Daniel Avery aka Stopmakingme arrives to the second Honki Ponki party at Nolla on Saturday 12.5. When not DJing in London and around the world, Daniel spends his times inside his studio full of analogue equipment producing remixes for Hercules And Love Affair or Metronomy and releases for such labels as Tigersushi, Gomma, How The Other Half Lives and Relish. We caught up with him for a quick interview.

What's the difference between your moniker Stopmakingme and Daniel Avery?

Stopmakingme was my first foray into electronic music, my first project that grew into something much bigger than I ever imagined it could.
I never planned on using it for long. I feel like I've found my 'sound' and my place so the time feels right to step out with my real name.

How's the club scene in London nowadays?

The last few years have been tough (as they have been all over the world) but I feel positive about it now. All the clubs and nights which really cared about the music and weren't fake have survived and come out stronger than ever. A club like Fabric, for instance (where I'm lucky enough to be a resident), is more exciting than it's ever been.

You run a series of three events called Movement Club in London this year, could you tell more about these?

Movement Club is a new night I've started with Matt Walsh where we get to play whatever we want. We've found a great, small venue in Dalston called Hysteria. It will always be very cheap to get in and we'll have a secret guest every time but we will NEVER announce who they are. The idea is that people come early and get into a whole night of music, hang out with friends and then see a true master DJ play in a super intimate setting. Our first secret guest was Andrew Weatherall and the feedback was amazing. It feels really exciting.

http://www.mixcloud.com/dazed/movement-club-exclusive-mix/

Could you tell a word about the Kill 'Em All label/clubnight?

Kill Em All was a night started by my good friends the Filthy Dukes close to ten years ago with the idea of putting live bands on with DJs who all share the same energy. It's a common idea now but KEA has always had some special lineups. I've been a part of their family since I've been in London and it's been great.
The Dukes have now launched their own label from the night and have signed some amazing things - it's going  to be a good year for Kill Em All.

As summer is arriving are you playing at many festivals? Do you enjoy club or festival stages?

Yeah, I'm busier than I've ever been before. I love playing big stages and I also love playing tiny basements. Every single gig is different and that's what makes it exciting.

What can we expect from you still this year? Some new remixes or tracks coming up?

Lots of music! My Movement EP will be out on Throne Of Blood at the end of May and I've got a new record with Justin Robertson coming out on Gomma in June. There will also be some more releases which I can't talk about yet but I'm incredibly excited about them.

 

Have you been to Finland before? Do you have any expectations on Helsinki?
 

I've never been and I cannot wait! I hear that the crowds are great there.

What can we expect to hear you play at Nolla?

 

Psychedelic acid body movement.

 

Saturday's guest DJ is Emir Krkic from the disco-not-disco trio Name In Lights, who are featured on Andrew Weatherall's new compilation for Ministry of Sound. Emir also has his solo project Muslim Disco Club where he draws inspiration from Bosnian music of his childhood and the Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid. Besides pushing the boundaries in contemporary dance music, Emir runs the popular world music radio show Ajvar in Stockholm.

You have been a part of the club scene in Stockholm for some time now. Tell us a little about your background as a DJ. How did you get together with David Iriogyen and Filip Johnsson from FEED and Name In Lights?

 

The Name In Lights track Ur Oskunni is featured on Andrew Weatherall's new mix-CD Masterpiece. Does this feel like a breakthrough for you? What will be the next step for Name In Lights?

 

– I think this is just the beginning for us, really. What we've made after that song has been yet another step forward. Right now we're waiting for Axel Boman to finish a remix for our debut on Wurst that will be released some time before this summer. Then a remix of ours of a track by Capablanca and T. Keller on Gomma is on its way and another one of the Swedish progg-band Samling.

 

 

Beside your dance music-oriented projects you also run the radio show Ajvar together with a few other world music enthusiasts. Do you separate these styles or do you also serve some ajvar when playing disco and house?

 

– When I DJ alone I tend to play quite versatile sets. If the crowd seems to be up for it I can really flip out.

 

What's happening over at the FEED Records headquarters? Do you have any new releases coming up soon?

 

– Well, what happened was that we spent crazy amounts of money on nice looking covers and quality vinyl so we blew our budget. So what we're working on now is a way to at least break even on the vinyl records. But we have a lot of material from all kinds of sources.

