fullonline: Hi Christer, where are you from and when you started to DJing?

Christer: Hi! I am from Oslo, Norway and I started spinning records back in 1998/99. After only 1 month as a bedroom DJ, I started to play in clubs in Oslo. Just jumped into it, I guess.

fullonline: Can you keep a comfortable lifestyle working only as psychedelic trance label DJ or a second job is needed?

Christer: At the moment a second job is needed, I work part time as graphic designer and also some part time in travel agency, but luckily my work gives me the time I need to travel abroad for gigs and such. I plan very carefully so I get the time off to do both I guess. Hopefully in a year or two, I hope to make a comfortable living as a producer/DJ. That is my mail goal.

fullonline: I heard that before being a DJ, you worked in many other aspects of party producing like designing flyers, promotion, booking, creating decorations, etc. Do you think this help you to get whole picture and makes you more tuned with the different party aspects when DJing?

Christer: Yes. And still is. From the beginning I have been involved in all the aspects of doing a party; I booked the artist, fixed the venue, made the fliers, painted the decoration, put everything together for the party, played at the party, got drunk, smiled, packed everything back together again, and went home. I have done like 150 separate parties since 1999, if not more. Then you get an idea what it takes to pull it through. All this I have done with only my partner in crime back in Norway, Katrine Johannessen.
I just love the process of sitting one day on a restaurant or such, and suddenly have this idea: �Hey, lets have Neuromotor playing in Oslo next month�. And then 40 days later one wipes dirt, sweat and party smells off your hands with a big grin. I just love it.
So: Yes. I think I get a better picture of what people like when doing a party. Always done parties for the people who pay to get through the door. The people I don�t know and who actually pays for having an experience. It is for me this person who has to get his moneys worth.

fullonline: Tell us about the parties you organized. Do you have some advices for the party organizers? What is the biggest mistake an organizer can do?

Christer: Scene in Norway is small, but very good. Not many organizers make parties anymore, cause of many different and idiotic reasons. Guess politics inside the psytrance community on what correct music, people and place are eating the scene up from inside. Personally, I think there is too much whining from people who don�t do something themselves.
But I have thrown some really great parties in Norway, I am very happy about that.
I think the biggest mistake is to take things for granted. Just cause you have a good name, does not make the party great. People remember more than just the artists playing, they want an experience. Therefore never save money on sound system, always rule number 1.
And don�t run away with the money. The psytrance scene is like a family; they talk like your grandmother with her friends on messenger and on forums. When you fuck artists for money, people tend to remember you and that makes it very hard to get anywhere.
Just try to make the people who come to your party a night to remember. Then they come back when they see the name of your party next time.

fullonline: You recently compiled and are about to release a compilation with 10 new unreleased tunes. How do you choose the music you will release?

Christer: I just follow my heart and ears when I chose the tracks for my compilation. I was sitting by my computer and just herding through possible tracks. Suddenly you get goosebumps and your sit there with a grin on your face. Then you know that you have found another piece of the puzzle.
In addition to this, I have good friends who helped me getting new and exciting artists for this compilation.

fullonline: How it feels to be a DJ representing Shiva Space Technology and Mechanik Records, two important, different and respected labels?

Christer: I feel extremely honored to be able to represent two such good international labels. Of course it is a great challenge to do so, but that is part of what makes it fun. To use both labels as reference is for me a great honor. I never take anything for granted in life, and always give 100% in every gig I have.
Both labels represent what I love to play in my psytrance sets. So how do I feel? Very happy!

fullonline: In your opinion which of Shiva Space Technology and Mechanik Records releases had more impact on the psytrance scene? Which are you preferred albums by your labels?

Christer: That is a difficult question, cause I really don�t know the minds and scenes internationally enough to say who has the greater impact. I think both labels have good impact on the scene, but they are not grinded commercial labels so they don�t stick out as much as other more business-orientated labels do. Both labels are known to have very good quality on their releases.

