It’s only been a few weeks since your last release and now you’re surprising us with a new single. How long have you been working on this one?
Yeah sure. Didn’t really have to do much with the previous release as it was older tracks that I had to remaster. So I had enough time to work on this single. Although, I’d have to say that this was one of those studio sessions that just flowed naturally. I spent a lot less time finishing this tune. It’s usually a good sign.
Why is that?
Well, usually, the more time you spend trying to finish a song, the more you loose the flow of the song. At least in my case. Every time I’ve finished a track fast, it did really well on the dance floor. And you can feel it’s going to be effortless to finish it quite soon into the production of it. It’s a nice feeling.
What was the inspiration behind this track?
I reckon the last gig I did in Tokyo was the inspiration for this one. A previous track I did, called Master Tortoise, surprised me quite a bit during that gig. It did way better than I thought it would. So I wanted to do something similar to that. Some old school Damage vibes with a fresh sound.
What can you tell us about the Tokyo scene?
It definitely changed from the last time I had a gig there. The music is a lot harder and the energy is relentless! Best not to mess around with trying new things in your music. They just want the hard beats with hard leads and avoid the breakdowns as much as possible.
Are you currently working on something new?
Of course! I’m currently working on a collaboration with Sienis. The track is almost done and will be released on his next EP.
Great news! We look forward to a new banger.
Thank you. Cheers!
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What can you tell us about this upcoming release of yours?
Well, I think there’s about 14 tracks on there. Most of it was tracks I produced shortly after migrating to Tokyo, Japan. So it was a fun and exciting time in my life. These tracks were released on a couple of various artist CDs. I decided to remaster them for this release. Then there’s about 5 tracks that I never released and only kept for my live act.
Will there be more chapters after this one?
You know, even though there’s more Damage oldies out there, I think this one will be the final chapter. The production was just to low and I don’t think it’s worth the effort. I’d rather just focus on the future from here on out.
What can you tell us about future releases?
I had a 2 year break from gigs during COVID and spent a lot of time experimenting with different styles, producing faster tracks. Recently, I started gigging again and found that even though those tracks had some good moments on the dance floor, it didn’t create the energy I’m used to seeing. Which is why it’s important for us to keep doing gigs while working on new music. So I’ve had to regroup and go back to basics, producing exactly what the dance floors want to hear. A more traditional, dynamic Psytrance sound, with some oldschool Damage chaos in there.
Will you be doing any gigs this festive season?
To be honest, I’d rather finish at least 4 new tracks before doing the next gig. I’m not happy with the current live act.
Well, we hope to hear some of these new tracks soon. Thanks for having a chat with us and enjoy your festive season.
Thanks man! It’s almost time for snowboarding, so looking forward to that. Cheers!
So, how is life treating you in Finland now?
Life’s good, way better here than it was in Sweden to be honest. People are easier to talk to and deal with in general. Things are good with the lady, working pretty hard though, but it’s worth it. Trying to make time for music as much as I can and for other creative things. How’s things in old Nippon?
I’ll ask the questions here buddy.
Hahaha, ohh, the interview started already?
Yes mate! How does the Finland scene differ from Sweden?
The Finnish Psy scene VS the Swedish Psy scene used to be like night and day and still, most of the time, it is. Finnish Psy is usually more experimental, groovy and fun while Swedish Psy is a bit more “under control” for lack of a better description.
Your new EP has a forest vibe to it. Is that influenced by what you’ve been experiencing in Finland?
Not that I know of. I think I´ve always had a bit of a forest vibe to my music. It just comes naturally for me and I love making those big story telling soundscapes to go with it.
Have you been doing regular gigs now that the whole Covid disaster is settling down a bit?
I´ve been getting more frequent gigs since I moved to Finland and Covid chilling the fuck out sure helped as well and hoping for even more gigs in the future, now with all the fresh releases.
Final question, will Bottas ever win a championship?
That’s gonna be a tough one to get, but he did good in qualifying and was pretty positive about the car’s pace. Maybe if the car and Bottas can hold it together next year, because I want to see him race and beat Hamilton fair and square, not having to hold back.
He`s such a gentleman and has never shown any bad vibes towards other racers on the circuit. It would be great to see him on the podium again.
Nice chatting with you Eki. Best of luck with this new release and hope to see you on stage soon.
(QUESTION) It’s been a few months since your last release, Hooverman. This new EP, Original Style, feels very different from that one. Tell us more about the inspiration and concept behind it.
(ANSWER) Well first, I decided to stick with the faster tempo as it seems to fit with my current style. With both tracks, I wanted to produce something more melodic, but stick with the harder vibes.
Ya Feeling This, was the first one I produced and I wanted to take you on a bit of a journey before really dropping the pressure, yet keep that playful melody going. I also wanted to add some surprise in the end with that badass bass line, changing up the rhythm as well.
Original Style, is just straight up letting loose and dropping the pressure from start to end. That badass bass from the previous track was so good, I wanted to explore further with it in this track, thus essentially making it the main focus of the song.
(QUESTION) What’s next after this release?
(ANSWER) Well, COVID restrictions are less intense in Japan now, so I can get back to doing some gigs again. So I’ve mainly been focusing on building a new live setup for an upcoming tour.
The next release will be Chapter 3 from the 20 Years Of Damage Series, while I work on the next EP. Hope you dig it.
(QUESTION) You’ve always been very creative in your music, yet sticking to a more traditional style of Psytrance, however, there seem to have been a significant change in the vibe of this EP. Faster pace with a Pop vibe in Driving Me Crazy. Dark and sinister vibes in Super Vision. Really strong and exciting basslines. What inspired all of this?
(ANSWER) I have a bunch of other music projects and have been making more radio friendly tracks in the past 10 years. So now it’s probably slowly leaking into my Psytrance tunes as well.
Also, my life has changed a lot these past few months, with me finding the love of my life who keeps a smile on my face and light in my heart and always inspires and supports me.
My style has always been a bit of a mix of moods, contrasts and feelings and this is what I’m feeling right now, uplifted. The choice in more exciting basslines is just me making as groovy stuff as I play when I DJ because I like to keep things interesting.