WE ASK JOE...
Where did the concept Vikings come from?
We were brainstorming ideas for names for the album and just thought Vikings was an awesome name - for some reason so many of our friends and favourite people are Scandinavian, so it's partly a nod to them, but also the word brings up some pretty sick images. We started our own party called Vikings just over a year ago, and it just seemed to make sense to stick with the plan and call the record the same name.
How long has it taken to get the album ready and what sort of process did you go through?
It's been a really long on-going process over a few years. We're always making tracks, and most of them we either don't think they are up to scratch, and the ones we like we put out as singles on beatport, but with the album the whole thing is a lot more considered, and you don't just think about the songs, but how they fit in the context of the record. It was difficult, and we changed our mind so many times on things, but finally landed on the finished lp a couple of months ago.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
A broad range of music - it seems a bit obvious to say, but if you only look at the people in the same sub-genre as you for inspiration you won't make any new sounds. Because the record was a work in progress for such a long time, there are hints of the french electro sort of sound, all the way through to the future-dubsteppy feel. The vocalists we worked with totally inspired us, with their creative inputs helping us shape the tracks (rather than just singing over the top), and probably the main moments of inspiration come from just messing about with a sound, or recording, or synth, and just chancing on something we like. We rarely have much of a plan when we begin a track, and when we do, we usually do a complete u-turn and make something different!
What do each of you add to the mix when producing and dj-ing?
I'm more of a production geek - I produce pretty much the whole time, Monday to Friday all day - not only techno music, lots of different things, so I feel like I come to the Joe and Will Ask project with a broad 'skill set' (horrible word), whereas i'd say Will is more of an 'ideas' guy in the studio. DJing wise, we have different but overlapping tastes in music, and I think i'm more into slighly more pumping repetitive housey stuff than Will maybe?
Would you say that you both have different styles that you combine when coming up with tracks?
Yeah definitely - it's not always an easy thing either. If we both liked exactly the same thing, there wouldn't be any point in there being two of us, if we didnt like anything the same, then we wouldn't agree on anything, but luckily our relationship is somewhere between the two.
Is there a favourite track of yours from the album?
It changes for me, but I think i'm most proud of the weird and quirkiness of 'put it down' at the moment.
Over the last year what has been the one album that has made a difference to you?
I don't know about an album, but as a producer, Scuba. I just think he does the underground/cheesy/hard/melodic mix-up so well - everything he does sounds like him. He keeps his credibility whilst having fun. That's such an inspiration to me.
Can you describe your top 5 ministry of sound moments?
1- The rehearsal for our live show on Saturday! Raving in the box at 10am on a Thursday to no crowd except the lighting technician!
2- The night when Benny Benassi played the box a few months back, we played the 103, ended up playing for about 4 hours 3-7, a lot of the people in the crowd just stuck with us 4 hours, amazing!
3- I think I was pretty blown away the first time I walked into the club and had a look round. I never get tired of taking new friends up to the balcony and showing them the box when it's packed and loud - it's just incredible, and like nowhere else.
4- Seeing Joris Voorn smash the box to pieces!
5- Having Kink play with us in the 103 for Vikings. A genious and such a humble, nice guy.
Next Saturday is the debut of the live show, can you give an insight into what we can expect and the production that went behind it?
After much deliberation, messing about and experimenting, we are going to basically be playing on a riser pretty much in the middle of the floor! It's going to be the first time anyone has done this in the club. Because of where we'll be, we get fredon to do some pretty incredible things with the lighting, you'll see what we mean from the teaser video!
Are there any sneaky clues you can give us about what will be the first single?
Haha, we still can't decide which one of two tracks it should be! What are we like!
WE ASK WILL...
Where did the concept Vikings come from?
It wasnt so much of a concept to start with. We were Djing in Prague and came up with it when we were walking in the snow from what i can remember. We just thought it was a cool word. I few people have asked it if its to do with the Techno Viking from youtube, but its not, it would be a bit lame to name the past 5 years work on a youtube video, even though its pretty cool.
How long has it taken to get the album ready and what sort of process did you go through?
The Album has been an on going thing for ages now. There have been a few different versions of it we have been 'about to release'. We have been constantly making music then putting tracks together and looking at them as an album rather than individual tracks. Some of the project files are up years old which have been changed over and over again. where as some were made in the last couple of months. We tried to produce something which wasn't just 10 tracks of the latest trend genre in dance music.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everywhere really, i guess we have spent a lot of time clubbing. From when i lived back in Birmingham and i used to go to a load of hard house nights, to moving to London and being involved in the nu rave and electro scene, to amazing minimal partys like wetyourself and loads of house and techno like at Ministry of sound for the last couple of years. Also alot of tracks seem to be remixes we have started for bands and then realised we way prefer the track without the elements from the original so take them out and bring it out as one of ours.
What do each of you add to the mix when producing and dj-ing?
Joe is more of the producer, he gets the tracks to a certain point then we work out what we like and dont like and then it goes back and fourth untill we are happy with it. in normally takes a couple of month of playing a track out in clubs and constantly tweaking untill we are happy with it. When it comes to djing we have diffrent tastes in music which overlap in the middle which i think works well as it prevents sets from being one dimensional but not too sporadic either.
Would you say that you both have different styles that you combine when coming up with tracks?
Yea for sure, as i said before our tastes are different but do overlap. We often don't agree on things but i think ultimately its a good thing.if we both liked exactly the same things then there wouldn't be much point in collaborating.
Is there a favourite track of yours from the album?
I think its 'My skin' its a really dark broody techno track.
Over the last year what has been the one album that has made a difference to you?
Aw thats impossible to answer. there has been so many i have loved for completely different reasons, i love the Ost aw Kjex album, the Fear Ratio album the new scuba album and the Robag wruhme album was amazing!
Can you describe your top 5 ministry of sound moments?
They are all so good!! I love the ones when we play for hours at the end! also having A1 bassline play for us was great as well as Boy 8 bit and Kink!! its always such a good vibe at Vikings, we love it!
Next Saturday is the debut of the live show, can you give an insight into what we can expect and the production that went behind it?
We have put a fair bit of thought into the aesthetics of it as we feel a lot of live shows you see are a bit flat. Its not that exciting watching to blokes behind laptops. Musicly there is a mixture of old tracks and new album tracks but all edited to fit together into a live format. Im so excited i cant wait!
Are there any sneaky clues you can give us about what will be the first single?
No, i dont know myself yet, there are a few ideas though.