Swedish House Mafia (Axwell, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso)

Size Records, Axtone, Refune

2008.09.05 ::: Words courtesy Pacha Magazine

De La Soul once declared that three was the magic number – and in the case of Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and DJ/producer Axwell, that couldn’t be closer to the truth. Collectively known as the Swedish House Mafia, the trio are that rare breed: friends who act like brothers who work together, play together and genuinely love each other to bits. “We all go and do our own thing, but without each other we wouldn’t be the same,” says Seb sweetly.

Axwell is undeniably one of the biggest names in house music on the planet right now, if not the biggest. He’s had success worldwide with his tracks ‘Feel the Vibe’ and ‘Watch the Sunrise’, his production work catapulting him to the forefront of global house music. I refer to him as the “King” because he has had the kind on continued success and recognition that consistent remixers like the Freemasons or Jacques Lu Cont/Thin White Duke can boast of. His remix work is a list too long to mention here, but anyone with even a passing interest in dance music would have heard at least his two biggest remix projects, Hard Fi’s ‘Hard to Beat’, and Roger Sanchez’s stomping ‘Turn on the Music’. His style of bass-heavy, storming beats with devastating drops and build ups have been massive on dance-floors and compilations.

It all kicked off for Steve Angello when he released 'Woz not Woz' alongside fellow Swede, Eric Prydz in 2004. Released on CR2 Recordings it elevated Steve to become one of the most in demand producers, remixers and DJs of 2005. At 24 years old, Steve has earnt the reputation as a consistently fresh talent, a vehicle for which is his label, Size Records. Drawing heavily on influences such as Daft Punk and Carl Craig, Size Records was conceived in 2002, and has since had many rollicking releases, including the 2 hits, Who's Who? "Not So Dirty" and Full Blown 'Some kinda Freak'. It was in early 2005 when Erick (Morillo) recognised the potential of Steve and Sebastian Ingrosso in signing them immediately to his Subliminal team... Steve and Seb went on to mix Subliminal Sessions 8 alongside Jose Nunez which was released in May 2005... this was to be one of the most popular Subliminal cds and would see Steve & Seb securing residencies at the infamous Subliminal parties at Pacha, Ibiza. If you have been lucky enough to witness one of their gigs, I am sure that it would be your Ibiza memory of the year! Steve's highly charged sets have scored him thousands of adoring fans around the World! Djing every weekend non-stop for the last 12 months, his diverse sets keep the crowds electrified, and no matter how many times you see him play, you will rarely hear the same track twice! His ability to connect with the crowd is intense, and it is as if he reads your mind when you hear the bass drop of a track you have been waiting all night to hear. The music screams at you; passion; commitment; dedication; focus; drive; and energy: music is no idle pastime for Steve, it's everything. It's hard to believe that the quality of the music comes from someone so young but Steve pulls it off.

When it comes to remixes, Sebastian Ingrosso is adamant that the best work comes when you go the extra mile. "When I'm satisfied, I'm satisfied but I'm quite tough on myself," he says. "Of course, I want the label to be satisfied too but I also want us to surprise ourselves as producers. No-one can believe we've made a rock/dance track... but we did it!" This year has been a busy one for Seb. As well as Justin, there have been killer re-rubs for Felix and P Diddy (the searing Jack U remix), a glorious, glistening house mix of 'Swimming Places' and an uber-cool mix of new outfit The Modern. "Pete Tong requested 'Swimming Places' for a mix CD he was doing. I just added the tweak it needed. I did it for myself in the beginning and I sent it to Pete and a few friends. Then Defected boss Simon Dunmore rang and said "we need to buy this remix from you!" But what qualities does Seb look for in a song, we wonder? "I always look for great harmonies! I want the vibe to be cool, I love eighties disco when it's made in a forward-thinking way. I don't want to remix cheesy trance, so don't look at me for a Kaskade remix! With all due respect, that's not my vibe." 2006 was all about stepping up to the plate for Seb, particularly in the studio. "I wanted to take my productions to another level. I wanted to make new, forward thinking music. I just did three tracks with Salem El Fakyr who's coming out with an album on Virgin soon. I'm open for everything. We did really good with the dance stuff but I want to work with other artists too. Just as long as it's cool. I listen to everything from John Legend to Britney and Jacques Lu Cont - I'm a music lover. Stuart Price, he says, is an artist to aspire to. From Madonna to New Order And The Scissor Sisters, his house stamp is all over the charts AND the clubs. And Seb is not a little jealous. "He must be number one!" he shrugs. "His things are too good to play almost! His musical sides are amazing, he takes the records to whole new levels - he's very inspiring." Stuart Price aside, he also rates Harry Choo Choo Romero ("he's done some great stuff") Sebastian Leger, Eric Prydz, Axwell and of course Steve Angello. "But my musical hero must be Quincy Jones. He's so versatile. When you listen to 'Thriller' today, the bass-lines and beats could have been made today, it still sounds so up to date." The key thread to Seb's sound, however, is one thing: soul. "Yes, there needs to be something to grab me. I did a lot of hard electro stuff but you need soul in the music, it can be hard, twisted and distorted too but it needs something that makes you laugh, dance or cry. That's the thing with music. You want a reaction."

