BJØRN TORSKE: A love letter to music, curiosity, and playful exploration.

One of Norway's most important names in electronic music shares about his childhood, his passion for the DJ profession, and his lifelong curiosity related to music and sound.

Bjørn Torske is no ordinary name in Norwegian dance music. As one of the spearheads of Tromsø's early electronic music scene, the very birthplace of the music genre on Norwegian soil, he has, based in Bergen, been one of the most respected music producers in his field since the genre's humble beginnings. I sat down with him for a chat about everything from music's role throughout his life to his approach to producing music as well as his thoughts about life as a DJ.

Early beginnings

Despite an ever-growing catalog, Torske does not come from a family of performing musicians and has no background as a performing artist himself.

– My father loved jazz while my mother loved opera, so I heard quite a bit of that in my childhood and still have my father's records.

Still, the interest in music came early, with his sister being an important influence.

– I have loved music since I was very little. It probably started with my sister playing The Beatles for me, as she was a Beatles fan, which she still is. Through both her and her friends I got to listen to a lot of new stuff, and I remember listening to a seven-inch from the punk band Søt Hævn from a box that I borrowed, Torske recounts and adds:

– In addition, I listened a lot to the radio during this period, especially the program "Pop Spesial" with Sigbjørn Nedland and Ivar Dyrhaug where all sorts of music were played. Much of what was broadcasted at the time was what was then called new wave, much of which today would be referred to as post-punk. On the program, they played more of the quirky pop music that wasn't on the charts in Norway. I recorded each broadcast on cassette, and I was around 12-13 years old at that time, Torske says.

The road to electronic music

The path to cultivating an interest in electronic music and producing music emerged through a regular program on the municipally supported radio station Brygga Radio in Tromsø in 1987, largely intended as a service aimed at youth.

– It was Brygga Radio that started it all, simply through the opportunity to play around with studio equipment. Initially, it was basic equipment like a tape recorders and cassettes, and eventually, I got to borrow a drum machine. We were looking to create fun radio, and Brygga was a proper radio studio with good studio equipment. It started out as a radio program mixing music and entertainment, before it increasingly focused on music and eventually turned into a pure mix show.

His time at Brygga Radio coincided with the beginning of house music in Europe.

– It started with us making edits and remixes of records that came out, to have something fun to play on the radio. We quickly realized that it was possible to make music this way. There was a DIY mentality behind it all, experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers. Music in general, and maybe house in particular, is after all very much based on reusing other people's ideas, Torske says before he elaborates:

– It was about listening to what others had done before us and then trying to create our own versions of it, to see what we could achieve ourselves. As we began to learn the tricks in the studio, we gained a foundation to create our own things. In a way, a kind of composition, even though I have never been a composer in the typical sense. For example, I can't read sheet music, but I've just tried things out and tested them on the dance floor. If the music gets people moving, then you're on the right track, and that has really been the method, he explains.

Through music and Brygga Radio, Torske got to know Geir Jenssen (Biosphere, Bleep), who quickly became an important supporter ahead of his first releases.

– The first time I made something that resembled a song was in 1989. I played it for Geir Jenssen, who thought it was stylish but suggested recording it with better sound. At that time, I had used a four-track cassette recorder, but Geir offered to produce it at his place with proper equipment before he helped me get it released in Belgium. You gain quite a bit of confidence from receiving that kind of help, and it was definitely worth its weight in gold, Torske is clear about.

Around the time he released the single "Danger," Torske regularly traveled to London to buy records and gather inspiration.

– It was during this period that I started traveling regularly to London to buy as many records as possible. It usually ended up being somewhere between 50 and 100 new records for each trip, and then I had quite a bit of new music to present on the radio every Saturday. Before this, I had gradually started ordering records through mail order, he recounts.

Mail order was done by sending a fax via the radio, where you had to order records without the chance to listen to them beforehand.

– We faxed via the radio and received newsletters from record shops in London. We had no way to listen to the releases, so you took a chance when you ordered the records. Often you only got a brief genre description to rely on, the Bergen resident explains.

First DJ-gig

As a DJ, his first gig took place together with Per Martinsen (Mental Overdrive) at Café Je T’aime, now better known as the legendary rock pub Blå Rock in Tromsø.

– The first gig I had was in Tromsø in 1989, at a party organized by Per (Martinsen) and myself at the venue Café Je T’aime. I think it worked, and I remember the whole evening as fun. We tried to arrange more parties, but not all of them attracted a huge crowd, Torske smiles.

