Skodde is a well-known duo from Oslo, earning respect in the music scene through their live performances, DJing, and production. We had a chat and a walk with Skodde, and here is what we discovered. You can find the link to their mix for the Miao Music Podcast here. We advise you to read the interview and listen to the mix right after. Enjoy!
1. Your journey as a techno duo is intriguing. Could you share the story behind your decision to form a duo?
There are several reasons why we decided to form a duo. We had known each other for 11 years before starting the duo. Prior to the duo, we pursued our own separate projects but always made music together just for fun. So, we already knew that our musical chemistry was good. We always enjoyed how the other half worked, and in many ways, we fulfilled each other’s weaknesses. Another big factor is the live shows. About 60% of our performances are live. It’s much easier to do the live thing when there are two of us. But most of all, we enjoy each other’s company and love to share the experience together.
2. Reflecting on your musical origins, could you elaborate on how you developed a passion for techno music? What experiences or influences ignited this love?
Henrik found techno at a very early age. His parents showed him techno and trance music when he was only 4 years old, and it has stayed with him ever since. Henrik started producing electronic music when he was 12 but didn’t take it seriously until junior high. For him, electronic music is a nostalgic part of his life that has always been there and will always be there. Andreas started off with guitar and metal. Electronic music was introduced to him at house parties around the age of 13. But it was only when he visited Ibiza at the age of 18 that he found his love for Techno. In just 2 weeks, he saw Carl Cox, Sven Vath, and Marco Corola play and was smitten. After he came home from Ibiza, he spent a lot of time trying to find the same sound in Oslo, which was hard in 2012 when Oslo was dominated by Nu Disco and Tech House. But he eventually got to know Henrik, who showed him concepts like Monument and Dark Rooms, which were among the few proper techno concepts in Oslo.
3. Taking a step back in time, could you walk us through the early days of your musician career? How did you initially venture into the world of DJing and live performing?
Henrik had his first DJ gig when he was only 17 years old at an 18+ venue. This was after many hours spent as a bedroom producer and DJ. Henrik had listened to the albums his father gave him at an early age and had always dreamed of becoming a DJ. As mentioned, Andreas started off with the guitar and was mainly into Black Metal and Death Metal before he started with techno, DAWs, and turntables. His first real DJ gig was actually before he had properly learned how to DJ. Andreas has always been a loudmouth and was actually able to talk himself into playing in front of a full dancefloor. He absolutely trainwrecked the set, but it didn’t stop him from continuing to try and polish his DJ skills. When it comes to the first LIVE set Skodde ever had, it's kind of the same story. Andreas is a big loudmouth and bragged about how great he and Henrik were at playing live. At this point, we had played a lot of live in the studio, and most of the early production was basically us playing live. But Andreas told the promoter that we only did dawless live sets. So we had to quickly buy an Octatrack and learn how it worked in only 1 month. We have never been so nervous in our entire lives before when we suddenly had our first live set in front of a completely full packed BLÅ. Luckily, the live set went really well.
4. Presently, within the vast musical landscape, what other genres do you find resonating with you? And how would you describe the unique style you bring to your techno sets?
We both listen to a lot of the same music. Metal is something we listen to a lot, especially Black Metal and Death Metal. We like different kinds of subgenres of Psy Trance like Goa Trance, Hi Tech, and Dark Psy. We also listen to a lot of ambient and Psybient. Henrik is also into Trance and has been listening to trance since he was a small boy. Andreas is really into Blues Rock and Psychedelic Rock. We do listen to a lot of different music; we could talk about different subgenres for days. We infuse a lot of weird stuff into our sets. If we hear something cool in a Goa Trance track, we might loop it and put on house perc with a techno kick to make something completely new and fresh. When we DJ, we almost always play our own tracks, remixes, or edits. And if we play other artist tracks, it's heavily layered with other tracks, kick from one track, perc from another, and melody from the third, and we might smash in the fourth just for fun. That’s also why we prefer to play live instead of DJ because we play mostly our own stuff anyway. And when we play live, we have more control.
5. When it comes to your production process, what methodologies do you employ as a duo? Could you share on how you collaborate creatively and the roles each of you play?
