It’s that urge to do something different. The members of The Amplifetes grew so tired of feeding the Madonnas and Britneys of this world that they decided to do something about it. They focused their collective frustration in 2010 and set about recording their self-titled debut album.
“After working for a new artist every week at Murlyn Music it seemed a great idea to write music together by sending files around like a chain letter”, says Henrik Korpi about the process for recording their first album.
Eventually the four members met up – with two of them actually meeting each other for the first time – when they mastered the album. Now, three years later, the follow-up is just about to hit the streets.
This time, they took the old rock band approach by relocating deep into the woods to write the album.
“We took the decision to work solely on old analog equipment – we worked with Pink Floyds old mixing console which was also used to record Joy Division’s Closer,” Korpi says. “Anyway, we wrote the whole album in the forests of Värmland”.
When people mention you it’s mostly focusing on you all having written music for other artists. When you write for Amplifetes do you all have an equal say? Are you a democratic band?
Very much so. And another difference from before when we worked with other artists is that there was a different climate. Then Napster came and changed everything for the better.
Really, do you think so? As a songwriter and artist, isn’t it harder to make money and survive?
This era suits me better. It feels very DIY and I come from a punk rock background with cassettes you sold with no profit. It’s the same way now. People produce themselves and release via social media.
You guys seem to have earned a bit of a following down in mainland Europe. How did that come about do you think?
Our story began in Paris. A song was picked up by fashion designer Roberto Cavalli and on the back of that it all happened pretty quickly in France. And it spread to the rest of central Europe.
Do you think there’s an advantage in coming from Sweden?
I suppose media in Southern Europe are a bit more curious if you’re Swedish. Swedish melodies are always with a hint of melancholy, a touch of Abba and it’s different from their domestic music. And one thing that’s different in France is that their radio stations only are allowed to play a certain percentage of non-French music. I think it’s 40 percent or so. So the eye of the needle to get through is even smaller.
You wanted to have Storm Thorgerson to do your album cover [Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Muse and more]. That might be relevant to my generation but how much importance does that have in 2013?
That’s a good question. 99 percent of all album covers are thumbnails on Itunes. But we sell a good portion of our music on vinyl and that’s great. But the label thought we were mad spending money on something like that. We spoke to Storm for about six months and then he went to Dubai to shoot.
Finally I’d like you to help trace your musical DNA.
Cool. We actually did an interview in Rome where we found out that everyone in the band had The Sweet as their first ever record. And I saw them live twice – when I was five and seven.
Wow, that’s quite impressive. What I’d like you to do is to pick out the song that is the most representative for each of your members.
Peter Ågren – It has to be something with Electric Light Orchestra. Twilight! That is Peter in a nutshell. He even looks like him. He could be Jeff Lynne’s son.
Henrik Korpi – London Calling by The Clash. I saw them in 1982 and that’s what they opened with. It was a turning point for me. And that movement and its ideals has been with me in all I do ever since.
Just like Tommy Spaanheden, Henrik Jonback is an old Heavy Metaler – but I’d say Dungen, Har du vart i Stockholm. It sums up his humour well and I know he was extra pleased when we got Gustav Ejstes to play on our album. Listen to S.E.O.K.L. for his great flute.
Tommy Spaanheden – Joey Beltram, Energy Flash. We have heard many times about Tommy’s trips down to Holland in the early 90s to go to raves. Musically The Amplifetes used that era as a starting point.
The Amplifetes perform at Berns in Stockholm on March 29, the new album Where Is The Light is out now.