Nocturnal: Have you always been friends?
Axwell: No. I only moved to Stockholm six years ago – I got my studio and didn’t know many people but before I knew it, Sebastian had forced his way into my life! I met him out drinking one night. He’s a very social person. I met Steve via Seb and it’s been fun ever since. Together, I think we’ve really ended up accomplishing something.

Nocturnal: 2007 was a pretty momentous year for the Mafia, wasn’t it?
Sebastian: Yes, but it was also an 'on the road' year. It wasn’t so inspiring for me because the Berlin minimal thing came in really big – techy and cool is fine but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Now Eric Prydz is back making music and Axwell is as well so good music is coming again. But it was definitely the best year of my life. We got all the feedback from the crowd and a lot of fanmail and I still get touched by every fan I see. I can’t get enough of it!
Steve: We can only build and build. Doing the Essential Mix was amazing, Ibiza was amazing, my American and Brazilian tours were amazing and Australia was phenomenal. As long as you work as hard as we do, it’s fine. I always have a goal so we’re always looking to take the next step.

Nocturnal: A lot of people have fond memories of that Essential Mix gig you did in Ibiza...
Sebastian: We had the main stage and we the perfect warm-up for Sasha, a hero for us since we were kids. We played everything from ‘I Found You’ to ‘Umbrella’ and there was a perfect sync between all of us. I didn’t sleep for three days and I don’t do drugs! I went to P.Diddy’s villa for an after-party and then directly to Malta. I was really happy.
Steve: We just had an amazing party. I partied for four days before then and went on to play one of the best gigs of my life. And to play with Sasha was such an honour. He’s like an airline – he takes you on a journey.
Axwell: It’s just been a big leap forward. The Radio 1 Week with that gig at Amnesia felt like we were there! But did I think ‘I Found You’ would be big? Definitely not - it just proves that you can never really know.
Steve: The gigs were too good so we had a party for the whole year. But this year is different - there will be a lot more music. I probably have 20 records coming out. I did a new one yesterday!”.

Nocturnal: What is the secret of your success?
Sebastian: We all have our spots – and every weekend we represent on our own which is good for our own egos. But at the end of the day, it’s all about SHM. We’ve had our little bits of ‘discussions’ but without each other we wouldn’t the same. Three heads is better than one.
Steve: You just put three really good DJs in a room and let them do their thing. It’s a bit like mixing Italian, Japanese and steak and it might just be the best meal you’ve ever had. It’s a good recipe. Some fans are more fans of Axwell than us and vice versa. We bring a really good show.

Nocturnal: Who would be your ultimate collaboration?
Axwell: I just wrote a track for Cyndy Lauper’s album - she’s a bit of a legend! But the ultimate is still Pharrell.
Steve: That’s a really hard question. I would love to work with Daft Punk. The kings of dance.
Sebastian: Quincy Jones.

Nocturnal: I understand you are all playing at Pure Pacha this season, but you have your own Swedish House Mafia night coming up – are you looking forward to it?
Sebastian: It’s all about the Swedish House Mafia!! Wait and see. We’ve been in the studio a lot preparing for Pure Pacha!

::: Related Links

::: www.swedishhousemafia.com

::: www.axwell.co.uk

::: www.steveangello.tv

::: www.myspace.com/sebastianingrosso

::: www.refune.com

::: www.sizerecords.com

::: Pacha [Ibiza] Club Listings