UNTIL ONE SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA Book Edition
“We are family” —says Sebastian Ingrosso
And that is why this book was compiled. A family album following an incredible journey by the Swedish House Mafia. From childhood, around the globe UNTIL they made their debut single ONE after signing a groundbreaking deal with EMI Records in 2010. So many of you on these pages made it all happen. —THANK YOU
STEVE ANGELLO FAVOURITE Restaurant: Teatre Grillen FAVOURITE THINGS: Snus Salt Liquorice
Sebastian Ingrosso FAVOURITE HOTELS: Lydmar Hotel—Story Hotel. FAVOURITE Restaurants: Tarantino—Beirut Cafe— Kungsholmen—Mäster Anders— Grill.
Axwell favOURITE restaurant: East— the best japanese fusion you can get in Stockholm. favOURITE hotel: Grand Hotel— The real deal if you want to experience Stockholm in a five star way. favOURITE place: The Archipelago— its a must to visit the islands outside of Stockholm. The further out the better.
STOCKHOLM BLOODSHY & AVANT
Producers / Miike Snow
Favourite Restaurant: El Diablo TATOO: aniela på flash fighters tattoo (Creator of the Miike Snow Jackalope logo)
Jonas åkerlUnd FILM DIRECTOR
RESTAURANT : PA/CO— it’s been my dining room for a life time. If those walls could talk... Another home run restaurant is Le Rouge in the Old Town. HOTEL : Hotel Lydmar, my home away from home. OTHER: Love the architecture of Sergels torg—love getting drunk at Pub Anchor—love walking around Skeppsholmen—Heavy Sound is the best record store.
AXWELL Axwell’s steady ascent into clubland aristocracy began back in 1995, when the eager Swedish teenager began teaching himself the arcane science of drum machines, synthesisers and sequencers, and started releasing his very first tracks, as part of techno duo Quazar. By 1999, he’d moved towards a housier sound, as evidenced by his debut solo single, Funkboy. An impressive calling card, it paved the way for a steady flow of increasingly confident underground hits, until Axwell struck crossover gold with 2004’s glorious ‘Feel The Vibe’. An unstoppably uplifting and instantly memorable track, the original version of ‘Feel The Vibe’ (featuring vocalist Errol Reid) dazzled every corner of clubland, before an overhauled version (with new vocals by Tara McDonald) gate-crashed the UK top 20. Axwell has recently once again joined forces with Errol Reid to create the gloriously infectious ‘Nothing But Love’ – currently climbing the charts the world over. 2005’s ‘Watch The Sunrise’ (featuring Steve Edwards) proved to be another unstoppable anthem, as was his 2006 collaboration with fellow Swedish House Mafioso Steve Angello, Supermode’s ‘Tell Me Why’ (released via Ministry Of Sound, it reach #13 in the UK and #3 in the Netherlands). But it was 2007’s rave-referencing ‘I Found U’ (#6 in the UK charts) that really cemented Axwell’s status as a producer who could marry artistic innovation with strong commercial appeal – a rare thing indeed, in any genre of music.
How we met I met Sebastian the first time in a Lebanese restaurant, it was his birthday and the launch party for a record they had done. He was wearing a red shirt which was the first and only time I have ever seen him in a garment like that... He invited me to his studio that day. Him and Steve had heard some of my early tracks. I got to know Steve very quickly. They even booked me on a rather cool gig I remember with Eric Prydz, and the rest is history.
Axwell’s Midas-like touch – along with his peerless technical ability – has made him the go-to guy for artists looking to get their latest release reworked into a storming dancefloor juggernaut. Madonna, Nelly Furtado, Moby and Pharrell Williams have all come a-knockin’, while productions such as his masterful reworking of Hard-Fi’s ‘Hard To Beat’, his sublime remix of The Temper Trap’s ‘Sweet Disposition’ (along with Dirty South) and of course his unstoppable version of TV Rock’s ‘In The Air’ have gone on to become as big as – or, in many cases, bigger than – the original tracks. Part of what makes Axwell such a sought-after producer is his dazzling stylistic agility; he can switch between house, techno and electro (and everything in-between) without even breaking a sweat. You only have to take a look over the back catalogue of Axtone, Axwell’s muchadmired label, to see his enthusiasm for a dizzying range of styles and sounds. From the banging to the beatific, Axwell and his roster of artists – which includes Dirty South, TV Rock & Prok & Fitch amongst others – really have managed to please all the people, all the time. The latest chapter in Axwell’s career has seen him launch his spectacular LED Heart light show, debuting at Stereosonic in Canberra in late 2009 and currently touring festivals all over the world. Whatever direction the music takes Axwell in next, you can be sure that he’ll be closely followed by admirers and imitators alike.
