Lakeshouse is a fictitious club-utopia, dreamt up by a group of producers, DJs and jazz musicians based in Oslo. Their idiosyncratic soundtrack to this fantasy club rests on the Norwegian tradition of “bonkers” (Mixmag) house and space disco, yet sounds like it could be a scene of its own. Far from traditionalists, their blend of styles is easily recognized but difficult to explain. Somewhat odd yet club friendly and catchy to boot. Fresh off the ‘Om Verda Mi’ album release on Paper Recordings, we welcome Lakeshouse to When We Dip for a chat about all things album flow, creative process, who’s changing the world, and more!
WWD: Welcome to WWD! Where does the impulse to create music come from in you?
As childhood friends we were mutually hyper focused on music, as early as age 6-7 music was huge to us. We dreamed of becoming the new Chemical Brothers or Beastie Boys. As we outgrew toys and became teenagers, instruments were the natural next step. “Toys for big boys”, as Air put it.
WWD: What roles do stuff like art, relationships, and the state of the world play for you in the ideas process?
Relationships, the world…Those are unavoidable influences. Hard to pinpoint. That said, becoming parents was a big influence, especially for the song Secret Plants. That song is maybe the least abstract track we ever made in a lyrical sense, if you could believe it.
But there is a definite conscious relationship to art in general when we create, as we often discuss art during the creative process. Either as jumping off points, trying to convey an idea, or as something to be referenced lyrically to help build a conceptual framework.
WWD: For you to get started, does there need to be concrete ideas for you to make a track? What is the balance between planning and improvisation for you?
Usually we just gather acorns for a while and that becomes the framework. Gather some sound material and see how it connects, and start to write what the sounds reveal. Or jam on a synth until your friend starts laughing and go from there. There’s typically never a plan until after a track takes shape. That’s when we realize what we should focus on next time we’re in the studio.
WWD: Is there a preparation phase for your process?
The preparation is just making lots and lots of music, going out to our favorite lake, building a fire, listening to that music by the fire, and evaluating. Every one of our tracks has to pass the lake-test, playing it on a bluetooth speaker that we’ve had for a long time after the sun has set and our fire is crackling.
WWD: Can you tell us a bit about the way ‘Om Verda Mi’ developed and gradually took its final form?
After years of building a relationship with Paper, they inquired about us making an album for them. We spent many nights by our lake, and many in the studio, until we felt we had the material we wanted to represent us. We probably made around 50 tracks. We invited friends and musicians into our studio and tried out a lot of different ideas and combos with all of them. Our sound has always been surreal, wide-ranging and tactile, but we wanted to make sure we could strike a proper balance between the styles that we employed. We wanted to really take the listener into our world, not just make a DJ-friendly dance compilation. The title, Om Verda Mi, actually translates to “about my world”, and is also a play on words in Norwegian for “my surroundings”. We decided long ago to just let our unique style speak for itself, and hopefully people will like it. This album represents our lake, and us.
WWD: Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later? How much tweaking do you allow until you’re satisfied with a track?
Very. There’s never been a mix that was left alone for a long time where we didn’t immediately know what could be improved once revisited. It’s like magic. Humans are way too good at getting used to things, so taking breaks is huge for regaining perspective. Also, we are constantly learning and evolving, so we jump at the chance to incorporate new influences and ideas into our music. This, coupled with some perfectionism, can lead to some tracks taking years before being finished. Some, like Ubegrensa Harmoni, came together really fast, and we have no clue why.
WWD: After finishing music and putting it out there, there can often be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this?
Oh yes. The only cure is simply to move on to the next thing and not dwell on what you just did. Sometimes you get lucky and listen to a track you did years ago, and you can’t find anything wrong with it. That’s a good feeling. Incredibly delayed gratification.
WWD: Do you find that the feedback of others is important to you? Are there sometimes misunderstandings or does feedback from your peers help you to gain new insights?
Very important, but you have to know whether or not you share similar enough minds before you know what to do with their feedback. Some people simply don’t understand what it is you’re even trying to do. Some people aren’t completely honest. Be mindful why and who you’re asking for feedback. Sometimes a stranger can give you amazing ideas. Sometimes they can crush your confidence.
WWD: What was most important for you to convey throughout this album? Do you feel you have achieved it?
That dance music can still blend with other styles and thrive in the album format. This doesn’t happen as often as it once did. But also, bliss and love of music. As long as people feel anything related to those feelings, we’ll be very happy. From the feedback we’ve had so far we think we knocked it out of the park.
WWD: When you guys are not making music, what might we find you doing?
Easy! We’ll be out by a lake, building fires and listening to music that was made for listening to at a lake.
WWD: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about Lakeshouse?
We are involved in many other projects and exciting music will come out as a result.
Pay attention to b0ka Recordings, and maybe dig a little in their old releases. Our other project, b0ka, has two wild albums out you should check out if you like Lakeshouse.
Bjørnar just put out a fantastic album, and both Espen and our friend Mach Roos will be putting theirs out next year.
WWD: Who do you think is currently changing the world for the better?
This is probably cliché but our kids. Having kids is truly a transformative experience.
And Lars Monsen. He really knows his lakes.
WWD: Not cliche at all! Thanks for the chat, guys 🙂
The ‘Om Verda Mi’ album is available here