A Sit Down With DJ Bjorn Akesson

Posted by Alexandra Green on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 ·

His remixes are in high demand by top DJs ranging from W&W, Darren Tate and RAM to Orjan Nilsen. All his releases have been widely supported by all the top DJ’s including Armin van Buuren, Andy Moor, Tiesto and Markus Schulz and featured heavily on all their CD compilations, over 50 to date.

“It’s important to be a role model as a DJ when many people look up to you. Living a healthy life is something I will always stand for.”

Have you attended music school to learn how to produce, or are you totally self-taught?

Completely self-taught, although I’ve learned a lot by speaking to other producers online. This has been mostly from the technical aspect; I don’t know anything about music theory or chords etc. I just feel them.

Is there too much envy in the DJ scene?

There is, but at a certain level I think it’s good. In many cases it results in DJ/producers working even harder to reach new heights.

What/who does inspire you when you make your own music?

Inspiration is everywhere, all around us, wether it’s an emotional experience, an amazing view or a person. Not really sure where it comes from in the end. Other than that I take my inspiration from all genres and types of music there is. If you listen to the same type of tracks all the time it will be harder for you as a musicmaker to get fresh ideas and create something different.

Can you describe your actual studio set up at the moment? Your favourite piece of hardware & software?

Just using software at the moment, Cubase 7 with a lot of plugins. I love working with Sylenth1 and V-Station amongst others. And of course, I have a pair of studio monitors plus a midi controller.

Who’s your favorite up and coming artist?

Nhato, he’s a hidden gem and I’m not sure why he hasn’t broken through yet.

What’s the worst thing that ever happened surrounding one of your gigs?

The occasional misspressed button, making the track start from the very beginning in the middle of a track.

Is there a song of yours which your particularly love more than the others and why?

That’s really hard to say to be honest as they are all different and special in their own way.
However one of my favourite is Robot Religion, a track that not many of the big DJ’s played but has been a huge hit in my own DJ sets and for my fans.

Can you remember the most unusual track that you dropped in your set and the crowd was caught by surprise but they liked it very much? Do you like to surprise your crowd, or do you prefer to go the tried and trusted way?

I always want to surprise the crowd, and if I can play something totally unexpected I will. I’ve dropped dubstep and drum n’ bass tracks a few times, sometimes it works very well, sometimes not so well. It’s just one track in a set though, so I don’t see the harm in doing that.

You make some of the most innovative trance tracks out there today, how do you keep creating new ideas and avoiding that mainstream “pop” sound that’s so prevalent?

Thank you! Well I wouldn’t mind if it sounded like mainstream “pop” as long as I like it, believe in it and isn’t a copy of something else. I always try to make my own thing and really avoid to copy something else because that is not really inspiring. So to answer the question directly, I don’t intend to keep it to sound in a certain way, the track builds itself and develops naturally.

And if you had one piece of advice for any artist trying to make it, what would you tell them?

Be yourself, create your own sound, don’t go a direction you don’t feel. Work hard and don’t give up. It’s a very tough industry and the competition is fierce. It’s unfair and you don’t always get the treatment you deserve, but if you really believe in yourself then you will make it!