At a time when club music was anything but mainstream in Norway, the parties were usually held during holidays, so that those who had discovered electronic music while moving away had the opportunity to participate.

– The people who were interested in this type of music were often those who had moved away, so by scheduling the parties during Christmas, you knew there were some in town who wanted to come and who knew what this was about. There really wasn’t anyone in Tromsø normally who understood what we were doing, he recalls.

Why Tromsø?

Torske has a clear idea of why it is precisely Tromsø that became the birthplace of the electronic music scene in Norway.

– There was simply very little to do in a city like Tromsø in the 80s, and as a youth, one was marginalized. Young people down to the age of elementary school pupils are consumers today, and they are something to reckon with. That wasn’t the case in the 80s, especially not for teenagers. Back then, it was about creating things yourself – simply breaking out of boredom. For those who didn’t play sports, music was what mattered, and I was never a sports kid, he explains.

For a producer who has seamlessly moved from house and techno to dub-driven reggae and ambient, Torske knows well what the common thread is in all the music production he does.

– What I produce reflects what I like and what I find inspiring. This has gradually expanded, and was quite narrow in the beginning with almost exclusively house and techno in focus. It’s in my blood, but it sounds different today as the influence is much broader than when I started. The common thread is not necessarily in style or genre, but more in the approach to the music and the way one creates and understands the music, the pioneer explains.

The Torske sound

Torske's sound is no simple task to map out, and stretches through everything from dub, jazz, and synth to clattering house, disco, and techno. Yet, you can clearly recognize his soundscape when you first hear a track he has been involved in. The main man himself points to Pål Strangefruit as an important source of inspiration when it came to implementing elements that were usually not found in house music.

– Pål Strangefruit had a great influence on me by incorporating unusual elements into the music that traditionally didn't fit into house. Additionally, I began to explore more about where house music actually came from, which is a melting pot of various styles such as jazz, dub, disco, and synth pop that are stitched together into one format. Then I wanted to explore how far one could go in blending the elements together while still maintaining a whole. That is also a part of the focus when I play music out. I call it house, but I don't just play house even though I lean on that perspective, says "The Codfather”.

Throughout the interview, I am left with a feeling that the key for Torske has been a fundamental curiosity that has always been present.

– Yes, and what music is really about, which is largely about recycling ideas. Bach's scales are, for example, the foundation for much of Western music understanding, which also applies to both pop and jazz. In the East, however, there are different standards that have been applicable. It's not about encompassing as much as possible, but finding interesting things across cultures and ideas. World music, without being world music – in a way, he elaborates.

As a reflection of how exploratory Torske is as a producer, his unique and "unpolished" approach to music production in 2022 was combined with the rough batida sound of Príncipe Discos producer DJ Nigga Fox (Rogério Brandão) for a commissioned work for the Ekkofestival. Additionally, there were DJ sets held in both Lisbon and Bergen.

– It was a lot of fun, and a strange musical encounter. Rogério had a very intuitive way of producing music that I found inspiring, and there was a lot of joy in working with it. If there’s a chance for more collaborations in the future, I’m very ready for it, he smiles.

His relationship to music listening

As a music listener, it is rare to find Bjørn Torske wandering through the streets of Norway with headphones on.

– I’m someone who never walks around with music in my ears. I like to orient myself in the soundscape around me, and I’m very fond of sound in that sense. Field recording is something I’ve always been fascinated by even though it hasn’t been done much in recent years. Everything from birds to trains and dogs has been recorded over the years, he shares.

Even in quiet surroundings, Torske doesn't spend most of his time listening to music.

– I actually don’t listen to much music in my free time. When I do listen to music, it’s usually in connection with something I’m going to do, whether it’s as a DJ or as a producer, and then I use my hearing for that, he explains, before adding:

– Listening to music while doing other things becomes more of a pastime, which I'm not so interested in. People find great joy in it, and I understand that. However, it's something different when you work with it, because then you have to use that energy actively in the studio or at the club.

Social media presence, or rather the lack of one

Torske also has a nearly non-existent presence on social media, and I notice that he does not use a smartphone either. When asked if this is a conscious choice, he believes it all comes down to a lack of time.

– It is a conscious choice in the sense that I don't have time. There are enough distractions in life as it is, and I simply don't need more. I would say that I've gotten better at setting aside time to, for example, work on music. In the old days, I could sit in the studio for twelve hours and go home at seven in the morning without really having accomplished much. Now I can go to the studio, work actively for three hours, and have the rest of the day free if I want, Torske explains.

