Ost & Kjex thanks for talking to us at Techno Mood! How are you today and where are you at the moment?
Doing all right thank you. Just went into summer vacation, so chilling at home with the family and making music.
How did you meet each other and how did your working relationship begin?
We met as skateboarders when we were about 14-15. Kjex asked me to join his band and we have been playing together ever since.
You’ve just released your ‘Songs from the end of the world LP’ on your Snick Snack label. You can hear the different influences in sound on each track, can you tell us more about that?
Yes, we wanted to explore some of the music we listened to as youths. Styles as Goth, Industrial, early electronics and also Rave and Breaks. So we try to combine elements from all these styles into something of our own.
You run the label with friends Trulz & Robin. Can you tell us more about your relationship?
We have known these guys for a long time, doing a lot of parties and electronic jams with them. They are the finest gentlemen and also have a great understanding of dance music, and a similar approach to it like us. One of the reasons we do Snick Snack is to spend time together, through this shared project.
With things mostly back to normal after the pandemic, what have you been enjoying most or looking forward to?
I must say it was an epiphany to be able to go out again and experience live music, both in the club and in a concert setting. We often play the Oslo club, The Villa, and I vividly remember going down the stairs to the first job after the pandemic. The thumping of the bass, the excitement. I felt like a newborn Christian going to church.
Did the pandemic affect your studio sessions at all?
Absolutely. It was lockdown in Norway for many months so we were basically sitting by ourselves, bouncing ideas back and forth. To begin with, the plan for this album was to collaborate with a lot of different musicians, to travel around the country, record and jam with people. Then the pandemic happened and we had to rethink the whole thing.
What is your creative process, do you have a structure or just see what happens when you start?
We often have an idea of what we want to make, but it very often ends up like something very different.
What are the top 5 tracks you are playing together at the moment?
We have only been playing live since after the pandemic, so here are some top Ost & Kjex tracks:
– She’s not from Spain
– Mountain Girl
– The Gallery
– Dickie’s Pix
– What did you do?
Lastly, is there anything you would like to ask our readers or tell them about what you have coming up?
Yes, look out for a lot of cool releases on Snick Snack this autumn. Trulz & Robin will release a new album and re release their Norwegian techno classic Mechanized World from 2001. Also there will be ep’s by our newly signed duo Sync and an album by Helene Rickhard. Some remixes from the Ost & Kjex album + plenty more. Stay tuned, and have a lovely summer everybody!
