Fehrplay Comes Into His Own
The story of Jonas von der Fehr’s rise to prominence as Fehrplay is the stuff of legend. An avid music lover and aspiring producer from the age of 12, the image of a young Jonas sitting in his dorm room and quitting university after hearing one of his songs being rinsed by Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 seems a fitting start to one of the fastest-rising stars of the progressive house scene in recent memory.
While things certainly picked up for Jonas after a breakout release on Cruzaders, it wasn’t until two years later—when Jonas locked in a high-profile signing to Pryda Friends—that the young producer would find his world turned upside-down.
“When my first tune got on the radio, I was like, wow, there might be something to this.”
With both Eric Prydz and Pete Tong smashing “Incognito,” Fehrplay’s first outing on the Pryda Friends imprint, Jonas soon found himself swept into the upper atmospheres of the international dance music scene. Knocking out the anthemic grooves one after the other and touring the world nonstop, the young Norwegian producer quickly made his mark with a sound that was dark, funky, chunky, groovy, euphoric and hypnotic all the same.
Having stepped out from under the wing of the Pryda Friends family this past year, Fehrplay seems to not only be maturing as an artist but producing some of his best work to date. With recent releases on imprints like Anjunabeats, mau5trap, Zerothree and Ultra continuing to gain traction, Fehrplay has also branched out into deeper territory with his Moffe moniker that has been causing a stir all on its own.
With the launch of his still-to-be-titled label on the horizon and a recent move to New York, we catch up with the globe-trotting DJ and producer to reflect on how he’s managed to find balance and keep it all together in the midst of his continued meteoric rise.
Growing up, what kind of music did you listen to?
I was very fortunate, in that I was surrounded by music growing up. My parents were into Jamiroquai, Michael Jackson, Flamenco music from Spain, and classical music as well—especially my dad. I actually remember being exposed to trance at a very young age, around when I was 10 years old; and looking back, I think because trance has a lot of classical influences, I may have related to that.
My friend was the one who introduced me to it, and I really liked it. My first compilation CD was In Trance We Trust by Armin van Buuren, and it was just amazing to me at the time. I remember listening to some techno, but I didn’t really catch on to that. It felt dark and repetitive, which is funny, because that’s what I like now. I guess you have to grow into it.
You started producing at an early age too, right?
I got my first computer when I was 12, and before that I was just messing around with the piano. I don’t really consider piano lessons as being the reason I started with music, but getting that computer was what really changed it all for me, as I could begin to play with simple software and put loops together and make them [my] own.
Was music your calling even back then?
I think I actually grew into it. If the whole music thing didn’t work out, I probably would have had a career in film or something, who knows. But for some reason, music has always played a role in my life, and so it wasn’t a hard choice. When my first tune got on the radio, I was like, wow, there might be something to this.
“I just packed my car and me and my girlfriend, and just went there without any idea of how we were going to pay the rent.”
It’s easy to brush past those in-between years, but there were many years between you playing with loops at 12 years old and finding that first taste of success. What sort of steps were you taking along the way?
This was quite a long time ago, so I read a lot and spent a lot of money on magazines like Sound on Sound, Future Music, and the like. Future Music in particular was a great help to me, because they had these video tutorials with famous DJs, and I remember a few of them that I really learned a lot from. Now everything is on YouTube, and so many websites feature tutorials; I definitely wish I had that option when I was younger!
Then you’re off to university in Manchester, England, and one day you’re sitting in your dorm room, and Pete Tong is dropping your tune on the radio. It sounds like something out of a dream!
(Laughs) It was definitely an amazing experience! I was in school for music production, and the school was mediocre, if I’m honest; nothing really worked 100 percent, and it was very expensive. And then this track that I made—a very piano-driven progressive track—got played by Pete Tong on the radio, and it was a huge thing. Suddenly it was getting played all over at Ibiza, and I had never even been there before. It was fucking crazy!
It kind of opened my eyes, so I just quit university almost immediately and stayed in Manchester. The club life there is amazing, and so I basically went clubbing and made music. Back then, I was doing as much as I could to perfect the mix. Even now, I’m still trying to get mixes to sound great; but back then, that’s where I was putting all of my energy. I just wanted my songs to sound fucking sick, and it takes a lot of time.
Whatever you were doing, it seemed to work, as things really took off in 2012! It’s hard to believe it’s only been three years since you basically shot your way to the top.
Definitely; it was just crazy. I had a few tracks I had been working on for a long time (I actually think I spent way too much time on them), and along with some other track ideas that I had, I sent them off to Eric [Prydz], and he just loved them. Within a very short time period, I had a few releases, got to tour with Eric, and gigs started coming on the back of that—especially in America. It was fucking amazing. I remember my first solo gig in New York was a sold out show, and it was just mind-blowing.
There was so much happening at that time. I was living in Manchester and had moved back to Oslo for half a year, but then when I signed with Pryda Friends, I just packed my car and me and my girlfriend, and just went there without any idea of how we were going to pay the rent. I was actually doing tracks for Ministry of Sound under a different name, just to pay bills.
