Life & Work with Ludvig Broll

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ludvig Broll.

Hi Ludvig, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I got started in music when I began playing drums in marching band at 7 in Oslo, Norway where I grew up. But after some years there, I got really into playing with a lot of different bands as a teenager. We formed a lot of different bands and would play clubs every other day around town playing soul and funk music for a few years. It was a great time, just a bunch of 14-15 years old playing these dodgy venues, and we were doing like 200 shows a year. We moved on to playing with artists like Aiida and other pop acts after that. While in high school studying music and picking up a few other instruments, I started recording and producing the bands I was playing with – all with a set of 4 microphones we found around campus and the cheapest audio interface I could find. That opened up a whole new world for me where the music my friends and I were doing could exist in like a tangible space instead of just floating into the nothingness of space, and I thought that was really exciting.

Then I got a scholarship to go to Berklee College of Music, said bye to my friends in Norway, and moved to Boston to pursue music as a more serious endeavor. While at Berklee, I got to work with several amazing songwriters, producers and musicians; Aiida, Karissa Bone, Janie, Paria, both in sessions and playing live. When covid happened and we were all sent back home I got a job working at a recording studio in Norway – Newtone Studios in Oslo, where I got to record and produce in many different pop, rock, jazz, orchestra and big band sessions. After going back and finishing my bachelor’s in music production and engineering in 2022, I got to work on Jon Ranes’ album “Loverboy”, and started working on his next record. I moved to Los Angeles in the end of 2022 to continue my work playing, producing and engineering, and since moving to LA, I’ve been fortunate enough to get to work with some amazing new friends, Claire Nichols, NIKO, Gabby Neely, and engineering in Rick Nowels studio in Santa Monica and at Calhoun Studios in Sherman Oaks with Gus Ross. At the moment, I’m working on Jon Ranes’ next release coming out this summer, going back and forth between Norway and LA to play a few festivals and recording.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Moving to California, I had no idea if things were going to work out or not. It was a pretty scary move and I had to leave a lot behind and make some sacrifices to come here. Still, I had this feeling that I needed to. I spent about 2 months sleeping on my friends’ floors, couches and the occasional housesitting gig, I was running out of money, taking the train to sessions, interviews and scrambling to make ends meet before finally getting steady work, making enough to stay and securing an apartment. I learned a lot during that time and made a lot of amazing friends in the process. Still don’t have a car though, haha.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work as a drummer, music producer and audio engineer – I specialize in pop, indie and alternative music, and I’m known to lean toward more introspective, emotional content. I love everything music, whether it is drumming and playback tech, producing, tracking, engineering and mixing. I’m really proud to be able to do this and keep my head above water, that was always a concern growing up doing, but we’re out here doing it!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’m 23 years old, from Oslo, Norway.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ludvib/?hl=en 

Image Credits
Sean Craffey