STÅLVERK

MC/MP3 | 2018

A1. Stämning
A2. Kollaps
B1. Introspektion
B2. Uttoning

Originally recorded in 2014 and mixed in 2017. Mastered on analog tape by Alpha Mound. Concept art (Lo mask) by [krig].

The chemical imbalance theory of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depressive disorders, has been widely criticized by pshychological research but remains in the popular consciousness and as a basis for treatments. Medicine, prescribed or otherwise, may actually cause a chemical imbalance though, and that is the subject of the music on this tape.

“The skeleton to these tracks came when I worked a lot with samples, weird sounds like those of Sun Ra, The Residents, world music records and “found” sounds. I wanted to get away a bit from the 4/4 beats of the Stålverk 12”-es but not go ambient either, maybe find the space in between. Mixing them some years later, I had found a working method by doing various remixes, where I like to compress the sound or squeeze it together and then fill the void with static, to make the music sound far away, that is the sound I always had in my head. (Lo Olle in 2018)”

MC/MP3 | 2018

A1. För få av oss / Åskan
A2. Tystnaden
A3. Mörkret förstår
B1. Faller
B2. Vi är en storm
B3. Tiden står still

First cassette by LoMaria. It contains elements of deep dubby electronics, synth pop and shoegaze soundscapes with Marias strong and emotive voice balanced by Olles dark mumble. The songs are mixed together like a DJ set in 112 bpm. It was mastered on analog tape by Joakim Westlund and contains artwork by Ivan Eriksson and a cover photo by Susana Santa-Marta.

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LP | 2016

The Future Sound of Sandviken is the defining release for [krig] and contains four tracks of dark rhythmic dub infused post-electronic sounds. [krig] is an artistic expression consisting of music and other art forms that offers a glimpse into a different universe but also tries to physically manifest this [krig] universe in the “Real World”. If you have seen their live shows or art shows you know what this means.

Tracklist:
A1: Slaggstensdub
A2: Storstadsupprepning
B1: Frihetsdisco
B2: Revolutionsdub

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MC/MP3 | 2017

1. Lodestone
2. Kuddas Molnberg
3. Sparks
4. Event Data
5. The Ninth Son of the Hurricane
6. John Frum
7. Eulogy
8. Gentle Doomsayer

The second cassette release on Stålverk from Alpha Mound. This time it is a eight track album of downtempo beats and ambient textures. Also some strong melody and song crafting on these instrumental tracks. Alpha Mound is the solo project of studio wiz Joakim Westlund, member of bands like The Entire Cast and Aerial and mastering mastermind for labels like Stålverk and Lamour.

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MP3 | 2016

1. Anhedonia
2. Wilderbeest
3. Dust Settles
4. Anhedonia [krig] remix
5. Wildebeest AKB remix
6. Dust Settles Lo/\/\aria remix

Kairos is Citadel Reds debut EP. It contains 3 songs of techno / electronic beats and 3 remixes. Anhedonia was the original title to the movie Annie Hall and means “the inability to enjoy anything”. We don’t need to overanalyze this but the tracks have a dark nihilistic vibe. [krig] goes dirty and rhythmic, AKB does beautiful ambient and Lomaria makes some form of hippie dance music.

MC | 2016

1. Amp Freak
2. Origin Signal
3. Ziggurat
4. Ambient i Ess (till band)

Amass is 4 song short, 42 minutes long album/cassette featuring the music of Alpha Mound. It is a musical odyssey ranging from ambient, soft-techno to post-rock.
Available on Cassette.

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MP3 | 2015

They Walk Among Us is a no nonsense – techno track with acid and dub leanings. Mystic Order started making tracks and doing parties back in 2015 and this is their first addition to the Stålverk sound. They keep the industrial town mentality to music- harsh, dark and minimal.

The track has been reworked to four different pieces of music by some of Stålverks most prolific artists and some well known and respected names in the local scene. [krig] has made it into a primitive rhythm ritual, Slim Vic has expanded on the ambient sounds of the tracks, Lo/\/\aria (on their first release ever) has built on the vocal loop and made a low-key moody vocal techno piece, finally LEHNBERG works it into even darker more menacing techno than the original.

