Sweden screaming B is for the bomb
Welcome to DMCWORLD Henrik. The last time we checked in with you you were up in Skovde, the Sweden town that famous burnt down completely hundreds of years ago. Where is home now dude?
“Yeah, that´s true! It got burnt down completely except for one single house. And that is where house music was born in the 18th century. Crazy isn´t it? I still live here and have a burning passion for house music.”
So a massive tune smashing up The Buzz Chart at the moment, ‘Leave A Light On’ on Axwell’s Axtone label. Tell us the history of this track…
“I´ve been a fan of Rudy for quite some time and I´m really happy that Axel (Axwell) hooked me up with him and this track got realized. I gave Axel the intrumental track a year ago and I am happy that it is soon to be released. I think it´s one of the best tracks I have ever made.”
You fell in love with dance music after a friend of yours gave you a copy of The Prodigy album ‘The Experience’ – what were your initial thoughts on that long player? What did it do to you?
“I have always been a fan of electronic music ranging from Vangelis and Jean Michael Jarre to Laser Dance and Koto. I would call their music melody oriented and quite mellow. It was kind of the only music I listened to as a kid. Melody based instrumental music. When I heard The Prodigy for the first time, I considered it not being music and just noise (like the eldery). But I kind of liked the noise and got fascinated by the acidic sounds and started to wonder how these sounds were made. That´s how I got my interest in analogue synthesizers.”
So what happened next in your search for your music, how did you start your career in EDM?
“The first analogue synth I bought was the TB-303 because I had heard it could make really strange sounds and immediatley fell in love with it and started to understand which tracks that had the 303 in them. I synced my Amiga 500 to it and started to make a few acid house tracks. At that time the only way to hear new music was to watch MTV´s Party Zone and travel to the bigger cities in Sweden where the specialized vinyl shops were. This was in 1993 so internet was not around. Everything happened quite fast and we started to arrange proper underground rave parties in basements around the city. Bad sound system, a smoke machine, a strobe and imported small glass bottles with a red bull printed on it. It says it all doesnt it?”
Your music changed around 2006, after a decade loving techno with a huge alliance with Adam Beyer, you switched to house – what made you shift?
“I have been listening to house music for a very long time but I really didn´t feel that it had dance floor capabilities until I got to know Axwell, Eric, Steve and Sebastian and heard their own version of house music. This was in 2004 and I was quite bored with techno and the direction towards a more minimal sound it was taking. In 2005 I tried to make an electro house track and it ended up being released under the name “Overrun” together with “Airwalk” on Pryda Friends.”
Was that change in musical direction a tricky one – was it a case of going back to square one or was the music you played out a gradual change?
“I switched completely and since I was considered a new artist in the house scene it never really was a problem.”
One of the things we love about your production skills, is you ability to cover many genres of music. What are the sort of varied non house artists on your iPod today?
“I really like 30 Seconds to Mars, Miles Davis, The Orb, Vangelis, Solution .45 and so on…”
Is there any form of dance music that you always turn off?
“I don´t think so! Maybe 300 Bpm Thunderdome hardcore techno. But I will listen for a while, just for a laugh.”
Sweden is finally pulling it’s finger out club and producer wise, nice to see Miike Snow doing so well in America. Why do you think it has taken so long for your home country to start producing the goods…?
“We have been producing the goods for quite some time! It´s just that people havent discovered it until now!”
What is your current top 10 you are spinning?
Henrik B feat. Rudy – Leave A light On.
Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound
Avicii – Levels (Henrik B remix)
M83 – Midnight City (Eric Prydz remix)
Arty, Matisse & Sadko – Trio
Skrillex feat The doors – Breakin a sweat (Zedd remix)
Norman Doray – Leo
Henrik B & Niklas Gustavsson – I am Miami.
Henrik B feat. Christian Älvestam – The race against time
Henrik B, Niklas Gustavsson & Peter Johansson – Untitled.
What are your plans for Ibiza this Summer and where have been some of the best nights on planet Balearica in the past?
“I have very exciting gigs in Ibiza this summer. Soon to be revealed! Some of the best nights have been with Tiësto at Privilege and with Kissdafunk at Judgement Sundays.”
Your discography is awesome, some massive tracks that have had the Buzz Chart people dancing on their tables over the years.Exclusive remixes for Defected Record’s 10th anniversary (Soulsearcher – Can´t Get Enough) to Tiesto’s favourite track of 2010 ‘Now and Forever’ spring to mind. What track though, looking back, are you most proud of?
“One of the tracks I am most proud of is under the pseudonym “Locktown” featuring vocals from Alexandra Prince called “Alive”. I made both the original mix and a “Henrik B remix” Check it out!”
What producers around the world are you giving high fives to right now?
“M83!”
Young musical genius Avicii once famously said that he could play one of your tracks at a show without even listening to it first. Wow. Have you any plans for collabs in the future together?
“We have one in the making. Hopefully it will be released before 2024!”
It may not be good for my image, but I am a real big fan of…
“Geocaching! A form of treasure hunting using GPS technology.”
Best club you have rocked in 2012?
“Club Monday in Åre, Sweden.”
What advice can you give to the thousands of wannabe producers and DJs reading this?
“1 good track is more than 100 bad ones.”
Who is the coolest person on your mobile phone?
“Chuck Norris. I found his number on the internet. True story.”
What is the strangest request you have ever had whilst DJing?
“To play Creedence Clearwater Revival. Or whatever they are called.”
DMC are the proud owners of the Back To Mine series, if we were to come back to yours after the club, what eclectic home style Back To Mine 10 would you spin us…
Miles Davis – Pharaos Dance
The Orb – Little Fluffly Clouds (Live 93)
Brian Eno – An Ending (Ascent)
Tangerine Dream – Logos
Boards of Canada – Roygbiv
Squarepusher – Tommib
Redshift – Halo
Aphrodites Child – It´s Five O´Clock
Vangelis – Conquest Of Paradise
Henrik B – Drifting Part 1 (From the album Kryoniks)
And finally, what is coming next from the studio in 2012…
“I am working on quite a few new tracks so it´s quite hard to know which one of them that will be next after “Leave A Light On”
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