 

Will we see a new Muslim Disco Club record any time soon? Rumor has it that you are working on a full-length album.

 

– There is a completed album over at Masa's on Traveller Records. I guess he's busy with other things at the moment but we'll se what happens.

 

 

What are your plans for the rest of 2012 music wise?

 

– We have to find a new studio. That's our main priority right now. Then I will be working on new material for Muslim Disco Club. With Name In Lights we will try not to accept too many remix jobs with tight deadlines.

 

Finally, can you give some examples of records that you plan on playing on Saturday?

 

– Estrelar by Marcos Valle, a couple of new things from Name In Lights and unreleased Muslim Disco Club material of course. Disko Kebap is also a must.

 

 

 

Interview by Mattias Lodding

 

Named as one of their heroes by modern Norwegian disco greats Todd Terje and Prins Thomas, Dj Strangefruit aka Pål Nyhus might just be one of the most influential underground dj's of the Norwegian scene. He's been spinning records in his distinctive style for almost 30 years. In the last ten years, he's been making waves with his own music and remixes as one part of the genre-breaking, hard-to-put-into-words Mungolian Jetset duo. As you might guess, his interviews are a bit outside of the box, too.

Both Todd Terje and Prins Thomas have named you as one of their heroes and have told you influenced them from early on. Still, your early career is not so well known outside of Norway. Care to shed light on how you started?

I started out as a bedroom dj in the mid-eighties, and this was in the early days of hip-hop and house. Being raised in a small village in rural Norway, I wasn`t exactly roaming the streets of N.Y.C. , but still somehow, parts of that music came to me through the airwaves or on mysterious tapes with no track names, literally appearing out of the blue. I am not from a specific musical family, so it must have come to me from a spaceship. Anyway, the kind of funky synthesizer music that was around that time caught my immediate attention, as it felt completely new, fresh and modern. Something that was meant for me and my generation. This may have reached me even more powerfully, due to my rather un-urban environments – I mean, I`m from the bush, and hearing stuff like Afrika Bambaataa or early Mantronix to Soft Cell, George Clinton or the spacey dub mixes of the time, just seemed very exotic and inspiring to a farmboy like me. We were maybe four to five people in my hometown diggin` this shit, and one of them was actually Thomas, though he was a few years younger than me.

Did you learn from someone yourself or were you in the first wave of the Norwegian dj'ing?

I was probably of the first wave of the mixing dj's over here, or part of the first norwegian dj's who actually explored dj culture on its own terms. Most of the dj's playing in Norway at the time had to play much more commercial oriented, like a live jukebox. And to be prepared for every kind of situation. That`s why I really stayed bedroom till the early nineties, where the club scene started to take off and I could present the styles I was really about. I was pretty much self learned.

When you play records for years, the glamour of the dj life and surrounding hype tends to go away. What are the great experiences that have kept you going?

I don`t really know what kind of great experiences get me going, as djing can be a pain in the arse. I guess I am on a mission. When it`s great it`s great, and then you really appreciate it, and when it`s shit, you just forget about it. But, I would not want to do this if it wasn`t for the urge to present my version of how music should be presented.

Mungolian Jetset's Moon Jocks and Prog Rocks contains a description of a lame clubbing experience. When the song progresses, we leave that dull place for the outer space where better, proggy music is played. Is the song a statement of what a dj night should be?

I would say it`s more about a dj night seen through the eyes of someone who accidentally trips on DMT (a psychedelic drug), as the story deals with way more crazy and fatal experiences than any club night would hold. It is also a homage to the more progressive-sounding kind of disco that came out of Europe, Canada and U.S.A. circa 76-77. You know, the 20-minutes, five-parted epics from producers like Moroder, Cerrone, Alec R.Constandinos, Gino Soccio, Celso Valli and others.

Can you describe what kind of atmosphere you want to create as a dj?

Well, ideally, I`d like to create an atmosphere of music from the past, present and future, fully integrated as one current, fresh-looking MILF of sounds, with the emphasis put on the moods rather than the specific genres and styles. But it may be a hard task to achieve.

I've been quite a fan of your mixes. You tend to play a really eclectic set of disco-ish, acoustically rhytmic stuff. There's a lot of different langueges and styles. Have you always been playing these weird records, or did you get tired at some point to playing mainstream songs?

