S
ometimes a style of music is so heavily influenced and inspired by a single individual, that it would be insulting not to mention their names in the same sentence. Carl
Craig is techno, Frankie Knuckles is house music, Armin van Buuren is trance… You get the picture. Ask progressive house fans who runs their scene, and you will hear some very different answers. The yolo generation would defend the latest Avicii and Mafia releases, while the old school camps would quote names like Sasha and Digweed, or even the maestro Hernan Cattaneo. Ask the same question to the maven in your group, who has raved their way across the major festival circuit this year, and they will invariably answer with resounding confidence: Eric Prydz is progressive house, but darker, and cooler. No one is divided on this fact.
It is no surprise then that when Prydz announced the debut Pryda Friends tour, featuring his burgeoning talents Fehrplay and Jeremy Olander, America took notice. An extension of Prydz himself, Jonas Fehr and Jeremy Olander define quality house music in their own right, exploring tempos from 125 to 129 and weaving in and out of classic and futuristic sounds in a way that is totally unique to the Pryda brand. Seeing them perform live is an experience that is hard to define in words, but we will try.
The Scandinavian powerhouses recently teamed up for their first joint North American tour, flying the Pryda Friends flag in a two part expedition that sees their sound travel coast to coast, from California to Ontario and everywhere in between. Playing a mixture of solo and back-to-back sets, Jeremy and Jonas are providing a real treat for house music fans looking for something a touch more sophisticated. We had the chance to travel alongside the lads for the first leg of their tour, which stopped in LA, Miami, Chicago and San Francisco, before they return for an extensive second leg in Canada and USA this fall. Before their sold out Chicago stop, we grabbed an opportunity to quiz them on working with Prydz, touring the states, and keeping progressive music progressing.
It’s no secret that the upper echelons of mainstream festival music have coalesced around a similar sound, damn near identical in fact. In light of this phenomenon, the timing of the Pryda Friends American tour could not have been better. “I think the audience here is ready to hear something new, it feels like the right time” Jonas
tells us when discussing the motive behind the initial four city tour. “The goal is to show people that there are more sides to progressive music than you hear on the Beatport Top 10” Jeremy adds. “I feel like the sound of progressive house nowadays is very much what’s going on in the Top 10 of Beatport, which for us is not the progressive house that we grew up with.” When they were getting into the production side of music, Prydz was releasing tracks like 'Human Behaviour', pushing a uniquely underground, Swedish strain of progressive music that energized an entire nation of youth, laying the future foundation for the current cohort of Swedish producers, most of whom cite him as a major influence.
Speaking of Eric, the boys are still in awe and
describes his unique blend of underground house as “dark, sometimes happy, and really eclectic,” while Jonas thinks of it as “emotional, it’s really like a mixture of genres.” “It’s just a melting pot of very good stuff! It’s like blending '80s synths with techno grooves with almost old school progressive build ups,” Jeremy expands. This rings especially true when we witness their mammoth three hour set later that night at Chicago’s Palladium night club, located inside the multi-level super club, Castle. Playing to a packed house, both solo and back to back, the boys showcase yet-to-be-released material intertwined with tracks by Maceo Plex, label mate Andre Sobota, and their own set staples, new and old. There's an ease that reminds us of Sasha and Digweed’s work in the late nineties: groovy, driving, unrecognizable, and uncompromisingly cool.
It’s a simple matter of quality, juxtaposing the formulaic reality of commercial house against something different that pushes the boundaries of the sound forward with reckless abandon, creating critical appeal and a steadfast dedication to progression. Again, this is no surprise, as excellence has been the basis for everything Pryda from the very beginning. “The main thing is quality,” Jeremy tells us when speaking about the Pryda brand. “I feel, sometimes, even my own music isn’t good enough for Pryda Friends because I think the releases so far have just been absolutely great!” says Jonas. “Not just from us, but from Andre Sobota and Richard Knott. It means quality and it’s unique. There’s nothing else like it.”
When considering the inner workings and the nature of the label, we can’t help but wonder about the record selecting process. Although Eric does ultimately have the final say, the boys are given quite a bit of freedom when deciding what direction they want their records to take. “He’s very much hands off on what kind of sound we should have. We decide what sound we’re going to have,” Jonas says proudly. When asking who else other than Eric is involved in the process, Jeremy answers by pointing at his manager. “Mr. Olly [Chubb] there is involved.” “Yup, he’s the label manager,”
disbelief that they belong to the Swedish maestro’s label family. “He, for me, is the ultimate stamp of quality,” Jonas gushes over his big boss. “It’s an honor,” Jeremy echoes. “Eric is the artist I’ve stuck with the most. Once I got into his sound I just stayed there.” “Pryda Friends wasn’t much part of it when I started listening to Eric, so it’s a huge honor to be part of what’s branching out from the Pryda sound,” continues Jonas. “It’s almost like I can’t believe it.” Yet for us, Eric’s decision to sign Jonas and Jeremy to the Pryda Friends imprint is a little more than obvious, especially when considering the parallels between their unique progressive sounds. While we’re on the subject of sound, Jeremy
Jonas tells us. “Everything has to be censored through him so there are a lot of filters on this, which is great. You have the first guy who receives the email, the tastemaker. He decides what goes to Eric and what doesn’t, 'cause he obviously has the last word of it. But he can be persuaded if we feel it’s good enough and Eric is not 100% on it. Pryda is definitely his baby and Pryda Friends is branching out a little bit more. He’s letting other people have a bit more control but he has the final say.” “With that being said, we can always ask him stuff if we need help,” adds Jeremy. “I think I would call it a friend relationship rather than a business one. There’s more of us hanging out and goofing around, having fun.” Jonas further confirms the
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