STEVE ANGELLO Armed with a slew of new CDs and enough confidence to rebuild Hadrian’s Wall, Steve Angello destroyed the Space terrace at the inaugural Ibiza opening on May 31st 2009. In truth, the momentum had been building for Steve Angello for some time - from his globe-straddling Moby remix of ‘Raining Again’, to the anthemic re-working of ‘Tell Me Why’ with Axwell, to the now unmistakable ‘Be’ with Laidback Luke. ‘Be’ then returned in spirit as ‘Show Me Love’ with original vocalist Robin S and Laidback Luke in tow, smashing clubs and Top Ten charts into tiny pieces everywhere it was dropped. Jump to November 2009 and Steve Angello releases ‘The Yearbook’ – a collection of his finest production work to date - including the devious ‘Alpha Baguera’ and euphoric ‘Monday’. The Yearbook was an unforgettable milestone in Steve’s stellar career. Since this offers have flooded in and projects with Pharrell Williams, Cheryl Cole and Kid Sister have filled his diary. Steve’s ascent into the dance music elite continues with his latest remix of Magnetic Man’s ‘Perfect Stranger’ having just been named Hottest Record in the World by Zane Lowe and his latest solo offering, the bass heavy ‘Knas’ having torn up every festival arena in the world this summer.
How we met Me and Seb met when we were eight: we got into all kinds of trouble together! Seb’s Dad had a label called Plumphouse and we got into music and did all kinds of weird things including lounge compilations and made music for shows. I even did music for a Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden… We bumped into Axwell ten years ago now, when he was doing stuff on Sulphuric Records. We all learned from each other because we were young kids. Also, when it came to the music, me and Seb were more rough. I don’t tweak a hi-hat for six hours! And then there was Eric Prydz. We all hung out like friends and started building a relationship. But no-one would give us shows – we had to beg nightclubs to put us on! We begged them to let us play for one hour and everyone loved it. But since no one would touch us, that’s why we worked so hard at the start. After that me and Ax did Superode and me and Seb did a couple of records as BuyNow. We never got the support – until now.
Having now decamped to Los Angeles, where Steve spends at least 50% of his time, his creativity and inner confidence has reached new levels. When he wakes up, Angello is still very much the A & R supremo for his beloved Size Records. The label is now firing hit after hit with the most upfront talent in electronic music including releases from the man himself, his protégé AN21, Kim Fai, Max Vangeli, Afrojack, Funkagenda, Tim Berg aka Avicii, Norman Doray, Tong & Spoon, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Harry Romero, Junior Sanchez and Alexander Technique to name but a few. Steve’s hunger for success in both music and business is clear – with producing for Interscope in LA and also the birth of Size Matters in 2010, an event concept bringing to life the ground-breaking label of the same name. Huge parties at WMC in Miami, Ibiza Rocks Hotel and smash US and UK tours, a merchandise range and now a compilation to boot – Size Matter’s continues to go from strength to strength. Summer 2010 saw the launch of Steve’s amazing new Sizemic Jarag Light Wall, featuring lights that were used in the original Star Wars – demonstrating once again that Steve thinks big in everything he delivers.
SEBASTIAN INGROSSO Sebastian Ingrosso is that rare thing in the world of dance music: a musician who understands the world of melodies just as much as he understands the power of the kick drum. Sebastian’s father owned two record labels, and from the tender age of 14 Ingrosso could be found in the studio producing music. His first official remix was released on Mega Records in 1999 and for over a decade Ingrosso has been releasing a steady stream of original tracks and remixes. In 2009, Sebastian, Dirty South and David Guetta produced ‘How Soon Is Now’ with Julia McKnight, which has become a modern day vocal house classic. Other tracks include ‘Leave The World behind’ on Axtone, ‘Umbrella’ on Data, ‘Laktos’ on Refune, an amazing re-edit of ‘Swimming Places’ from Julian Jabre on Defected, Royksopp and Hard Fi’s ‘Suburban Knights’, the searing remix of ‘Jack You’ with Steve Angello for Diddy and Felix which was approved by Sean Combs himself, MGMT’s ‘Kids’ and most recently Miike Snow’s ‘Silvia’. 2010 saw him co-write and co-produce ‘Cupid Boy’, one of the key electronic anthems on Kylie’s new Number 1 album. As Head of A & R for his label, Refune, Sebastian is constantly discovering and developing new talents such as Style of Eye, AN21, Max Vangeli, True Identity and his most recent signing, the exceptional Lune.