Well, thanks. I often do hear that I play weird stuff, but funnily, I don`t necessarily find these records weird myself. But maybe that says more about me than the music. Anyway, music that is weird for weird`s sake is the least interesting on my list. I`d rather say that some of the music I play/like may be eccentric or colorful. But, a lot of the older records that sounds oddball or weird today, were probably made with a complete different intention. A lot of the weirder 70`s and 80`s stuff were probably intended as commercial hit records, and some of them were, while others gloriously failed.

But, I have always liked music that is a bit off the wall. Usually, those records have a tendency to stand the test of time, just because they are so different, or multi-faceted. And the best of these records are great because they are in-between genres, or fusions of styles, or simply, out of time. The inclusion of different languages and rhythms just add to the colours, as opposed to five hours of relentless jammings of electronic instrumental sketches made on Ableton Live. Then again I do like my portions of that too.

What's your most oddball record?

I don`t actually own this record on vinyl, but the most oddball album I have ever heard is "Cosmic Remembrance" by Kali Bahlu. It`s too sick to even describe and totally ridiculous in an always scary manner. It`s infamous even within the "outsider / incredible strange music" scene, and for a good reason…

There's a lot of humor in Mungolian Jetset records and in your sets too. Why is it important to you?

I don`t intentionally use humor in our music or my sets to stir up laughs. Stand-up comedians do that better. But, I do like to spice things up with a healthy dose of absurdism or surrealism. In the end, I believe it`s about craving some kind of freedom. And it is also about the in-between, like stepping on a borderline. You know, the borderline between the ridiculous and serious, the cheesy and the credible, the lightweight and the darker heavy, the good and the daft. The art and the fart, and best of all…a bit of both in the same pot.

Todd Terje said in Resident Advisor's interview that he learned from you that it's was fine to play Madonna too, and not just really eclectic records. Can you elaborate on that side of your dj style?

You can play your cool underground records as much as you want to, but it does not hide away the fact that most crowds won`t know the heck about any of these records, but they do know their Madonna, or Michael Jackson, Prince, Beyonce or Dolly Parton, and they will recognize a funny jamaican cover of "Billie Jean" or a cumbia version of "Do Ya Think I`m Sexy". And the inclusion of some of this, in an otherwise supacool underground set, will usually get the crowds a bit more appreciative.

Can you give like three examples of what kind of tunes we could expect from you at Nolla?

Hmm, I feel the need to come up with something catchy now. There will be the "Jeez-Wow-Whew!" tunes, the "Oh-my-Gawd!" tunes, and the utter special "Finnish Delights with Love from Norway" tunes. There will also be a couple of turds to highlight the average ones.

Give us some news, new remixes or projects coming up?

We already have a new chapter in the Mungolian Jetset saga coming up soon. It`s an album entitled "Mungodelics", sort of a follow-up to the "We Gave It Away…" comp, as it features a blend of originals, remakes and collaborations. I have also done some other work with the norwegian, Punani SS collective, and a collaboration with Mugwump.

DJ Strangefruit in BIS

Mungolian Jetset HQ

Interview by Petri Rautiainen

A classically trained musician who became deeply involved in the Stockholm club scene. On Saturday Nerd Network brings you Yourhighness, one half of Rollerboys that have been throwing parties since 2006 as well as running the world's only "epic disco" label. Besides that Johannes Wikström, as his real name is, produces analog-sounding house tracks together with Elias Raam as Ultracity.

What's happening with Rollerboys and Ultracity? You recently had a release party for the compilation "Epic Disco Vol 2" but it doesn't seem to have hit record shops or the internet yet.

– That's right. My partner Måns from Rollerboys organised the whole party at Under Bron and booked Mark E who played a fantastic DJ set. In addition, Ultracity played live. The reason the record isn't out is that we are waiting for a track by Prins Thomas. It should be finished very soon and the record will come out in May.

Since autumn you run the night Werq at Slakthuset in Stockholm together with Mark Seven and Måns Ericson. How are those nights coming along? How do find the clubs in Stockholm in general right now?

