Beatservice is pleased to present Kohib, known to his friends as Øivind Sjøvoll from Sortland in the north of Norway. He has been an important part of the club-scene in the town of Tromsø since 1997, first as a DJ, later as a club organizer. In 1998 he started the legendary club Yaz’n with a few friends. It was Norway’s smallest club, but famous for its sweaty funk nights. Øivind had his musical debut with the band Parliavox in 2001, mixing funk and jazz with electronica/house elements. He started his solo electronica production in 2003, and had his recording debut with the track “Truger” on the Prima Norsk 3 compilation in 2005. Kohib is the name of Øivind’s mostly instrumental electronica / house / dub project which performs live in collaboration with Simen Justdal from TANK design on the visual side. Kohib released his debut album Make Fire in 2010 on Beatservice. After the release of the album, several friends from the Norwegian electronic scene were asked to create reinterpretations of tracks from the album. Some where planned as singles, some where done just for fun, and now they are collected on one big EP.
This sampler highlights four of the nine tracks found within the Make Fire - The Remixes set. First, you’ll find Oslo producer Støyvind with a snappy, poppy take on “Push Me Down.” An electronic disco bass line drives Støyvind’s mix as a punchy house music beat points the way to the floor. The funky synth work recalls an almost 80’s sound which is offset by the modern processing of the catchy vocal phrases. A club-ready winner. Next up, the beardy duo of Frisvold & Lindbæk (that is, Kåre Frisvold and Rune Lindbæk) are well informed in what happens when dub, techno, and Balearic sounds collide, and their wonderfully sprawling remix of “Tales From A Nomad" brings further evidence. This cosmic jam session rides a disco thump into the sunset as echo trails float astray through the stereo field. The result is a percussive, brilliant head-trip for the dance-floor. Producer/DJ Dennis Jr., who we last heard from with the release of his acclaimed Elektro Donkey album, re-builds “The Fang Song" into a smooth syncopated jazzy groove. His signature low-slung bass guitar riffs and genuine feel for remixing vocals set his mix above the norm. Its nu-disco sound is anchored by a pulsating, rhythmic shuffle making Dennis Jr.’s contribution a truly unique sounding cut. Finally, Boska (who recently released an EP on Mental Overdrive’s Love OD label) brings “Push Me Down" to super-charged broken beat territories with his radical remix. The word “Askefast” found in the remix name refers to the ashy conditions that grounded airplanes after the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland, and this version flows with its own lava-launched intensity. The wild treatments on the vocals, the whizzing electronic sounds, and the fiery bass lines will surely turn heads and move feet on the club floor. It’s an energetic close to an exciting sonic package.
Nick Chacona (Mood Music / Hector Works) - “Love it! Frisvold & Lindbaek Remix is the one, but the Dennis Jr. Remix is hot, too.”
Giom (Lost My Dog) - “Wicked stuff! I love the Stoyvind Remix. Will play.”
James Flavour (Dirt Crew) - “Heavy thing, that Frisvold & Lindbaek Remix. Top!”
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - “Great release. Spacey!”
Ilya Santana - “The Frisvold & Lindbaek Remix is a very nice trip on delays, a rolling bassline, and effects well used.”
Rob Mello (Classic Music Company) - “I’m liking all the mixes here.”
Deepchild (Trapez / Opossum Records) - “Slinky, low-slung excellence! All very very nice.”
Social Disco Club (Bear Funk / Mindless Boogie) - “Great remix from Frisvold and Lindbaek!”
DJ Tomas (ForwardEver Blog / XLR8R) - “Those huge bass riffs and fat drums really give the Kohib project weight and depth. Solid tracks all around.”
DJ Morpheus (Freezone / Radio Campus) - “All the remixes here are top! Excellent stuff, indeed.”
DJ Firefly (WRCT FM, Pittsburgh) - “Love that funky stuff! Favorite track by far is the ‘Tales From A Nomad’ remix - killer bassline, super-catchy drums, and the dubby echoed stuff on top is fantastic. Definitely want more like that one!”
Available now from Juno Download and Beatport