MP3 | 2015

A Conclusion, in logic, is a proposition concluded or inferred from the premises of an argument. If A and B have certain properties, C logically follows. If Socrates is a human and all humans are mortal, Socrates is mortal. A conclusion can also mean the last main part of a discourse, usually summing up the main points of the argument. It can also mean outcome or final product.
Super Mario Bros 2 was originally released in Japan, developed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, the creators of the original Super Mario Bros. Visually it looked very similar to the original game but it was considerably more difficult, intented for players who had already mastered Super Mario Bros.
American Nintendo felt the game was too difficult and would frustrate and alienate its audience, and started developing another sequel, the game now called Super Mario Bros 2 in the west (which is actually a rework of the japanese game Doki Doki Panic). The original Japanese version, has since become known as The Lost Levels, and re-released on various platforms.
Masta Killa of the Wu-Tang Clan got his name from the movie 36 Chambers of Shaolin, where the main character is called Master Killer. Being less experienced than the other Wu-Tang members, he felt like he had to go through the 36 trials and challenges the hero of the movie goes through, to get to the same level as the other more experienced Wu-Tang members. Only one of his verses made it onto the Clan’s first album ”Enter the Wu-Tang”, the final verse of ”Mystery of Chessboxin” which is now considered a classic.
Much in the same way, Lo & [krig] had to go through the Lost Levels to sum up and reach the logical final outcome of their Conclusion project (Parts 1-6 availible on Stalverk)
In the Summer of 2013 they went deep into the woods of northern Gästrikland to the place Lumsheden, and tried to find the wisdom to complete their task. Perhaps failing and perhaps succeeding, you can hear their struggles on this recording.

MP3 | 2013

This is the third and final part of Leonard Hummers “is Nothing”-trilogy, originally started in 2008 with “Violence is Nothing”.

Leonard Hummer interviewed in 2015:

“It feels kind of sad. I spent a lot of work on this, trying to find myself and who I am in music creation. But I am also, of course, very satisfied with completing this. Feels like I’ve done something during all these years, at least.
The idea came after I had spent a lot of time listening to Stålverk releases and I wanted somehow to be a part of this. Before, I had composed more melodic stuff and it felt challenging to make something “more Stålverk”.
In the beginning, it wasn’t meant to be a trilogy, it was more like it didn’t feel finished after “Violence is Nothing” and the idea took form. There is no red thread in the trilogy, but I wanted a sparse production and I tried not renew myself too much, it has to feel like one 1,5 hour long album.
“Patience has a darker side, which felt natural since it is the last part of the Trilogy. I always loved unhappy endings, so it felt good to dim the atmosphere towards the end.”

Playing piano from the age of five, Lenny has always been around music, playing it, beating it or programmed it. His compositions is mainly about the struggle to honor sound itself, when asked about what kind of music he makes, he will typically answer with a mood or an environment rather than a musical genre. This has resulted in seamless trips through the wide spectra of melodies and soundscapes,containing everything from mellow pads, rounded basslines and minimal beats to whirlwinds of percussion, abstract loops and filtered syntheseizers. He has made music to independent video game Sanctum 2 and made lots of solo releases. Check out his Bandcamp.

MP3 | 2013

On the one year anniversary of the Endless Embark release, the 23 of October
the remixed version sees the light of day. The original five track EP/album
has it’s themes focusing on movement and standing still. Escapism and moving
in one place instead of geographically. So it is only fitting that five
musicians from Sandviken, some of which have moved, others not and in varying
distance, have done one track each.

The artists remixing are (in order of appearance): [krig], Adam Wiger, LO, Leonard Hummer
and DÖDEN.

The track listing are in the same order as the original but with a higher degree of
focus on rhythm on all of the remixes. These guys have made Endless Embark Remixed
a five track techno album!

”
I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who participated in this
project and a great big thanks for taking my songs in such a wonderful
direction as this!
”
(Joakim in 2013)

12" | 2015

Split 12″ with Lo and [krig] picks up from where STALVERK#1010 left off. Fluid rhythm patterns, a dark tone and otherworldly edge.

The second installment of Stalverk’s 1000-series of 12″es was released in late 2015. The cover is hand crafted, and the record contains one song each by Lo and [krig]. The music is a dark and primitive steel mill town version of electronic music that is The Sound of Sandviken. Call it techno, electronica, dub techno or whatever.

Lo side has some broken beats, string loops, tense atmosphere and some vocal s*mples that should get us s*ed if someone was paying attention…
[krig] does their usual dark rhythmic style, close to industrial harshness on this one, with some really apocayptic voice s*mples.

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12" | 2012

SIDE A. 08.32.930 (Lo)
SIDE B. 07.04.918 [krig]

The first release in a new series, STALVERK1010 features one track each by Lo and [krig]. It is an artistic statement, made to present a new universe of sounds, rooms, beings and ideas.

Side A focuses on a dense melancholic atmosphere, framed by a straight but organic, free flowing rhythm track and lots of echoes, an unearthly and dream-like meditation on sound.

Side B is more rhythmic and direct, with a voice sample in the beginning of the track proclaiming “give a meaning to our lives”. The track uses mainly percussion and synths to create a unique polyrhythmic pattern.

