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?
– We had a tour with Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band many years ago which was notorious, not least because of some episodes due to the organisation and management. We ended up sleeping at the club in Turku while there were a bunch of guests still drinking and having a party when we were trying to sleep. It was hilarious. After that we went to play Koneisto in Helsinki which was a blast, hanging out with the Uusi Fantasia guys, Vilunki, Pepe and Ercola. Crazy times.
What have you been up to lately in the studio, what's coming out next?
– This summer I was in a studio in Northern Italy with a duo called Crimea X with me producing a whole album together with the guys. During the fall of 2011 I have mixed it in a studio here in Bergen, it has now been mastered and is ready for release quite soon. Very interesting to work with other people's music. Inspiring. Else than that, I have been planning a bit for my next album, which probably will be recorded in that same Italian studio some time during summer.
Some tracks on your latest album Kokning sound very cinematic to me. Have you ever contributed with filmmakers or plan to do something like that in the future?
– I like film music (of course) and have often thought that it would be nice to make a soundtrack. I was actually asked a few years ago to do that for a Swedish film, but nothing has happened yet. Still hoping though.
Bjørn Torske - Nitten Nitti (Harvey´s Not Normal Mix) by smalltownsupersound
Your latest single includes remixes by Todd Terje, DJ Harvey and Crimea X. The Harvey remix especially is pretty crazy – did you communicate with him while he was making it or did the fact that he had included his own singing come as a complete surprise to you?
– I was told by Joakim at Smalltown Supersound that he had got Harvey to do a remix. Almost a year went by before I was asked to make remix kits for three tracks and send them to him. So basically I never knew anything, not even which track he had settled on. But the vocal part was absolutely a pleasant surprise for me. Sometimes when I play his remix for people, they really don't know what to say – I guess it sounds different from what they are used to. I still think it's a great remix, I enjoy it a lot.
Back in 1994, you had a UK top 40 hit with Ole Johan Mjøs and Rune Lindbæk under the name Volcano. How did the project come about and how did the success feel like then, it was one of your first releases after all? What made you concentrate on more "leftfield" music later?
– For me, Volcano was just an offshoot, as I already was making more techno style music for the Dutch label Djax-Up-Beats as Ismistik. It was good fun at the time, we went to a studio in Wales which was run by the guys behind a band named K-Klass. For us it was just hilarious that it eventually got released on Deconstruction – initially it was made for a small label named Olympic Records. And yes, in the end we were ripped off, moneywise.
I remember Norwegian DJ's telling that their versatile, perhaps even hectic style comes from the fact that bars close early in Norway and you have to fit all the action into a few hours. Do you agree? How would you describe your style of DJing in your own words?
– What I notice is that in Norway, the dancers usually want a dynamic selection of music. Even if you are supposed to play a techno set, which for many will mean a steady pumping groove for many hours – the Norwegian crowd likes that you play around a bit, breaking out of the norm. I can't really tell the reason for this – a shorter time span of the club nights might be an answer.
For my own part, I play a versatile selection. I play mostly orientated towards a mixture of disco, house, early electronic and techno stuff. I feel a strong influence from Ron Hardy, for instance. Even as I never knew much about the early Chicago scene in The Eighties before house, the music I bought and listened to at that time was very similar to what they played in the clubs over there.
The music I grew up with is very much reflected in my DJ sets. As a kid I would hear a lot of music, and one of my first records were the album by Space with Magic Fly. Later, I would listen to local radio stations, where there was a selection of DJ's playing electronic stuff. As Detroit had their Electrifying Mojo, we listened to a show called Beat Service. You'd hear everything from Prince and Pet Shop Boys to Yello, Fad Gadget or Front 242, as well as Afrika Bambaata and Kraftwerk.
Last summer you also played at Sonar in Barcelona. How was the gig?
– Sonar last year was nice, but slightly chaotic. I played together with Diskjokke (also on Smalltown Supersound) in a gigantic hall, with only a part of it as club area. The gig was great fun, we were placed on this old tivoli kind of stage, with an old carousel on it.
Could you give us three tracks that you have been playing a lot lately – something we may hear at Nolla on Saturday?
Aahhh... too many tracks worth mentioning. Of course, strange records from the disco era are always crucial to me – even if I don't get the chance to play them every time. If I was to choose three tracks that are almost always in my bag, it would be these:
Theo Parrish – Roots Revisited (Sound Signature)
– This one I first heard Derrick May play in 1999 when he came to my town to play records. It was on a Sunday, and the place was small and intimate, quite packed with people. Derrick stayed a couple of days, and hung out with us in the studio. We had a good time. I searched hard for this record, until I found it a couple years later in Helsinki, actually.
Bjørn Torske "Langt Fra Afrika (Todd Terje Remix)" by Gluefactorymanchester
Bjørn Torske – Langt fra Afrika (Todd Terje Remix)
– What can I say? For me, the original track was meant to be a mere DJ tool or an intermission on the record. It is really just like DJ break. I think what Terje did is fantastic, as he keeps the original spirit with the beat in focus, yet manages to lift it up to be a stomping club track! It's a winner – like Terje himself.
African Suite – Vibes
– I first heard this record from Pål Strangefruit back in 1997, I believe. "Nobody" knew about it then (meaning Conrad of the Idjuts shook his head when I mentioned it), and as far as I know, Pål was at least the only one in Norway that had a copy. He bought one for me in Canada a couple of years later, and I have carried it around with me since then. It is certainly ahead of its time – minimal, suggestive and luckily, the band recorded it on click, so it is easy to mix with. Watch out, cause it has been bootlegged quite recently. Be sure to get the original, it sounds way better.
What do you when you want to take your mind off all the music related activities?
– I love being in nature. Even if I'm in the city. I love both walking in the woods or in the mountains, just looking at everything. As well, I like watching buildings, streets, buses, trains... whatever that makes up the whole scenery I live in. I'm interested in history, architecture... and food. I love to cook. And I love to eat.
