Ulf Eriksson and Andreas Tilliander are no strangers to each other’s world. As the head of Kontra-Musik, the Malmö-based label that has been quietly essential to European house and techno for the best part of two decades, Eriksson has long championed Tilliander’s work — most often released under his alias TM404, a project that has become synonymous with acid-laced, hardware-driven minimalism of the highest order.
It is perhaps surprising, then, that Ulf Och Andreas – EP 1 marks the first time the two have appeared on the same record together. Or perhaps not: Eriksson’s energies have long been directed toward DJing and curation, Tilliander’s toward production. But the division of labour works in the EP’s favour, the result being a record that marries dancefloor functionality with fine-tuned production instinct in a way that feels entirely natural.
The record opens with Hus — a stripped-back house rhythm, spare and purposeful, with pads barely audible in the background, hovering just at the edge of perception. A lush, muffled synth line accompanies the beat, subject to clean, subtle filtering that generates a quiet sense of movement throughout. It’s a minimal track that, for all its economy of means, never becomes stale — a small melodic break building just enough tension before the kick and hat return and the dancefloor reasserts itself.
Hunnahue arrives with simple synth melodies, hissing textures and raw high-end, before a string-like synth heralds the full force of that Detroit lineage. There’s a dampened kick, skittering hats, but the track lives or dies on that breathy, seductive synth work — throw in some well-placed stabs and old-fashioned claps, and the result is a rushing, heady thing that’s raw and utterly danceable.
On the flip, Triangelen is the seediest of the three: a raw synth line and industrial steam giving way to a minimal, uncompromising rhythm. After enough of this to get genuinely lost in the loop, something close to a high 808 squelch transforms the track from hard-hitter to a restless, wriggling creature — before another shift drops those dramatic string-like synths straight into the heart of Detroit circa 1985. Cold, soulful, great.
The EP closes with Tusen Ålar, stepping back from the dancefloor for a moment’s breath. Dubby, metallic textures and washes cloud the vision; distorted keys colour the mist; hats glint through the murk. Accomplished sound design, and a fine way to descend from the adrenaline of the preceding three tracks.
As a package, EP 1 encapsulates an uncompromising dancefloor aesthetic — minimal, raw and tough, rooted in the original Detroit sound — while never losing sight of the thing that matters most: it’s a record that prioritises the floor over any navel-gazing snobbery. Pretty much essential DJ material.
It’s an aesthetic Eriksson puts to work in this IA MIX, recorded at home with the basics — vinyl, CDJs, a mixer. Drawing on his current record box alongside tracks from EP 1 and Kontra-Musik’s previous release Kognitiv Discodans by PST, the mix builds like a set should: a story with its own logic, opening in warm house territory before moving steadily through Omar-S, Eletun Selona and Dresvn toward the punchier ground that he and Tilliander occupy together.
Interview by Will Patterson
"First and foremost, Ulf and I are genuinely great friends... honestly, sometimes I just trust his taste more than my own."
Tell us a bit about this collaborative EP. How did it come together, and what kind of headspace you were both in while making it, were you aiming for anything in particular, any particular sounds, artists or labels that inspired it.
Ulf: We have been talking about working together for a long time, but we are both very busy, so it has taken some time to really get started. The work is very much about fusing my style as a DJ with Andreas’ extreme skill as a producer.
We are in this constant “conflict” where I want less to happen in the music, and Andreas is adding all these fancy transitions, effects, and sounds. I think I am more of a dancer. I like when you can stay in a loop or melody for a long time.
I like simple dance music, preferably dirty, loopy, and funky. That is the kind of music I play and want to release. For inspiration, I am very much into classic Detroit techno and house. I think this is also a response to me being the Artistic Director for a venue called Inkonst and the music festival called Intonal. In my daily work I am very much in the forefront of experimental and advanced forms of music and expression. I am also very involved in the music industry. So it feels very rewarding to do something else with the label.
Andreas: First and foremost, Ulf and I are genuinely great friends, even though he’s my label boss and I’m the guy who’s flooded Kontra-Musik with more records than anyone else. That said, even on my TM404 project, he’s been super involved. He picks the tracks from the pile I’ve sent him and honestly, sometimes I just trust his taste more than my own.