– Some nights have been really good and others OK. I think Stockholm's club scene has become much stronger over the last years. Partly because of Slakthuset, Under Bron and Trädgården, but also due to half legal initiatives such as Renseriet and The Office. It also seems like the club kids of today are fine with going out in the outskirts of the city as in the gold old rave times in the beginning of the '90s.

How come you went from being a violinist singing in a music class in school to getting into dance music? Was it the string arrangements in disco music that caught your interest?

– I'm appealed to disco because of its beautiful melodies and elegant harmonies. In disco there are many different expressions – everything from grandiose string-disco to electronic dub-disco. Yes, there is so much of it that is incredibly well produced and, for its time, progressive.

 

Which DJs and producers have influenced you most over the years? What kind of music have they opened your ears for?

 

– I've been hanging out a lot at Mika Snickars' shop from the day he opened Snickars Records. From him I've learnt very much about everything from disco to kraut rock, but more than anything to be open to all kinds of music and mix it.

 

 

– The musicians and artists that have been most important to me regardless of genre are: Arthur Russell, Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Larry Heard, Larry Levan, Steve Reich, Gustav Mahler, Surgeon and Arvo Pärt.

 

– Regarding DJs who have inspired me they are foremost: Jeff Mills, Larry Levan, Daniele Baldelli, DJ Harvey, Rub n' Tug, Inigo Kennedy, Derrick May and Grovskopa. I really like DJs who play cohesive crossover sets such as DJ Harvey for example, but on a technical level I'm very fascinated by techno-DJs on three decks or more.

 

House influences seem to be more prominent in both your DJ sets and the music of Ultracity. Are you transforming into a house-DJ?

 

– Well, I've been in the club environment since 1993 and back then a lot of house and techno was played. In 1995 I started playing records and I've always played eclectic – everything from latin, disco and rock to house and Detroit techno. During the '90s I definitely played more pure house-sets in relation to how I play today. I like to blend styles and it's often a mix of house and disco, but that varies of course from time to time.

 

– Ultracity consists of me and Elias Raam who has produced house and disco since the late '90s under his Slippery People and Arken projects, with Adeva and Leroy Burgess among others. We took up the house thing again in 2009 with Resurrection on the EP Utopia (Rollerboys Recordings) so you could say we are elaborating on that now.

 

 

You have been touring quite a lot with Rollerboys and Ultracity – from clubs in Berlin to Tokyo to Minsk. Which clubs have you enjoyed the most and why?

 

– The time Rollerboys played in Tokyo at Milk with Force of Nature was amazing. Rollerboys have also had many epic gigs in Berlin at clubs such as Broken Hearts Club and Cookies. The night Ultracity played with Bogdan Irkük at Bar Druzhba in Saint Petersburg was also great.

 

As a man of old school sounds, what do you think of today's dance music? Are you following any particular labels and artists?

 

– As a man of the old school I'm mostly following the old school, which means that I'm looking for music from the past that I don't know of or haven't got my hands on yet. Some of my favourites are Larry Heard, Ron Trent, Virgo, etc. I also like Kink and Neville Watson, Idjut Boys, the Combi label and other new stuff from labels like Rush Hour and Clone.

 

 

You often show up with interesting outfits on your gigs. What are you going to wear on Saturday?

 

– I haven't decided yet but it might definitely be something by Jeremy Scott for Adidas.

 

Could you tell us some tracks that you're planning to play at Nolla?

 

 

 

Interview by Mattias Lodding

 

You've been playing records for over 25 years now, how did you get into dj:ing in the first place?

It was all thanks to the whole b-boy culture. I initially started to breakdance but then it all came natural to try the DJ aspect as well. At first I mainly collected breaks but it all evolved and after a few years I played everything from hip hop, funk, electro, house, disco etc.

You are related to different record labels, how do they differ and what is your role in them?

As I'm so musically confused (!!) I could not just do one label with one style. Every label got their own sound. Raw Fusion was kinda freestyle, Jugglin more urban and Local Talk is straight up house and then we got the edit labels (hush hush) which goes more retro. As long as its stuff I would play myself I could release more or less anything.

As a break dance Swedish champ 1985, do you like to combine dj:ing with dancing in the dj booth?

I luv dancin'...but only if I'm feelin' it!

You have played in Helsinki before. Any special memories from previous nights?

