It’s the late 1980s in Stockholm, Sweden – the early beginnings of the electronic music era are taking shape around the world and the Swedish music collective is in its infancy as Adam Beyer, Joel Mull and Peter Benisch are joined in their childhood at the Adolf Fredrik Music School in the heart of Stockholm. Immersed in the soul of music from such an early age, listening to the hip-hop, rap and scratched up infusions of icons Run DMC and Public Enemy, merged with the deep electronic sounds of Depeche Mode and the earliest forms of electronica through the American Hip-House and Acid-House genres.

For Adam Beyer a rhythmic, percussive drive was imbedded at the age of nine, surrounded by the element of rhythm through a three year drum tuition, before evidently discovering the art and notion of turntablism. With Beyer redirecting his energy and passion to the decks and later, with the insight of Peter Benisch and his sampler, to the form of producing a trademark sound, which has seen the name Adam Beyer heavily linked with a definitive techno movement. “I started out DJing when I was twelve for fun, but the inspiration came from hearing other DJs in the beginning. Now I think just DJing and doing music, it is fun. I don’t have a problem to get inspired really, it is my life and that is what I like to do, I never get tired of it.”

It’s now the year 2002 and the professional career of this young DJ/Producer has spanned across a nine year time frame, trailed by a legacy of releases, labels, insights and Swedish Producers – Adam Beyer has created a bench mark. Not only for his patented brand of hard, percussive techno, but also for the Swedish techno movement in his hometown of Stockholm.

From drum codes, rhythms and loops to string based techno, melodic overtones and funky chord patterns the empire of Beyer’s sound is expanding with time and knowledge. “I am producing a wider range of music now; the first years were mainly only techno and dance floor music and now with my new label coming out this year. All the other projects I have done earlier – I have done a lot of string based techno and more melodic stuff and funky. Last year I did the project Mr. Sliff on a label called Jericho. It is slightly different to what I have done before – I am doing a wider range of music now and trying to use more melodies and arrange the music a bit more or maybe connect it to the concept more than just the music for DJing.”

“As a DJ that is the privilege you have to be able to try new music you make out really fast and then when you go back to the studio, obviously you have the memory of what happened and if you make the next track you know what’s going to happen – so I take a lot and think a lot of the crowds reaction. Some tracks are maybe made to play together with other tracks and maybe not even produced to play on their own at all, they might be produced to just use for DJ use or for myself.”

Producing, for a number of years, under different pseudonyms such as 2 Bonk, Mr. Sliff and Mould Impression, as well as running two labels Code Rode and the infamous Drumcode; Beyer has been allowed the liberty to expand and experiment with the variant forms of techno. “With 2 Bonk, I did two records from 1995, so I wouldn’t say that I am still using that name, but the other ones are for different styles definitely. Mr. Sliff is a more fun type character for the funkier, clubby, techno things. The stuff that I put on my own label, Drumcode, are more serious and perhaps not the same sort of chord and funky feelings with samples from old house records and stuff – it is more like new technology and techno. While Mould Impression is something I use for other labels such as Primate and Reload, which is basically faster and harder. The Code Red label is finished, I just did ten releases with that one, however Drumcode is mainly for one type of music and one type of sound and it is more like every release is quite similar and also the art works are quite similar.”

However, these days Beyer is confidant that the name ‘Adam Beyer’ is now strong enough in its own entity – with a large number of releases and a forever increasing worldwide fan base – the alter-egos will be partially left behind in pursuit of one name encompassing a broad spectrum. This year will see Adam Beyer launch his newest label, Truesoul, which is driven by a more concept based ideal linking knowledge, music and ideas. “Now with my new label out I am going to use my own name and it is not going to be hard techno at all. I think it was important at the time to use different alias’ to make people understand, to get Adam Beyer is this, Mr. Spliff is that. To niche myself I used different pseudonyms. Whereas today I think I am well known enough to be able to use my own name, even for softer productions and listening tracks etcetera. I think a lot of people will listen to the stuff I put out because they already know my name, so it is definitely easier for me to sell, for example, a listening album compared to someone who doesn’t have a name and just puts a listening album out. People know my name, so they are obviously more inclined to listen to it.”

“Truesoul is going to be quite different, it is going to be more albums and concepts and ideas behind every release. For example, my first album has a lot of different style, I would say the concepts on this album are more important then the sounds on the labels. So the next album might sound completely different, the important thing is that the album is the concept, whereas Drumcode is the opposite, everything sounds a bit more the same, more of the same style. Truesoul started out as a funny little discussion group that we have, like discussing things and sending MP3’s to each other or whatever, just sharing ideas amongst myself, Cari, Joel and all the Swedish producers. Then I thought it was quite a good name for the new label. I have been thinking of opening a new label for a few years, it is just I have been sort of waiting for the right ideas and the right time to launch it. Now I think there is enough music and ideas to do it.”

In the middle of this year Beyer will release his first album on Truesoul, which will demonstrate the versatility of the label and the elaborate, but newly defined sound. The label will also play house to Henrick B, releasing his complete ambient, string filled, drum voided, and atmospheric album in the Swedish Summer. However, Drumcode will still run fast paced and hard alongside Truesoul, with a double pack ‘Drumcode 25’ mixed by Beyer and Henrick B due out in the coming months. “There are a couple of other albums in the pipelines for Truesoul, but nothing really defined yet. I think there will be quite a few releases this year.”

It is this element of diversity in the Swedish techno production that has taken the world by storm. “I think that what we create is more of a feel, especially with the hard techno there is sort of an intensity that we use and a way of creating grooves. I don’t think there is a distinct sound, as in one sound that we always use – it is more like the feel of the music and the production, the sound of the productions and the way to produce the music. The Swedish producers are all connected, maybe not everyone, but most of us from Stockholm knew each other before all of this happened. Me, Joel and Peter went to the same school, we didn’t go to the same class, but we went to the same school all the way back in 1991 or something and I met Cari in 1993 before either of us had done that much. It’s definitely linked, we have always been listening to each other’s music and helping out each other out and today with all the new guys, we keep in contact. Daily, with everyone from ICQ and stuff and now Aril Brikha lives in Stockholm so its lots of fun.”

On Thursday 28th March, the Swedish Invasion will hit Melbourne as Adam Beyer performs at Hardware 19 alongside Joel Mull and Peter Benisch (Live). Not having visited Australian shores since the Millennium, Beyer is prepared to inflict his traditional techno sound on the masses. “I am not sure how long I am playing, but it is a big party so I guess it would be two hours and people want to dance and have a good time. I guess I will play hard and funky, if it was a club gig for five hours I would probably build a bit more and do a wider set of music, but with two hours you don’t have much time to create something broader – I just want to make them sweat!”

Adam Beyer headlines Hardware 19 in Melbourne on Thursday 28th March alongside Joel Mull, Peter Benisch, Max Graham, True Playaz and DJ Brisk.

Adam Beyer also appears at Advent’Jah Festival in Adelaide on Saturday 30th March 2002 and the Delirious Summer Festival in Perth on Sunday 31st March 2002.