404 25.9.2004 @ helsinki

SWELL CHART AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 04

1. Mark De Clive-Lowe – Tide’s Arising – Antipodean

Mister De Clive Lowe - continuing on his broken not broken tip and evolving it further into future funk land! This is what I need! Something about the synth layering and keys makes me want to name him the Herbie of the new millennium. This is how many of dem broken beat style producers dream at night that their future albums are going to sound like…

2. Ernesto’s –Album –Hollow

Out at last! A very personal and different journey that prooves what an artist our dear friend mister Bäckelie really is!

3. Isley brothers – Taken to the next Phase (reconstructions) - Epic

Many great contributors give their hot versions of the I-brothers including a beautiful balad by Mos Def and party action by De La Soul & co. Though it’s the Ignorants feat Dead Rabbits’ version of Take me to the next phase that is the true floorfiller on this comp! Made the young ones soar at Nefertiti last week.

4. Beatsie Boys – Ch-check it out rmx – white

Le mix turns the place into babylon wherever I go…

5. Sleepwalker feat Pharoah Sanders – The Voyage - Especial

In a perfect world Sleepwalker would team up with Mr Sanders himself and do a 12 minutes long massive collaboration… wait a minute! This IS a perfect world!! + The b-side is really hot too! Blew up Nefertiti when mr Especial Shuya Okino payed us a fantastic visit in August..

6. Duke Ellington - April in Paris (remix) – White

Old school with a new twist for anyone who likes their big band business FAT! “Let’s try it one more once.”

7. Plano alto – 30 degrees/Summerbreeze – Downshall Plastics

Hooray! The nu-jazz scene has been officially electro-shocked back to life! This is the only latino clash record we’ll ever need except for Cuica’s remix of S-tone inc from last year J! Seriously, this record is hilarious and even though the A-side’s cheekyness makes me happy it’s the B-side that I want to play over and again.

8. Rosalia De Sousa – Reconstructed by Raw Deal & Zero DB - Schema

The Zero DB! What a mix! Violent but still sexy… watch out for bass biz! Jimbo also does a great work.

9. Loose Digz – CD-R

The local tounge twista knüller

10. Max Sedgely – Happy (Spiritual South happy in rio mix) - Sunday Best

The Euro cup is over but this track will keep accelerating and survive until world cup 2006! I love this track to death!!

11. Double Beat – Jazz Musician – Big Sur

A hypnotic puzzle of muffled slices of jazz… coming to you on a swell sound system late at night. Did I say it’s hypnotic?

12. Ame – Mifune –Sonar Kollektiv

Is this the Elle of german tech-house? Sure it is! Really cool track that grows at home and sounds fat in a club too. Props for oooldschol synth layering!

13. Street Choir – Funky Kingston – Street Choir

Our favourite bootleg label deliver their coolest so far. This describes señor swell’s new carribean flavor just perfectly!

14. Emo feat Daddy Ous – I want my Love - Stereo Deluxe

Mellow and beautiful dub landscapes from the land of Emo.

15. Nieminen & Litmanen – Leo Jokela – Grandpop

From their 11 tracks of Scandinavian action jazz. The world has for a long time been in need of a new organ/drums duo to be the next superstars in this genre. Well, here they are!


Andreas Saag aka Stateless aka Swell Session will perform with Hird at 404 on the 25th of September.

New release on DNM - Dealers of Nordic Music:

HIRD - MOVING ON (dnmcd005/dnmlp001)

"A perfect autumn soundtrack, very atmospheric and deep! Respects due!"
Rainer Trüby

"A lovely album and a great example of why jazz inspired music from Sweden is so hyped at the moment."
Mad Mats/Raw Fusion

“This album has enough subtle diversity to make this a very special audio pleasing item of essential purchase .It's an album you will return to for many years to come and on every listen you will discover something new.....”'
Nik Weston - Mukatsuku Pr/Exceptional Records

“I love this album! Beautiful and sensitive like night under the midnight sun. Transparent sounds. Evergreen melodies''
Shuya Okino/Kyoto Jazz Massive

Liner notes by Alan Brown (Soul Seduction, Vienna):

The music of Christoffer ‘Hird’ Berg is an exhilarating example of this wonderful relationship between the attentive listener and the thoughtful music maker. It’s very hard to imagine that this fine musician and accomplished producer is only 21 years of age! A family of music, mother and father highly trained and renowned composers and musicians, a teenage brother that excited us all with the playful and hypnotic track ‘Thinking of you’ on ‘Nordic Lounge 2’, all go some way to helping us understand this. Not so hard to imagine though, is that he is extremely sensitive, compassionate and very excitable. A charming young man actuated sometimes more by emotion rather than reason! What we hear, is in fact, very close to what he is and what he will be. The heedful hearkener will no doubt familiarize him or herself with the persona of the Hird. This is the reason why we relate to music so passionately. It’s simply an extension of whom or what we want to be also.

Capable of falling in love in a heartbeat, as well as being crushed by the dilemma’ of break-ups and loss. Vulnerable, fragile, introvert yet out going, a boy and a man filled with life’s moving of the mind and soul. Most of all, a young man with a strong feeling and sense that some desire will be fulfilled. It will be the likeminded listener who will really understand and appreciate this wonderful musical travelling.

The hopefulness yet realism of ‘Fading Blues’ and ‘Moving On’. The serenading and romanticism of souls through ‘Keep you Kimi’ and ‘I love you my hope’. The intimacy and warm belonging felt on ‘Getting closer’. The fun and fantasia fantastically felt through ‘Buddy Rich’, what a wonderful yet extreme song! The soulful yet industrial sound felt on ‘Burn4’ and ‘Under my Bridges’, reminiscent of his youth and upbringing in Gothenburg. I find myself totally connected by participation and association, as if I was involved in a good read.

Thinking about it, good music is in fact like a good book! You wonderfully feel and experience the characters, and their adventures. And like a good book, you never want to put it down. Something very similar I’m experiencing here with ‘Moving On’.

More info: www.dnm.se

Also available from Hird:

KEEP YOU HIRD, 12" (dnmep003)
5/5 ‘A beautiful & timeless record’ , IDJ Magazine
7/8 ‘Just beautiful”, M8 Magazine
4/5 ‘Lovely, electronic, deep house number from Sweden’ , Muzik Magazine

I LOVE YOU MY FRIENDS EP, 12" (dnmep004)
5/5 - ‘Magical’ , IDJ Magazine
8/8- ‘This guy is a genius’ , M8 magazine
4/5–‘Beautifully layered shuffling upbeat number’ , Blues & Soul Magazine