Den svenska synthen

by Bengt Rahm

Äntligen finns det ett samlat verk en Encyclopedia Synthetica för både identitetssökande synthare och musikintresserade.

Petter Duvander, Zero Music Magazine

Dom Dummaste gödslar en scen i Linköping med dynga innan de under rituella former smörjer in sig själva och andra med grisblod. Cosmic Overdose spelar förband till ett nykläckt New Order och Lustans Lakejer blir landets mest provokativa band när de i en intervju antyder att kläderna är viktigare än musiken. Det här är den svenska synthscenen som du aldrig sett den förut.

Utöver kärleken till synthesizern och viljan att skapa något nytt, var de sammanbindande faktorerna få. Men tillsammans kom denna brokiga skara entusiaster att skapa ett öppet och tillåtande musikklimat. Ett klimat som lade grunden till vad som kom att bli Musiksveriges mest utskällda rörelse.

Den sSvenska synthen är en berättelse om trettio år av musik, mode och gemenskap. Om gatuslagsmål mellan synthare och hårdrockare, ett självvalt utanförskap och medveten provokation. Med ett exklusivt bildmaterial, ingående intervjuer och belysande krönikor porträtteras en subkultur som under dryga tre decennier ständigt lockat nya anhängare.

Genres: Music

524 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

One-of-a-kind interview book on the Swedish electronic and synth based music scene from the very start. Very nostalgia-inducing (which is honestly really the reason for the fourth star) and informative. The only surprise for me is that the author and interviewees refer to "EBM" and I'm absolutely convinced that when Front 242 emerged in the earliest 80's that the music was referred to as "Body music" and nothing else. In the late 90's (still following the scene and buying the odd record), I happened on "EBM" in a catalogue or other. Took me a while to deduce that it was now electronic body music. Never understood why the distinction would be necessary, is there non-electronic body music invented along the way?

The book is recommended for music fans or interested in any of the numerous bands or persons interviewed.

[Linn Björneld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alltså den är ju bra skriven och ett bra kulturreportage men ämnet intresserar mig inte tillräckligt för att kunna njuta i en så lång bok. Tycker ju självklart om den då det är min morbror som har skrivit den.

[Niklas Pivic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is better than expected: a lot of people - major players as well as people who happened to start a fanzine or attend a club - have their say in stanzas of interviews, some people saying a lot more than others, e.g. Alexander Hofman, and there's a lot more repetition than there should have been, but still: this is a document of a past age, and it's direct and doesn't waver. It's the only recollection I have of my days of yore other than through pictures, people and the music itself.

Oh yes, the music. And here is the Swedish side of it, not only from the musicians, but from people who distributed the first synthesizers in Sweden, those who booked bands (imagine Front 242 playing in a shanty in Eskilstuna) and experienced "synthesizer-based music" first hand as the scene blew up and kind of fell apart, over a period of 20-25 years.

Synthare. A Swedish word at its core. It means "person who listens to synthesizer-based music". Which today is everybody, really. But back in the day, in Sweden, people carried prejudice about music that was made on synthesizers, and some of the bands were spat upon for being too gay or too nazi.

But the stories, oh, the stories. Of parties, starting bands, not knowing what you were doing when playing/dancing/cutting up fanzines/meeting people/whatever. I think one of the most beautiful things about it was the punk aspect: do it yourself, and never mind reading the manual before you go.

What was expensive and hard to record in the beginning of the book is now very cheap and easily done with the advent of software and the Internet. In a way, I prefer the hardware: the cassettes, the waiting for ages before you had access to music. You couldn't preview shit! You had to trust your reviewers! In Sweden we had the Hot Stuff music catalogue from where you ordered your music and even if what you received and paid dearly for didn't sound very good, so what - you were part of a scene. A very tightly knit bond of people. Who stood up for each other. It's like discovering other people who like The Smiths. It's tight shit.

All in all: in need of an edit, but it's a testament of time. Kudos!

P.s. I love seeing pictures of friends in this book, of course from back in the day. Wonderful.

[Johan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely piece of nostalgia. Lots of friends are interviewed, and many of the clubs and concerts I've been to are mentioned. Nice overview of the Swedish synth scene, but could perhaps do with a bit more reflection and analysis.