Interview: Swedish House Mafia

As the Swedish House Mafia prep their biggest ever UK show at the breathtaking Magna Centre in Rotherham on 30th May, they spared a few minutes to talk about breaking records,  losing inhibitions in Ibiza, and their exclusive forthcoming documentary…

For your show at Magna, what can we expect? Are you looking forward to it? Any specials we can hope for?

We never know!  We build our shows one at a time and always looking for new ideas… but it will be special.

Last year you premiered your own night in Ibiza - Dark Forest in Pacha - which was a huge success. What are the plans for this Summer to dazzle the island?

This year we will be opening The Masquerade Motel.  Hidden behind what appears to be a 50's style motel, likely to be found on Sunset Strip, you enter into a magical world.  Behind closed doors, where all who enter wear a mask, you lose all inhibitions as you become anonymous behind your disguise.We're bringing in tonnes of set design, costumes and FX, but most importantly with this YOU are the show.  This is your opportunity to come down and take the limelight!
 

What are the other major gigs this summer you are daydreaming about?

Ibiza of course, Electric Daisy in LA, Creamfields, Nova Beach in Portugal... so many we can’t name them all.

After so many solo productions from the three of you, you just released the first Swedish House Mafia single ‘One’. Why have finally decided to team up for this single? Is ‘One’ a symbol for your unity?
 
This is the first time we’ve ever recorded as a threesome with no guests, and under the SHM name.  It symbolises the first time together, the first track for EMI and just the first track in a new era for us. We're very excited.

It broke a Beatport-record, becoming number one worldwide, in just one day. Incredible! Did you know straight away in the studio this was going to be a hit?

You never know when you make a track like that how people will take it.  I guess a lot of people expected a full song, but this is what we felt, and we're so pleased everyone else feels it too.  It basically sums up in one track how you feel at a SHM show.

Later this year a documentary comes out about Swedish House Mafia – can you tell us more about it?

We have had someone filming us for two years, a guy called Christian Larson.  He has worked on some amazing videos and together we decided with our new label - EMI - to make a documentary of up to this point.  The soundtrack will be a compilation of all our own cuts and it’s a great way to look back at the time before we signed to a major label.
 

Thanks for your time and see you in Sheffield!

Swedish House Mafia Live, Magna Science park, Rotheram, May 30th

Tickets are no longer available for this event