How we met I met Steve when I was 8 years old – I had a fight with his step-brother. Then I met him again in Stockholm when we were about 11. We both had turntables and we used to go back to Steve’s and play hip hop, house and practice scratching. We would make music together in my fathers studio. My father helped us a lot. He played us techno, he paid rent on a studio and generally pushed us in the passion that we had developed for music. When we heard Daft Punk’s ‘Homework’, we fell in love directly and the direction of the music we made became more electronic. We had done a Chill Out album for a restaurant called Beirut Cafe. We did a launch party there and a guy we knew of called Axwell turned up. Two days later he was at our studio.
Sebastian Ingrosso’s achievements as a DJ are no less impressive than of those in the area of production. From his first gig in a small pizza restaurant in small town Sweden, 2009’s residency at world famous Sensation White saw him regularly performing to crowds of 25,000 all over the globe and 2010 has seen more smash gigs in Australia, USA and Brazil, not to mention countless countries throughout Europe. DJ Mag’s 2009 Top 100 poll placed Seb at Number 25, the highest new entry. After the amazing achievements of the past few years, some may be forgiven for thinking the future could not get any better for Ingrosso but his ambition, not to mention talent, show no signs of abating. He has recently launched his new live visual concept and rumours are rife that he is producing the new album of a hot young female artist.
EARLY BEGINNINGS I met Sebastian in 2002 at ‘The Rainbow Room’ (gay VIP club in Stockholm which was the craziest club in Sweden at that time, I was lucky enough to have a residency there thanks to my friend Tomas) I was djing and Sebastian came up to me when I played my track Mr Jingles and said that he loved Eric Prydz music... turned out that it was me. We met up the day after in his first studio that he and Steve were getting together. They were just starting out playing around with synths and beats at that time and they were working on a track called “Echo Vibes” that I ended up remixing a few weeks later! We all became really close friends and we just hung out all the time doing really silly stuff. A few years later we did a party together in Stockholm on the top of a tall building and we booked Axwell because we really liked the soulful house vibe he had going on back then. Axwell had just moved up to Stockholm from the south and we all clicked and became best friends. In 2003 the name “Swedish House Mafia” came about. Stockholm back then was a bit weird when it came to recognising its own talent. I guess it has to do with “the Swedish jealousy” (den svenska avundsjukan). If anyone tried to break loose and just go for it, the people in the local music scene would diss them. The ethos was “don’t think you are better than anybody else” sort of thing. “Who do you think you are!!” etc. There was a heated discussion on a popular Stockholm forum and we got involved and ended up writing a long angry reply. Seb signed it with “The Swedish House Mafia” just to get the haters even more annoyed!! The name stuck.. The 4 of us became known as “Swedish House Mafia” locally. I think people used the name with a bit of sarcasm back then in Stockholm’s music scene, like “tsss who do they think they are!! mafia what??”. Well... look at us all now! The four of us actually did two gigs together in Sweden. Not officially under the name Swedish House Mafia but that was what people had started to call us. For jokes we all chipped in and got one of Ax friends to make a logo.. it was all just for fun back then.In 2004 I decided to leave Sweden and move to the UK due to me not flying and the huge demand from clubs in Europe
for me. It was just a much better place to travel from to the rest of Europe. My management and record labels were also based in London and I was a bit bored of Stockholm so off I went! In 2005 - 2006 (I think) Steve, Seb and Ax really went for it and decided to use the name “Swedish House Mafia” and make it their own brand. People in the scene all knew about the name but it wasn’t official until this point. They started out doing some shows together as a “group” at smaller venues and now a few years later they are in the top 10 in the UK singles chart with a track they made with one of the guys from the Neptunes!! It’s mad! But I think they are just getting warm. As for me, I had a huge boost with 3 singles topping charts all over the world, and my own labels Pryda & Mouseville. I always had a different approach to music compared to the rest of the guys.They were really in to the sounds of DJs like Erick Morillo and Roger Sanchez etc, and I came from the darker side with influences and heroes like Depeche Mode, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb etc. We all had very similar taste in music, but it just sounded very different when we made our own music. So today 2010 I still live in London, Steve in LA, Seb in Malta and Ax is still in Stockholm. A lot has happened since we first met. A LOT! We are all still very good friends, but when it comes to the music we have our separate careers. I’m so fucking proud of all of us today.
