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We catch up with two of the hottest producers around at the moment, behind the huge track Yellow Moon & Much More!
i:Vibes: Hello guys, we appreciate you taking some time out to talk to us. A lot of people out there maybe don't know too much about you, so why not tell us a bit about yourselves?
A: Espen "I don't think that many people know about us at all, really. I still haven't been recognized in the street. That is yet to happen...
A: Thomas "I actually got recognized once. But that was more of a coincidence. Some guy recognized my face from a picture on the net, hehe.
What is there to tell about us? We’re two guys from Norway. We have both been producing for quite some time, but decided to join forces early last year. And since that, everything we’ve produced has gotten great support from everywhere. It’s all been a bit overwhelming"
i:Vibes: Who are your biggest musical influences?
A: Espen "Sander Kleinenberg - in fact, my number one goal in life is to get on his Little Mountain label. Is that geeky or what? Øistein Johan Eide (real ingenious Norwegian producer), William Orbit and BT are obviously huge sources of inspiration. Plus I'm LOVING jazzy soul stuff such as Incognito, Donald Fagen, and jazzy meets electro/lounge: Soulstice, 4Hero."
A: Thomas "I’d have to say that Armin Van Buuren has been one of my biggest influences. Maybe not through the sound as much, but he has definitely been a big source of inspiration for me. I’m also influenced by people such as Paul Van Dyk, James Zabiela, Nick Warren, Paul Oakenfold and Sasha. I’m also a big fan of Hans Zimmer."
i:Vibes: How did you get into producing?
A: Espen "In fact, in my younger days I wanted to form a band, but where I grew up, all the kids were losers and never showed interest in music - haha. So I started playing various instruments, but gave up - until at about 13, when I one happy night ( I bet the stars were very bright that night) I discovered how to weave together musical elements on the computer. I was hooked!!"
A: Thomas "I have to give my grandfather credit for that. He’s the one who bought me a keyboard and got me to take lessons when I was 8 years old. Since that I just got more and more interested in music, and soon started to produce. Started with trackers at first, but began with hardware and midi as soon as I could afford it. "
i:Vibes: What has been the high point of your career so far?
A: Espen "Being allowed to spend the night at dj Elusive's."
A: Thomas "hehe. I’m not touching that with a ten foot pole Espen. For me, the highlight so far was when Armin played the intro mix of Isle Dauphine. "
i:Vibes: How would you describe your music?
A: Espen "Melodic progressive trance/prog with jazzy chord voicings and proggy elements. Thomas would probably disagree!! : ( "
A: Thomas Thomas: "Melodic progressive trance/prog is kind of a contradiction if you ask me. But I agree that we’re not that genre focused. We try to be innovative and give trance a new and original sound. "
i:Vibes: You have been a massive favourite of Ben Lost's (Lost Language A&R & DJ) what effect has he made on the 'rise of Recluse'?
A: Espen "Obviously a great lot. We are infinitely grateful for his patience with Norwegians and Canadians in particular."
A: Thomas "We’re indeed very grateful for Ben’s support, and his participation has been of great importance to us. "
i:Vibes: Can you give us an insight into what is forthcoming from you two?
A: Espen "We've both been busy developing various sub-projects. I've been busy producing with Elusive as 'Espen&Elusive' - and that's going really well. Additionally, I've been producing with Stian Klo as 'LikWit vs. Espen' and lately as 'NeverMind'.
A: Thomas "I’m currently working on a couple of tunes under my Manipura alias. The first one, called Halcyon Days, will be released on Minimal Records. Also, me and Espen are currently working on a new Recluse tune. We’ll probably have that one finished this summer.
i:Vibes: Do you prefer to use Software or Hardware for your productions?
A: Espen "It's nice to have numerous sound sources at one's disposal. I think we're holding onto our hardware favourites like the Virus and the Nova in particular, but also we've become better mates with the emagic stuff and the Native Instruments synths as well."
A: Thomas "I used to be an all hardware-guy, but lately VST’s and software instruments are beginning to get really good. So today I think they’re equally good, and we use both software and hardware. I still think hardware is more fun though. When using a hardware synth, you have 10 fingers at your disposal as opposed to a software synth where you only have a single mouse pointer. "
i:Vibes: Do you have any advice for up and coming producers?
A: Espen "Never eat more than you can lift. Don't take criticism too seriously. Most people who don't like your work are probably just jealous bastards. Compare your own work to no one else's but your own to discover true progress. Find love and inspiration away from the studio and don't think you're BT."
A: Thomas "Be humble! As Espen said, don’t think you’re BT. It’s also important to find your own sound. Don’t make standard "Cookbook Trance". There’s too much of this already. Be original and follow your heart and ears. Don’t follow the expectations. "
i:Vibes: What is your opinion on digital media (mp3s, etc)?
A: Espen "Thank God they exist!"
A: Thomas "For us it’s a good thing. Meaning the media in itself, cause it makes it really easy for us to spread our tunes to labels and DJ’s. On the piracy part of it, I have mixed feelings. Of course it’s bad for artists and the industry that illegal copying is getting larger. On the other hand, 90% of those who listen to the mp3’s would never get to hear the music if it hadn’t been for mp3. So mp3 is good for getting the music out there, but it can be really harmful for the promotion part of a release. So obviously, please buy our records. "
i:Vibes: Any last words to the readers?
A: Espen "Watch out for Oslo!"
A: Thomas "Thanks for all your support guys. Hope to see more of you in the future!"
i:Vibes: Thanks again guys!, and good luck with the future.
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