Two Norwegian artists. One lives in Oslo, the other in Berlin. At Berlin’s Oslo Night NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION sat down with TORGNY and SPRUTBASS to talk about Berlin, Oslo and the differences of both cities, as well as how both met, became friends and decided to collaborate. So far they only collaborate live, but let’s see what happens in the future.
Let’s start with each of you giving us a brief biography of yourselves.
TORGNY: I’m TORGNY, I come from Oslo. My debut album came out in 2010, it’s called Chameleon Days. Before that I was a singer in a hardcore band, I basically came from rock and roll and ventured into dance music. I write and produce my own songs, sometimes I collaborate with a singer called MARIE DUE and do collaborations with people like SPRUTBASS. I put out two EPs and then Oil Panic came out in January.
SPRUTBASS: My name is SPRUTBASS and I come from – almost from Oslo and I live in Berlin. I started with this project in 2009 after several years of band playing across all sorts of genres and then I started making my own songs. I took some old synthesizers and started releasing stuff on different English and Norwegian labels. My debut EP came out last year and now I’m working on my next, hopefully full-length album.
And tonight you’ll be playing together, right?
TORGNY: Yeah, this’ll be the first time. SPRUTBASS will start with his set, I’ll play mine and then we’ll end with him jamming along to my songs.
SPRUTBASS: We’ve rehearsed so I know when to not play.
TORGNY: The reason this night came about is because SPRUTBASS did a remix of Nights from my last album.
Is that how you met?
SPRUTBASS: It’s a funny story actually. I was playing a show in Oslo and TORGNY was in the crowd and he got carried away by the music…
TORGNY: I was just gonna give him a compliment. And he was like ‘Don’t touch me, you’ve gotta go away, I’m playing.’
SPRUTBASS: It was ‘cause he got on stage in the middle of my playing and of course I’m not Superman! I did my set and we talked later.
TORGNY, do you still live in Oslo?
TORGNY: I do, born and bred. I’ve been living in the U.S for a few years. I’m based in Oslo, it’s a vibrant scene there.