Looking back at 2016, Jeremy Olander could make a case that it was his biggest year so far. He launched his new label Vivrant which saw 4 out of the first 5 releases make it to number one on Beatport, and he also took the brand on a label tour to 5 continents which included a sold out hometown gig to 1200 people alongside Henry Saiz, Finnebassen and Charlie Don’t Surf. His Talespin EP on Suara made it to number one on Beatport’s Top 100 Releases chart, and the B-side, ‘Panorama’, sat at number one on the Progressive chart for impressive 35 days straight. On the remix front, Olander notably reworked ‘LETTERS’, the Sailor & I and Eekkoo collaboration released on Big Beat/Atlantic – a remix which is quickly approaching 1 million streams on Spotify.
2017 is well set to be even better: The ‘Damon’ EP is out now on his own imprint (the first release from Olander this year); upcoming is an collaboration EP with past Balance Selections compiler Cristoph, and a non-stop tour schedule is ensuring the Vivrant label owner is taking his sound globally.
For this podcast the Swede has delivered a mix which feature an exciting amount of new Jeremy Olander productions: ‘I’ve included a lot of unheard stuff to make it stand out and show people what I’ve been working on lately.’ Olander told us, ‘Most of these I haven’t played at any shows so I’m excited to try and gauge what people might like by the reactions’. And we can only think the reactions will be positive. Jeremy Olander has gone above and beyond to deliver something special.. And we can only think the reactions will be positive. Jeremy Olander has gone above and beyond to deliver something special.
Balance Selections Q+A
Name:
Jeremy Olander
Location:
Stockholm, Sweden
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jeremyolander
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/jeremyolander
Alias/Producer name:
Jeremy Olander / Dhillon
Labels affiliated with:
Vivrant
My last 3 releases:
What music did you listen too as a child?
I remember my dad playing me a lot of stuff from Nina Simone, Dire Straits, Rolling Stones, Van Morrison etc. That was kind of the background music to my early childhood. From my pre-teens up until I discovered electronic music I went from Elvis Presley and 60’s compilations to Metallica, Michael Jackson and Wu-Tang Clan. I guess I like all kinds of music. I’ve also always been into film scores for as long as I can remember. A lot of the atmosphere you get in those is something I try to bring to my own music.
When was the first time that you realized that you liked electronic music?
When I was about 16-17, which was around 2005-2006. That electro sound was a thing back then both in the clubs and on the radio and ‘Satisfaction’ by Benny Bennasi was the track that caught my attention and planted that first seed. At the same time some of my friends were getting into production and I was really fascinated by what you could make with just a laptop. After I had gotten a taste for the scene and making music it was really all I did day and night. Nothing has really changed other than I get to play in front of people on the weekends now.
When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?
There was a club located beneath a fancy restaurant in Stockholm called Grodan Cocktail Club. Looking back, it was really seminal and influenced a lot of people in my generation that are producers, managers and promoters today. It was a really intimate space in a quite posh area of town which kind of added to its appeal. It felt a bit out of place to have an electronic club there. They booked everyone from Richie Hawtin, Prydz, Carl Craig, Sebastien Leger to Felix Da Housecat.
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
If I have to name one it’s Michael Jackson. To me he’s truly the greatest to ever do it. In the electronic space there are a number of people that are doing cool things that stand out. Ejeca, Tim Engelhardt, Khen, Lehar and MUUI are a few I think of right now.
What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?
Looking in my iTunes, my latest purchase seems to be Czarface’s album from 2016. ‘A Fistful of Peril’. Czarface is Inspectah Deck, 7L and Esoteric. Great stuff!
What is your current production and DJ set up like?
I run Logic on the new iMac with Genelec 8030Bs, an Apollo Twin interface and a MIDI-keyboard. Super simple. Never got into using hardware even though my interest is getting bigger on that front. It’s a bit of a jungle though and tough to know where to start. When I DJ I use SD cards, 3 CDJs and a DJM-900. I’m looking at integrating more components to my setup though. I want to have some room to be more experimental.
What releases do you have on the horizon?
I just released a new EP on Vivrant called ‘Damon’. The A-side is about as dark as I go as Jeremy Olander, and the B-side, ‘Billinghurst’, is about as melodic I go. Two opposite sides of my sound spectrum that I tend to play at very different parts of the night. Support and feedback has been great and it seems to be doing well on Beatport too. I’m very thankful for that and how the label has been received overall.
Next up I have an EP with Cristoph coming out in May. It’s technically my first official collaboration project. Had a great time making it with him and the process was really smooth. It’ll be a two-tracker called Last Dance EP. I’ll let the label be a surprise. Cristoph is great and I look forward to playing some shows with him and maybe making more tracks in the future.
Where can we hear you perform?
I have shows in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong coming up next and after that I’m back in North America for a big tour. I have my first residency kicking off over there in May. Super excited about that and very grateful for getting that opportunity. It’s at Sound in Los Angeles which is one of my favourite places in the world. The weekend after Sound I’m playing Baum Park in Colombia for the first time. Heard great things about that festival and the lineup is stellar. Should be a good time!
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
I’ve included a lot of unheard stuff to make it stand and show people what I’ve been working on lately. To me, all the tracks are tools until I see which ones resonate with people. I haven’t played most of these at any shows either so I’m excited to try to gauge what people might like by the reactions. It’s so hard to tell. Sometimes I make a new one that get zero reactions that I’m convinced is going to be huge, and sometimes the most simple tracks make the dance floor turn upside down. I will probably be playing these out a fair bit at upcoming shows so if you like them and come to my shows, expect to hear them in the club too.
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
I’m not a big fan of showing my music to people, I’d rather people look it up on their own. If I have to pick one I would go with the first track off the first EP on my imprint. It’s called ’Taiga’. It sets the mood for the sound of the label.
If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:
My favourite Balance compilation is:
Jimmy Van M’s from 2010 or 2011. Not sure on the year it came out.
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
Handmaiden. Korean film at its finest.
My favourite TV show:
Homeland.
If I could choose anyone to compile a Balance compilation it would be:
Trentemoeller
Tracklisting
01. Jeremy Olander – Intro ID
02. Jeremy Olander – ID
03. Jeremy Olander – ID
04. C Vogt & Patrick Jeremicl – Vice
05. Braunbeck – Not Just Play Music (Original Mix)
06. Jeremy Olander – ID
07. Jeremy Olander – ID
08. Wade Bennett – Varial
09. Jeremy Olander – ID
10. Jeremy Olander – ID
11. Cristoph & Jeremy Olander – Last Dance (Original Mix)