Taken by Ece Sanin for NCOUNTERS, 2019
´Bergen is a pretty cultural city, it has been a musical metropolis for electronic music in Scandinavia for a long time and has served as a hometown for many great artists.
In the 90s it was the city to be in if you were looking for
good techno and house music.´
Obla is a DJ/producer from the city of Bergen. Getting his first CDJs when was only 12, Obla was influenced by electronic music from a very early age. He is one of the organiser of “Flekken”, a party series following the same spirit of the 90s´ rave scene. His DJ sets are also influenced by the same energy, packed with heavy hitting Techno songs. Now residing in Berlin, he is a promising artist that continues to grow and spread his sound.
NCOUNTERS: Where did you grow up? How did you form your early musical aesthetics?
Obla: I was born and raised in Bergen, a beautiful city on the Norwegian west coast, surrounded by deep fjords and big mountains. Bergen is a pretty cultural city, it has been a musical metropolis for electronic music in Scandinavia for a long time and has served as a hometown for many great artists. In the 90’s it was the city to be in if you were looking for good techno and house music.
Taken by Ece Sanin for NCOUNTERS, 2019
´It was a summer night that me and some friends decided that we wanted to throw our own party in Bergen. The night of the party was pretty rainy, no surprise because its rains almost 280 days a year. We thought nobody was going to show up but it was only 30 minutes later that the party was packed with people who were enjoying the music and dancing happily.´
How did you encounter with the music that you produce? Was there an alternative music culture in Bergen? In which degree were you part of it? How did you decide to move to Berlin?
I was influenced by electronic music pretty early and got my first CDJ's by the age of 12. It was a summer night that me and some friends decided that we wanted to throw our own (underground) party. We borrowed a sound system, some lights and a power generator for the party. The night of the party was pretty rainy, no surprise because its rains almost 280 days a year. We thought nobody was going to show up but it was only 30 minutes later that the party was packed with people who were enjoying the music and dancing happily. This year we celebrate the 7th year in a row for “Flekken” ,which is the name of the party, bigger and better each year.
I played pretty much in every night club in Bergen but the music scene is not what it once was. They've been all commercialized. There is no proper club for dancing and for good music. I figured it was time to look for new territories to grow and express my music.
When did you move to the new city? How is your experience with Berlin as a migrant backgrounded emerging artist?
Summer of 2018 I packed my bags and went to Berlin for the first time in my life. I didn’t know what to expect at the time, but I knew the music scene was good. That was probably the best decision in my life so far. I knew right away that this was my new home. The music, the people, the city, it’s something I’ve never experienced before. I feel I can finally be 100% myself. As a musician, last year was pretty big for. I started my bachelor in electronic music production at dBs, meet and worked with some of the best people I met and was trained by one of my favorite artist: Kamikaze Space Programme.
That being said, Berlin can sometimes be tough when you suffer from FOMO (Fear of missing out). There is always something going on, no matter what day or what time. But I'm also starting to adapt and turn it into an advantage.
Taken by Ece Sanin for NCOUNTERS, 2019
´Berlin can sometimes be tough when you suffer from FOMO (Fear of missing out). There is always something going on, no matter what day or what time. But I'm also starting to adapt and turn it into an advantage.´
What are your plans and expectations for the future?
Next thing for my is to finish my degree, partying and doing more music. I'm very grateful for the people in my life and pretty sure that the future will bring a lot of joy.
Photos: Ece Sanin
Graphic Layout: Can Hatunoglu
Editor: Ege Sanin
NCOUNTERS, Berlin (2019)