Track By Track: Art Alfie – Reveries Of
Those who cut their teeth should be rewarded. This is particularly true in the case of Art Alfie whom for many years released alongside frequent collaborator and studio partner Mr. Tophat on Karlovak. Between 2012 and 2016 he featured on somewhere around twenty odd EP's and released music on the likes of Bass Culture Records, No Fit State and Junk Yard Connections. However, for some time he existed behind the scenes, producing music independently which might one day make up his own body of work.
"Reveries Of" is an LP packed to the brim with playful intricacy, subtle movement and the warm undertones of house music in Sweden. Based in Stockholm Oscar Wedrén has spent time under the influence of the likes of Axel Boman and the Studio Barnhus gang. It is on their record label that he offers up his first full length LP.
We caught up with him as he takes us on an exploration session through "Reveries Of".
Intro
All albums need an intro. I was super excited and inspired when it dawned on me that I ”have to make an intro”. I wanted it to be bombastic and naive at the same time. Dynamics are important, particularly in this line of music. Dynamics and emotions are the building stones and I suppose an intro is meant to give a little hint of what's to come.
A Lover’s Anxiety
I guess this is attachment theory in a song. The ying and yang of love. It's something amazing and beautiful but it can also come with a fair share of anxiety floating around underneath the surface. You just have to ride with it and try to keep the good stuff in focus, unless the bad stuff becomes real and takes over, then you have to get out of that love. I guess this song is a happy relationship, where the beautiful parts stay on top of the murkiness.
Llamada 911
Dynamics again. Light and darkness. Kick and no kick. Easy going vibes to total weirdness and back to lush to waterfalls of colour and bit of panic in between.
City Neon
Walking around a neon lit metropolitan city in the summer. The darkness can never really get a grip due to the splashes of light from billboards, shops, cars, lights and people everywhere. And you’re more alone than you have ever been before.
Esquinas feat Daniel Rääf
I spent a few days by myself in Rio a couple of years ago. One night I went out to a bar and started chatting to some lovely people. It was the week before carnival and all the samba schools had general rehearsal parties in their respective communities. My newly found friends where going to one and invited me to come along. When we got to the party my eyes almost popped out. I can only describe it as a samba warehouse rave. A huge room, filled with a true mix of people. Grandmas dancing along side kids and pilled up thugs. On one side of this huge room, about 5 metres up, was the rhythm section and on the other side all the other instruments. I think that night came out in this song with the help from my friend Daniel Rääf.
Klubensborg
A summer afternoon somewhere along the shore of Mälaren, the lake that stretches through Stockholm to meet up with the baltic sea. The lights are shifting and you top yourself up a wee bit.
Greg’s Island
So what´s Gregs Island? And where is it? You could get the idea that Greg is a Francisco Scaramanga type of dude with a private island in the caribbean. He sometimes throws parties. But I don’t know. I guess it’s a ”happy track”. Happy vibes usually don’t translate so well into dance music. Hopefully I pulled it off.
A Blues (Dolphin Cruise Edit)
This track had been around for ages and I never really managed to finish it until after a glorious boatparty at the garden festival. The party was hosted by the Barnhus guys and they had invited John Talabot for an epic b2b2b2b session. The sun was setting, the sea was pink, the guys where killing it behind the decks and there are actual dolphins jumping around in the water.
Ahh Hej Då Rå
It's kinda cold. Probably winter. And you hear this distant music that draws you in. Kinda like the sirens in the greek mythology. You just have to check it out, even though it’s probably a bad idea. Or a really good idea.
East Village Trip
I wanna make a video for this one. First person view of this person going out on a bender in East Village. Things start to get weird and then all of a sudden he black out just to wake up in the heart of China Town the morning after and shamefully gets up and walks home in the ripped dirty clothes from the night before.
Buy the release HERE.
