The new star from Norway having the summer of his life back with another huge tune
2012 has been a whirlwind year for Fehrplay so far; picked up by Eric Prydz to join the Pryda family with his debut single on Pryda Friends going down a storm with DJs and fans alike. ‘Incognito’ featured on the first Eric Prydz podcast whilst Pete Tong smashed it all Radio 1. His follow up single is set to cement Fehrplay as one of the hottest new talents in house music today. With debuts at Creamfields, SW4 and all over Ibiza already under his belt, this young Norwegian is set for big things. The brand new single ‘Nightride’ shows his versatility with its stripped down funk and twisted cut-up vocal snippets whilst still maintaining that ‘essence’ of Pryda Friends. Dan Prince gets the exclusive interview with the new clubland boy wonder…
Welcome to DMCWORLD towers dude, a brilliant new tune ‘Nightride’ swinging our way on Pryda Friends, talk us through the tune…
“Thank you! ‘Nightride’ is a special track for me, I can’t really say what genre it fits in under, which made it both fun to work with and cool to play out. It can be a warm-up song and also a peak time track. it has influences from deep, and progressive house, and I love the bassey sound that’s sweeping the clubs these days, so I wanted to implement that.”
You have had an incredible summer DJing all over the world, let’s kick off with the Creamfields/SW4 weekend, what were the highlights from the UK’s top two festivals?
“Ha, where to start. It was a highlight just being part of them. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I met so many cool people and music lovers. The UK really knows how to party.”
I was in the crowd at Amnesia in Ibiza last Tuesday, what a night…
“Incredible night and fantastic club. It’s one of those places that every DJ wants to play. Ibiza just brings the best out of the crowd. I feel very lucky.”
You have been in and out of the white isle in recent months, what do you love about Ibiza, what makes it so special?
“What I love about Ibiza is that everyone who comes there has a mutual love for the music, and it sets for an incredible atmosphere all over the island. I’ve always had a love for Spain as well. perfect combo.”
Where else have been the stand out gigs of 2012?
“I did the release party for Eric Prydz’s Pryda album at Ministry of Sound in London. I got to open the place, and close it. The room was still full at 7 in the morning, just awesome! Really grateful for that opportunity.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Todd Terje – Ragysh
Finnebassen – Your Not Cool Enough
Pryda vs. Tenaglia – Rymd Is The Answer (Meave de Tria’s bootleg)
Adrian Hour – Shoot to Thrill
Dosem – Tales of Tomorrow
Maher Daniel – Big Bad Clay
Maetrik – Walk Alone (Maceo Plex remix)
Sound Prank – Cosmos
Jeremy Olander – Mine & Yours
Hot Chip – How Do You Do (Todd Terje remix)
What has been your anthem of the summer?
“Eric Prydz – ‘Mighty Love’. Just incredible.”
Let’s go back to where it all began, how old where you when you first fell in love with dance music and who were the early artists you were listening to back then?
“Hmm it must have been at the age of 12. I was a huge fan of the “In Trance We Trust” compilations. I soon found the love for the more funkier sounds. And the early Axwell and Eric stuff really made me take notice.”
Born in Norway and now based in London…what’s the story there?
“I studied music production in Manchester, but dropped out after the second year. I really fell in love with the UK club scene and started hanging around clubs like Sankey’s and Warehouse project on a regular basis. I moved back to Norway for half a year, then realized I hadn’t had enough of UK just yet. London is an incredible place, and very inspiring. I meet DJs and producers wherever I go.”
What was your first break into the music industry?
“I was just producing in my dorm room, when my track “Meow” landed in Pete Tong hands. It got two plays and later a release on Ministry of Sound. Since that, things has more or less moved in the right direction.”
‘Nightride’ is the follow up to ‘Incognito’, a tune that Pete Tong was all over/ How did the Eric Prydz hook up happen…
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Eric’s work, and seeing that he had opened up doors for other young artists like Jeremy Olander, I felt I should give it a shot and send some stuff to him. I had almost given up trying to get in touch with them, when I suddenly got a reply from his management. Still remember it as a surreal moment.”
Can you remember the first time you roadtested ‘Incognito’ – what was the reaction like?
“I actually got to see the reaction of Incognito first time when Eric played it at the new Warehouse project venue in Manchester. It went of. Kind of a magical moment for me.”
Who are the producers around the world you are giving high fives to at the moment?
“Right now most definitely Maceo Plex /Maetrik, Todd Terje, Dosem and of course Mr Prydz. But also anyone with a passion for making fresh electronic music deserves a knuckle bump.”
It may not be good for my image, but I really love…
“Jazz music, sucker for that.
Tell us about your studio set up…
“I work in Logic and rewire it with Reason. I grew up using Reason, and there’s a lot of stuff I still prefer doing in Reason. I use Dynaudio bm6a monitors. they have a great bass-mid response, perfect for dance music. And then there is a Virus TI2 synth. Incredible for proggy atmospheric sounds. Then my crown jewel is my SSL XLogic compressor. I bus everything through it, giving it a warm organic sound.”
Away from dance music, who are the artists you are listening to at the moment?
“I love 80’s retro stuff like M83, the music from the film ‘Drive’, and Vangelis stuff. I’m also very intrigued by film-music. Harry Gregson Williams, Hans Zimmer etc. Also jazz, Miles Davis ,Chick Corea.”
And finally, what is coming next from you studio wise?
“I’m currently working on a remix for Eric Prydz, and on the next Pryda friends release. Should be good.”
www.fehrplaymusic.com
