Devilfish first came to Melbourne a year and a half ago for Hardware 15. Over the past few months Devilfish has been in Melbourne, writing and producing their forthcoming album, Techwise and Otherwise. Why? That's exactly what I went to find out…..

From the deep, Devilfish is born... (The History)
Devilfish was born in 1997 when Fredrick Sôderstrôm (27) and Sina Morshed Solouk (23) met in a Nightclub in Greece where Fredrick was working the Bar and Sina was given a dj residency. Their first track was called Strawberry Fields and they sent this off to Labels around the globe looking for some interest. It took about a month for Eric Powell to actually hear their demo, due to the fact that Eric was so busy Djing at the time and also lost the first copy! But once Eric heard the Devilfish demo he was hooked, so to speak! Devilfish released its first album in 1999, titled Freakshow. This was my first introduction to devilfish and like many others around the world this album blew me away… It sounded raw, it sounded live, but as I learnt today, it sounds nothing like their new album. I guess like in the early stages of any band, Devilfish felt that they were still growing and developing at the stage where they released this album….2 years on and its time to rock the house.

So what does the new album sound like?
Techwise and Otherwise is due for release mid March and according to Sina and Fredrick is less minimal, but rawer than the first and is made up of rockin, big party, bangin tekkers tracks. Bonus track on cd, man alive which is not available on vinyl… go buy the 12"!

So why would a Swedish pair of DJ's/producers choose Melbourne to write their new album?
Well the answer to this is easy. Devilfish loves Australia…. The feedback on their music has never been so animated. They have great respect for the fact that the crews here in Melbourne, no matter what scene you are into, have great interest and knowledge on the music. The Melb scene is ahead of itself…. Inspirational, makes them push harder, people know what they like..And then of cource there is Eric Powell. The owner and founder of Bush records. Eric is currently based here in Victoria and is obviously a great mentor to these guys. Just listening to the way Sina praised and spoke of Eric, made me think that they had been friends for life as opposed to 3 year old business partners! Ok admittedly I don't know that many famous musical acts and their relationships with their labels, but it is one thing in this industry that always seems to go pear-shaped.. But not at Bush. The sounds have stayed the same in their music but the way the album was put together was completely different.

So how do you tour and write an album when your gear is half a world away?
Their studio was cropped back in order to be able to travel with minimum of bother, which was another thing that surprised me. I love seeing lots and lots of gear, and how different people use what they have. But these guys like so many awesome acts use just a few really good toys to make the phatest sounds!

The following is a list of the gear in Devilfish's Australian Studio.

+ Yamaha Digital O1v Mixer (Awesome for their live gigs, it always sounds the same and triggers the midi in their live sampling sets)
+ Akai S-5000
+ Akai MPC2000
+ Roland TR-909
+ dbx compressor (very important)
+ SL1200 Turntables.. of course..

Analog Vs Digital - The devilfish view...
The studio is all hooked up via midi, making this a full digital studio…This seems to work best for Devilfish because it means whether they are working on tracks, or playing live, it always sounds the same… let me explain.

An analog desk (mixer) needs to be setup and sound checked at every venue to get the sound right for that room. This is a process that takes live acts such as the DEA up to 5 hours before an event.

It is very similar to sound checking a band, making sure the live dj's instruments (samplers, synths, drum machines etc) are all sounding right for that room.

Now with a digital studio setup, all Devilfish need to do is turn up 5 mins before the event, make sure they remember the power cable and they are off!

When Sina and Fredrick play live they want to sound like the music they produce, and the only real way to do this is by saving every setting (pitch, tone, tambre, orcestration, filters) into the digital memory of the mixer… Very handy attribute of a digital mixer.

The Mixer can also trigger all of the gear in their studio via Midi (musical instrument digital interface) enabling the mixer to be a full control desk, so to speak. "People should just remember the live set" says Fredrick, and I think that sums it up…

If you are a live act, you don't want you
r sound to be less perfect than a record, because otherwise the next dj will come on and rock you off the floor!

Keepin' it live
Live gigs are also great for Devilfish, because they have lots of material under their different names they release music under, so can always play to the crowd in front of them. And can play like dj's but they bring in and out their own tracks and sets, it's the same as djing but does not require so many records!

So where does this sound come from?
They say that they are not prepared or even interested in riding someone else's wave, so in essence Devilfish is quite removed from many of their home piers such as Adam Bayer and Samuel L Sessions. Sina and Fredrick see their friends as their major influences, what u see in life everyday. One day you will be happy in the sun drinking with your friends and then find yourself in the studio writing a happy electro track….. Devilfish has a sound, but these guys don't follow a sound. They own their own record label, Frequent and also have releases under the name of intergalactic funk, and individually as Head rush and cold systems. This pair have done over 40 releases in the past year or so, but only 3 under Devilfish. Remixing for Bush is allowing mixes of great tracks such as love song and is allowing them to work alongside dj's such as Carl Cox. "Devilfish is techno…. But this is Devilfish's interpretation of techno, call it what u like, but we call it techno." - Fredrick.

So, what now for Devilfish….
The new album will obviously need to be launched and now Devilfish are setting their sights on a live cd, perhaps at Wetmusic next party, Wet005 Braindance. But what ever happens, hopefully the pair will choose to have Melbourne as their second home…

Down to earth, but skys the limit.

Thanks for the interview Devil