COMMA.records launches
“It started in the studio, and then it moved to the nightclubs”
Last year was about creating and taking on opportunities to bring our music to the different dance floors in Oslo. What works and what doesn’t? Feeling the energy in the mixes through roaring Funktion-One systems. Watching the different crowds moving through their own emotional journeys. Experimenting with new sounds and ideas. Pushing boundaries and re-refining them in the studio. Seeing the music connect with people in ways that we could not imagine when we first set off.
“I think at some point along the way - while spending numerous hours making collabs between one another and some 20+ other local artists - we realized that we were working on something bigger than just our own stuff. Artists were subconsciously pushing each other forward with passion, building a demo library counting hundreds of tracks that stretched through basically every subgenre of dance music. On one hand the Shazams were flying around the room on our shows. On the other - due to its dissimilarity to their favored subgenre - many labels seemed somewhat reluctant to release our music. I guess our sound is just uniquely our own…
.. and that was when the idea of COMMA. came in the mix.”
- Bendik Nesheim
On the surface, COMMA. is driven by our key artists: Hovland, Marensius, DECO 5000 and Violand. Each with their own sound, energy and tempo, pave the way for a journey between genres to build the platform around. But this isn’t just about them. At its core, COMMA. truly breathes the foundation of the work we have been doing already, which is connecting with people through collaborations, live performances and long studio sessions; learning new things about music and production along the way, and of course making bangers. A true platform for us to share our music beyond the clubs and live sets, put it out into the world on our own terms to let the audience experience it the way it was meant to be heard to begin with.
To understand where it all started, we have to go back 13 years when Herman Hovland and Bendik Nesheim first started producing music together as teenagers, diving headfirst into DAWs, synths, and an endless loop of creative ideas. In the beginning, it was all about exploration inspired by the playful and melodic EDM pioneers of the early 2010’s; opening doors to get easy access to material and professional tips through various online channels and forums. There was no clear direction—just a shared curiosity and a drive to create. Over time, patterns started to emerge, and production styles took shape. And influenced by the melodic and progressive sounds they were drawn towards, they were shaping the early foundation of what would later become their sound.
After a few years of not making music together, the two reconnected in the studio in 2023. Hovland had been an active producer in the community for the recent years, while Nesheim came in with a fresh perspective. While over the next few months continuing producing and doing studio time with the likes of Herman Marensius, Jørgen Vigre and many more, it became more and more apparent that the collaborations and music was bound for something more than the studio speakers.
With the music taking shape, the next step was to bring it to the dancefloors and 2024 became a year of testing ideas in real time—seeing what resonated, what needed fine-tuning, and how the energy of a crowd could shape a track in ways no studio session ever could.
April set the tone when Hovland and Marensius went back-to-back for the first time, supporting one of their biggest inspirations, Jeremy Olander. Playing alongside an artist who had shaped so much of their musical identity was a defining moment—one that reaffirmed the direction they were both heading in. The set received an incredible reception from the attending audience and opened several doors for their further exposure.
The month after, they took things into their own hands, hosting their first event at Den Halve with Skammekroquen consisting of five hours of original material from artists within the collective, as well as an art exhibition from the talented Leanmonopolet.
By the time Music Fest arrived in June, DECO 5000 had the rooftop of Rockefeller in motion with his signature trance-infused sound, earning him performer of the day, while later that same evening, Hovland delivered a sunset-closing set for industry heavyweight Epiphany.
Carrying the momentum into the fall; in September, DECO 5000 supported Function, bringing his high-energy set to a darker and more underground crowd, and later that month; Hovland and Marensius once again came together back to back this time supporting Sébastien Léger, creating another milestone moment alongside an industry heavyweight (link to live set at the bottom of the page). To close out the season, they returned to the decks for a shaking b2b set in the Sweatshop at The Villa in December.
Each of these moments were not just performances - but small steps forward, but not only for the production. They all capture the true essence of what COMMA. was to become. Sharing and connecting through art and creative processes, without compromises. With each gig the vision became clearer, and the stage was set for what was to come next.
“...COMMA. was never about sticking to a fixed plan—it’s about growing, experimenting, and creating something that feels true to us. We have more music in the pipeline, more ideas waiting to take shape, and most importantly, more moments to share with the people who connect with what we’re doing. We want to experiment with new ways of sharing and communicating with our listeners and audience and shape the path together… We started this in the studio and then brought it to the nightclubs, and now we want to take it beyond. We will see where this goes.”
Fast forward to today, COMMA. is preparing for several releases for the main artists, friends, aliases and whatever else we create along the way, with music representing the sound we have been shaping together. Debuting with COMMA.001: “Hovland, Marensius - Iris EP” on 12.02.25, the duo finally gets to share their unique take on melodic progressive house in a project that captures the essence of their journey so far - melodic, evolving and made for the dancefloors. Subsequently, DECO 5000 is set to make his EP debut with “Decosystema Vol. 1” later this spring backed by remixes from Hovland and Trussel. COMMA. will also appear and debut as an artist with the audience favorite “Acid Rave Machine”, plus many more singles from collabs with friends. This is just the beginning really..
You can check out Hovland and Marensius b2b set at Dogyard at the link below:
https://soundcloud.com/commarec/hovland-x-marensius-b2b-dogyard-210924
