An Exclusive Interview with Victor Norman: The Mind Behind the Music

LKE: Showdown and Hymn are such haunting big sounds. What’s the story behind them?

Victor Norman: Both got started from sample digging. I found the hymn in Hymn on some cheesy spa music collection. It’s supposed to be an ancient Egyptian hymn, but most likely isn’t…

And the trumpet sample in Showdown I think is from some YouTube clip. It’s a guy making trumpet sounds with his mouth, pretty funny. If I don’t misremember, they both were developed from the break, so I basically started in the middle and developed a start and end from there. There wasn’t much of a plan—they both basically came together from trial and error.

 LKE: Do you see your sound evolving further? Are there any new genres or styles you’d like to explore?

Victor Norman: Well, you know I started out with drum and bass, then got into the whole Slow House thing they later dubbed downtempo, then I’ve gotten more and more technoish in my productions. So technically, I’ve been steadily going faster and faster—from 87.5 to 120 bpm. Maybe I’ll be doing hardstyle soon…

 LKE: What gear or software do you rely on to bring your musical ideas to life?

Victor Norman: I have very little. An Ableton Push, Live, mostly stock plugins. I work better with fewer options—better to learn to use a few tools really well rather than having thousands and not knowing what you’re doing. I don’t have a proper studio, so everything, including final mixing, is done with headphones. It’s not ideal but gets the job done.

 LKE: How do you balance creating emotive, atmospheric music with keeping it dancefloor-friendly?

Victor Norman: You can have any elements you want in there, but to make it dancey, you have to have good baselines and a solid groove. That’s basically it. Also, context is super important—when I DJ, I rarely play emotive and atmospheric tracks back-to-back. You gotta mix it up and create some dynamics.

LKE: What’s your favourite venue or event to play, and why?

Victor Norman: Small and intimate with good sound. Any day. Big spaces with shitty sound are no fun at all. Give me an audience of 15 totally immersed, sweat-drenched congregation members rather than 1,000 with their phones out.

Here in Stockholm, it’s an absolute tragedy—we have very few venues to choose from, and most of them have really, really bad sound systems. The bigger places just don’t give a shit; people go there anyway.

But luckily, and in great contrast to that, one of my closest friends runs what is probably the best underground club in northern Europe. I’m not exaggerating—it’s that good. The sound and vibe are absolutely incredible, and sometimes I get to play there. It’s my happy place.

LKE: How do you prepare for a live DJ set, and how do you decide which tracks to include?

Victor Norman: Depends on where I’m playing. If I know the vibe of the place and what the audience will be like, I’ll plan and put together a story just for that time and place. If the space and vibe are unknown, I’ll just throw a lot of different tracks into a list and try to adapt.

I do prefer planning, though, because I really do love creating a mixed experience with ups and downs, tension and release, that kind of thing. And when winging it, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of just belting out bangers because it works, but ultimately it’s not that interesting.

LKE: Have there been any memorable moments during your performances that stand out?

Victor Norman: Of course! Little fragments of happiness! Playing in my underwear because the venue got so hot and humid. Seeing the doors open and the floor filling up in seconds when opening the Acid Bogen floor at Kater.

Trying to mix vinyl’s with torrential rain pouring down and having ten people from the audience helping out by holding a plastic tarp up as a roof. Playing at beautiful beaches, playing in not-so-beautiful concrete basements…

LKE: What challenges have you faced as an artist in the electronic music industry, and how have you overcome them?

Victor Norman: The biggest challenge is now. I have to do the social media self-promoting thing, and I really don’t want to. Gigs are becoming more scarce because promoters are afraid to book you if you don’t have a massive social media following.

I wish it could be enough just to make good music and put it out there, but that’s not the case anymore. Labels don’t put in any effort, or they can’t afford to. We producers have to make the tracks, promote the tracks, promote ourselves, and promote the gigs—it just goes on. It’s all advertising, and I’m not happy with it. I don’t know how to overcome it. Become a social media marketing specialist? That’s not me. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and slide further and further underground.

LKE: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career so far?

Victor Norman: Man, I’m seriously just surprised and happy that so many people like my music. I’ve always just done it because I think it’s fun, and I make the music I want to hear. So, to have all these people agreeing so wholeheartedly with me is just fantastic.

LKE: Finally, what’s next for Victor Norman?

Victor Norman: Next up on Another You is Innocence, which is the result of the label (formerly Amselcom) asking me to produce something 100% Victor Norman for an all-stars compilation. It has the vibe of the tracks I made when I started out—hopefully a hit!

It will be the last track I release under their label since they’re going in the direction of self-management. So moving forward, I will be releasing under my own label, Recursive Music, which has been quiet for a few years.