FREDRIK LUNDVALL (Presto Fervant/ Novelty/ Spektron/ Octolab)

"Fredrik is one of the most talented songwriters in the Swedish electronic music scene"

Country:
Sweden
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Synth-pop

PRESTO FERVANT

Genre:
Electronic
Style:
EBM, Synth-pop

Members:
Fredrik Lundvall
Ron2-D2 (Ronny Larsson)

PRESTO FERVANT - Hard Years (2006, re-release of 1992 album)

Credits:
Artwork By [Design & Layout], Photography - Ronny Larsson
Engineer - Peter Rosenbach
Performer, Backing Vocals, Music By, Programmed By - Fredrik Lundvall
Performer, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Lyrics By, Other [Tape And Ideas] - Ronny Larsson
Producer - Presto Fervant

Notes:
Recorded at Studio Skyline (http://www.musikverkstan-ea.se/), Eskilstuna (Sweden).

Tracklist:

01 First Impact (2:35)
02 Remain In Death (4:43)
03 Evilation (3:51)
04 Liebe (4:07)
05 Hell On Highway (4:23)
06 Game Over (3:42)
07 Butchers Knife (3:12)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/287926726/prefe.im.rar

It is an impressive work where the carefully crafted songs pulsing overall on the waves of agressive beats and screaming but gorgeous vocal while the music also carrying an emotional potency at the highest level. A highly recommended stuff! (salty)

"Presto Fervant "Game Over" all out pounding power of epic ebm magnitude!"

"Presto Fervant was one of the icons of the new EBM and synth scene that sprung up in Sweden in the late 80's. This is a classic and outstanding EBM album! !

More on EBM:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_body_music

ALBUMS:
Impact (1992)
Hard Years (re-release of Impact 2006)


Biography:
In 1989 Fredrik & Ronny starded composing hardbeating EBM-tracks.
3 years later, DDT Productions released a split-CD with Presto Fervant and Punch & Judy, called IMPACT.
One of Presto Fervants biggest performance was at the swedish "Hultsfred"-festival in 1992.
DDT Productions In 2006, Electric Tremor, re-released Presto Fervants tracks on a CD called "Hard Years"

They had the first gig since 13 years in 2007 Dessau/Germany
(http://www.last.fm/event/142931+5+JAHRE+ELECTRIC+TREMOR)

RONNIE LARSON
is a cult figure of Swedish EBM. His bands are Container 69 (side project of Container 90), Container 90 (2004-, see: http://www.myspace.com/container90), Gordon Shumway (1995) and Presto Fervant

Container 90 (2005) Cd was producer by Fredrik Lundvall
Container 90 (2008) Cd was mastered /co-produced by Fredrik Lundvall

More info:
http://www.myspace.com/prestofervant

http://www.last.fm/music/Presto+Fervant

NOVELTY

"Novelty musical influences stretch from the late -70's electronic & disco, via the melancholic -80's to modern techno and ambient music of today and tomorrow."
Members:
Fredrik Lundvall - Keyboard, Composing, Sound Construction, Lyrics
Peter Segerdahl - Lead Vocal, Back Vocal, Keyboard, Composing, Sound Construction, Lyrics
Bengt Tarre - Percussion, Back Vocal, Keyboard, Marimba, Accordion, Composing, Sound Construction, Lyrics

NATURAL (1997)

Credits:
Artwork By [Cover Design] - Robert Erixon At Digital Rembrandt
Artwork By [Layout Design] - Kirt Wade Pierre
Composed By, Lyrics By, Keyboards, Programmed By [Sound Construction] - Fredrik Lundvall
Composed By, Lyrics By, Keyboards, Programmed By [Sound Construction], Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Peter Segerdahl
Composed By, Lyrics By, Keyboards, Programmed By [Sound Construction], Percussion, Marimba, Accordion, Backing Vocals - Bengt Tarre
Photography - Peter Arvidsson (http://www.myspace.com/stigher)
Producer - Novelty
Mastered By - Rob Craner (http://www.dogstaraudio.com/about_us.html)

Notes:
Natural was recorded during the spring, and summer of 1997. Finally it was released October 31, 1997.