I used to play in Helsinki on a regular basis when Lil' Tony used to book me (mainly at Kerma). I've had so many good memories in Helsinki but I do remember a special x-mas party at Kerma that was off the hook. Me and Tony played back2back the whole night and it went on for ages. 

You've released one record on the GAMM label in 2009 with two of your reworks. Have you been producing any new stuff since then?

That was a one off deal...the A&R at GAMM thought I was not good enough to release anything after that one haha. So the answer is no I'm afraid.

Are there any records you love to play on and on? Perhaps we could hear them in Nolla?

Ouff, hard question...so many tunes out there that I love to death! But lately I've been spinning Ten City's old fave "Deep Kiss". Its one of those old soulful deep house cuts that always gives me goosebumps...perfect for those late small hours!

What will be coming out next? What names should people be looking out for?

We got big ones coming on all labels, but I would have an extra eye out for the Kon remix of Illvester "Feel Reel" which is soon out on Basic Fingers. Its huge disco winner that could get really big, check the video 

But the new Local Talk release Tanzlife - Heart Attack is also a potential big tune!

What do you like to do on your spare time?

I coach my 9 year old kids football team (we're pretty good!). I love football and I love kids...perfect combo!

After a proper start with Marcello Giordani last month, it is now time for the second Kingfishers party at Nolla. Skatebård is known for many as a producer combining sounds of Detroit and Chicago with italo disco & more to create modern, distinctive tracks hard not to dance to. The Norwegian Digitalo Enterprises founder is linked to Finland in several ways. Besides his earlier, touted visits to Helsinki, he has released on Keys of Life label. Bård also likes the Finnish crime tv-series Raid.

You've visited Renate, Soju, Lab.oratory, Chez Jacki and Horst Krzbrg all during the latest year. Seems like you love Berlin, or is it the other way round?



I think it goes both ways, but there's always been a little more interest coming from Berlin than other cities. It's kind of strange that I've only been once in for example London, though.

You released the fourth Skatebård album 'Vill Stil' last year and lately you've been remixing for Full Pupp, Sauroid & Smalltown Supersound. What are your near future plans?

The FP remix has not been released yet, but that will be released very soon on vinyl I think! Before the end of 2012 I will release probably three 12-inches on various labels.

Norway is known for church burning black metal as well as playful tongue-in-cheek disco. Why such a contrast? Why are there so many talented and prolific producers hailing from the land of fjords?

Norway is such a perfect and safe society, sometimes it's just too safe and boring, and that was a thing to rebel against. On the other hand, it's good for us with the safety. Freedom to work in peace and take chances, 'cause you don't have to live on the street unless you want it yourself. Like Caesar in the song "Mr. Finland-2002" on Bosmox 600 / Bootysounds Recordings. It's also worth noting that black metal now is mostly a standardized and commercial reproduction of the revolutionary black metal from the early nineties.

Skatebård - Love in the Night from Skatebård on Vimeo.

What are the elements that make a typical Skatebård set?

It varies. My last gig at Nolla was a 'mini-live', where i played my own tracks with some keyboard playing, vocals and fx on top. This time it will be strictly a dj-set.

What are you up to when not producing, remixing, playing or discovering records?

Reading newspapers, watching scandinavian police tv-series (or Derrick), going for a walk & to parties.

Could you entitle us three records you've been playing a lot lately?

Clay - My Unknown Love (Fundamental Mix)
Steel an Skin - Afro Punk Reggae (dub version)
Jesse feat. Jimi Tenor - Karaoke King (Diskjokke remix)

Anything else we can be expecting this Saturday at Nolla?

God stemning!

After having a great deal of guests from Norway and Sweden, we think it's finally time to take a look at Denmark's talent. Kasper Bjørke has made his mark in recording studios, DJ booths and offices, as well as on the national radio. To find more about all of that, check out the interview we did with Kasper right before his Finnish debut and the release of the new solo album Fool.

For those not so familiar with you yet, could you give us a brief introduction to your musical history – how did you start making music and DJing? Are there people that have been particularly influential for you as a producer or a DJ during the years?

– I started making music almost 15 years ago. At first on a Atari computer and a mono sampler together with Tomas Barfod. And soon after, we started DJing. We had some dance chart hits quite early in our career with the Filur project. So, after about five years of touring all over Europe and Japan, we decided to take a break from Filur and from each other. That is when I started to make my solo project under my own name.

