10 Questions with: Fochs Koshka
We played a really intense one hour long set in a completely packed room. It was so hot that the cables were sticky after the gig because the plastic had melted as a result of the heat. The audience was extremely engaged throughout the set, and we felt like Lars Ulrich after every Metallica show in the 90s.
In the deep hibernation that has lingered over the Norwegian fjords and forests. There is growing a seed of speed and mystery ready to shake the people up from their sleep. With their high-energy live shows and unique experimental techno sound, Fochs Koshka is one of the most exciting Norwegian duos in the electronic genre at the moment. They recently dropped the 3-track EP “Böl” on our label:
Fochs Koshka - Böl EP
- Fochs Koshka - Fuckings Koshka (un petit interlude)
- Fochs Koshka - Finken
- Fochs Koshka - Bleu
Listen to the release on Spotify here
In anticipation of the release party we are hosting at BLÅ 07.04 we are more than pleased to get to know the duo further so we asked them a few questions.
1. How did you decide to start making music together? And what was the journey from then to where you are now sound-wise and as friends?
We met in Oslo four/five years ago and bonded through a common interest in electronic music and production. First we started improvising together, and later on we worked in the basement studio that Markus rented at that time. There we made our first EP «Boodog». Since then we’ve done a lot of remixes and released two more EPs. Soundwise, we’ve gone from a UK/garage kind of vibe to a more hybridized experimental techno sound.
2. What is the meaning behind the name Fochs Kosha?
We don't know (っ＾▿＾)
3. What is or who are your biggest inspirations when it comes to your music, individually and together as a whole
Well, for example we often talk about some weird movies, where we try to make a world of sound simulare to a specific scene or feel the movie has. Our favorites to take inspiration from are movies like Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “El Topo'' or “The Holy Mountain”. There are a lot of things to digest there haha.
4. What are your ambitions for the future?
Evolve into an international business with thousands of employees working towards a common goal: getting Fochs Koshka on top of the charts. Billboard top 100 here we come! We also want every employer to be wearing a reflector suite and the workspace would be a mix between a Walmart (can be any, they are all the same) and Nidarosdomen (Trondheim, Norway). Every 10 minutes our employees have to have a mini dance battle to the track “Cinq Etudes de Bruits” by Pierre Schaeffer.
We also want to release an album, and play more shows abroad etc.
5. Can you tell us about your creative process when making music together?
We have a pretty funny dynamic actually. Mats is always very energetic and a bit restless, and Markus is the calm one that worries about how to put everything together. Usually we’d start with an idea from one of us and try to send different tracks through some outboard gear. At the end of the session we’ll have maybe three/four different possible versions of the song and arrangement in Ableton. Then we’ll decide in which direction we want to take the song, and so Markus has to clean up the project and get rid of all the unnecessary tracks that Mats has made ( ˘︹˘ ). Often the process starts with a fun idea, like, “is it possible to make a song out of just warping and pitching kicks?” or “can we make a song out of cats puking?”. The answer is often no, but the process at last makes us laugh. ≧◠‿◠≦
6. What was your all time favorite gig and why?
Uka, Samfundet Trondheim 2022. We played a really intense one hour long set in a completely packed room. It was so hot that the cables were sticky after the gig because the plastic had melted as a result of the heat. The audience was extremely engaged throughout the set, and we felt like Lars Ulrich after every Metallica show in the 90s.
7. It’s really cool that you play with modular equipment! How did you get into it and what are your “roles” when playing live?
I (Markus) bought my first modular eight years ago, but didn’t understand how to use it at first. Then I dived further into the modular world and was bummed out when I understood that I needed a lot more modules to get the setup I wanted, and that it’s really expensive. But after a few years of saving and buying used modules, I completed my setup. Now we mostly use the modular case as an outboard effect box both live and in the studio, distorting drums and using lfos to get weird quirky grooves and effects. That’s Markus’ role in the live set, and Mats is controlling the stems in Ableton and sometimes playing a drum machine or an extra modular ★Both of us are screaming in microphones as well ★
8. Where are you guys from, how has your environment formed you to the duo you represent today?
Mats is from Førde in Sogn og Fjordane, and Markus is from Lommedalen. I (Mats) think that my upbringing in Førde has a lot to do with the music we make in Fochs Koshka. When I grew up I only knew one person doing music with a computer and synths, which made it hard to get into some kind of electronic music culture or inspiration from people around me. In my adolescent years I was basically just by myself biking around with bad Koss Headphones listening to Aphex Twin and Amon Tobin. The music i did was just a lot of noise-stuff and a lot of really bad tracks, until I met Markus in 2018, who weirdly understood the music I was working on (✿◠‿◠).
9. If you were stranded on an island and could pick 3 albums to bring each, which would you pick?
(Mats) Burial Untrue, Björk Vespertine, Brian Eno Discreet Music.
(Markus) William Basinski The Disintegration Loops, Oklou Galore and our future Fochs album, cuz its gonna be ‘mazing.
10. What do you look most forward to in 2023?
Playing shows and working on new music! The last couple of years we haven't been living in the same city, but now Mats has finally moved to Oslo. So that means a lot more studio sessions!