Kim Dürbeck is a Norwegian musical wunderkind. Spending his time between DJing, producing, and playing live, he is a triple threat on the Norwegian electronic music scene. And when he’s not engaged in those activities, he’s looking for new- and old records on some dusty shelf somewhere. The last time he was with us at the Jæger mix he was carting around a box of 100-odd records from a dig earlier that day, but limited time to prepare meant he couldn’t play any of those records, and an error with a USB stick lead to the DJ playing an impromptu set that had he not told us, we’d never know.
For his second appearance on the Jæger mix he would not be thwarted again, as he packed a bag full of vinyl to share with Jaeger’s Sunday night crowd. Driving all the way from Sandefjørd with a bag full of records, Dürbeck put down a vinyl only set that focussed on energy. Going from the subterranean depth of Deep House, to the outer extremes of experimental Techno, Dürbeck covers all musical bases on this mix. From the tempered House rhythms to the jack-booted tempo of a 4-4 kick, Dürbeck lays down a Jaeger mix that sets the pulse of an early Sunday evening at Jæger.
Hello Kim, and welcome back to the Æmix. Can you give us an introduction to this mix?
Hello Æmix. We had a drive from Sandefjord and I brought a bunch of records that I wanted to play. Some of these records are brand new and some of them have been on the shelf for too long. Some of them are randomly picked out from my collection. I don’t like to plan everything when it comes to making a mix and I really enjoy mixing records after how I feel.
The last time you played an error message meant that you had to adapt your set. Did it go as planned this time and what mood were trying to convey on this occasion?
This time I wanted to make a mix with more energy. Last time it was kind of laid back but I think that’s cool too. This time I chose records to use in my mix so I did not have to worry about errors. We drove here and it’s so nice to bring records in a car if you compare it to bringing it on the train. I have such a kind girlfriend who drove me all the way.
You also had a box of records 1$ with you last time. Did any of those make it onto this mix, and what have been some of your other favourite musical moments since the last time you played?
Yeah, that’s right, unfortunately no records from that trip made it to the mix. Yes, we just started a live concept in our hometown with David Pollen and Marius Haugan. We booked some local electronic producers to create a show. At the same venue we also played a live improvised, ambient show this year. We have these concerts and DJ nights once a month. It’s at The Note in Sandefjord. We are trying to bring out all the local producers and djs to our venue.
Do you find that you have to constantly evolve as a DJ to stay on top of everything, and what musical tendencies do you find yourself currently favouring?
I feel like I have to constantly evolve as a dj or a musician not for the reason to stay on top but to learn. I have spent a lot of time these last years playing instruments and making sequences without recording. I have also bought a lot of gear this year. I’m trying to evolve my live set. I really love the idea of not using any computer while playing live these days because I learn so much without it. Sometimes I can sit for hours and just play without recording anything. I get a kick out of that!
What’s happening on the production front for you at the moment?
Right now I’m working with a vocalist. I have also played a lot of live ambient sets this year. I have a new band with Per Eriksen, Øystein Thomessen and Jan Robery Myhre. We improvise ambient music. It’s a lot of fun!
Any new music is coming on the horizon that you’re eager to share?
I’m really looking forward to hear some new music from dugnad records, Joar Renholen, Kjetil Jerve and of course, looking forward to see Hilmar O Jaxen live again. Hilmar o Jaxen is so awesome!
I remember you had also bought a new sequencer at the time of your last appearance. How has it affected your music since and what other developments have you found influenced your productions in recent years?
Yes that’s right and actually, I lent out my mc303 to my friend DJ Apekatt. He made so much music with it. It’s filled with his sequences so I can’t take it back because I don’t want to overwrite his sequences.. haha. so I guess I didn’t use it too much. I do a lot of sequences on my mpc 2000xl.
Do you consider yourself more of a DJ or a producer and how much does one thing affect the other?
That is a hard question but I can always use my DJ experiences in production and the other way. I’m happy that I do both. It’s very useful both ways, but I definitely had more DJ gigs than productions so I guess that makes me more of a DJ then?
And is there anything else we should know before we sign off?
Yes thank you for letting me making a mix and shout out to all my friends.