Entrevista - The Blizzard

Thursday, 27 March 2008



The BlizzardLiquid.FM has a little chat with the producers behind the massive, trance hit 'Kalopsia'. They are Lars Nyheim and Tore Vatie Jensen, or as we all know them: The Blizzard. They get big support from none other than Armin van Buuren and they will be releasing two huge remixes on Armada soon. This duo has a bright future ahead of him and in this interview you can find out a lot about The Blizzard.

Hi Lars and Tore, thanks for letting Liquid. FM interview you guys! How are you doing today?

- Hello! No problem. We're doing great!

How about you introduce yourselfs to people who don't already know The Blizzard?

- We are Lars Nyheim and Tore Vatle Jensen from Sørreisa in northern Norway, and have been producing music together since late 2006. We were both unsigned before we teamed up and made our first track Kalopsia, which was signed to Armada Music in Holland.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Does the scenery or Norway contribute to producing those big trance tracks?

- Well, we get alot of inspiration from other artists in all kinds of genres.

It says on your MySpace that Tore was a bedroom producer for 12-13 years. How did you find the motivation to keep on going after so many years. Also, do you have any valuable tips for beginning producers?

- Tore: Music has always been my main interest, so I guess that's the motivation. The only tip I can give is practice, practice and practice. That's how you learn. And don't be afraid to think ouside the box. There aren't any rules in music production.

Armin van Buuren hammered your track 'Kalopsia'. It was a huge success in 2007. What was your first reaction when you heard that Armada wanted to sign 'Kalopsia'?

- We were of course very excited about being signed to Armada. Armada is one of the best labels for EDM music in our opinion, so it felt really good. The success of Kalopsia has been above all our expectations!

How would you guys describe The Blizzard sound? How unique is your sound compared to other producers out there?

- We would describe our sound as a thing between progressive, trance and house. If our sound is unique or not is up to others to judge. We just do things the way we like it and hopefully others will like it too.

Where did you guys meet and decided to team up with producing? In a bar, at a huge trance party or via internet or something else?

- Lars: I met Tore thru a friend of mine in 2003. We all had the same interest for electronic music. I knew Tore was producing, and I really liked his stuff, despite never being signed. Soon after I also started to produce, so I learned the basics. After some years Tore moved back from Oslo to Sørreisa, which is the small town we both grew up in. So we descided to team up and form The Blizzard.

Do you have any opinions about illegally downloading music? Is it good for publicity so that the tracks you guys produce gets heard by everyone or would you rather put a stop to illegal downloading?

- Ofcourse it's good for publicity. People get to discover artists and bands they normally wouldn't even have heard about. But in order for artists and labels to keep on doing music, they need to get paid just like any other job. So I think it's ok in a way to download illegaly, just remember to buy it if you like it. Otherwise we'll have to find ourselves different jobs.

The DJ Mag is the most popular DJ poll. Do you guys think it's an important part in your DJ/producer carreer to be at the top of the poll or do you really don't care that much about the DJ Mag poll?

- The Dj poll is for many djs and producers very important because they get more gigs and better paid by being ranked high. At the moment we don't care much about the poll, because we are really new to the scene and it will take time before we are recognized as djs as well as producers.

Are there any producers or DJ's you admire? What about non-EDM music, do you have any favourite artists or bands?

- BT, Boom Jinx, Andy Moor, Eric Prydz and many others. Non EDM: Hans Zimmer, early Michael Jackson stuff, A-ha, Gåte and ofcourse many others aswell.

There are a lot of talented, succesful producers and DJ's from Scandinavia lately. What is it up there that turns everyone into a great producer. Is there a Scandinavian secret to success?

- Haha, I don't think so. There are many great producers from other countries as well, I don't think it got something to do with Scandinavia to be honest.

What is your favourite food Tore and what is your favourite food, Lars? Any special Norwegian dishes?

- Lars: Polarbear steak of course..kidding..homemade Pizza from my mom! Tore: Mom's casserole ofcourse.

Nowadays, vinyl is becoming less and less popular. What do you prefer, DJ'ing with vinyl or with CD's? What are the advantages of the one you prefer?

- Cd's! Much more practical. Less weight. Less expensive. Vinyl is really cool, but you can't burn out a vinyl from your laptop in 5 minutes and play it one hour later at the gig. Nowadays a dj can just log onto the net with a laptop and buy or download promos instantly from the hotelroom.

Are there any big releases by The Blizzard we should keep an eye on? How about future gigs, any DJ plans?

- We are working on new material, yes! But I can't tell you much about it yet, just keep your eyes and ears open. About gigs, we are now starting to get some requests which is really cool. Lars is the only one of us who is djing. He is going to play in Tallinn, Estoina the 3rd of May. And yesterday I got a confirmed gig in Zandvoort in The Netherlands 5th of July. That event is called "Luminosity · Beachclub Riche". Also alot of uncomfirmed gigs! The snowball is rolling finally!

What are the favourite tunes of The Blizzard at the moment?

- Electrobios & Interplay - With You and Three Drives - Greece 2000 (Chris Reeves remix) are really cool tracks! Also still loving the Gabriel & Dresden remix of Colombian Soul.

Thanks once again for this interview and we wish you the best of luck with your music career!

- Thank you!


Si alguien se juega con la traduccion para la gente q no entiende mucho ingles, BUENISIMO !