Tracklist:

01 Things we do
02 Paradise
03 Coming Over
04 Soul of Mankind
05 Elevenpointforty
06 Natural
07 Trapped in Reality
08 Camera Lights
09 Brightness Empire
10 RedNblue
11 There has been days
12 Paraclub (140 Bpm)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/287918494/nov-na.rar

"I liked this CD quite a bit. The singer has a unique voice that is hard to compare to other bands (sort of a "new wave" sound to the vocals ) while the programming was quite good.

If you have the compilation, Synthpop - The Next Generation, then you've heard one of the slower songs from this album, Coming Over."

"First CD for this band coming from the west coast of Sweden. Twelve tracks that are fresh and easy to listen.

All the fans of the early 80's sound of moogs or of the TR 606 (one of the first drum machines made by Roland) could be happy listening to these tracks that show the influence of the new romantic bands of the 80's (do you remember the Duran Duran?) but without forgetting the Krafwerk lesson (like in "Paradise" and mainly into "Elevenpointforty-instrumental", where the synthetic bass lines and the moog melodies are soft and intriguing).

Most of the tracks have got something that make you remember of them: the title track "Natural", for example, has got a background sound that seems to round in circle while the voice does the rest or "Camera light" that has got a melodic voice with an hard moog lines that punch.

To conclude: this is an album that mix together the atmospheres of the very first Depeche Mode, the sounds of bands like Kraftwerk with the melody of the new romantic bands. Good to be the first work."

More review:
http://www.industrial-bible.com/IB/Reviews/N/NOVELTY-Natural.htm

http://home.swipnet.se/~w-37647/

Biography:
NOVELTY are Fredrik Lundvall, Peter Segerdahl and Bengt Tarre.

All three members have been involved in other electro/rock/pop/ebm/ambient projects since the early eighties (for instance Cosmic Dog, New View, Tin Drum and Presto Fervant) but it was not until in the beginning of 1996 we all got together and started NOVELTY.

Peter Segerdahl:

"1995: After working very hard with the software for a few years I decided that I should start up with music again. I saw an advertisement in a Swedish music magazine (MM) that a person in Lyseikil (Sweden) was looking for a good synthpop singer to form a new band. This was Fredrik. I called him, sent him some tapes, he liked my voice and we started to work together.

Fredrik had previously been involved (1988-1993) in a band called Presto Fervant that had gain some success and played for instance at "Hultsfred festivalen". They played very hard electronic music. After that Fredrik had a project called Cosmic Dog (1994-1995) and attended on the compilation Circuit One with "Space Man"."

1996: Nothing really happened until Fredrik decided to buy a new better sampler. Soon he sent me a very rough version of a song. I liked what I heard and together we turned it into "Paradise".

Fredrik sent away our only song "Paradise" to a music/band competition arranged by a Swedish TV station called Z-TV.

Novelty reached an honorable second place in Z-TV's pop-band competition (dance/rap genre) 1996 called Zoom 96.
Thousands of bands from all over Sweden competed. We performed Paradise and Red'n Blue.

A few weeks later I was out dining with Bengt and told him about this and that if we got accepted I wanted him to play with us live. He accepted but we both laughed at it, as neither of us thought that NOVELTY would ever get accepted. But we did! We even won the first competition in Göteborg.

Now this was fun!! Fredrik's brother, Thorbjörn, also joined NOVELTY. We started to work on a new song, "Redn Blue". Then there was time for the 2:nd competition where we met the best from southern Sweden. We won again! Now we had made it to the regional finals in Stockholm (the capital city of Sweden). In the middle of summer 1996 we went to Stockholm to perform RednBlue and Paradise. There were TV cameras all over the place and lots of people. We did not win but ended up as second place (as all the others finalists that did not win).

After that NOVELTY became reality and Bengt joined the band as a true member."

1997: After writing more songs we wanted to make our songs available to the public so we attended on a Swedish electro compilation by Mellotron Records called Mark One with "Paradise" and "Soul of Mankind". Mellotron Records liked our music so much that they places our songs first and second on the CD.

Menawhile David Lin, from Strangers Thoughts, invited us to attend on their US synthpop compilation "Synthpop: The next generation". They chosed "Coming over" for the compilation."

"After a couple of months David called me and said that he had joined a new record company called Synthphony Records and that they were interested in signing us for a full length CD. In the middle fo July 1997 the contract was signed.