Eric Prydz
The first Swedish House Mafia party at Miami WMC was at Ink 2007. The venue held 400 people, the decks were on wooden tables and people danced on chairs until the gig was shut down. In March 2008 they took on Koko in London. Traditionally a live venue and theatre, the message from them seemed to scream that not only was the music the reason to go to the shows, but the show, itself was something to see. Fans were not disappointed. Secretly they had sent their largest club tracks to a 40 piece
orchestra to be put onto sheet music and half way through the show, which sold out in advance, the orchestra burst into a 15 minute live piece to a sea of camera phones. Flying from London directly to Miami to play SET, their first proper venue as Swedish House Mafia, rumours of the London sell out flew round and their guest list was full for their Miami show by the time the plane touched down.
IBIZA Universally acclaimed as the party capital of the world, DJs flock in their thousands to make it big on this tiny island. But why? The island’s history reads like a history of hedonism. The Carthaginians established a cult there to Tanit, their goddess of sex, around 650 BC and named the Island after Bez, their god of dance. Roman centurions in need of a rave between campaigns would go to Ibiza to get their kicks. And over the centuries virtually every culture around the Mediterranean has used the island as a playground. When Queen legend Freddie Mercury decided to fly to Ibiza with 80 of his closest friends for his 41st birthday and throw a lavish party that began with Flamenco dancers, a 20-foot long cake and fireworks spelling out his name... you knew this place was special. Widely believed to be one of the most magnetic places in the world, centred around the incredible Es Vedra rock, Ibiza has drawn the masses to it’s heart to party for centuries. Over the years the rich, the famous, the wild and the free have all travelled there to party and the music has been waiting for them... and so have the DJ’s.... Hugely accepted as a place where you can play to many nationalities in one place, clubs like Pacha, Amnesia and Space have long attracted the world’s biggest names to play there on a regular basis - despite for years being one of the hardest islands in Europe to get to with few flights coming in from direct airports.
As Ibiza develops it never loses it’s charm, but the stakes for a DJ have become higher. A residency at one of the main venues can mean international recognition, publicity and marketing not to mention high fee’s, summer villa’s and increased record and merchandise sales. So many of the world’s biggest DJ’s have gone to Ibiza, created a residency which often means a new theme every year with colourful designs, costumes and beach parades. Through even the toughest of economic times Ibiza has stood strong as a must-go destination, a guaranteed good time whilst never losing it’s quiet side that you fall in love with like Formentera or driving through the forest near San Jose. The recognition of Ibiza on a global scale has seen the stars flock to perform to the packed clubs... Kylie Minogue, Grace Jones, Florence and the Machine, Kelis, P Diddy have all played in the last 12 months while Ricardo Urgell, Pacha owner, was given the Gold Medal of Tourism Promotion by the Spanish Government. The beauty of Ibiza is simply that the bigger it becomes, the more at ease the island seems to be with itself, constantly allowing you to discover one more corner, one more field, one more bay, one more restaurant. Like a good relationship, it never allows you to feel like you know it all, and as such, it’s relationship with you once you go for the first time, becomes a life-long love
AXWELL Favourite hotel: Gran Hotel— when this hotel opened in Ibiza it took Ibiza to a new level of service. favOURITE restaurant: Fish Shack—this place is so basic - they don’t even have electricity, but they have the freshest fish in the world. favOURITE PLACE: Renting a boat and taking a day trip to all the beaches at Formentera.
SEBASTIAN INGROSSO Favourite hotel: Gran Hotel. favOURITE PLACE: Inkadellic Tattoo Parlour.
DANNY WHITTLE PACHA Restaraunt: S’Illot Den Recli— on the Portinatax Road
STEVE ANGELLO favOURITE restaurant: Balafia—Bar BQ Restaurant. La Paloma—Best restaurant in Ibiza bar none. Es Cavallet Beach & Restaurant. BAR: Mambo in San Antonio— Javier, Alain and Christian make my summer worth it every year. BEACH BAR: Gecko Beach Club—Formentera.