As for influences: Daft Punk and James Murphy are among the best producers in my eyes and they have definitely inspired me through the years. But I guess I have been influenced by everyone from Talking Heads and Giorgio Moroder to Liquid Liquid, Neu! and Joy Division. 

Your new album Fool is coming out soon. Can you tell us a bit about the album: how did it come into being and how does it differ from your previous work?

– It is sort of a natural development from my second album in terms of the whole vibe – and I have also continued my collaboration with Jacob Bellens on the vocal songs. His songs and my productions seem to glue together in a very "unforced" way. I also did a collaboration with Laid Back which was a lot of fun to make. Those guys are legends and I have been such a fan for many years... 

I guess Fool is a fusion of post disco, psychedelic vibes and no wave elements plus a dash of modern electronic pop music. I spend a long time fine tuning my own sound but have tried to be less controlled and more playful in the process. Compared to the two last albums, this one is more focused in terms of the production and the way it sounds – but I decided to split the vocals tracks with Jacob Bellens and the instrumental tracks into two "sides" – as its two completely different moods, like A and B sides of a vinyl album. In that sense, it is sort of a concept album, I guess...

I asked Trevor Jackson to do the album artwork design (he also makes music under the name Playgroup and used to run the label Output). Trevor is a great visual artist – he also did artwork for Soulwax, Chromeo, The Rapture and Matias Aguayo, so I am very proud that he wanted to work with me on this album.

Any other plans for 2012 you can tell us about already?

– I'm touring quite a lot in the next months, all over Europe and in NYC to support the album release. I am taking a break from remixing as I've done it so much in the past years. The next project is an EP under the very gay and strange sounding moniker ManSisters with my good friend, a bass player and a DJ called Sexy Lazer from Iceland. I'm also currently hosting a weekly radioshow on Danish national radio channel P6 Beat. The show is called 4/4 and I play all the stuff that I like and have small themes on labels and producers that I find interesting. I have a few guest DJ mixes, people like Shumi from Kompakt and James Friedman from Throne of Blood have already delivered mixes. You can find the show online. It's fun, but I don't think I will ever be a full-time radio host. It's very hard work.

There's also a remix package coming out soon with remixes by Rebolledo and Axel Boman among others. In general, how do you end up choosing the remixers for your tracks? Any personal favourites so far?

– Well... I always pick out and control who is remixing my songs. I think that's very important. Usually I ask the producers that I really like, who make music that I play out as a DJ and that I can see will be able to make something cool out of my material. As the singles from my album are very poppy – proper songs with vocals and chords, I try to find producers who have the ability to work with melodies, and not techno producers who can play a two note bassline. I'm really excited about the first two singles and the remixes that have come out of it. First single will be out in early March and besides Rebolledo and Axel Boman, also Maxxi Soundsystem and Till VonSein have done some great mixes. The second single will be out around May/June with another batch of cool names – including Finland's very own hannulelauri – their remix is sounding awesome!

Besides Tomas Barfod a.k.a. Tomboy, who was mentioned earlier, you've also worked with another well-known Danish electronic music artist, Trentemøller. How did you meet the guys? As far as I know, you're still working with both of them – if not exactly in the same way?

– Well, when Tomas and I started making music together neither of us had made music on a computer before. Our friendship is based on the music we did together in the past. Besides the Filur album from last year we did the Superbacon EP as Bjørke&Barfod on Tensnake's label Mirau. And we DJ together sometimes still.

Trentemøller I have known for around 10 years. We have played a lot together through the years as DJ's and we have remixed each other's tracks. Then since five years ago, I started working as his manager as well. I don't know, it just seemed like a natural development and he trusts me with his business. I have always had this in me, "the management gene". I also managed Filur. I am a control freak, so it's very natural for me to fix things – especially stuff that I know a lot about: the business side of being an artist. I know a lot about contracts, deals, splits, accounting and all these things. Sitting in the studio is maybe just half of my time. The rest, I work with practical stuff.

The latest Filur album Faces includes a big bunch of guest vocalists. How did you come up with the concept and find the right singer for each track?

