Norway’s Seeb has been making waves on the global electronic music scene with their tropical house and dance music sounds. The EDM trio consists of Nick Strand, Simen Eriksrud and Espen Berg. Seeb really came into worldwide prominence with their acclaimed 2015 remix of Mike Posner’s “Ibiza” - which has become an American FM pop radio standard. The guys continue to ride high via more of their own production work plus high-profile collaborations including One Republic and even their own official remix of Mick Jagger’s new 2017 “Gotta Get a Grip” single.
Youngest Seeb member Strand is part of the traveling 2017 Corona Electric Beach (http://coronaelectricbeach.com) music series currently touring the U.S. He brought his dance music sound to Atlanta on August 31 as part of the second Atlanta Electric Beach stop this year. During the course of his hype DJ set, Strand powered through an awesome extravaganza of Seeb’s sophisticated brand of get-the-party-started EDM and melodic house music goodness at Whiskey Blue atop the W hotel in the heart of Atlanta’s trendy Buckhead district. It was a tight EDM mixshow indeed that captivated his dance floor audience through Strand’s incorporation of Seeb remixes/productions and other EDM treats. This included Seeb’s 2017 “Rich Love” collaboration with OneRepublic plus Seeb’s remix of “Waterfall” by Stargate featuring P!nk & Sia. And of course Strand rocked the place with the now iconic Seeb remix of Mike Posner’s “Ibiza” single. Strand even got into the electro-trap of L.A. DJ/producer NGHTMRE by way of rocking “Need You” by Dillon Francis and NGHTMRE plus the NGHTMRE remix of “Luv U Giv” by Tommy Trash in the mix. There were also other major club bangers thrown in for good measure like Sebastian Ingrosso’s “Dark River” and “Soundclash” by Flosstradamus & TroyBoi to keep the party steadily jumping.
Right before his DJ set and not too long after arriving in Atlanta from Norway, Strand took time to shed some light into the world of Seeb and their rise to fame along with his own jetset DJ life.
Terry Sartor: Norway has especially been getting big on the global dance and pop music scenes recently with artists like Kygo plus Nico & Vinz. How did Seeb get started on the music scene?
Nick Strand: We are three people in Seeb. The other two [Simen Eriksrud and Espen Berg] produced music separately for other people. They started working together and then I joined them. We started to put out our own tracks under the name Seeb.
TS: Where did the name Seeb come from?
NS: The name Seeb comes from the letters of the group member names.
TS: How would you describe the Seeb sound?
NS: Of course it’s electronic dance music. I always heard that people are saying if a Seeb song is playing that you can hear it in the vocal chopping and drop sounds...it’s pretty unique...like in [Mike Posner’s] “Ibiza” and our Coldplay remix. [Nick plays ‘Hymn for the Weekend’ by Coldplay which features guest vocals from Beyonce.]
TS: That’s great. Being Norwegian, how would you describe the electronic dance music soundscape in your native country versus in other countries around the globe?
NS: In Norway, we have Kygo...he has his own sound in tropical house. We also have Allan Walker. He has a track called “Faded”...he’s a friend of mine. What do I think about the Norwegian sound if I compare to the UK and US? I think everything is about going in the same direction. For example, we are working with people in the States...and when we work together, we are all going in the same direction.
TS: You all released your debut single “Breathe” last year followed by 2017 singles “Under Your Skin” and “Rich Love” featuring heavy hitters R. City and One Republic, respectively. What was your production process like on your trio of singles?
NS: R. City had already put out that song [“Under Your Skin”]. We heard it and wanted to remake it. We got the samples and stuff like that. “Breathe” was with the singer Neev. He had a studio in Norway where we were and the song came about. With “Rich Love”, we had a remix for OneRepublic one year ago with “Kids”...and then we came in contact with Ryan Tedder [of OneRepublic]. He’s a really nice guy and open for everything. So we go back to L.A. to meet him in the studio for work. We then go back to Norway and he sends the files for the track...and we just put it together. Ryan Tedder has this unique voice that’s so great. It’s really an honor for us because we’re from a little country like Norway. It’s really great to work with people like that and he’s so talented.
TS: Producing electronic music and being a DJ continue to become more and more intertwined. How does DJing fit into the Seeb big picture?
NS: I did DJing before. Jumping out into it on a big stage was so much hard work. It was not easy to just start DJing at a high level...so many preparations. We spent a lot of time learning how to do it and putting sets together and stuff like that. It’s starting to get even more connected. If you produce electronic music and if you don’t sing, then you have to be a DJ. You need to perform live...exporting yourself to the world. In the U.S., I’m touring alone. In Europe, we are touring together. I’m going back to Norway tonight.I just came here like two hours ago and I spent 15 hours in a plane...I flew to Oslo, Amsterdam and then here [Atlanta]. After the show, I am going back to the airport for Gettenberg in Sweden. And after that, I’m going home and then we’ll be in the studio tomorrow Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. And then we play two big festivals in Norway and then we play Ibiza.
TS: Obviously, your remix of “Ibiza” by Mike Posner was a breakout hit for all of y’all...garnering major attention for Seeb and re-igniting Posner’s presence in the pop music world. What sparked that particular happening?
NS: Island Records sent a package of three or four tracks [including “Ibiza”] and asked if Seeb wants to remix some of those tracks. We are on Universal and they have Island in the U.S. The remixed “Ibiza” track was sent back to Island. It was also sent to radio stations in Norway and it started to grow. It hit the top 6 on Spotify. Extreme.You know the story.
TS: Mick Jagger just officially released his “Gotta Get a Grip” single on July 27 and Seeb remixed it.
NS: Yeah, for me it was cool but for my grandmother, it was really cool.You can not say no to Mick Jagger.
TS: You guys have early songwriting/producing for other artists. What is your process like when doing creative work for other artists besides yourselves?
NS: Every process is different. Sometimes you can be in the studio with a songwriter and work together. Often the manager or label will send you something too.
TS: Who are some artists that Seeb would like to work with?
NS: I would say Coldplay but we’ve already done it already. Coldplay is my favorite band. I like Sia too and we have already remixed her.
TS: Your dreams are coming true indeed.
Seeb’s new single “Rich Love” with OneRepbulic is available now on Mosley Music/Interscope Records.
For more information on Corona Electric Beach and upcoming dates, please visit their website here: http://coronaelectricbeach.com
