Podcast 534: Pär Grindvik Freewheeling techno from the Stockholm LTD label head.

Though Pär Grindvik is recognized as something of a club DJ, his work is anything but straight-forward club music. His releases—from 2002’s debut, Shape, on Joel Mull’s Inside imprint to those on Drumcode, Semantica, Sinister, and Dystopian—have always had an edge, melding murky stretched-out sound design with broken beats and sci-fi-like ambience. It’s an engrossing sound and one that has positioned him as a central figure in the coveted Swedish electronic scene—he also runs a record store in Stockholm. Much of his back catalog has landed on his own Stockholm LTD, which he founded in 2002, a label that has also been home to like-minded artists like Peder Mannerfelt, Hardcell, André Kronert, The Persuader, and Z.I.P.P.O., among many others.

His DJ sets, too, are marked by this freewheeling attitude to techno. Those that have seen him perform at venues such as fabric, Tresor, Berghain, Concrete, Culture Box, or Output, to name just a few, are presented with an energetic and dynamic versatility that will be heady and atmospheric one minute and abrasive and confronting the next. Naturally, Grindvik’s podcast contribution subscribes to this ethos, presenting an hour of music that flows through dense soundscapes, gritty, claustrophobic rhythms, and bleep-driven minimalism that is all held together by an artist at the top of his game.

How has 2018 been for you so far?

2018 has been amazing so far! Just three months in and I already feel like this will be my most productive year ever. I’m writing music like never before, doing remixes and just started a new techno project called Aasthma together with Peder Mannerfelt. Peder and I also been working with Fever Ray’s current live show.

When and where was the mix recorded?

This mix was made on Ableton on a flight from Lisbon to Amsterdam a few weeks back.

Was there a particular idea you were looking to convey?

I tried to capture how I play when I’m DJ’ing, to choose tracks that I also play out. As DJ, I’m about mixing up new and old electronic music, the spine is dancefloor oriented but I always try to add flavors from listening pieces as well. I’m into a wide range of music and I think it’s my duty as DJ to not just play the expected. Ohh right, there are four Aasthma tracks in this mix if you’re curious.

What else do you have coming up this year?

I’m just about to leave to Asian as we speak, playing a five-stop tour over the coming two weeks. After that, I have Canada, UK, and Malta lined up for April. It’s a bit early to reveal any release dates for upcoming releases but I hope that my followers will like the new material as much as I do. Isn’t it lovely that one can be more excited than ever, even after 20 years of touring 🙂

Tracklisting:

01. Par Grindvik “London Marble” (Klara Lewis Remix) [Stockholm LTD]

02. Samuel Kerridge “Fascination Sustain” [Downwards]

03. B12 “One Thing In Mind” [B12]

04. Overmono “O-Coast” [XL]

05. Par Grindvik “London Marble” (Klara Lewis Remix) [Stockholm LTD]

06. Deniro “Rotate” [Indigo Aera]

07. Infiniti “Game One” (Steve Rachmad Remix) [Night Vision]

08. Hodge “Beneath Two Moons” [Berceuse Heroique]

09. Robert Hood “Idea” [Dekmantel]

10. Par Grindvik “Folium” (Damon Wild Remix) [Stockholm LTD]

11. Laval “Our Turn” [Stockholm LTD]

12. Aasthma “Glodie Arrie” [Tba]

13. Daniel Avery “Fever Dream” (Inga Mauer Remix) [Phantasy]

14. Aasthma “Number Mods” [Tba]

15. Lanark Artefakt “Styx” [Houndstooth]

16. Perc “I just Can’t Win” [Perc Trax]

17. Emmanuel “Hoary”

18. Laval “No Hypocrisy” [Stockholm LTD]

19. Daniel Avery “Radius” (Surgeon Remix) [Phantasy]

20. Jega “FZ Requiem” [Skam]

21. Exium – (Oscar Mulero Remix)

22. Par Grindvik “Ensemble” (Anthony Linell Remix) [Stockholm LTD]

23. Par Grindvik “London Marble” (Klara Lewis Remix) [Stockholm LTD]

24. Mistaken Identity “Mindset” [Synewave]

25. Aasthma “Arrested Line” [Stockholm LTD]

26. Adam Craft “Aphite” [Klockworks]

27. Tensile “Praxis” [Soma]

28. Nima Khak “Path Of A Projectile” [ODDEVEN]

29. Aasthma “Care” [Tba]

30. Par Grindvik “London Marble” (Klara Lewis Remix) [Stockholm LTD]

31. Rue East “Birmingham” (Suckut Edit)

32. Isabella “Dicey Takes It’s Form” [Peder Mannerfelt Produktion]