Sebastian Ingrosso: Bringing it from the heart

Hot on the announcement that Sebastian Ingrosso will be coming to Australia to head up Sensation in Melbourne on New Years Eve as well as Pacha in Sydney, he’s confirmed that he loves everything about Australia – from the food to the weather to the beaches and the vibe. “Australia is the best country in the world to play. It’s my favourite country – definitely! The festivals and clubs are amazing,” Seb declares. “Australians know their music and they love to be there when you are playing. When I’ve been there with Steve, they’ve been the best gigs ever. And now I’m coming to play on my own – I’m really looking forward to it! You can expect new music; new material!” And does he have any words for his Australian fans? “I am honoured to be in Australia celebrating the New Year. I’m coming to get you!”

From his hometown of Stockholm to the white isle of Ibiza, the UK, throughout America and down under, Sebastian Ingrosso has long been intent on “getting” his audiences – a feat confirmed with his debut into the recent DJ Mag 100 poll, sweeping in at #20. For his second series of Australian performances this year, Seb will be coming to “get” us in the way he knows best – from the heart.

Sebastian is of course a member, and arguably the heart, of the hugely loved Swedish House Mafia – the renowned Swedish-based collective of house DJ/producers, admired for their immense contributions in shaping the global dance world. With connections to the music industry via his father, it was Seb’s childhood friendship with Steve Angello from the age of 6, and a meeting with Axwell over drinks later on, that the Swedish House Mafia would eventually come together. On a cold night in Stockholm over coffee at the local Seven-11, an alliance was forged between the three young artists for a successful music collective; deep seated in resilient friendships, similar tastes in music, a shared working ethos and the philosophy to make every DJ performance feel like it’s New Years Eve. While other artists have been welcomed into the collective at various stages, it is Sebastian Ingrosso who has stood out as the impetus for all things “Made in Sweden”.

At the heart of Sebastian Ingrosso himself, is his love for melody. Taking inspiration from all kinds of music across the globe, from his Italian heritage to his dad’s love for techno, a devotion to Daft Punk or Quincy Jones, Seb’s musicality is steeped in hip hop, funk, soul, techno, progressive and house. Lush harmonies, killer hooks and polyphonic compositions have come to be the stamps on a Seb Ingrosso release. “Quality is the key to a good track,” Seb outlines. “Great production and great melodies. My music is more melodic than ever. I’m not minimal and I’m not techno. But I always have a great melody,” Seb explains. “I try to touch people’s emotions. I love it when people are warmed to their heart,” he notes. “I want to get them with my songs.”

With his father working alongside the first wave of DJs from the early Swedish techno scene, Seb’s feet were behind the decks from the age of 17 as he also felt his way around his father’s studio with such talents like Jesper Dahlback and Adam Beyer wandering in and out. It was the release of Freshly Squeezed in 2001 then Echo Vibes in 2002 on the Ingrosso family label Joia Records with Steve Angello’s input where his music career really began to skyrocket. Though Steve Angello continues to feature heavily throughout Sebastian’s life and he is acknowledged for his creative support and influence, Seb is still resolute that “my music is great by itself. Everybody influences everybody and we give a lot to each other, but my music stands for itself. It’s all just me.”

It was in 2003 that Seb founded his own record label Refune Records; a label that he notes, focuses more on quality than quantity and enables him to do whatever he musically wants. “Dance music is just getting bigger and bigger – it’s taking over the world,” Seb affirms. “With Dave Guetta and all the guys he’s working with are really making it huge. I think it’s big now – and that it can only get bigger.” Indeed, “getting bigger” in the dance world is a task Seb is setting for himself. While he remains at the heart of the Swedish House Mafia, his output of remixes, tracks and collaborations have steadily grown. With remixes of tunes from pop royalty icons from Madonna to Justin Timberlake’s My Love and MGMT’s Kids under his belt, there is also the addition of a number of recent releases to the label just this year, including his own originals Kidsos and Laktos amongst other collaborations with Laidback Luke and Australia’s own Dirty South. Leave The World Behind has also been a major collaboration for Seb in 2009, with Axwell, Laidback Luke and Steve all combining their powers for the track to be released on Axwell’s own label Axtones.

Spending more time in the studio working with different artists has definitely been on the cards for Seb this year – with some collaborations coming from the most unexpected of places. Certainly, there are many reasons for Seb to love Australia; at the very least, for the impact Australia has on his music. It was while on the road for Future Music Festival earlier this year, and headlining with US sensations N*E*R*D, that Seb joined musical forces with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. “The Mafia Boys and the N*E*R*D boys bonded over a basket ball game in Sydney,” Seb notes. “We were playing basketball together against one team, and one of the guys on the opposition scrapped Chad – so I knocked this guy out. A slap turned into a friendship.”

All armed with a shared love for melodies and a mutual appreciation for Quincy Jones, Seb has acknowledged that he walked out of the studio exhausted from an intense session with the two musicians. “I never thought I would be in the studio with them. They reminded me that melodies are still number one,” Seb expresses. Noting that that he hopes to be working on his artist album in 2010, Seb has also expressed the wish for Pharrell to feature on the record. “I’m not finished with the track yet, but it’s going to be good and not what people expect. I’m learning every day – whether DJing or with technology; or playing to a different crowd in a different country. I am developing as an artist the more I produce and work with different people.” Seb also hopes the album will culminate in a tour, though he does prefer to spend the time in his studio. “I love to make music, to make every kind of different tunes,” he asserts. “I really do love to create.”

Sebastian Ingrosso will be in Australia for New Years Eve:

Thursday December 31st – Sensation, Melbourne
Thursday December 31st – Pacha, Sydney

You need to be logged in to add comments... Login Now

eddyvalentine says...

on November 6th, 2009

An incredibly talents producer and a performer that gets the crowd nuts. what more could you want!

LucasYork says...

on November 9th, 2009

I enjoyed his set at Future, but it was basically all top20 stuff.

swanny10 says...

on November 9th, 2009

steve angello was #20 lady lex...

Lady Lex says...

on November 10th, 2009

What did I say he was? Cos thats totally what I meant!

Rollo says...

on November 10th, 2009

king_james says...

on November 15th, 2009

ingrosso is the MAN! wish i was gonne be at this. check this vid of him and the co mafia at brixton last wknd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsEQfvF8gI EPIC

donadams says...

on November 27th, 2009

And he's playing at Platinum in Broadbeach (Gold Coast) on December 26th!

There are 7 user comments