Grovskopa. Born (1982) and raised in Malmoe, Sweden Mika "Grovskopa" Hallbäck is one of the most exciting and innovative young DJ/producers to arrive on the techno scene in recent years. He has been producing since the tender age of 14 and began DJing a year later, eventually graduating to his current three turntable set up at 18 years of age.
You started producing and djing from a young age. Can you tell us about
your music as a young teenager? did you play an instrument?
I had the luck of having parents that were into "good" music. My mother
had a load of Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, Peter Gabriel, Genesis,
Bronski Beat etc vinyls and my father was really into Pink Floyd. That
whole thing totally gripped me at a very young age. I guess that shaped me
towards the later on attained taste of electronic music.
In the early teens I found punk and "hardcore" (the skate punk genre, not
the electronic one) and it really spoke to me because of the attitude and
energy. That quickly changed though after hearing the first albums of
Prodigy. And after that things progressed quickly from CJ Bolland to Aphex
Twin to Techno to industrial to modern classical to to to... It is all
tied together.
I never played any "real" instrument even though my parents insisted. I
was more into synthesizers and tape decks and things like that.
I regret that now though, would be a lot of fun to know how to play the
guitar or whatever.
Your early influences include punk, and you found techno pretty early in
your teens. can you name me three ocasions that you can remember which
changed your *musical* outlook forever?
Hard question... I think the three most influential records have been: The
Prodigy - Experience
Surgeon - Force + Form
Philip Glass - Drumming
What have you been working on recently?
Loads! Very hectic schedule at the moment..
My 'Make Tomorrow' EP on Sect Records is coming any time now, I am very
happy about that. It really breaks out of "the box" that I have created
for myself over the last 8 years. Curious to see how that is received by
the fanboys/girl.
More currently I have been working on a project with German
industro-romanticists Ancient Methods, as well as some stuff with the
Danish DnB artist DJ Pyro.
A lot of other stuff in the pipeline as well but I am not sure I can talk
about that yet.
And today I finished a remix for Soleil Records' vinyl re-debut!
Happily it is all coming out on vinyl! I refuse to let mp3s take over our
little techno world. Can you tell us about your studio setup?
Computer, monitors, midi controllers. Hardware instruments tend to make me
unfocused (too fun to tweak knobs!)
Your favourite studio tools, synths, DAW, effects, secret weapons,
hardware/software?
Sequencer: Cubase SX
Instrument: Tassman, I used it in every single track for the last 3-4 years!
Secret weapon: I don't know anything about engineering! What are some of the key influences on the music you make now?
I don't really know, but I do know that I want to bring a bit more melody
into techno. I find that it has been too abstract and rhythm-based for
many years now.
How do you feel about the current techno and dubstep crossover sounds
and djs?
Don't fancy it. But it is nice that something is happening with the music
(that isn't MNML).
Name me three things that Grovskopa is all about?
Music
Motorbikes
Metal
And three things Grovskopa hates?
Don't want to be negative!
If there was no chance another person would ever have the pleasure of
hearing your music again, would you still enjoy making it/would you
still make music at all?
I sure hope so! Otherwise I would feel very shallow. But I can't deny that
it has huge huge value to have others hear my work.
Can you descirbe the relationship between your music, your day time job
as a blacksmith, and your personal (non musical) life?
I don't really see any distinct lines between them. And there is no such
thing as my non-musical life. Music is all around us, we just need to open
our ears. I don't think that something has to be man-made to be music. The
job is quite like making music. There is a lot of noise, sweat and
creativity involved. Whats next for you as an artist?
Make some more music?
And your labels Emergence Records and sub label Pohjola?
On hiatus due to troublesome distributors. That doesn't worry me too much
though, there is always a way! And I am young still ;)
Got any advice for the up-and-coming producers that are making music today?
Try to be yourself a bit more and a bit less mimicking. And try to think a
bit outside the box.
Even though we love Surgeon we don't need one more!