We have no method really. We just work and flow with everything. Henrik really likes the process, and Andreas likes to be finished with things. That makes us very effective producers.
6. In the realm of live performances, performing together requires synergy. Do you have any established strategies or perhaps a special non-verbal communication that aids your performances?
In the beginning, we had separate “roles”; Andreas did mostly perc, and Henrik did Melody/Bass. Now we just decide on what key we are going to play before we start and just improvise with what we have sampled for the gigs. Our live setups in the beginning were with a lot of synths, sequencers, and drum machines. Now we mostly just use MIDI controllers to trigger our own samples. We might go back to the heavier setup soon, but we like to change up our live set to make it interesting for us as artists. But to sum up, it's basically just a lot of nonverbal communication.
7. While performing and producing as a duo is your mainstay, do you also individually explore solo projects?
We make music separately, but we always send it to each other so we can get input and ideas from the other.
8. The Oslo techno scene has gained recognition. As prominent members of this scene, could you share your perspective on its evolution?
After Covid, the scene was magical! The scene was open, a lot of new experimental music was getting played. Sets started at 130 bpm and ended at 160, a lot of different genres were played, a lot of diversity in the sets. The crowd was completely bonkers, and for 9 months straight, every party we went to or played at was so fun. But the Oslo scene has become a bit more commercial than it was in 2021 and early 2022. In some ways, it's good, but in most ways, it kind of sucks. The scene has attracted a bunch of unwanted attention from "TikTok" ravers who are more into drugs and being cool on social media than the actual music and the culture, which we think is sad. Even sadder is all the techno tourists that have slowly started to really mess up the vibe—people who are more interested in making "oy" noises on the dancefloor, moshpitting, and groping on girls on the dancefloor. This type of behavior is not welcomed at any of our parties. Another thing that’s becoming a problem is that a lot of the venues just book what they think is the new hot thing and don’t bother to check if they are any good. We have mixed feelings about Oslo right now; there are a lot of cool things happening, but it's way too much festival techno with big EDM drops and, worst of all, pitched-up pop vocals on a "donk" beat in 180 bpm. It has no soul. And there are even techno concepts in Oslo that don't pay the artists who play. It makes us sad that DJs get fooled into taking gigs without getting paid. But the real underground is good right now; there are a lot of interesting things happening outside of the clubs. Especially this summer, there were a lot of indoor and outdoor parties with good quality crowds and music. And there are a lot of new up-and-coming producers out there that make insane music. Patrick Tomala is really impressing us with his music lately. He was doing the lights at one of Flux Collective’s parties. He was trying out one of his tracks on the speakers when we came to the venue together with Anémi. We asked him who made the track and were surprised when it was his own track. Flux is going to release music from him in 2024; have your eyes open for this guy! I also want to shout out Oslo's most underrated DJ and promoter Brix! He has been doing so much good stuff for the scene and has been here since day one, but is a name we rarely hear people mentioning. We think the future for the Oslo scene is going underground again and making it harder for randoms to find the parties and being more selective in who you invite.
9. Flux has certainly left an impact. Can you tell the story of Flux creation?
Oslo's techno scene before Covid was basically minimal and tech house. Andreas and Andrea (Anémi) (who are together) wanted to make parties with a bit faster and harder music. So, they went into the woods and made some great parties. Since we already started up Skodde and played at all the parties, it was natural to have Henrik on board too. In the beginning, we were a lot more focused on art and had some art exhibitions too, which we miss a lot. Andrea and Andreas always talked about doing the label from the start, but our first release was in November 2021 after Flux had been active as an event organizer for 6 months. Flux was way too much for only 3 people, so David (Bjerregaard) joined in autumn 2021 and Gaute (Naboklage) joined in early 2022. Together we are a kick-ass team and have become a little family.
10. Looking ahead, what aspirations do you hold for the future of your techno duo? Are there collaborations, projects, or milestones on the horizon?
There is a new EP coming in December. We have been working on an album since 2021 which is a bit slower and more listening-oriented; we really look forward to releasing that when we one day are finished. 2024 is going to be an eventful year for sure, but you will have to wait and see.
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