Were there moments where you weren’t sure things were going to quite work out, and you thought you might have to move back home?
Sure, the thought was always in the back of my head. You just have to go for it. I don’t think there’s any way you can do two jobs and music full-time. It just doesn’t work. I’ve tried it, and friends of mine that are very, very talented have tried to find a kind of balance, and it just doesn’t seem to work. As soon as you get into it, you have to focus 100 percent and make a decision as to whether it’s going to be a hobby or a full-time job. It’s not an easy decision, that’s for sure.
“That’s why I love vinyl sets… It’s just you and that record. It’s a very different experience, and I love that, so I’m going to start playing some vinyl again in certain environments.”
Once you made that decision, what changed?
For me, it hasn’t changed that much, in terms of producing. The only thing that’s changed is that I have to prioritize tracks I’m working on. I used to have maybe four or five tracks at a time that I could go back and forth on, but now I focus on finishing one track at a time.
Obviously, now I travel more as well, so it’s hard to find the time between sleepless nights and long flights to focus on music. But it’s also very rewarding in terms of motivating your creativity, especially after a successful gig. On the plane ride after a great gig, I can mash out four or five new melodies.
But overall it can be tiring, and that’s something that you don’t have to deal with when you have it as a hobby. The hardest thing to get used to is finding out how to produce, how to create at times when you probably don’t want to. Sometimes it just doesn’t work and it feels frustrating, but it’s your career, and so you find a way. I’m sure a lot of other producers feel the same.
I imagine finding balance and making tough decisions in terms of your time and energy is part of maturing as an artist, as well.
Absolutely. I don’t work with Pryda Friends anymore, which is sad and rewarding in many ways. Things change, and your perspective on business changes as well. In many ways, I feel like I’m free. I’m not going to go nuts and find a new label for every track, but I want to focus on working with labels I really look up to, like mau5trap and Ultra. I’m also setting up my own label, which I’m excited about. It’s a little bit harder than I thought it would be, as you have to think more of the business side of it, have the right look for it, the right people, and I don’t want to start something that I can’t follow up on.
Even coming up with a name is really stressful! One day I’ll have a name that I’m really stoked about, and then the next day I’m like, nah. I think I have it now, but I can’t really tell you yet, in case I change my mind or someone else likes it and steals it from me before everything is in place (laughs).
I’m also releasing new music under a different artist name called Moffe that I’m going to use to make things that are deep and cool.
Is your recent move to New York related to these larger changes in your career?
Not really. It’s just more about having the opportunity to move there. Sixty to 70 percent of my gigs are in the States, so it’s a drag crossing the Atlantic every time I have a gig in America. I have been to New York many times, and I absolutely love it. I got to say I love L.A. and San Francisco too, but they are just a bit too far away from home for me.
I may still change my mind, as I could do without the winter in New York. I moved there in January, when the weather was at its absolute worst. I had to drag shit from Ikea back home, and it was so cold, man. Other than that, the club environment, the people and how they relate to music in that city, it’s amazing. I feel like every time I talk to anyone about club music, everyone is so passionate and updated. I love that.
Your sound and tastes seem to have changed over the years as well, from your early work like “Meow” to your output as Moffe.
Isn’t it always like that? I’m always trying to make something different, and something that feels fresh. You definitely change over time. With this deep house wave taking over, I’ve been very inspired by that as well. I kind of want to go a little bit deeper sometimes, and that’s why I have this other name—trying to stay true to the sound, I think as long as you have the energy up and don’t go excessively commercial.
Genre seems so fluid these days. You are often considered progressive house but seem to represent house and techno as well. How do you see genres evolving in the future, and where do you see yourself fitting in?
I don’t strive to be in any genre; I just make and play whatever feels right at the time. It’s funny, because sometimes Beatport puts me in genres that I wouldn’t put myself in! In terms of the future of genres, I think there is emerging a kind of techy-prog—there’s no word for it. We need to start our own website, so we can name our own genres. (Laughs.)
You’re also earning this well-deserved reputation as a phenomenal DJ. This three-hour live mix you recently did for Spybar in Chicago seems to capture the fluidity of your sound so well.
Thanks, it was a very fun time! The thing with live mixes is, I remember it sounding amazing in my head, but then I listened back to it after I actually posted it, and well, what’s done is done, you know? That’s what’s great about these live sets and recordings—I appreciate a set that’s not flawless, you know? It makes so much more sense to not be that. If it’s prerecorded, which you notice happens a lot these days, there seems to be something missing due to this fear of messing up. But if you listen to a live mix from Adam Beyer or Maceo Plex, there’s just an amazing energy there, even if there are moments where they might mess up a little bit. That’s why I love vinyl sets: because there’s no digital speed, it’s just you and that record. It’s a very different experience, and I love that, so I’m going to start playing some vinyl again in certain environments. So, look out for that.
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