KNOW YOUR SWEDISH DJS!Patrick L lives in Stockholm and has been dropping massive house tracks, tune after tune since 2004. Apart from remixes for reknown artists and a couple of other collaborations he recently started his own label Twerok.
We decided to contact him to find out what the fuss is all about
HMWL: Hey Patrick!
Thanks for taking your time!
Patrick L: No problem, my pleasure.
HMWL: Let’s start with our usual “back in the days” question:
When, how and why did you start making music?
Patrick L: I have always played music since I can remember. I started with the piano then the guitar and bass and drums. I ended up being my own one man band. That’s when I baught recording equipment. I started to build up my studio bit by bit in my parents garage. From there it just grew to the studio I have today (not in my parents garage anymore though).
HMWL: We noticed you’ve been very busy since then. We tried counting all your tracks on beatport, but got completely lost. How many commercial releases have you had so far?
Patrick L: I just counted them to at least 21 full releases not including remixes for other artists.
HMWL: When making music, do you prefer software, hardware or both?
Patrick L: Best of both worlds. You can achieve a lot of surprise effects when toying around on hardware synths. Things you just couldn’t have done with mouse clicking on the computer. It often sounds better aswell. I don’t know why. But it just does. I do love soft synths though. It is really convenient to work with the computer as the only instrument. You can change the sound of the synths at any time without rebouncing them. Very good.
HMWL: What programs and synths etc. do you use?
Patrick L: I mainly use Cubase. I have always used it and its really hard to change to something else. Hardware: Moog little phatty, Korg Triton, Roland XP30, Korg Microkorg and several acoustic instruments. Software: Korg Legacy, PPG Wave, Trilogy, Imposcar and a few more.
HMWL: Please guide us through the general process off how you make a track?
Patrick L: I usually start with making the kick from scratch. You really get the best kicks that way. I like them clean and deep. Then I start to put together a drumloop with other samples. Self made or from somewhere else. to have something to work over. Then the process really differs. It can continue with a bassline or something from the piano or an acoustic instrument.
HMWL: Are you able to live off your music? If no, what do you do on the side?
Patrick L: No, when I started things where different out there on the market. But now I just do it for the music. I’m actually a second year student at the architecture school in Stockholm. So the music have gone from my full time job to a part time job.
HMWL: Back in 2004 you released the club hit Things I Wanna Do. It was remixed by the veterans of soulful house – the Shapeshifters. I bet you were very exited. How did it all go down? Did they found you in some promo basket or did you have to send them the track 67 times?
Patrick L: It was the label owner ATFC at Onephatdeeva that knew the guys. He asked them to do the remix just before their hit “lola’s theme” blew the dancefloors. He knew it was coming. I was actually not so pleased with the remix they did (I payed for it with my royalties). I guess it sold a few more records with their name on it.
HMWL: You run the Twerok records since 2007. How does it feel to be your own boss?
Patrick L: It’s fantastic. But it’s a lot of work though. The time I spend on making music is about 10% and the rest with boring stuff for the label. But it’s totally worth it.
HMWL: What type of releases can we look forward to on Twerok in the future?
Patrick L: This one for example!
Mostly my own releases. But I will also release other artists aswell. It will be everything from electro house to vocal house and techno. It will always be high quality dance music of some sort.
HMWL: Do you feel that free mp3 downloads (to some extent) lower your sales? Or can blogs (like this one) help smaller labels like you to get the attention you need?
Patrick L: I do feel that the impact is pretty good because the music spreads on its own some way. But it does not show positive on the sales reports. I would say that for every 100 downloaded track only one or maybe two is payed for legally. People have some naive arguments that the illegal downloading makes the sales go up. But I don’t belive that. People prefer to get music for free rather than paying for it. Very simple. The only way musicians can get around doing what they do best is to play at the clubs every night.
HMWL: In the club, do you prefer to play live or DJ, and what equipment would you choose?
Patrick L: It is really different to play live with my band Polyphonics and performing as a DJ. I like them both very much. But I feel more comfortable playing as a DJ. I use CDs when it comes to the DJing. I gave up vinyl many years back. It always ended up with the turntable being broken somehow. There are way too much problems with vinyl for me to stick with it. Every club nowadays have decent cd players. So that is my choice right now. I have tried Serato and other similar computer based systems. But I don’t want to have to hook up my own system everytime I come to a club.
HMWL: Has there been some kind of funny or unusual happening during one of your gigs, that you wanna share? (Like a some girl being all in your face for 1 hour demanding to hear the latest pop hit at any cost; or you ejecting a cd during the peak hour, or like…)
Patrick L: There have been a few weird moments during the days. I played as the vip-room DJ at a really tacky club in Stockholm many years ago. One time a really drunk guy came up to me and asked for one of the latest pophits that I didn’t have. He told me to download it and I said, yes I will do that. I continued playing but he didn’t leave. I looked at him and asked if he wanted something else. Yes, can’t you download the track right now he said and looked behind my back to search for the-computer-hooked-up-to-the-internet-to-download-all-the-requests-to-the-DJ.
HMWL: How does the future look for Partick L and Twerok?
Patrick L: Fabulous of course!
HMWL: Last but not least, which are the five tracks you play most frequently at the moment?
Patrick L: I haven’t played at a club since before the summer. But at home I would say that these tracks are most frequently played:
Adam Freeland – Silverlake Pills (Gui Boratto Remix)
Melinda Jackson – Magic (Moustache Remix), I just love this. I dont care if its a little bit too fast and unhip.
Shazam – Pool Party
The Field – Everyday
Stevie Wonder – Ribbon In The Sky
HMWL: Thanks a lot man for taking your time! And good luck with the record Label!