TAKING OVER SUMMER 2008
In the summer of 2008 Swedish House Mafia took on three ‘Take Over’ shows in Ibiza. Hosting Amnesia for the Radio 1 Ibiza Weekend Show, PurePacha and Subliminal Sessions while their friend Erick Morillo took a week off. They were given their first billboard on the island and set about the designs and promotion for their Ibiza debut as a group. Would this be the start of something bigger? At the Pacha shows, Danny Whittle, Director of Pacha, decided to make 2009 the year they would come to Pacha full time. In December 2008 he made the offer.
MEETING IN PROGRESS JANUARY 2009
Mondays had become available at Pacha...We agonized over the decision to take on a full season in 2009. We were so honoured to be asked, but the worst recession in our memory had just hit. It was far from certain 2009 was the year to be starting a huge production knowing we would not want to cut any corners... but then maybe that was the year we could make the most difference. We accepted‌ and the Dark Forest was born.
Axwell favOURITE restaurant: Sushi Samba—I know its a tourist trap but who cares when their food even blows nobu out of the water. favOURITE hotel: W
ERICK MORILLO favOURITE restaurant: Garcia’s— Downtown, not fancy but quite simply the best fish in Miami. Period. favOURITE CLUB: Liv—Great sound, great space, great lights, great people. SECRET LOVE: The beach on 6th Street. It’s where all the hot Brazilian girls go and lie in the sun, topless!
CARLOS CORREAL
OPIUM GROUP PROMOTER Favourite hotel: Setai and Delano—are my two favorites equally. favOURITE restaurant: Ceviche 105 — which is downtown Miami and the best Peruvian cuisine ever. Secret thing you love most about Miami: That you don’t need a car living on the beach.. You just need a scooter and it costs you $2.50 gas every 2 weeks.
Miami : Vices and Vinyl Miami Winter Music Conference has long been the first time DJs and their entourages gather in the year to plan.... or should we say... to party. Established in 1985, Winter Music Conference, in its 26th consecutive year, is one of the most publicized annual music gatherings in the world. WMC 2010 attracted 1,909 artists and DJs, 3,763 industry delegates from 70 countries and over 100,000 event attendees for a concentrated schedule of more than 414 events, parties, seminars and workshops presented across 5 days. Over 2 million visitors from 183 countries log on to the WMC website each year. No-one seems sure as to why this conference began, but it quickly became one of the most important ways to break a record as a DJ. When this began, electronic music didn’t get daytime airplay often, or MTV video plays, it survived in a different world, and as such the way records were born, promoted and toured had their own rules. DJs, Managers, Agents, Publicists, Press, Friends, Bag Carriers and Drink Pourers soon descended annually to the small strip of land in Florida filling the guest lists to bursting. Armed with promo’s DJs would swap tracks, business cards and legend has it on occasion, girlfriends.... and wait to see what the ‘buzz’ was from that year. One year Thomas Bangalter from Daft Punk arrived with 10 vinyls. Rumours of the limited track spread, A-lister’s clambering for a copy. Stardust....The Music Sounds Better With You... not only proved why Miami was a springboard for global hits but it gave
hope for years to come that you could in fact simply turn up and buzz your record to another level, and many a trip was expensed to an employer on this premise. Over the years, as digital downloads, MP3 files, memory sticks and CDJ’s gradually eroded the old way of doings this, the conference has been integral every year in DJs promoting how they will now be making their music available to fans, and of course... to play gigs. The gigs are almost more important now than the record promotion and the competition for venue space is fierce. Marketing is everything, guest list is key, the copy of DJ Magazine for the conference feels like the September Issue of Vogue – screaming the next season’s visuals and plans at you. The guest lists get tougher, the door prices rise and the record promos seem to become fewer. But amongst this, Miami, and its 24 hour lifestyle brimming with Cuban and Hispanic influence, it’s art deco backdrop, the cars, the girls, the cocktails, the hotel bars, the pools and the incredible beaches welcome thousands of DJS every year like a warm smile. Miami is a ritual, it heralds the official new year in electronica, it births trends, it starts rumour, you need to take out a mortgage to go, you need a week to recover, but when you do, you cannot help but feel inspired to work that little bit harder in the year ahead. Then you blink, the summer has passed and planning for Miami happens all over again.
