Praise in the EDM world is often distributed to all and sundry. But in Jeremy Olander’s case, every compliment bears a stamp of desert. In the line-up from great to outstanding, Olander would easily fall among the latter half; outstanding simply because he’s a stand out producer with one of the most unique brands of music to his name.
This weekend marks his second tour to the holy trinity of EDM cities in India – his first was last December when he made a detour from Enchanted Valley Carnival. Here’s what makes the 26-year old phenom tick.
1. His oeuvre includes melodic and modern progressive productions. With a rare DJing philosophy – less is more – he’s crafted seamless melodies with subtle drops, showcased on the more recent Petroleum and Blabla. Pardon my French, but his breakout song, Let me Feel, is bloody infectious, and his sets are exquisitely tailored.
“I like to try and show people music that they might not have heard so you get those ‘whoa’ moments out of them. . . It’s so unpredictable and you have no idea what’s gonna happen next. But that’s magical. I would also say that going on a journey together with the audience is part of the experience as well.”
2. Like a versatile musical Janus, he also releases darker, bass-driven techno in the avatar Dhillon, which has gained the approval of the likes of Adam Beyer, head honcho of Drumcode Recordings.
“I play stuff from both at shows, but it’s more on the Jeremy Olander side. I’ve never DJed live as Dhillon, but its something I really want to try. . . Sometimes I’m really into the super dark sounds of techno, and sometimes I’m into more melancholic stuff! So it just depends on when you ask me.”
3. Olander is the protégé of none other than Eric Prydz. He was the first-ever artist to be discovered by the coveted Pryda Friends label in 2010, when he had a multi-release deal bestowed upon him. Having honed his skills under the wing of his Prydzian angel, his sound echoes, but doesn’t mimic, Pryda.
“He [Eric Prydz] said that he could hear a lot of himself in my music, but not in a copy cat kind of way. It was just made in a very similar way to how he’d make it and my music has a similar feeling to his. . .The hard part was that I didn’t want to sound like Eric, but I wanted it to sound like something he might play.”
4. His musical prowess was evident from the time that he was 10 years old, when he began to create music to compliment video games. Self-taught, he put his musical career on hold while studying communications at Stockholm University. That’s when Pryda Friends contacted him… and the rest is history.
“I even tried a little bit of computer coding because I loved the idea of building up something, and now I can do that with music. I never really had any plans on making a career out of it. I just thought it was really fun that I could create music with a computer.”
5. Fellow Pryda friend and all-round amigo, Fehrplay (Jonas von der Fehr) loves to play tricks on him while they’re on tour.
“Jonas is such a nice guy, we have a lot of fun on the road, he’s such a goofball… he loves to prank me, and he’s been scaring the shit out of me, but it’s been fun.”
Their bromance was clear from a 45-minuted Reddit Q&A session they hosted last year.
6. If you’re questioning your blessings because this would be his second tour to India within in a span of seven months – perhaps the fact that his mother is from India should explain things.
“I have Indian roots, my mom is from India. I know my mom is really happy and proud that I’m going to India, I know that she talks to her relatives and her friends about it.”
7. Before he made an impression on one of the forefathers of what will one day be known as classic EDM, he was a star-struck, die-hard fan just like the rest of us.
“I saw him [Eric Prydz] play for the first time in a small club in Stockholm called the Cocktail Club. Every time he played in Sweden I was there. After every show I’d walk up to him and tell him how much I loved his music. I did that a lot, so after a while he probably recognized me as the freak who always followed him around!”
8. He’s not a diva – all that requests on his rider are a couple of beers.
“Eric’s never been a rock ‘n’ roll type of DJ, and I never will be. I don’t ever jump around behind the decks, showing off. . . I always dreamt of working with Eric, and I never thought that it would happen, so for me to have the chance to work and play alongside him is a dream come true. I just want to play and make good music, and that’s all I care about.”
9. And for his most inspiring quip:
“One thing I wasn’t expecting is how nice people are in the dance music community. For whatever reason, I thought it was going to be a lot more cutthroat, so to speak. I guess that’s kind of the general perception of the music industry as a whole, but it doesn’t apply to dance music I think. . . Everyone is keen on helping each other out, supporting one another, having a good time and making great music.”
10. After a set that put the enchanting in Enchanting Valley Carnival last December, he’s back in India for a rumoured three-hour set per show.
“I’m going to be testing a lot of new stuff. I have a lot of unreleased tracks that I’m going to be playing that people won’t be able to hear anywhere else. I’m going to be playing a lot of stuff from the new EP as well, but it will be very diverse.”
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