I think the Mechanik Castle from Mechanik Records is a great compilation. I play stuff from there all the time, and really think that it�s the best release on that label.
On Shiva Space Technology, I think that the first album of Lemurians Crystal Mind has a huge impact on the psytrance scene. I also like the X-Ray compilation and the Colorado compilation.

Releases are always difficult to bring forth. Therefore I will be diplomatic and say that the listener have to judge for themselves what they like. Music is perceived individually, so people just have to follow their own ears and hearts on what they like. I have heard too many people trashing certain genres in music for really bad reasons like its too commercial, too dark, too full on, to not-full on, too full on and commercial. Hehe, you catch the drift�

fullonline: What kind of support the labels gave to you?

Christer: The age of sponsoring Christer has yet to come. I get music, which for me is more than enough. And of course I get great friendships and can work with people who I respect and love. Like a big happy fucked up Brady Bunch episode.
And I get the contact with a lot of people all over the world, and that makes me able to spin records all over the world. Greatest thing.

fullonline: Tell us about the Mental Displacement, the album you compiled for Space Shiva Technology. I see it features important artist, but with an underground touch in it. Also mastering by Shulman is always welcome. What is the concept behind the album? Who long you took to compile it and when it will be released?

Christer: Mental Displacement took me about 3 months to compile in total. I had an idea which story I wanted to tell with the compilation, but getting the right tracks takes time when you have a lot of artist to pick from. It is better to use more time putting in order instead of mashing them together.
I put the compilation together with one honest intention: to make people dance. It is a compilation where the dark full-on night music meets pure psychedelic with a hint of funk to it. Foot stomping Killers. ?

fullonline: You�re now in an "America Tour", and will be playing at Brazil, USA and Mexico. How do you deal with such different kind of public? How the country influences the music you choose?

Christer: Yes, we are doing a Shiva Space Technology label tour in November and December with Lemurians as headliner, a thing I really look forward to since I get to play a lot of places that I have never been to before.
Since I spin records as a DJ and my live stuff is not good enough for the public ear, I can adjust to the different crowd. It is easy to read the floor what people wants, but I always stay honest to my flavor in psytrance. I never play tracks which I cannot 100 percent vouch for in my DJ sets.
Publicity is ok. Makes me smile to take some pictures and get the attention. It is part of the work I have chosen to do. I think you should always take a little time to talk to people about what you do. Arrogance is never a good thing. And I really enjoy meeting new people all the time.

fullonline: Do you know what are the next releases of Space Shiva Technology and Mechanik Records?

Christer: The next release on Shiva Space Technology is my own compilation �Mental Displacement�. Then the Brazilian artist Spectral Skunk will release his album. Early next year we will see a compilation from Daksinamurti before Lemurians will release their third album.
On Mechanik Records we will soon see a new compilation, but I am really not sure about the title.

fullonline: What do you think about people sharing music through mp3 instead of buying it?

Christer: I think sharing music is a great way of spreading the interest for the music style in general, but it also destroys the artist ability to earn money for his/her hard work. I think it is ok to download and check out the tracks, but really think that one should buy the album.
It�s a hard discussion with not a fixed answer. Making laws and controlling the flow of the Internet is not the way to go. Just read an article that people who download a lot are also buying most cause they get the possibility to find things they would not have gotten hold of if they didn�t download.
Support the artist. MP3 format suck when you play out. Its like running a million dollar sound system and put a Pioneer DJM-300 mixer to run the show.
Labels should maybe make it more possible for buyers to download good .wav files for various tracks of compilations. That is the irritating part, cause many compilations only have like 2 great tracks with the rest as fill material.
But, it�s a difficult discussion. Psytrance would not be what it is today without downloading.

fullonline: How is your work as DJ? You use to play music from which artists? What is more important in your opinion: the technique or the music selection?