Leave The World Behind: FIRST PLAY ULTRA FESTIVAL MIAMI 2009
We packed our new track – Leave The World Behind – fresh from our studio sessions with Laidback Luke and returned to Miami. Our new film guy, Christian Larson, joined us on the road. We were starting to do more video from the gigs. This was the beginnings of our film although we didn’t realise it at the time. We had two Swedish House Mafia shows. Ultra Festival and Mansion. Ultra was our first USA festival performance. An afternoon slot in an arena. We didn’t think anything of it. ...until we arrived. To this day we
will never forget it. The people were packed in. On people’s shoulders, hanging from the tent. They knew every word, they knew every song and Leave TheWorld Behind washed over us all like we had written it for that exact moment. As we headed down to Mansion for our second show we were all just silent. Stunned. As we walked into a sold out Mansion...we were told Pete Tong had made Leave The World Behind the WMC Essential New Tune.
Mansion. WMC 2009
THE DARK FOREST
JUNE 2009
Swedish House Mafia’s first Ibiza residency in 2009 was a bold move. Amid a deep recession and against stiff competition the night was not a guaranteed success. They felt strongly that a weekly event would allow them to develop the production element of their shows, practising and experimenting weekly with fireworks, C02 and dancers... every boys dream!The booth at Pacha is almost on dancefloor level. Guests surround you, you party together, and so the delivery of the experience must feel like personal attention has been paid. And so it was. Special FX teams were
hired, decor crews auditioned and lists of guests to join the boys drawn up with care. The world felt so dark at the time, so a fantasy world providing an escape seemed like a good start. Pan’s Labyrinth meets Clockwork Orange. Through the darkness of the club entrance, past the wolves, owl and eagles – the dancefloor lit up like a forest clearing in the moonlight... the wolfhead mirror ball which was handmade with 22000 tiles shimmered, and under the full moon we danced. We danced all night.
Dark Forest Guests: Florence and the Machine and Dizzee Rascal
The Dark Forest. Pacha. 2009
TWO SHOWS / ONE DAY AUGUST 2009
This was the first year we did two festival headlines in one day. We chartered a private jet from Mystery Land Main Stage to the UK where cars waited for us on the tarmac. Creamfields!. Pictures of our arena were flooding our phones. It had been packed from the minute it had opened with mirrorballs filling the ceiling and lasers dancing among them over 6000 heads. This was the night we did our first video intro for our set. The arena went dark. The tape ran. Intensity built to fever pitch. We thought everyone, including us, would burst as we ran on stage.
AMSTERDAM We love The Dylan Hotel and stay there whenever we play. We connect through Amsterdam Airport all the time when we tour. If you’re stuck there always go to Terminal 3 and eat at the Noodle Bar.
JAMES BARTON CREAM
HotelS: Lowry, Manchester — Hope Street, Liverpool. Restaurant: 60 Hope Street, Liverpool. Shopping: Flannels in Liverpool & Manchester.
BRIXTON NOVEMBER 2009
STEVE ANGELLO Restaurants: Hix in Soho— Oysters, Steak and Rhubarb Bellini’s. J Sheeky’s—fish to die for. Nobu Berkeley Square. Zuma — Hakkasan—1 Lombard Street— Sophie’s Steakhouse.
PETE TONG Favourite restaurant: Riva in Barnes London, SW13— An unpretentious italian classic run by the same team for the last 20 years. A real black book secret.
JASON ELLIS A&R DIRECTOR, POSITIVA Favourite place: The South Bank. museums—theatres—the London Eye, incredible architecture—all the things that make London great within walking distance of each other. Favourite restaurant: E&O in Notting Hill—for it’s amazing pan-Asian food. Paramount at Centre Point for the view.
AMY THOMSON Hotel: The Connaught— The Bagglioni—Blakes Hotel— The Berkeley—St Martin’s Lane. Best Shopping: Dover Street Market. Favourite Place: Electric Cinema, Portobello—The best way ever to see a movie.
I remember putting one of our event adverts out, I think it was for Miami, and I just put Brixton Academy 2009 onto it. I didn’t say a date, because I didn’t know the date. I just knew they could do it. A lot of people said it was a bad move, too risky, one step too far. We sold out two nights. EMI watched from the balcony. 2 months later we signed our global deal with Virgin Records. Amy Thomson, Manager SHM
L.A. BABY FEBRUARY 2010
ONE WAS BORN Record Plant L.A.
Ultra 2010 WE RETURNED, main stage, big show, full crew, new single.
