Monthly Archives: November 2017

Swedish Progressive House DJ Producer Jeremy Olander

Swedish Progressive House DJ Producer Jeremy Olander, described as the savior of real progressive house music made famous by Sasha and John Digweed, burst onto the scene in 2009. Made famous by Eric Prydz’s Pryda Friends label, he produced seven tracks on Pryda and played Madison Square Garden. He headlined the 2013 Pryda Friends Tour across the United States with Fehrplay, Prydz’s other protege.

SWEDISH ROOTS

Born in Fairfax, VA in America to a Swedish father and an Indian mother, Jeremy was brought up in Stockholm and become exposed to the city’s small but passionate electronic scene in his early teens. With role models in the likes of Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch and Joel Mull leading the charge, Jeremy found sources of inspiration at defunct legendary club Grodan Cocktail Club among Stockholm techno royalty, as well with Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Berry Gordy, Shigeru Miyamoto and east coast hip-hop.

His deep and emotionally charged style aside, true to his Swedish electronic music heritage, Jeremy also masters the craft of driving, drum-oriented techno under his enigmatic Dhillon monicker. With multiple tracks on fellow Swede Adam Beyer’s Drumcode label, one of the most coveted in the world, Olander displays his near uncanny breadth as a producer.

In the last three years, the now 30-year-old has kicked his career into the proverbial next gear. Almost reemerging as a new artist after finishing his formative years at Pryda, Olander appeared on Canadian label microCastle, home to Guy J, Eagles & Butterflies, Chaim, Navar, with the stupendous three-track ‘Goliath’ EP that also featured a Marc Marzenit remix. To this day, the EP remains the best performing release in the label’s history, making #1 and #2 on Beatport’s genre and overall releases charts respectively.

Shortly after, Olander was invited to join Suara, home to Gaiser, Pete Tong, Betoko, Harvey McKay, Edu Imbernon, DJ Hell and more, by label founder Coyu himself. The Spanish powerhouse, that’s been Resident Advisor’s most charted label for multiple years straight, released the ‘Hanover’ and ‘Talespin’ EPs that both became two of the best-selling releases of the year in 2015 and 2016. Particularly noteworthy is ’Panorama’ off the ‘Talespin’ EP, that made the Top 30 on the Beatport Top 100 and stayed at #1 on the Beatport Top 100 Progressive Chart for astonishing 35 days straight.

On the remix tip, Digitalism, Henry Saiz, Dosem and 16 Bit Lolitas, all collaborated with him. His latest remix on Sailor & I and Eekkoo’s ‘LETTERS’ on Big Beat/Atlantic has amassed over 1.1 million streams on Spotify and topped the Beatport charts despite heavy competition from fellow remix artists Doctor Dru, Kidnap Kid and Diynamic’s young guns NTFO.

THE CONSUMMATE PERFORMER

Even though he’s technically a producer first and DJ second, one would think the opposite when experiencing Olander in an intimate club environment or large festival setting. He’s graced virtually all major festival stages in the world such as Creamfields, Mysteryland, Baum Park, CRSSD, EDC, and Ultra. With his relentless touring schedule and ever-growing demand in club globally, he’s visited Amnesia in Ibiza, Bahrein in Buenos Aires, Sound in Los Angeles, Output in New York City, Goodbar in Sydney, Kyo in Singapore, Spybar in Chicago and The Cat & Dog in Tel Aviv to name a few. Adding to this already impressive list of achievements, in 2017, he accepted a residency at Sound Nightclub in Los Angeles, where industry legends such as Pete Tong, Guy Gerber, and Marco Carola as alumni.

In late 2015, in an attempt to gain control and vertically integrate his creative visions in all aspects of his career, Olander founded Vivrant. Now, almost two years into its existence, the label has become one of the most exciting and forward-thinking in recent memory. With a clear vision and well-crafted profile, 7 of 8 of its EP releases has made it to #1 on Beatport. With a steady stream of peer and fan support, it’s clear as day the label’s sound has filled a void. Described by Olander as a creative refuge for himself and others, Vivrant is already home to established artists in the likes of Henry Saiz, Finnebassen, and Jamie Stevens, as well as to new, emerging talent such as Khen, Eekkoo, Charlie Thorstensson and Tim Engelhardt.

Coupled with its steady stream of quality releases, Vivrant has also become synonymous with sold out label showcases. In October of 2016, Olander took Vivrant to an abandoned 1200 capacity warehouse in the outskirts of Stockholm. He invited Henry Saiz and Finnebassen to join him, marking Saiz’s first-ever show on Swedish soil and ended up selling out the venue with fans outside the venue clamoring to get inside.

In the summer of 2017, Olander created another offshoot Vivrant event concept succinctly called Vivrant Open. Described as a free, no-nonsense open-air show conceived in collaboration with Heineken as a means of giving back to fans, they announced the event the same week it took place and attracted a massive 1800 person crowd at Långholmen in central Stockholm.

2017 is becoming a Hallmark year for Olander. Musically, he realized a long time dream with the release of the celebrated debut EP, ‘Last Dance.’ Olander collaborated with Cristoph from Knee Deep In Sound, and they released the EP on Digweed’s label, Bedrock. He subsequently released two more EPs, ‘Gattaca’ and ‘Damon.’

Olander continued his hectic tour schedule, which included a guest play with Sasha, John Digweed, Art Department and Dubfire at Privilege. The first-ever Vivrant showcase outside Stockholm debuted at ADE in October.