– Filur has turned into being a very calculated project. It started as our main project, we spent every day of our lives on it for many years and made three albums, toured everywhere and so on. Now it's something we can return to when we have time, energy and think it makes sense. We could never go back to the way it was before. We would propably end up killing each other. Faces was basically about making pop singles that work on the radio in Denmark. We don't have any ambition to make Filur a international succesful act again. We have been there. Now we just want to "keep it local". Even though the internet makes it pretty hard. So we basically chose some of the best and most famous singers in Denmark to write and sing on these tracks. And it worked. 

As a former A&R man, can you recommend us some up and coming artists from Denmark we should check out?

– Kenton Slash Demon! They have already done three singles and a bunch of remixes on Tartelet Records. When their debut album will come I'm sure it will be the best thing. Holtoug is also a really talented up and coming producer and musician. And the young Taragana Pyarana.

To wrap things up, can you give us a hint of what we might hear at Nolla on Saturday – three tracks that you have been playing a lot lately? 

Human Woman – Delusional (Kasper Bjørke Remix)

– I have been playing my recent remix of Human Woman's Delusional quite a bit. They are my Icelandic friends and I helped them getting signed to hfn music where I am also signed myself.

Pachanga Boys – Time

– This is Rebolledo and Superpitcher together! Such a heavyweight combo of talent. I heard about this track from my friend Shumi. It is f****** amazing...

Todd Terje – Inspector Norse

– What a song and a great follow up to Ragysh. This is already a big hit, but I don't care, I keep playing it. It's awesome!

You started DJing during the golden years of italo house. Do you think that has had a big influence on you as a DJ?

Yes i started djing in early 90's, but the sound in italy was 99% from the U.S. When i was young and inexperienced, I used to go to the the most important Italian clubs in Riccione, Rimini, Bologna, Milano and so on. Djs were playing tracks from Nu Groove, Stryctly Rhythm etc. so my musical blend comes from that kind of sound, and it's still a great sound for me.

Since then you've been more and more into disco, italo and obscure stuff and it seems to me like you're quite active in digging the crates. Any special places you search for these treats in Italy?

Ehehe, that would be a secret... But i use to go to a record shop in Reggio Emilia called Planet Music where there are 50.000 records. But i usually find the rarest stuff at Records Fair and Second Hand markets.

As an Italian, what does it feel like to have such a rich musical heritage?

I am very proud of it. Italian Music in italy has always been considered shit, really… I know it should be forbidden for italians to sing in English but music and arrangements are very cool and innovative for their time.

Italian electronic music from early '80s has contributed to the creation of house music. Tracks as Casco, BWH, Mr Flagio, Expansives, Novaga's stuff for example was played a lot by the Chicago house music pioneers like Ron Hardy, Timmy Regisford and Boyd Jarvis.

You've been producing for labels like Mule Musiq and Compost Black & releasing edits on your own Italo Deviance label. Anything we should be waiting for in the near future?

Of course! I'll be out again with two new projects (but I want to keep them secret by now). I am preparing also new stuff for Italo Deviance records and another 12" on Slow Motion Berlin.

When touring in Europe, where have you liked playing the most?

Europe is the place! I don't have favorite places cause everywhere is different... In my opinion, East Europe has the warmest dancefloors.

Could you tell us 3 records you've been playing a lot lately?

I can mention new stuff, cause the old is played on heavy rotation (and it will be the same forever). Lately i've loved to play:

Alides Hidding - Hollywood Seven

Todd Terje - Inspector Norse

Nic 2 Birilli - Ten times mas barato (Loudtone remix)

You haven't been to Helsinki before. Any expectations you have on Helsinki or your gig at Nolla?

Yes! Cold, snow, blonde girls, a lot of good stuff to drink and cool people waiting for italo disco!

Do you think that italians do it better?

Who knows... Ask my girlfriend : )

As big fans of the Norwegians, we thought it's about time to bring Bjørn Torske back to Finland. Coming from the west coast city of Bergen, Bjørn is one of the originators of electronic music in Norway and has been making music since the early Nineties. His discography includes releases on the classic imprints Svek and Ferox, as well as Smalltown Supersound, which just released his new single with much-touted DJ Harvey and Todd Terje remixes.

It's been a while since you've been to Finland, but you've played here several times before with Annie and the Tellé crew among others. Any special memories?