MASQUERADE MOTEL JUNE 2010
Masquerade Motel was the new concept for Ibiza in 2010. A mysterious world behind closed doors. Inspired by the LA Motels on the rides down Sunset Boulevard with Steve Angello and movies like Amadeus and Eyes Wide Shut. There was to be a feeling of a vacation within a vacation, of Do Not Disturb, of privacy in public. Masks were provided at Check In, the chandeliers banged with sparklers, the LA style neon flickered and those with the key knew the secret. The ethos was simple. Check in and be OUR guest. Let us take it from here...They welcomed so many amazing guests in 2010 including of course –Kylie Minogue. ‘’She was genuinely one of the best guests we have ever had, both in how her and her team worked and how she held Pacha in her hand’’ She launched her new album with us and the world’s media gathered. That was how the season began.
The Beach Parade, Florence and Grace Welch, The ‘Key’, The Costumes
Tinie Tempah, The Mask, Kylie Minogue and SHM, Ruben
Filming & Friendships “Let’s go to lunch there!”, said Sebastian.“But it’s three hours away?”, I tried to explain. He put his arms out and looked at me: “Let’s take a helicopter!” he said. He then ran off to wake up Steve from sleeping and all of a sudden we’re in a helicopter, flying over the beaches of the French Riviera to eat lunch in the little historical town I had just told him about. We stayed for an hour and then carried on to their next gig in another chopper to make it on time. This was the first time I met the guys at some after-party somewhere in France. I think it says pretty much everything about the guys dedication to reach their goals in life. No matter the barrier, you just have to work your way around it to get to the target - even if a helicopter is needed. And I think this applies to most of what they do. This incident became the starting point of a film about the guys. Sebastian was the first to get interested in my ideas about documenting their crazy reality, and together we launched mini- documentary episodes of his tour life online which quickly became very popular on the scene. The demand for more behind the scenes content from the SHM exploded, and the idea about a feature documentary about the three of them was realised. For two years, 253 gigs and 15 countries, I followed the guys around the globe on tour and personal adventures to make this film. After 5 months in the making we are now done and proud to present this film to an audience. I am eager to show a glimpse into the life of three amazingly talented producers who are the future of the global music scene. I believe they are true pioneers in what they do and they keep pushing the boundaries for what is possible for DJs, artists and producers out there. With this film, I also wanted to show the strong friendship that ties it all together, but also, the tension between creative individuals that sometimes is needed to push
out new ideas. The love for the music and for the people who enjoy it is however the core of this film. Because that is what it all comes down to. Making people smile, dance and enjoy themselves with the tool of melodies and kickdrums. And in my opinion, nobody can do that better than Swedish House Mafia. I couldn’t have made this film without the constant support from the guys. They have believed in my ideas from the start, but also kept pushing me to always develop and surprise them. It is not easy to have someone filming your private life 24/7, but they never doubted my vision and kept pushing themselves and revealing more and more from their private thoughts and moments. In the end, we made this film together, because we felt it needed to come out of us. It has been a great ride to make this film and it has taught me far more things than I could have ever imagined. But most importantly, it has given me amazing friendships along the way. Much love, Christian Larson Film Director
Christian Larson directed the music videos for Leave The World Behind, One, Miami 2 Ibiza and the documentary Take One about the Swedish House Mafia.
Written by Amy Thomson. Compiled and Creatively Directed by Christian Larson and Amy Thomson. Book Design: Peter Chadwick/Popular. Initial Inspiration: Sebastian Ingrosso. A big thank you to all the photographers who have participated in this book - there are too many to mention. Thanks to Alice Penrose, Axtone, Ben Kreitner, Bloodshy & Avant, BPM SFX, Carl Lindstrom, Carlos Correal, Creamfields, Danny Whittle, Data, Defected, DJ Mag, Electric Daisy Carnival, Eli Booker, Eric Prydz, Erick Morillo, Frank Emous, Hannah Edds, Jonas Åkerlund, Kylie Minogue, Made Up, Mark Jackson, Ministry of Sound, Mixmag, Mystery Land, O2 Brixton Academy, Pacha, Pete Tong, Positiva, Refune, Sensation White, Size Records, Subliminal, Superstar, Tania von Pear, Taryn Cassidy Poole, The Opium Group, Tillate.com, Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival and Virgin.. For full ‘Until One’ & ‘Take One’ credits go to www.take-one-movie.com/credits P &g 2010 EMI Records Ltd under exclusive license from Swedish House Mafia Holdings Ltd (BVI). CDVX 3083