Charlie Thorstenson, a Swedish producer and live artist known for his deep, grainy acid soundscapes and techno foundations, takes you through his hardware-centric production process. He begins with a detailed overview of his hardware setup, showing you how he connects and integrates his equipment to ensure a smooth and efficient workflow. Charlie shares his favourite hardware pieces and explains how they each contribute to his signature sound.
Next, Charlie demonstrates his techniques for recording and resampling audio, focusing on capturing the raw, unprocessed character of his gear. He also covers his live setup, revealing how he manipulates sounds in real-time to create dynamic performances. As a bonus, Charlie shares his “Ikea shelf hack,” a clever, budget-friendly solution for organising and optimising your hardware workspace. This session is a great resource for anyone looking to incorporate more hardware into their production and live setups.
Charlie Thorstenson – Producer, live artist, and DJ from Malmö, Sweden. His sound can be described as warm and grainy acid soundscapes combined with a deep techno foundation.
Imperfection makes perfection. Those are the leading words in his creative process. The fascination for finding unusual details and rhythms in long and unstable effect lines is a big part of the sound. It’s a close collaboration with both new and vintage hardware, where everyone gets to have their say. Long and improvised recordings are left with their unpredicted quirks. Often embracing them and giving them a leading role in the productions.
The live element is important to Charlie. Both as a producer and performer. The released tracks can be seen as a suggestion, a sketch, or maybe just one out of many versions. On stage, the tracks are deconstructed and, together with the dancing souls on the floor, shaped into something new. A drum machine, an acid synth and a legendary percussion box forms the improvised foundation in his live sets. In combination with live-manipulated recordings, the warm and dusty sound of Charlie is ensured.