Contributing Writer
We recently had the pleasure of catching up with the Scandinavian electronic duo Trulz & Robin, where we discuss their recently released ‘Out of Sync LP’ on Snick Snack Music. From the themes and concepts behind the tracks to their writing and production processes in the studio
Welcome, Trulz & Robin! It’s a pleasure to have you here. How did the two of you come together to form your duo?
Thank you so much for having us!
We dj`ed together at a friend’s house for his birthday just by coincidence and everyone loved it so much and was telling us that we should play together more. From then we started to DJ more together and since we were good friends and loved the same style of music it was all very natural. From then the duo Trulz & Robin was created, we got more DJ gigs and we started to build a studio together and create music. This was in 1996 or 97 I think.
With your latest album, ‘Out of Sync’, you’ve incorporated an impressive lineup of collaborators. How did these collaborations come about, and what motivated you to work with these particular artists?
We wanted to work with people/artists that inspire us and have a message in their craft. But we didn’t plan everything. It just came together in the flow and energy when creating the album. With the Robert Owens tracks we had these 2 jams/sketches and we just felt that it would be amazing to have vocals on them. Robin reached out to Robert Owens and just asked if he wanted to work with us on the album. We didn’t know him before so we were a bit surprised but very happy that he responded. We have been big fans of his work for a long time and we felt his style, message and feeling would be perfect for these tracks. We were so blown away by what he contributed to the music so I think that’s when we decided we wanted to explore having vocals on more tracks on the album.
We then reached out to Kate Pendry and Baseman who are good old friends of ours. We love what they do and have worked with them many times before so it was a great experience to create music together again. The same with Chuc Frazier and Celine Beyond who wrote the lyrics for Divine Electricity with Trulz. It all came together quite naturally and we feel so blessed that everyone wanted to be a part of the album with us.
And with mix and mastering, we were so fortunate that Matthew Styles from Horizontal Studios wanted to work with us again. He did an amazing job and the process was really inspiring and we learned so much from working with him again.
Could you share some insights into your latest album? What themes or concepts did you explore, and what was the inspiration behind it?
We wanted to go back to our roots. To capture a feeling and vibe and not analyze too much. We thought about what we loved so much with electronic music in the 90`s when we discovered it. It was the simplicity and magical atmosphere that took us away from ourselves and merged people together. So we decided we wanted to just jam more. Record. Not thinking so much. And keep it raw and direct. And in the process, we felt it would be amazing to incorporate more vocals and lyrics that have a message and meaning that people could feel and relate to on the dancefloor. People have to find their own meaning from the vocals of course but for us, It’s about letting go and being in the moment. To see how we create our own inner reality through our thoughts and feelings and to be conscious of that and that we all are something much deeper in truth and that’s what music can open us up to.
What can you tell us about your writing & production process? Are there any particular tools or software that are integral to your workflow?
For us, creating music has always been about just feeling it and going with the flow and moment. We can have an intention/idea at first and then we just see where it takes us from there. If something doesn’t work we just throw it away and start something new.
We love hardware, drum machines, analog synths, sequencers, modulars etc. It’s amazing how direct and in the moment the experience is when creating music with these instruments synced together. And we don’t have to think too much. Music comes out of the machines as they almost are a living organism. We love the Roland 101 synth, 606 drum machine, 909, our modular setup, 303, Perkons .
We also use a lot of guitar pedals for FX and tweaking the sounds. But we also use Ableton which we love and have a big package of different software plugins we use from plugin alliance.
The album artwork and accompanying imagery for ‘Out of Sync’ are visually striking. Can you share the creative process behind the concept and how they connect with the music?
Thank u for the kind words : )
We decided that if we were to make a new Trulz & Robin album, it had to be a «new world», with music, artwork, videos, and images. Not only the music. And we wanted to do as much as we could ourselves. We love to be creative and not only with music. So it was a great learning experience for us. We also wanted it not to focus on our faces/how we normally look but to create different characters in the musical universe.
The idea was that we wanted the artwork and videos to have an analog dirty punk feel to it. Collage feeling in a way.
So we asked a friend of ours, Thomas Ekström, who is an amazing photographer, if he could do a photoshoot with us. We brought 2 hockey bags full of clothes, wigs, hats, props and we just went crazy with dressing up and having fun.
We then got hundreds of amazing photos from him which we then printed on thick paper. Then Robin and his wife Tina Ballerina started to create the artwork for the album and singles. Tearing in the paper to get ruff cuts and make collages of layers of different photos. Then they took it into Photoshop and edited it further there.
We wanted to do it this way to make the visual design rough and raw, the same as the music and the idea behind the album.
Trulz made all the video material by putting photos in sync with the music to make it an old school moving video. Creating a choppy and dirty feel to it. Then adding layers, Fx etc.
It was really amazing for us to create all this ourselves instead of someone else doing it. We learned so much and it’s been amazing to be creative in both artwork , videos and music.
With ‘Out of Sync’ now released, what has been the most rewarding aspect of sharing this album with your fans and the broader audience?
The feedback has been really great. We have gotten in contact with so many people in the world and the support has been really amazing for us.
We feel really blessed.
As a duo, what do you enjoy most about creating music together?
It’s sharing experiences together. Having fun and just jamming and grooving. We know each other so well now that we don’t really have to speak so much. It’s like we communicate on a different level sometimes. If I think, oh we should make a bass line then Robin is already in the process of creating it without me saying anything.
What are your future goals or aspirations? Is there anything you hope to achieve or explore in the coming years?
Just keep creating music and having fun. Learn more about our equipment and try different things in the studio. We would also love to work with other artists and explore mixing different genres of art.
It would be amazing to travel to new parts of the world and meet people and share our music with a broader audience.
Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or releases that your fans can look forward to?
Yes. We are releasing 2 remix ep`s from the «Out of Sync» album on Snick Snack Music after the summer. With remixes from FreedomB. Prins Thomas, Ost & Kjex, Andre Bratten +++. We also have an EP with a remix by Kirk Degiorgio coming out soon. And we have 3 more albums we are working on. 1 in techno, 1 electronica and 1 dub techno house style which will come out when they are ready.
Thank you for your time and for sharing your insights with us. Lastly, what is the single best piece of advice you can offer aspiring artists?
Thank u for having us : )
Advice from us is: Follow your heart…..