At the end of September (two weeks before dead line) all recordings for the full length CD, Natural, were done."

In July 1997 NOVELTY signed a record contract with the New York based US label Synthphony Records for the release of a full length CD. "


BENGT TARRE
was a member of Votum (1984)

Beng Tarre and Peter Segerdahl were members of New View released one tape "Memories from the country" (1985), later (before Novelty) they formed Tin Drum (synthpop covers but also rock, funk etc) and Cyber Funk (synthpop-funk)

PETER SEGERDAHL

"The BeatSlicer is a FruityLoops add-on product, created by Peter Segerdahl (http://www.vinga.se/w2/en/default.htm) at Button Production who also have developped Zero-X BeatCreator (http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/beat.htm). Zero-X BeatCreator is a great standalone program for editing/creating rhythm loops."

ALBUM:
Natural (1997)

More on Novelty:
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-37647/index.htm

SPEKTRON

Members:
Arielle Andersson (ex-Aggregath, see: Octolab) - Vocal, Composing, Programming, Synth
Fredrik Andreasson (ex-Third Door Left, http://www.facebook.com/kirderf) - Vocal, Composing, Programming, Guitar
Hanna Larsson (ex-Aggregath, http://www.facebook.se/people/Hanna-Larsson/692979172) - Vocal, Composing, Programming, Synth
Fredrik Lundvall (http://www.facebook.se/people/Fredrik-Lundvall/567142010) - Composing, Programming, Synth, Producer



SPEKTRON (2003)

Tracklist:

01 Mr Lee (3:38)
02 Reciever (4:27)
03 Dreamland (3:43)
04 Faller Som Snoe (3:07)
05 Signaler (Anamorphic Widescreen Version) (4:47)
06 Tidsmaskin (3:21)
07 Guld Silver Och Diamanter (Pop Mix) (3:48)
08 Guld Silver Och Diamanter (Airliner Version) (3:36)
09 Som Det Var (Ambient Version) (4:47)
Bonus:
10 Code 64 - Without You (Spektron Mix) (2003) (3:57)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/290389970/Speron.rar

There is no review on the web about this mini album. This is an intersting release because only the first three songs are in English and the rest are in Swedish. It is strange that nobody reviewed it. In my opinion it is a nice effort from the band, perhaps the most romantic album from Fredrik. The music is slower than in Novelty and in Octolab and even more melodious, more happier. And as on Novelty, their music flirts again with '80s sound in a very catchy way. The sound is great, the music is emotional and heart-warming, so recommended for all synthpop lovers. (salty)

ALBUMS:
Www.spektronmusik.com (4 songs mini album 2002)
Spektron (mini album) (2003)

Biography:
Spektron is an electro pop act from the west coast of Sweden. Originally they were a four piece band. The two girls Hanna and Arielle played together in a woman electro group Aggregath before joined Spektrum. .After two released CD Arielle and Fredrik left the band to form Octolab.


HANNA LARSSON
apart from Aggregath she was guest vocalist on another Swedish band Z Prochek - Viewers (2004) CD. I have no more info. She is living in a little town called Lysekil near us in Gothenburg. (thanks to Fredrik for the info)


FREDRIK ANDREASSON
appeared on a compilation cd released in 1998 and called "Tekno Music 1997 - The Winners Of The Tekno Music Competition" with a song "Render Harmless".
If my info is correct, he has a new project since 2006 called Modiga Agenter. This is duo with Jonas Kapla playing melodic synthpop following the footsteps of Spektron
Check them here:
http://www.modigaagenter.com/sound.html and http://www.myspace.com/modigaagenter

More info for Spektron (Swedish only):
http://w1.752.telia.com/~u75202138

OCTOLAB

"the Swedish act Octolab, is out now and offers female fronted synth pop that sounds like a mash-up between Human League, OMD or yet Ladytron."

Members:
Arielle Andersson (http://www.facebook.com/people/Arielle-Andersson/572695875) - Synth, Vocals and Lyrics
Fredrik Lundvall - Synth and Mixing/Producer.

