Interlocal djs
Psychology
as melody
Hicham
Boudden is a dj hitting the score in Oslo, at topclubs like Maneo, Nobilis, Zoo
Lounge, Bollywood Dancing, Henie Onstad Art Centre, new Glitch,
and the soon to be Oslo club concept, Bord & Sofa.
Hicham also plays at Blæst in Trondheim, and this coming spring at Café
Landmark, Bergen Kunsthall. His most recent sessions have included collaborative
work with jazztrumpeter Per Willy Aaserud.
dj Hicham and jazztrumpeter Per Willy, “The attitude is versatile. Super up to date”.
Oslo
“Trends
come to Norway to die,” dj Hicham says laconical, “and that’s why we have
to be better at creating new ones.” Where
Oslo was once regarded exotic, the Oslo scene is now considered hot.”
Among Oslo’s Prebens, Nikolais, Didriks and Karolines, dj Hicham and
jazztrumpeter Per Willy keep the crowds smooth, and the crowds want more.
“The attitude is versatile. Super up to date. You move through several styles during a five-hour set, and
the challenge is getting it all to work. It is a question of being selective,
consistent and quality oriented, that’s the key to professionalism in this
business.”, says dj Hicham, [deejeyhisham].
[deejeyhisham]
dj
Hicham plays the club scene every Friday and Saturday night, and on Wednesday
nights his music is available at the Oslo radio residency Tellus Radio, FM 99.3,
since 6 years. ”The spesific sound I play concists of several elements within
electronic music, such as downbeat triphop that is more dub related. Often it
developes towards more upbeat sound that concists of surprising elements;
everything from dubed downbeat to plain, cool, deep house.
It is very important to be qualityorientated and eclectic in choice of
playing. The ideal set is where you are able to communicate with the audience in
such terms that from experiencing them as a crowd of individuals, they suddenly
respond as, one.”
Edgy
“The
idea of a dj and a jazztrumpeter working together is bona fide”, dj Hicham
says. ”Per Willy and I are
able to enhance the whole sound through individual effect, delay, echo and,
where applicable, solos. People
sometimes wonder whether we use playbacks, as it sounds too good to be true. But
it is true - we have our improvised ensemble and all that goes with it, it is
both edgy and rewarding using musicians, being experimental, feeling exhilarated,
working the emotions of the crowd.”
Audience
“People
turn up for all sorts of reasons, but I convert them.
The music I play can make a pretty boring individual seem funky.
Some say, they get into an unexperienced state of mind and don’t
recognise themselves. From being in
a place where nobody knows anyone, everyone ideally goes home feeling the same,
a consequence of the music fusing them together.
They learn something about themselves.
As a dj, you have to understand that what you play afterwards is just as
important as what you are playing at the moment, and what you played before.
I put a lot of energy into not underestimating the crowd’s skills of
perception; it is just as much psychology as melody. Musicality itself is not
enough. Improvisation is important; while playing a set, I take into account the
moods and needs of the audience, even the weather, tribe, intelligent music, to
drive people into a frenzy. ”
Interlocal
"Music
has a universal dimension; if you can work a local crowd, you can work the globe.
To be a respected and popular dj, first and foremost you have to be smart,
particularly when it comes to business." Recently dj Hicham played twice at
the club Sweet Easy at Zanzibar, for 2500 people, with the Oslo based Nordic
Black Theater director Cliff Mustache. “The only way to keep the standards
high is to let onself being inspired. I am inspired by for instance local djs
like Big Frank and Ola Ødegaard, british Mr.Scruff and Gilles Peterson, and
life itself.” , dj Hicham ends.
Hicham Boudden and colleagues, interlocal djs as they are.
Emilie
Herstad