U: Yes, I know. Maybe that is a big mistake, Andreas. Not quite sure.
Your relationship obviously goes back some way, was this collaboration something you’ve both always had in mind or did the idea come about more recently? How did you decide you wanted to try some production together?
U: I think we have been talking about it for at least 10 years. Sometimes things take time to mature. After Covid, I was in a mode where I decided to leave DJing and slow down the label. It took a few years to get back into it. I was just so sick and tired of the whole thing.
Now I have decided to continue, but 100% on my own terms. No compromises, no promo, no bullshit. So far, so good. We are from the generation that chose electronic dance music to get away from the industry. Today, the dance music scene is fundamentally different.
A: Our first proper session was about nine years ago in my Stockholm studio. The clearest memory I have is this: we had a rough sketch, hit record, and then spent the rest of the recording session twisting knobs, tweaking effects, drinking beer, and philosophising about life, all while the tape kept rolling. We walked away with one “pretty okay” track. The only problem? It was two hours long. Good luck carving that into a seven-minute vinyl cut.
"We had a rough sketch, hit record, and then spent the rest of the recording session twisting knobs, tweaking effects, drinking beer, and philosophizing about life, all while the tape kept rolling. We walked away with one “pretty okay” track."
When you first started working on it, did anything about the other person’s process surprise you? Andreas, how did the collaborative effort change the way you would normally work?
U: Haha. I was quite surprised that Andreas is so lazy. I have been the driving force, that is for sure…
A: I wouldn’t call myself lazy, again I’ve released more records on Kontra than anyone, and my back catalog is… let’s say “enthusiastic.” But the pandemic really rewired me. Before, I always had gigs coming up, so I stayed motivated. Now? I go to the studio, make music purely for pleasure, record maybe thirty seconds here and there, and then… just vibe. No pressure, no plan.
I think that’s what Ulf is politely referring to when he calls me out. The man has a superpower though: he can hear finished music in what the rest of us think is just a pleasant mess. He dragged me out of my studio finally, or at least some of my music.
How did you actually build these tracks? Were you in the same room, sending things back and forth? And did that shape the sound in any noticeable way?
U: Both, I would say. The sound has matured over quite some time. I want it rough, I want it simple, I want it raw. Andreas is more delicate and, of course, more skilled in the studio than me. The process of fusing our approaches has been very rewarding.
A: We’ve done a few proper studio sessions, both at his place and mine. Ulf is right: he’s a bit more ruthless than I am. If I don’t like something, my instinct is to throw more layers on top and hope it magically gets better. That’s a fantastic strategy for droney ambient and a terrible one for dance music.
There’s a real sense of restraint across the EP, it feels minimal and punchy. Tell us about the actual composition process, are you spending time honing individual elements, or throwing stuff together to see what works and then paring it back?
U: Both ways I would say. A lot of sending back and forth, meeting now and then, but we both always wanted the project to be raw and not so over produced.
A: During our sessions I mostly heard Ulf saying things like:
“Can you please remove that?”
“Get rid of this.”
“And maybe make this part twice as long?”
So yeah… he’s very much the director. Which makes perfect sense. This is dance music, Ulf is an excellent DJ, and I… am not.
"The sound has matured over quite some time. I want it rough, I want it simple, I want it raw. Andreas is more delicate and, of course, more skilled in the studio than me. The process of fusing our approaches has been very rewarding."
I’m curious about the flow of the record, did that progression from house, to Detroit-inspired stuff to dub emerge naturally, or were you thinking in terms of a full arc early on?
U: We wanted to do a house record from the beginning. The end result leans more towards techno. I personally really like records that have a lot to offer and can be used in different settings and moods. Even if it is only a 12-inch, I like to treat it as an album, with more of a complete journey.
A: I’ve been making techno, house, and dub since the late ’90s, always with a generous helping of ambient on top. House is a genre I’ve loved for thirty-plus years, but I’d never call myself an expert at producing it.
As they say: shoot for the moon – even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. I shot for house music… and ended up in a weird nebula of techno, dub, and just a pinch of house.
Those middle tracks feel quite raw and functional in a really satisfying way. What is it about that kind of approach that still keeps you interested now?