THE TIMELESS ROOM (2007)

Credits:
Producer - Bjorn Marius Borg (http://www.myspace.com/bariuz) (aka Bariuz track 11)

Tracklist:

01 Hunting (4:27)
02 Hidden Camera (3:40)
03 Overcome Suspicion (4:31)
04 Mindcontrol (3:28)
05 Tv-Spell (4:58)
06 Clouds Of Clowns (5:08)
07 Made On Stage (4:14)
08 The Doll (4:37)
09 Tumbledown (3:59)
10 Timeless Room (5:02)
11 Hunting (Bariuz Remix) (5:39)
12 Tumbledown (Disco Digitale Remix) (3:43)
13 Tv-Spell (In[Perfektion] Remix) (5:23)
Bonus:
14 Videogirl (Octolab Remix) (from va-Computer Dreams 2008)
15 Cosmic Dog - Spaceman (from va-Circuit One - The Swedish Synthpop 1995)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/287918980/Oc-tiro.rar

Notes:
Two songs "TV Spell" and "Hunting" appeared on many compilation.

"Minimalistic Synth-Pop melodies and great tunes, Super female vocals and pure Electro Pop a great combination for a new breed of Synth Pop. This band WILL take the Electro World by Storm!!

If you like anything from Human League, OMD to Ladytron, Wolfsheim or Client.. You will absolutely LOVE this CD!!!
(http://www.cryonica.com/cryonica/store.htm)

"Cryonica have been making a lot about this Swedish duo's supposed 'minimalist' synthpop sound but, to these ears, nothing on this fine album sounds any more minimalistic than most of the mid 90s Scandinavian synthpop bands that Fredrik & Arielle seem to be influenced by (such as Restricted Area or Perpetuum Mobile to pick a couple of obscure examples).

That's not to say they're in any way copyist (certainly notcompared to some bands I could mention!) but with its almost clinical, but not unemotional, approach it's sure to appeal to synthpop purists with its ever-so-slightly quirky edge aided by some endearingly odd turns of phrase, as well as that old stand-by, the vocodered vocals that add an extra harmonic element to the chorus of 'Mindcontrol', all combining to give the album a certain retro appeal. Only the electronica-flavoured 'Cloud Of Clowns' takes on any noticeably modern elements (a couple of the remixes notwithstanding) but it provides a nice change of pace & a definate contrast to the pacey & somewhat more strident 'TV-Spell', which preceeds it.

What really stands the album in good stead, though, is the constantly appealing compositional skills which might not make too many demands upon the listener but engage the mind time & time again with some fine sequencing adding to the appeal of 'Hidden Camera' & the lively 'Tumbledown' while the music does a decent job of complimenting the sensuous vocals of 'Made On Stage'. The highlights, however, come in the form of the title track where the absorbing melodics & fine vocals work together to fine effect & 'The Doll' which is an instantly memorable piece with a slight gothic appeal in the lyrics although the use of the phrase 'were' instead of 'was' ("the doll were crashed/against the wall she were smashed) might leave you with the impression that the duo are actually from Yorkshire! Still, this just adds character to the whole album which is sure to go down a storm with synthpoppers the world over so if that's your thing you'll not want to miss this!"
(http://www.electrogarden.com/reviews/octolab-egnReview_r218.html)

"The debut release of this Swedish duo is a quite surprising synth-pop release. Well, it?s just more than simply synth-pop as Octolab has some clear 80s influences (reminding me of Erasure) next to pure (and more commercial) ?dance? influences. Take both influences, which you next shake hard with a touch of Swarf and you?ll enter ?The timeless room?. The songs are well crafted and bring some excellent dance vibes. I personally prefer the more underground style, which they only show on a very few pieces like ?The doll? and the Bariuz remix of ?The hunting?. A few more attention grabbers are ?Overcome suspicion? for the more technoid feeling, Clouds of clowns? from a more commercial angle and ?Timeless room? for the link with Erasure. I?m not sure about the ?commercial? potential of this album although it?s a pleasant piece of pop! (DP:7)DP."
(http://www.side-line.com/reviews_comments.php?id=27219_0_17_0_C)



Chain D.L.K.:
Did you have any musical experience before forming Octolab? What led you to form the band?

Arielle:
"Well OctoLab started off as a side project to the very synth-poppish band Spektron. But it was hard for us to get together, since we were four persons who lived in different cities. I and Fredrik felt that the collaboration between us was good, so we decided to move in together and make music."

