Devilfish: for the record
Over the last few years the dance music industry has witnessed the emergence of Swedish techno producers and DJs to assume superstar status across the world. Artists such as Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch and Joel Mull have forged their own brand of “Swedish Techno” that is revered for its driving percussion and minimal drum loops. The result has been a worldwide dancefloor invasion of that “Swedish sound” that has demanded the attention of promoters and punters alike, and generated for both the innovators of this sound and the newer school of Swedish artists an assumption of creative genius in the studio and technical brilliance behind the decks. Samuel L Sessions is one such example of a DJ/producer to ride the Swedish techno wave with a sound so familiar that it can be described, depending on your point of view, as either ‘consistent’ or just plain repetitive.
Two of Sweden’s most innovative techno producers, however, would prefer to let their music, not their nationality, do the talking. Twenty seven year old Fredrick Sôderstrôm and twenty three year old Sina Morshed Solouk are proud to be Swedish, but even prouder to be Devilfish. Devilfish is a collaboration that began around three years ago after Fredrick and Sina met while working nightclubs in Greece. Sina had taken up a DJ residency at the club after growing tired of the scene in Sweden, while Fredrick had previously worked on some unfinished tracks, but was in Greece as a bartender. The two soon discovered an uncannily similar passion for music, and after a few months in Greece discussing the ins and outs of musical production, returned to Sweden to conquer the world of techno. Fredrick moved to Sina’s Stockholm home and Devilfish began work on their first techno tracks.
Sina and Fredrick sent their first Devilfish track, “Strawberry Fields” to three record labels including Bush Records, whose owner Eric Powell signed it up for release. In addition to a truckload of 12inch releases, Devilfish also recorded an album for Bush entitled “Freakshow”. A quick listen to their first long player in conjunction with the latest Devilfish releases demonstrates the true extent to which the Devilfish sound has developed and matured to become much more sophisticated and complex. Their earlier offerings were much more minimal, with an objective of achieving a hard, rather than funky sound. Fredrick and Sina attribute this early Devilfish musical structure to the fact that they had their first and subsequent tracks signed for release almost immediately. They did not have an opportunity to accrue long periods of studio time to develop their own sound and production techniques and find a combination that truly represented their approach to the dancefloor and beyond.
As a result, Fredrick and Sina hint that perhaps they are not entirely satisfied with the earlier Devilfish album. It is clear, however, that whether they are comfortable with the title or not, Devilfish are truly professional techno producers, an accolade that carries with it a genuine sense of perfectionism and an urgency to be continuously setting and achieving new and more complex production goals. While the rest of the techno community seems satisfied with “Freakshow” and the myriad of Devilfish 12inches on Bush, Sina and Fredrick seem almost desperate to release their latest album, entitled “Techwise and Otherwise”, to prove, perhaps to themselves more than anyone else, that they have achieved their own very strict standards for sound and production quality. The guys proudly took me through a quick introduction to some of the tracks on the album, and I was easily convinced of the quality of their production, the diversity of their sound and most importantly, their genuine passion for funky techno.
A track that stands out in particular is “Discotech”, named for its clever mix of hard-edged, gritty techno beats and a high-end layer of disco strings. “Discotech”, although not at all similar to Devilfish’s instant dancefloor classic, “Manalive” carries an equal potential to capture a diverse range of audiences, and will most likely be played at parties and clubs of all persuasions across the world. This sounds like a great deal of hype, and you can be sure that this kind of appraisal does not sit comfortably with the producers themselves, but the elements of “Discotech” capture that funky, not-quite-techno, not-quite-house atmosphere that has dominated the record crates of the world’s most innovative techno DJs in much the same way as Andrew McLauchlin’s “Love Story” has done over the last year and a half.
