WE ARE AGARIC
We meet with Patrik Skoog aka Agaric, already a veteran of swedish techno and house producers even though he is still very young and got a bright future in front of him.
Hello Patrik, tell our readers about yourself, how did you come to music?
Hi Dub. I’ve been intreaged by musical instruments for as long as I can remember. When I was really young I was always nagging my parents to give me this, give me that. Although to this day I just have general knowledge about writing songs, playing chords etc. I can’t read notes in a classical way, though with drums I do have history in taking classes. I was firstly interested in making EBM and industrial music with my friends, who had inspired me to find this kind of music in the first place. We were around 14, 15 years old and were really sucked in deep to American and European industrial music, perhaps a decade too late, but either way it kind of lead us the way into techno and house, which me and my mates slowly got more and more into trying to produce in a proper way at the end of the 90’s.
Looking at your biography it seems like you are around for a lot more than 10 years, how do you manage such high output?
Well I would say there was a higher output before, if you are judging the output by the number of releases that gets put out. Nowadays I would say that I think it’s more important to have something to say with each release, to make it worth while. I wouldn’t mind having a long break in between an Agaric release now, though in the past I probably thought it was more important to keep having releases out every odd month. I have been having somewhat of a production hiatus over the last while though, due to practical reasons, so who knows – most likely there will be another boom coming in 2013. Though I plan to work on alof of different styles of music as well in the next time coming.
There is only a few that get to release on Ovum, how did Josh and you come together?
I’m proud to have my first full length for the Agaric project coming out on such a long running and respected label – basically I presented the final album directly to them, along with the main single track – and he wanted to jump on it even though I had only been working with other labels up to that point. I’m happy he did, and in the end it worked out very well!
Tell us about your other moniker, Headroom. Is it your harder, technoid side?
This is a project me and my two friends Niklas and Henrik had up until 2004 or so. It was techno, a bit on the faster side. At that time I was playing all that stuff in clubs. Force Inc, Axis, Synewave, Tresor, Drumcode… I still do, but the music is different and a bit more mature now. But naturally we we’re producing this kind of sound as well. I’ve heard that there is another “Headroom” out there now, making harder, fast trance music. Oh well, we did have our good times, and that music will always be a backbone to my inspiration for club music.
And your own label ‘We Are’?
I started this about 7 years ago, as a anonymous label for minimal beats. The music has evolved, and the label is still going strong. I plan the first full length project on We Are for this winter, actually it is in the making. It has always been a label sort of in the shadows, nearly using any promotion, and it always makes me very happy to hear unexpected people saying how they appreciate the releases and support them. Recently I bumped into Sven Väth and he mentioned how he’d been playing alot of stuff over the years from the label, that makes me really happy and reassured that I should keep on running it as it is.
You live in berlin since 2007, how is life in Germany’s capital?
Life here is very good indeed, I love this city and I reckon I will be based here for many years to come. It is so relaxed, without the high costs of living and social pressures of my native Sweden, and allowing people to focuse on what makes them happy – without stereotyping too much and interfering with culture. Even though certain things are changing here alot as well, I still am much more comfortable here than in Scandinavia.
Unfortunately we missed your gig in DC10, how was it?
I have a really good time playing there, too bad you couldn’t make it. It was so funny on the 2nd gig, because I was a bit worried that the strong AC was keeping people from staying in the main room which is inside, but within 10 minutes it was packed and everyone’s sweating and dancing, haha.
Are you an Ibiza regular?
I can’t say that I am, this summer I have been there a bit – but prior to that just a few times. I really like it though, you can find some seriously good music if you just dig into it a little, and the island. Well it’s just beautiful isn’t it?
Where can people listen to your music?
They can search for DJ sets and podcasts on Soundcloud, or they can listen to records in the record shops! From this moment and onward, “we are” releases will be available everywhere thinkable digitally as well. The next one is by VID & Andrew Grant, and it should be out early September on vinyl first. xx Patrik
here are some links to find Agaric:
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/agaric
http://www.facebook.com/djagaric
Tags: agaric, headroom, patrik skoog, we are
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