Fredrik:
"We both had experience in music before. I started with the EBM-old-school band Presto Fervant in 1988. I started the synthpop band Novelty who got signed by Synthphony Records."

Arielle:
"I grew up with music, as a child I often followed my stepfather out on tours. I spent most of my teens at the music center. I started the girl electro band Aggregath. I also had a very short career as a drummer in a hardrock group. I took part in a number of different bands. But OctoLab is my number one priority."

Chain D.L.K.:
What's the concept behind "The timeless room"?

Arielle:
"We are little too restless to stick to one concept. The music is more like episodes, where the lyrics hold it together, they are much about obsessions, time and growing old."

Chain D.L.K.:
Most of your songs have a danceable rhythm. Is this a key factor for you?

Fredrik:
"Yes, I guess. We like groovy stuff, with a touch of hard beats."

Chain D.L.K.:
"Made on stage" talks about fans envying a performer who doesn't seem to have a successful life outside his performing "role". What made you write this song?

Arielle:
"Hmm... I don’t know; guess that’s how I see performing life. Just because people are beautiful or successful doesn’t mean they are happy, but that’s what we often want to believe. Money and beauty, then you got it all, it is not so often that people think of the quality of life. I didn’t want to focus on women, so it´s about male modelling. I don’t think I´m biased. Please interpret it however you like. That’s what I strive for."

Chain D.L.K.:
Does "The doll" talk about a woman who got back the control on her life?

Arielle:
"Well, I want people to identify themselves, that’s why most of my texts are written in metaphors. So without saying too much, but it´s something like "The Doll" is more a combination of feelings I had in a dream and dreams are often reflections of our waking hours."

Chain D.L.K.:
Arielle, taking inspiration from "The doll", are you experiencing sexual discrimination during your normal life and also in the musical scene?

Arielle:
"No I don’t. But you never know, I´m well aware that it exists. It happens all the time in other circumstances. Discrimination makes me very angry, so I try not to think of it too much."

Chain D.L.K.:
You remixed tracks for other bands. What is your method? Do you try to redo the song with the Octolab style or do you prefer to change it totally just to make it more interesting and peculiar?
Octolab: F: Totally change it.

Arielle:
"Yes, we like to do it our way. We usually don’t use the remix package except for the songs. We think it´s more fun that way."
(http://www.chaindlk.com/interviews/index.php?interview=Octolab)

Q:
How would you describe Octolab's music?

Octolab:
"Synthmusic vs video game and horror movies in a cheerful atmosphere.... We are both very open minded to alots of different musicstyles, so the mixture of everything results in Octolab, offcourse it sounds very electronic. ( If "the robots" had been played with different instruments I don't know how OctoLab should have sounded... hahaha)." (http://www.cyber-angels.nl/InterviewOctolab.html)

Biography:
"OctoLab is an alternative electro-synthpop band based in Gothenburg Sweden. We both have long experience in doing music, watching horror movies and playing videogames.

Some of you might recognize us from earlier bands like Spektron, Presto Fervant, Aggregath or Novelty. From the beginning OctoLab took form as a side project, but it didn’t take long before we realized that OctoLab was the obvious band for us.

So in middle of 2005 OctoLab become official, Started off with the first song TV-spell, which appears on the 2CD compilation Cryonica Tanz v4. Also on the CD-Compilation "3 Years Anniversary of Electro-Shock-Records, and this was the beginning for OctoLab.

We are now happy to be contracted on the English label Cryonica Music. Who released our first album “The Timeless Room” In December 2007."


ALBUM:
The Timeless Room (2007)

!!NEWS!!
"We have made a new track called 'Mind and Matter'.
Hope you like the little bit harder sound ;-)"

More info:
http://www.myspace.com/octolab

http://home.swipnet.se/~w-37647/person.htm

http://www.octolab.se/ (you can reach it only in this way: http://web.archive.org/web/20070830141713/http://www.octolab.se/)

http://www.releasemagazine.net/News/news0711a.htm

http://electr-on.pl/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3026

Interviews:
http://www.cyber-angels.nl/InterviewOctolab.html

http://www.cyber-angels.nl/InterviewArielle.html (Arielle interview)

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=7727859 (Swedish)

http://www.side-line.com/interviews_comments.php?id=28612_0_16_0_C