little extra. For the verses and pre-chorus Jesper Borgen played piano/guitar over the synths to get the human feel, and then we fooled around with different recordings of stuff in the studio to make the percussion unique.
How did you approach the recording/
We did the vocal recordings at Jesper´s studio in Oslo, and I also presented my first draft of the drop there. After that I continued the production at home and we sent the files to each other. The master is done by Chris Samson at Propeller Mastering in Oslo.
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creative process?
The distance is of course the biggest challenge in this situation, and I think the most rewarding is that I learned to do online sessions. Have a few really nice ideas ready.
What do you like to do away from music?
Now that we have a lot of snow here in Norway, I like to spend time skiing in the mountains. It´s one of the few activities we can do and still keep the social distancing.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I´ve been listening to Seeb´s new album lately. It´s so good.
What’s planned for 2021
I do have some festivals planned, but we will have to see how the pandemic goes and hope for the best. Other than that, I´m very excited to release some new music this year!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
I love the food at Fly Chicken in Bergen. Fried chicken burger with jalapeno fries. Best there is!