Mastered by: Joakim Westlund

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PDF | 2007

Martin Wollerstam has earlier made cover art for lots of Tunic releases and this is his debut comic book album which consists of 69 drawings with text, covering topics such as family, relationships, bipolar disorder, drinking, animals, plants, happiness and other fantasies. 69 Illustrations with text, in Swedish.

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LP | 2008

A1. Beyond
A2. Kill Speed Love
A3. Fitzroy Gardens
A4. Clap Clap
A5. Opus pt.2

B1. Shiver
B2. Hotel
B3. Sandviken pt.1
B4. Day Is Done

Tunic – Sandviken LP is the first full-length release by Tunic. It has Roland beats, guitar noise, analog synth beeps and more stuff. Three singers with individual styles contributing stuff. Sandviken LP, much like many debut albums, is a record that sums up everything important about the people who made it and the time and place it was made in, in a handful of pop songs.

Tunic has played together since 1996. They have always consisted of Jessica Aspeby, Jon Perman and Olle Ohlsson. They do this for a reason: to express an idea as a song. Not to be a rock band or to have something to talk about at parties or to have a career or to have fun. Tunic has continued making music even though members have lived in different cities and countries, done stuff in life and various other music projects. But their essence remains at Kungen, Sandviken. Tunic always reinvents itself and always seeks new forms.

10" | 2001

A1: Pong Kombat
A2: Pink Fizz
A3: Bossanova
A4: Skjutglad

B1: Nattsudd
B2: Dygnsrytmsdomino

Olle (in 2016): Me and Andreas had an internship at Kungen (the famous Sandviken venue) and we were at the time very interested in analog synthesizers, so we started a recording Project that would become a long lived electronic duo. Rolands groovebox series made it possible to program a lot of drum machines and synth sounds and we did various experiments with a portable 4-track cassette studio and effect pedals. We listened to a lot of Krautrock records that were being reissued on CD back then – Neu!, Cluster, Can. We also found some vinyl records by Faust and Popul Vuh at the local second hand record store. We were playing a lot of Tetris at Kungen so we named the band Tetris! (the exclamation mark taken from Neu!) thankfully we realized pretty soon it is a very stupid band name and changed it to Plankton. We went to Andreas family’s summer house in Lingbo during the summer and made an album in a week. I still like it very much, some of it sounds very typical of its time – all those Casio synth-drum machines and blip blop sounds and retro video game stuff was popular back then. But I also think we used them out of necessity. The Roland MC303 wasn’t as good as the MC505 for programming drum sounds, so we used a lot of those standard synth beats like Bossanova (on the SA-21) and the VL-1 drum track because it was the best rhythm track we had available.
But on songs like “Nattsudd” and “Bossanova”, I think we have captured the joy of machine music and made something atmospheric and musical. I think “Nattsudd” is the first sketch to the electronic sound I still do.
It was very nice that we released this I think, a 4-track cassette recording released on vinyl, it sounds very analogue and is done with about 90% analog equipment. Only the mastering and a few overdubs are done digitally. We played in Berlin once when this record was out, which was great for us because Germany was our spiritual home.
This was released in cooperation with another record company (Lady Godiva Operations) to share the costs, we pressed and sold half the edition each.

Discogs

7" | 2000

A1: Tunic – (Come On And Do It) One More Time – Black Kongo remix

B1: Incognito Pop – The Essence of Pop – Cobra Attack Remix

Both tracks remixed by Martin Venetjoki.

Olle (in 2016):

As our second release, we put out something I’m still very proud of. I think this is a unique record. A local house producer in his experimental phase remixes two punk demos and it becomes something else entirely. There is a point of contact with late 90’s electro-rock experiments – Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR, Atari Teenage Riot and some other underground stuff in that vein – but to me this record doesn’t sound like any of them.
Martins effort should be highlighted – we just gave him a DAT with the separate tracks of our recordings and we got the finished result back. No one could guess what he would come up with. This was before digital recording became a big thing and you could mix instrumental tracks with electronic sounds easily – Martin has done this with a sampler and an old Atari 1040. The Tunic song to me really sounds like a band rather than a remix, the samples and electronic sounds blends perfectly with the distorted voice. I think this is how we wanted the band to sound but we didn’t know how it was done. Incognito Pop’s song is more the sum of its parts but it sounds even sicker, haha!
The packaging is magic – It looked like a candy bag! No big artist logos, no pictures, it’s a record! The medium is the message. All distributors complained that it quickly became ugly and looked old when it was in the record shops but it looked really cool when it was new!
I’m very happy that we released this on vinyl and at the time it was very exciting to run a record label – to us this record was proof that we were pretty much ahead of everyone creatively. It sold only a few hundred copies on vinyl (like all our future releases as well, ha ha!) but just holding it in your hand and playing it at parties was reward enough.

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