| With
the Swedish scene exploding recently, we take a quick look at one
of its rising stars Anthony Sillfors. (interview published Spring
2002) |
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S>Range
or Anthony Sillfors first came to my attention at the Voov in 1999,
when two smiling trance-heads came up to our big blue bus and gave
me a tape to play on our sound system.
The other guy turned out to be Magnus aka Noma and this was to be
the first time their music had been played at a festival. Worried
that I might have to be nice and pretend it was OK, I was very relieved
when it turned out to be awesome.
Trancers all over the world who've heard Anthony's bouncy, mesmerising
up-lifting sound on EPs, live or last year's album '2001' I'm sure
would agree with me.
A Generation X-er from Gothenburg, Anthony was transported to the
trance scene on a skateboard. A professional skateboarder, 11th
in the world at one time, he first heard trance after an international
skateboard event.
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Inspired
by acts like Astral Projection, X-Dream and Hallucinogen, his rocking,
full-on, progressive, psychedelic, "sci-fi morning style"
has been turning heads and moving feet all over the world. Seen
to full effect at last month's Chichime in London, wherever he is
Anthony gets a kick out of seeing people enjoy ing his music.
"It's an incredible feeling to see people freaking out and
smiling on the dancefloor. It gives me goosebumps. Like an adrenalin
kick." |
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So
what produces his rounded sound?
Well to be technolgically precise, a Mac G4,Mac G4 titanium laptop,midex
8 midi interface,Mackie 32-8 mixer,Mackie Hr824 speakers,2 compressors,4
synths,5 effect-machines,Motu 828 soundcard,Akai-S3000Xl sampler
and midi-stuff.
His favourite piece of equipment, musos note a Navation Supernova
2.
Listening
to the album again and opener Re-Entry, you can hear how Anthony
compresses the kick to give it a meatier sound. The atmospherics
on the album and this track in particular, the crowd noises, recorded
on DAT at a L.A baseball game.
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He
writes tracks, by following a theme. "I sort of make a soundtrack
for an episode of a story. The inspiration comes from daily events in
my life or science-fiction," he tells me.
"I just experiment with sound to produce interesting soundscapes,
rather than sticking to the same type of sound."
As a solo artist, he's melting together different styles to bring out
a fatter sound. With Magnus Andersson, Noma, he also releases tracks
as Prex. There's not as much time to work on individual themes, so up
to now, they've just gone with the first interesting groove.
"We push the tempo to make a track quickly, finding a groove and
going from there. We don't have as much time together in the studio,
since we are both travelling a lot, performing with our own projects."
We should hear a lot more of their work together, as an album is planned
for this year. If past releases are anything to judge by, it should
be an interesting combination.
Of course, Anthony is one of the rising stars of the new progressively
challenging Swedish pack of artists. Re-honing that psychedelic sound
and adding their own special hook. Amongst them the lights of Atmos,
Human Blue and Noma, as mentioned.
"We are all friends from the beginning, coming from the same background,
travelling to a lot of parties together before we all started making
music. So we helped each other. I think every country has its sounds
and styles, that's what makes trance music so interesting."
Much of that travelling to parties in Sweden has come to an end now.
Since the Police set up their rave commission force, there's only a
few parties at Docklands in Stockholm and a few underground ones.
With S>Range's name travelling far and wide and with his friends'
success, they meet up at international parties these days. The best
party of last year, for him, the Stargate Festival in Japan and this
year the Son Pax New Year's Eve party.
Just make sure you catch him at a party very soon.
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