G: The keyboards might be my favorite part of your version. I read one interview with you where you talk about really loving guitar solos, in particular the solo on the Carpenters’ “Goodbye to Love.” Your own guitar playing is definitely one element that sets what you’re doing apart from a lot of dance or disco music. Are you still interested in guitar-oriented tracks?
L: It was about two-and-a-half years ago that I really got into the Carpenters track. My background is more heavy and guitar-based.
I’m always looking out for new music to hear. The way I’m working on tracks now is different. I’ve been touring and traveling playing my music for other people at clubs. For many people, some of the early stuff is too inaccessible. I’ve been trying to make my music simpler, hopefully without losing what’s important. Sometimes it’s nice to do something like that, like “I Feel Space.”

G: Titles like “I Feel Space” bounce off puns – that one makes me think of Giorgio Moroder and Italo disco. Do you and Thomas share the same sensibility?
L: We jam together and record everything, and make music from the recordings. That’s the difference between working together and working alone.

G: Because you and Thomas record live [in the studio], I want to ask you about Arthur Russell. Would you consider him an influence? They keep finding new recordings of his to release.
L: Yeah, I heard the double CD [First Thought, Best Thought] that recently came out on a New York label, and I really, really like those long tracks.
I discovered Arthur Russell after hearing the Walter Gibbons mix of “Let’s Go Swimming.” I also like those crazy disco tracks he did as Dinosaur. He did everything.

G:You and he have that in common. Your musical background is all over the place, it isn’t confined within dance music. Those recordings of Russell’s on First Thought, Best Thought only widen my view him – some of them sound almost like Pharaoh Sanders.
How would you say what you’re working on now differs from some of the tracks on the singles comp [It’s a Feedelity Affair]?
L: The compilation is a marker, kind of like the little dot at the end of a sentence – the period.
I’m working on lots of stuff. I’m working on an album with Christabelle who does the vocals on “Music (In My Mind).” That’s going to be more down tempo, maybe with fewer elements. It’s not R&B, but it has a soul element.
The good thing with releasing 12”s is that you can make one or two tracks and just put them out. I really like that because you can feel completely free and just put it out and see what kind of reactions you get.
I like working on lots of different stuff. I’ve been busy producing this Norwegian band, 120 Days. They’re a synth rock band with influences like Neu! and Suicide.

G: You probably get this question a million times, so I hope it’s not too boring: what do you think of the term space disco? In one way, the title of “I Feel Space” sort of plays off of or into it, but I figure you might also dismiss it as a catchphrase.
L: I guess the good thing is that some people are telling me, “Hey man, you invented a new genre.” If people think about it that way, I guess it’s good for me, because I get mentioned. But I think it’s limiting in terms of my music. In my opinion, it’s not a wide genre – disco music with space elements, lots of laser beams [laughs].

G: Even the album you made with [Prins] Thomas doesn’t fit that description. There are dub-inflected tracks and tracks with pastoral acoustic qualities.
L: It’s [the term's] based on one track I made, and sooner or later people will probably realize that it may not be the right term to use for my music.

G: There is a lot of strong music coming out of Norway and I’m wondering how much of a connection there is between the people making it. For example, Midnite Magic by Skatebard – do you know him or Annie, or is there not much of a link there besides remixing one another’s tracks?
L: I guess the music in Norway is separated according to cities. Skatebard and Annie work from Bergen. I’ve met Annie, and met Skatebard once. But the only people I’m in touch with in Norway are Oslo guys like Thomas and Todd Terje.

G: Is Todd Terje going to put out an album?
L: I hope so, I’m sure it would be great. He’s been studying until a few weeks ago. He decided to take a break and now he’s supposed to work on music full time. He’s also traveling, but I know he really wants to work on tracks and put out more music. He’s really, really good – he’s one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to contemporary music.