An equally inspiring track, but perhaps not as traditionally dancefloor friendly, is “A Deeper Feeling”. With its gutsy breaks and combining all the elements of the ‘Devilfish sound’, this track is perhaps best suited as the intro to one of their live sets, or possibly right in the middle of a slammin’ techno set, where it could really gain the appreciation of a crowd that understands its music. Tracks like “A Deeper Feeling” and “Discotech”, which do not conform to mainstream perceptions of techno production, highlight a genuine effort on the part of Devilfish, and Bush Records, to be pushing the barriers of 4-4 time traditional techno. This conscious effort to keep everyone guessing about what to expect from techno, and to demonstrate exactly what can be achieved when producers have the confidence to back themselves in the studio, sets Devilfish apart from the other Swedish techno producers.
While all of their music carries a distinct Devilfish flavour, the structure of their tracks is continuously redefined to ensure that the music never becomes locked into a ‘production line’ approach where similar drum loops and samples of previous records are cut-and-pasted onto follow up tracks. Thus, Sina and Fredrick may spend days working with effects units and compressors on a single bass drum sound for one of their tracks, not to mention the time spent developing the patterns and loops that will eventually determine the structure of the record.
The success of Devilfish may also be attributed to the production techniques employed by Fredrick and Sina in the studio. They explain that “There are no egos here, we want to get the track finished and we each know what to expect from the other, so we can each work on our own to get the job done efficiently.” The working relationship between these two is so strong that both Fredrick and Sina can pre-empt each other’s production, and any beats or loops produced by one can be complemented by the work of the other. Such a tight working relationship is complemented by a simple rule for production: when they create a sound or loop and one of them is unsatisfied, they need only say “That’s crap”, and Devilfish is forced to start over, no arguments, no questions asked. Each of the guys respects the opinion of the other, and acknowledges that the work of Devilfish is a positive product generated by the equal contribution of two people. This makes for some efficient, professional production work, but when asked if they ever experience any creative conflict, the two develop a wicked smile, and concede that it has not always been that easy. “We have had some differences in the past, but if we are really passionate about something, we can try and convince the other, or we can apply the same sounds and ideas to our solo projects. That is where we can take those extra ideas that don’t fit into what Devilfish is all about and make them work on an individual level.”
It is through these solo projects, and through their own labels Frequent and Frequent Artform, that Fredrick and Sina can take their creative urges onto different tangents. It is also through this creative outlet that Fredrick and Sina in turn generate new ideas and production techniques for Devilfish, so that through their individual work they can also make an invaluable contribution to the collaboration. After discussing the very distinct “Devilfish styling” that can be heard throughout all of the tracks on the new album, Fredrick explains that this “flavour” is also manifested within their respective solo projects. “You can also tell within a Devilfish release which of us produced each part of the track”. This familiarity with each other’s music and approach to production ensures that the Devilfish working relationship is strong, and we can expect that the collaboration will produce solid techno for years to come.
With a genuine mission to produce quality techno, but to also be creating sounds and styles outside the audience’s expectations, it is also clear that the Frequent imprint will be a future source of diverse, but solid dance music. While Frequent seems a little more techno focussed, the guys are quick to dispel the natural assumption that Frequent Artform is a house label. Sina tells me that this is not so: “It’s not necessarily housier, it’s freakier”. In addition to their own production works, Frequent Artform boasts the work of an extremely innovative tek-house outfit named “Laid”. Keep your eyes peeled for their infectious grooves.
It becomes clear that Devilfish, as well as Fredrick and Sina’s side projects, share a common goal: to earn respect for their quality music, whether it be techwise or otherwise. They share a genuine passion for complex and sophisticated musical production and together seek to keep people dancing to all kinds of tunes across the world. So, what about being part of the wave of Swedish Techno that has conquered the world? Fredrick and Sina would “prefer not to make a big deal about the whole Swedish thing” and instead prefer to let their tight, sophisticated studio production and awesome, creative live shows do the talking.
“Techwise and Otherwise” will be available through Bush Records on LP (8 tracks) and CD (with bonus tracks). “Manalive” is also available on 12inch through Bush, as are several other Devilfish releases including “Live in 1999” recorded in Melbourne, Sydney and Stockholm.
Devilfish played at Innercity 2001 on New Year’s Day and will appear at Wetmusik 005 “Braindance” in February, and alongside Carl Cox, Darren Emerson and Joel Mull in Perth.