He gets his contact with the audience through gigs.

– My contact with the audience is either through a release or primarily through working as a DJ. It is the optimal contact, as it happens directly through what you are doing. Being a DJ is a kind of performance, but it is not worth much without an audience. The fact that people start dancing to the music you play, and the connection you get with the audience by being a DJ, is the most important thing in my musical life, he says.

Out of genuine curiosity, I ask about how Torske views the relationship between producing music and playing music for others.

– They are two sides of the same coin, and one feeds the other. During the pandemic, when there were almost no gigs, there was all the time in the world to produce music, but it left one with a lack of energy. I think that is due to the lack of direct inspiration from the dance floor, he reflects.

The hunt for new impressions

As mentioned, Torske actively listens when he sits down to enjoy music. In his search for new music, what he looks for is primarily what is new to him and not defined by release date.

– I am always looking for something new, and new in the sense that it is new to me. Whether it was released last year or 40 years ago doesn't matter much to me. As long as it is new to me and fits into what I am working on, that is what matters most to me, he says.

With several decades behind him within the Norwegian club scene, it is naturally rarer for Torske to be found in the audience on club nights. When it does happen, it is not necessarily because of the name that is playing.

– I don’t go out much anymore, but when I do, I often end up on the dance floor. It doesn’t matter much whether it’s a well-known or unknown DJ, as long as what’s happening is interesting. I still keep a reasonably good eye on what’s going on though, he tells me.

– Does one ever finish learning as a DJ?

– I have a foundation, but there is always room for development. Curiosity must be present, because if you get bored at work, that's a bad sign. It should be fun, and yet there should always be an element of excitement and exploration in playing, says the Tromsø native, and brings up an example from the Red Bull Music Academy:

– I saw an interview with Frankie Knuckles, which is definitely worth checking out. He says that it was more of a coincidence that made him become a DJ. He says, “it was fun enough to be a DJ, but if you had told me at that time that I would be doing this for the rest of my life, I would have said ‘no fucking way’”. It is this pioneering work that has made it possible to live off being a DJ. Before them, being a DJ was something you did for a while before getting a “real” job. There has to be a spark present, because otherwise, you will probably get tired quickly. After all, it’s the magical club nights that drive it all and keep it flowing.

A decisive trip to Bergen

With Tromsø as the birthplace of electronic music in Norway, it is still the Bergen wave that Torske himself was a part of that many immediately think of when discussing Norwegian electronic music. Torske ending up in Bergen was anything but planned in advance.

– It was a wish but it wasn't a plan. I was a civil worker at Brygga Radio and had started to get really tired of it. During the same period, I was on tour with Biosphere where I played the keyboard. In Bergen, we played at the venue Hulen on a Saturday, and there I met a lot of people who made me realize that this was the place where things were happening and where people were interested. In Tromsø, there wasn't much to talk about at that time, says Torske without leaving much between the lines, before he continues:

– Back in Tromsø on Sunday, I was informed that we had been fired from Brygga Radio because the radio was going to become a limited company, and that we were not allowed to be civil workers there because of that.

– On Monday, I called in to inform that I needed a new job as a civil worker, and the office responsible for placements asked if it was a necessity for the job to be in Tromsø. I was still living on the experience from Hulen and said that I would be happy to work in Bergen if they had something there. There was a kindergarten position available, and two weeks later I was on the move, smiles the Tromsø native before he talks about his arrival in Bergen:

– The moment I landed at the airport in Bergen, I met Per Henrik Svalastog, who heard that I had just moved to the city. He could tell me that they were starting a club and wondered if I wanted to be involved. They opened the following Saturday, and the club was Club Phoenix – one of the first places in Bergen dedicated to electronic music, Torske says.

In the pursuit of new experiences, Oslo is often the destination when people wish to escape their hometowns. However, it was never an option for Bjørn Torske.

– Oslo was never an alternative for me, and I had ties to Bergen with my parents being from there. Looking back, it was a good choice, he laughs.

Looking towards the future

Curiosity and a desire to explore have led Torske through a variety of different arenas, and when he is finally asked how he views the future, it is his love for DJing that takes center stage.

– The desire to explore is important, and I have done many different things over the years, from making music to theater and dance performances as well as TV series. All these experiences are educational and something I carry with me into the club world, but it should never take over, he says before concluding his answer:

– I have no ambition to change jobs, and I want to primarily be a DJ for as long as I can. I have seen people over 70 who are still going strong, so that is promising. As long as my hearing and health hold up, that is ultimately what matters, he finishes.