A: Actually, Ulf is the main architect behind those two tracks. I gave him a big folder of one shots and loops I’ve recorded and two months later he sent me sketches of these tunes.
I was genuinely shocked and delighted, because up until we started this 12-inch, he’d never properly played anything he’d done on his own. We’d messed around with loops at his place, sure, but nothing finished. Turns out the man’s been hiding serious skills.
U: Thank you Andreas. Very kind. Normally when we do interviews together, we diss one and other as much as we can. I especially remember an artist talk in Hong Kong. We were both very tired after traveling and thought of good excuses to cancel. Anyway, in the end we did it and we spent an hour telling anecdotes where the other one had fucked up. All in a very friendly way, lots of laughter and I think the audience enjoyed our talk.
But to answer the question, I like dance music to be simple. I get bored easily if things are too perfect or polished. The music loses the human presence. Music in this digital, AI-era tends to get too perfect. That is not for me at all. But I am also old.
When you’re working this minimally, what makes a track feel finished to you? Is there a point where you just know?
A: That’s the beauty of hardware. My studio is stupidly full of gear. Ulf’s is getting there too. But with hardware you eventually run out of channels, run out of drum machines, and run out of excuses. At some point you just have to say, “Okay… this track is done.” It’s the ultimate creative boundary.
"I easily get bored if things are too perfect or polished. The music loses the human presence. Music in this digital, AI-era tends to get too perfect. That is not for me at all."
Ulf, you’ve recorded this mix around this release and the PST record, did you see those as part of the same conversation, or quite different moods?
U: Quite different moods. I have used the more house-oriented PST tracks in the beginning, using a track from me and Andreas as a bridge to a more grimy part of the mix, ending on a more techno-oriented side. The similarity between the releases is perhaps more in the minimalism and rawness.
Talk to us about the mix itself, how and where did you record it, and what as the mood or story you were trying to capture?
U: It was recorded in my living room with the very basics—vinyl players, CDJs, and a mixer. I always try to build some kind of story when doing mixes. For this one, I was mostly focused on finding music that could blend and move the mix forward, from PST house to the more punchy music from me and Andreas.
I also dug into my recent record box. I like to work with tracks I play a lot at the moment when I record a mix. In retrospect, it becomes a document of an era in your musical life.
There’s quite a wide palette on Kontra-Musik more generally, does this EP feel like it sits comfortably within that, or does it push things in a slightly different direction?
U: When I slowly started the label again after Covid, I decided to be a bit more dance-floor focussed than before. I wanted to keep it simple—focus on vinyl, stay underground, and so forth. I think this release does exactly that.
After working together on this, does it feel like a one-off, or do you feel like there’s more to explore between you?
U: We are already quite far along with the second one. Hopefully, it will be out before the end of the year. We are close friends and also love to travel and play together. I definitely think we will continue.
A: The real reason this vinyl finally exists? I love touring with Ulf. Mostly because I’m vegan and he isn’t. When we’re in Seoul and he’s craving Korean BBQ, too bad – I’ve already checked the vegan app. I make the rules, he follows.
U: Hahaha. So true. I’ve had so many bad hangovers travelling with Andreas. You wake up in the morning after a gig, a bit hungover, and just want some quick grease and salt in your body. Instead, you have to walk 45 minutes, and when the food finally comes, you get some porridge with nuts and blueberries on top. I mean, that can be really great—but not when you’re hungover.
‘Ulf Och Andreas – EP 1’ is out now via Kontra-Musik. Buy a vinyl copy from Inverted Audio Record Store.
TRACKLIST
1. PST – Flöjten
2. Al Smith – Amber
3. PST – Kognitiv Discodans
4. Marvin Dash – Friday Night with Burt Reynolds
5. Mute – Ocha (Gerd Janson Edit)
6. Ulf & Andreas – Hus
7. Omar -S – Time Mo
8. Eletun Selona – Intint
9. Eletun Selona – Livia
10. Brother From Another Planet – Washing Machine
11. The Jak – From Old Days Past
12. Omar-S – Soley supporters
13. Omar-S – Ready My Black Asz
14. Dresvn – Creation
15. Ulf & Andreas – Hunnahue
16. Suburban Night – The Warning
17. Ulf & Andreas – Triangelen
