Influences: Telephones

Music

Last month marked the release of a new EP from one of the best, most cheerful producers in dance and electronic music. Telephones has been a firm favourite amidst the Ransom Note camp, his balearic, rave tinged approach to the dancefloor has been well received and much loved. Originating from Bergen, Norway he grew up on the sounds of local heroes and from music which travelled across the pond. Club driven sounds with a euphoric edge and melodic intricacies.

Bjorn Torske, Erot, Prins Thomas and The Persuader led the way for a new generation of producers and disc jockeys who would go on to carry on the cosmic legacy of Norway. Telephones has ridden the wave and can now firmly count himself as one of the piovotal figures in Scandinavian dance music.

His new EP is a throwback to the music which helped him grow to love the late night dancefloor and sent him down the path he walks today. He will play at The Masked Ball in May later this year, a seaside party with a twenty four hour dancefloor.

We asked him to guide us through influences below as he describes…

"Here's my list of 8 tracks that were influential to me, between 98 and 01 when the material for EC01 was originally conceived. Pretty sure the seagulls, stray cats and hedgehogs outside my bedroom window some 20 years ago heard a lot of these!"

Buy HERE. Catch him at The Masked Ball HERE.

LISTEN

Bjørn Torske - Beautiful Thing

From “Nedi Myra”, perhaps the most important house-album in Norwegian music history. Also one of great importance and inspiration being my first encounter with proper house-music in 98. I could’ve picked all it’s 8 tracks for this list, but this in particular coloured so many nightfalls for me growing up, with it’s mysterious and beautiful ambiance, somehow bridging and merging ambient, hip-hop and house in a way I had never heard before.

Bjørn Torske - Beautiful Thing

From “Nedi Myra”, perhaps the most important house-album in Norwegian music history. Also one of great importance and inspiration being my first encounter with proper house-music in 98. I could’ve picked all it’s 8 tracks for this list, but this in particular coloured so many nightfalls for me growing up, with it’s mysterious and beautiful ambiance, somehow bridging and merging ambient, hip-hop and house in a way I had never heard before.
Francois K - Hypnodelic

From the FK-EP, also in my opinion one of the best 12″ of all times. “Hypnodelic” in particular allways tickled the right spots for me and I remember hearing this on the national radio for the first time in 99 (forget about hearing this kind of quality there these days!). Arguably the deepest house-track ever made?
Krisp - Fleet

After getting a drivers-license, this was my all time favourite to blast in the car, cruising around the rural highways alone at night on the island where I grew up. I heard it on a compilation called “FBU: Recollections In Rare Altitude” on the Norwegian label Love OD Communicatios. I burrowed this CD at the music library in Bergen (mega props to this place!). This one I was never able to obtain on vinyl untill 10+ years later, and ever since it’s never left my bag. Another truly gorgeous hypno-house/techno hybrid from The Codfather.
Erot - Haribo

Another track from the same CD-compilation mentioned above. This one also took me ages to finally get on vinyl, released in 97′ as the first 12″ on Footnotes. Erot never made a single not-fantastic track. Sadly he didn’t get to make so many before passing away, but his originality, production-skills and sound continues to inspire people all around the world, and certainly did for me.
Ron Trent - Morning Factory

Can’t remember where or when I heard this the first time, but it kept popping up around me and got stuck in my brain and body. By the time I heard it, it was already a classic. And it still is. And I guess that speaks volumes. Hands down.
Roy Davis Jr -Watch Them Come

Actually the first time I heard this, it was as a Jazzanova-remix. At that time I was also quite fascinated with broken beat and future-jazz things. Then I heard the original on this Roy Davis Jr “DJ Mix” CD I bought in 99 and I have loved it ever since. Such a great vocals and euphoric drive in the production!
Doc L Junior - Dub Power

Another proper Norwegian house-household name here. I was a big fan of his first two EPs on Music For Freaks. This one from “Dubs You Crazy With Peace” being one of my favourites. So soulful, deep and bouncy. Mixing up so much of the vibe and genres I was discovering at that time.
Etienne De Crecy - Hold The Line

Initially I bought his “Tempovision” LP because of “Am I Wrong”, the cheesy french-house track of the bunch.. But upon hearing the entire album, other tracks captivated me more. This 14-min repetetive journey often filled one quarter of the hour the bus to the city took me. And it’s got this slightly Pépé Bradock-ish vibe on the production side too (he would’ve been included on this list too, had it been longer). I guess I’ve held the line since then.