Lars Sandberg :: Exclusive Stanton Interview :: August.2004
Lars Sandberg is a producer/DJ best known for his releases on Glasgow-based Soma records (as Funk D'Void). Sandberg now calls Barcelona home, but spends most of his time DJing in the world's finest clubs. Having recently adopted FinalScratch for his DJ sets, Stanton caught up with Sandberg to talk music and MP3.
When and how did you get started DJing?
It was around 1987 and I was 16 years old running two under 18 clubs in the city center of Glasgow, Scotland. I knew I'd wanted to be a DJ since the age of 12; I admired their power and effect on people dancing in clubs. And of course I had a burning desire to share music that I loved with complete strangers, which I still do today!
Where do you hold residency?
At the moment I'm doing two residencies: one at Breakitdown at The Honeycomb in Edinburgh and another in The Loft Club in Barcelona (where I live). It's great to build a relationship in one place so that you are given the freedom to experiment with your sets and not have to "bang it" all the time.
You also tour quite a bit. Where are your favorite places to play and why?
I have to say The Cocoon Club in Frankfurt is the most incredible club I've ever played at; from a design point of view it stands alone-it's absolutely gorgeous. I love playing in Asia, especially Japan. They have a love for music that is unparalleled, the last true fans. Malaysia is fun too (Club Atmosphere in Kuala Lumpur). Eastern Europe has a special vibe, they really let loose when you play, and they let you know if they like you or not!
For me the best place to play is Glasgow, not just because it is my hometown but also because the atmosphere is tangible, along with a perfect connection with the crowd. I have great hopes for South America; this for me is my new DJing "Mecca." Colombia was inspirational for me as a producer and DJ; it re-invented my faith in the scene, which at times can seem a little tired to us saturated Europeans.
How would you describe your sound; what are some of your favorite labels and producers?
I like music that has soul and emotion-something that you know has been created with love when you hear it. Music that has been produced for commerce always sounds like it. I've succumbed to many dance genres so I wouldn't know what to call my music apart from melodic I suppose. Fave producers are Joris Voorn, Phil Kieran, John Tejada, Vince Watson, Dan Corco, Alexander Kowalski, Anthony Rother and loads of others. Labels like Datapunk float my boat at the momentăraw and from the heart.
Have you always been a vinyl DJ?
Oh yeah! I was skeptical about using MP3s for the longest time. I was the original vinyl die-hard. I used CDs a lot as well. Now it's mostly FinalScratch!
What got you interested in FinalScratch?
It got to the point where a lot of my friends in the profession were using it at their gigs and I felt it was time to expand my sessions instead of always bringing the same 70 records with me over a few months; it had become less interesting for me to play. John Acquaviva finally got me started by giving me some MP3s of his productions to spin and I took it from there.
How has FinalScratch changed the way you DJ? What are some of the things you like about it?
During the first gig with FS I just looked at the computer and was kinda scared to start using it! Then all of a sudden it has become the heart of my sets. It's given me the breathing space to play at any gig without worrying if I have the right records to play, and also I'm mixing more smoothly because I can see every event that's about to happen in the .WAV file. I am playing with a real passion for the perfect set and the evidence has been the crowd's reactions since I started using FS. I'm such a file-hungry geek right now!
How many tracks do you have on your hard drive and in what format are they?
I've managed to amass around 450 MP3s on my drive so far. It's been a bit of a pain transferring vinyl to MP3; it takes up a lot of time, which I don't have. I've been told 256 kbps is a good bitrate to use. I can't really tell the difference between 192 and 256, but there are purists out there that can! I import all my audio files into iTunes as compressed MP3s so I've got lots of space on my hard drive, and I use a Mac 12" Titanium PowerBook with FinalScratch as the only program. I've been telling a lot of promo companies to send me CDRs of new tracks instead of vinyl, as they're easier to transfer to FS. I usually carry really new stuff on vinyl with me, maybe around 30 records. I'm done carrying bags of heavy vinyl though.
Any interesting stories to share about recent gigs where you've used FinalScratch?
Well I try not to look like I'm checking my emails when I spin! I make an effort to shake my ass behind the decks and look as if I'm enjoying myself; it's easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of tracks you have on your screen. In Ibiza one time though I mis-wired the decks on the ScratchAmp so the left deck was the right screen and the right deck was on the left. After a few beers it became really confusing (laughs).
You also produce under the moniker Funk D'Void. Any new tracks we should be watching out for?
I'm working on remixes for Monika Kruse, Ken Ishi, Michel De Hey and Kraftwerk. After that I'll be producing an electro record under the name "Punk D'Void" for Datapunk. I'm also finishing off the second Chaser LP for Soma records. Then Ięm prepping for my 4th LP as a DVD called "F.DVD". See what I did there?
Lars Sandberg's Top 10 as of 8/29/04:
1. Anthony Rother "Young" (Datapunk)
2. Slam "This World (Phil Kieran remix)" Soma
3. Phil Kieran "Alloy Metal Body Blue Print" Skint
4. Shakedown "Lovegame" White
5. Tim Deluxe "Choose Something Like A Star" Underwater
6. Johannes Heil "The World LP" Datapunk
7. DK "DK10" DK
8. Greg Churchill "Infused Track" Underwater
9. New Order "Blue Monday (Plastikman remix)" White
10. Santos "Try to burn" White
For more information, visit www.funkdvoid.com and www.somarecords.com.