Christer: I think that music selection is most important, but both skills are needed to make a great DJ set at parties. The ability to put great tracks together is important to tell a story; therefore I work a lot for putting my DJ set together when I play.
Over the years I can proudly say that I have never played the same DJ set twice, and never plan what I will play at parties. I know my music, but always try to read the crowd and try to lure them into the story I want to tell behind the mixer.
Another thing with me is that I have a hard time to stand still behind the mixer. I give a lot when I have a gig, love to spread energy around me when I play.
These days I play tracks from Khopat (great talent from Portugal), Killer Buds, Phyx, Phatmatix, Neuromotor, Hyper Frequencies, Lemurians, Artifact (my god, there are really too many good ones I could mention. Let us say quality music). I have to mention Mechanix also, or he will kick my ass.

fullonline: Tell us about the psychedelic trance scene in your homeland Norway.

Christer: In many ways electronic music in Norway is becoming a joke. Some very few serious organizers are making parties, but it is very difficult to throw good parties or run a club with only electronic music there. The people are very trend orientated, and rock and pop has dominated the scene the last years.
Organizers! Sometimes I hate that word. I think organizers who did parties just for the money destroyed most of the electronic scene in Norway. What they spread was the commercial trance. When there was no money left in it, they just quit and there was a vacuum where nothing and people had to look for something else to do.
But, we do have a good progressive scene in Oslo, with actors like Nils Noa and Inkfish as two names who actually manage to get abroad to play. And they do small, but very good parties.
That is the scene in Oslo, small but very good.

fullonline: What labels are releasing good music in your opinion these days?

Christer: I really like what Acidance is giving out these days. DJ Mist did a great job making the Dirty South compilation recently. I also have huge respect for what Iboga is doing on the progressive party of psychedelic.

fullonline: What are the online stores selling psytrance music that you trust?

Christer: I trust and use Psyshop, cause they have really good prices and when I am back in Norway, I get the stuff I ordered within a very short time. That makes Christer happy, and a happy Christer buy more.

fullonline: Share your experience and tell us what makes a good party. You think decoration is important is more important than the line up?

Christer: (See my earlier comments about mistakes people can do) Great sound system is always important, and makes that party something special that people remember. Doing parties is hard work; therefore one has to work for them. Name pull people to the party, quality makes them come back.

fullonline: What do you think people should do to make a better scene? Any visions about the future?

Christer: The future is always confusing. I think that some actors without giving out names are businessmen who are slowly milking the cow and are destroying what psychedelic music is all about. Psytrance will get more commercial. I have seen producers who milked the trance wave suddenly turning into the psychedelic main stream.
I think some international scenes will struggle cause they have grown too big and the government will do their best to stop parties. Still think that the international psytrance scene will grow more in the future, but that the most commercial labels in the industry will give out psychedelic without a lot of quality.
I think that the dark psytrance will have its heavy impact on the psychedelic music.
Many elements in psychedelic music are gone. They will never again appear, cause it has become an industry where people use the possibility to make money. This happens with everything I guess. Sometimes I really miss the Goa days. I started to listen to electronic music back in 1996. First CD I tripped to be Return to the Source. Good old days.
Psychedelic music is for me about soul and sharing an experience.
Many elements in psychedelic music are gone. They will never again appear, cause it has become an industry where people want to make money, and that a shame. But on the other side, it opens other options and possibilities.

fullonline: What is your favorite psychoactive molecule?

Christer: I love coffee. Drink way too much of it, but have always been a person who sleep little and work basically all the time. Beer makes Christer a happy person, but has also been around the work of non-social accepted drugs. I love drinking tequila with Gill (the dirty man of Hyper Frequencies) when in Mexico.
Had my periods with MDMA, Yeyo, and Speed. Never been much of a drug person, but have tested out stuff and come to the conclusion that they are: G.R.E.A.T. � Just don�t do it too often. Control your hunger for it. Cause drugs are really a lot of fun. Its just then price you have to pay that really is extremely shitty. So just be careful and don�t loose yourself to it.
My God, I have done lots of spaced out stuff on them. Hahahahhaaha. Makes me very happy to think of different situations, with other people, with� well, I have a free mind and all that ?

fullonline: Any last comment, message and/or promotional link?

Christer: I would like to thank all of the people who helped me underway to be able to do this.

www.shiva-space-technology.com

www.mechanik-records.com

E-mail address and MSN: limboland@hotmail.com

fullonline: Thank you!
Respect!