Contributing Writer
Vinny Villbass, sonic guru and badabing diskos label boss, has been right at the centre of the flourishing Oslo house scene for the last few years. With the upcoming release of his latest LP ‘Windows’, we sat down with Vinny to discuss the record, Oslo and more.
Hello Vinny Villbass! Thanks for speaking to Music Is 4 Lovers, how has your year been so far?
Hi Lovers! Love to love you! It’s been a very productive year, filled with gigs, producing two albums (as LAFT and Vinny Villbass), running both Badabing Diskos and OsloClubCast, and throwing parties in Oslo. It’s been hectic and exhausting for sure, but it feels so good now when both my albums are done and I can see the amazing response. Makes every long hour worthwhile.
The newest LP ’Windows’, is set to be released on your badabing diskos imprint at the end of September. What can you tell us about the upcoming release?
It’s actually all the sketches I made during the pandemic and was meant to be released as a post-pandemic scream for attention, therefore the higher tempo and what was supposed to be a more straightforward and simpler sound. But I always have the challenge of not feeling finished, so I felt it needed that extra warm studio hug. Sounds a bit soft coming from an old punk rocker, but I guess we all get tender with age…
As well as guitars, there is clearly a lot of analogue gear used on the record. How important are instruments/ hardware to your creative process?
As I started my musical life playing violin at 4, trumpet at 8, drums at 12 and guitar at 13… this sounds like the worst biography cliche, “the future looks bright for this one”, haha… Anyway, I find it a bit hard just keeping things digital. Playing synths, percussion and guitar by hand makes it easier for me to feel creative. I don’t like to rely on sequencers.
A lot of the track titles seem to be related to specific places. Was knowing (or imagining) these places part of how the tracks came together, or did you pick those track titles for another reason?
Yes, that was the original idea behind the ‘Windows’ name, sitting isolated and imagining parallel presences, but getting most of the input through the digital windows of devices. These digital windows are easily manipulated, which is a great thing when it comes to creativity, but a bit frightening when it comes to international politics and social structures.
Your label badabing diskos has been releasing music for almost a year and a half now. What motivated you to start the label and where would you like to take it in the future?
It’s been a while since I ran a label. The last time was with Khan in Berlin 15 years ago, so starting badabing diskos was very liberating. First of all, you don’t have a delay in releases. You get your music right out there without having to wait for a year and get tired of your own creative results. The other amazing part is unifying producers with the same views on music as yourself. It’s a very small electronic scene in Oslo, and even fewer that are into straightforward house music, so I guess that’s why all our releases are house music, but with a twist. Sommerfeldt, Diskjokke, Casablanca303, Frifot, Boblebad, I feel they all have that weird twist.
You also produce under the alias LAFT. What is the advantage of producing under two different monikers and how do these projects differ?
LAFT is myself and percussionist Tomas Järmyr (Motorpsycho, Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory, Yodok, Slowshift etc..). His very wide quality and experience within indie music makes LAFT much more improvised and playful than my solo stuff. The album we released earlier this year is somewhat of a test of different directions within house music, and for me, it’s the most complex album I have produced/recorded. I’m very happy with it and am looking forward to what musical direction our next album will take.
Do you think there is anything about Oslo that feeds into the music that producers like yourself, Sommerfeldt, Prins Thomas and others make? Or do you feel like you would make the same music wherever you lived?
Well, this is kinda back to the fact that Oslo is small. As DJs, we have always had to adapt to a wider social crowd when playing, which is why ‘disco’ has always been the most common denominator, a genre that offends very few. In the studio we dig deeper but always with the Oslo crowd ‘requesting’ in the back of our minds, hehe.
What’s been your favourite track to come out this year, from any artist or genre?
Ohh, there’s been a few good ones this year, but Oceanic’s ‘Sunshine, dear’ is the one that pops up first. An amazing building house track with loads of energy but without a kick drum, just vocal stabs playfully dancing around, creating mesmerizing melodies. Great work indeed.
Lastly, what else can we expect from yourself and badabing diskos in the near future?
We have loads of plans. We just took part in a big one-day festival in Lisbon on the 16th September, where we (as OsloClubCast) presented 3 Norwegian labels (Digitalo, Quirk and Badabing) in collaboration with a local record shop, Carpet & Snares.
I really enjoyed that, I am totally in love with Lisbon; gives me the same feeling as when I moved to Berlin 15 years ago. Politeness, possibilities and a great house scene.
As for releases, we have upcoming stuff from new talent such as Casablanca303, Anders Lyngen, Kim Young Ill, Duv Tales, an album from Frifot, and more releases from myself, Sommerfeldt and diskJokke. So the story is yet to be told. Hope even more folks will follow us and our story on Bandcamp.
Artist Links
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