Eddie Bengtsson is one of Sweden’s leading electronic music composers and performers. As a founder of Page (with Marina Schiptjenko), S.P.O.C.K, Sista mannen på jorden, and This Fish Needs a Bike, he has been a key figure on the country’s dynamic synth scene since the beginning of the 1980s.
Christer Hermodsson is recognisable as the former singer of Spark!, the prime mover behind Biomekkanik, and a core contributor to Sista mannen på jorden’s sound and live show. He was also a member of S.P.O.C.K after Bengtsson retired; taking on songwriting duties and reshaping the band’s sound. Hermodsson’s behind-the-scenes production work has helped shape many key recordings in the genre.
As Page releases a new EP and prepares for the launch of a new album in the autumn of 2026 (which Hermodsson is producing and mixing) we asked them to talk to us about their approaches to music-making.
Eddie Bengtsson
You’ve said before that a sound has never been what triggers you to write a song; i.e., you think in pop concepts, not “fun sound” concepts. Did “Ett förslag” – the latest Page original – begin with a concept the way your albums usually do, or did this one start from something else entirely?
What I meant by that is that I never sit down and fiddle with my synthesizers, randomly create sounds, and then build a song. It’s more the opposite. I have a song in my head, as well as the sounds I want for it – and then I create them, pretty fast, on my instrument while composing.
There is some kind of concept behind “Ett förslag” and the coming album (spoiler!). I read a lot of music biographies for inspiration. Maybe that sounds strange; but, just as I read a lot of books about Gary Numan/Tubeway Army (I have them all, I think) when I wrote the songs for Fakta för alla and En ny våg, I have been reading lots of books about krautrock recently. It’s not so much that I try to copy how krautrock sounds – krautrock sounds very diverse, anyway. It’s more that I read about how they worked with all the limitations they had; and then I try to get into that mood of creating stuff but with kind of the same conditions and thinking. Oh well, it’s a bit hard to explain, really.
I have to say, though, that Page has always just sounded like Page and nothing else. Page has a very specific and cool sound and there is no other band that sounds remotely like Page – and that’s nice.
My goal this time was also not to make direct pop songs. My goal was to make it more “experimental” (as experimental as you can expect Page to be), and also more monotonic and hypnotic. That was my aim, at least. But I suppose that, for most people, it’s going to sound like the Page they are used to – and that’s also good.
You’ve talked about deliberately keeping different synths tied to different projects – SMPJ was the CS-15 band, Page was the Pro-1 band, S.P.O.C.K was the Korg band – specifically to stop everything sounding the same. Now that you’re mostly on Moog gear across the board, how do you still keep Page sounding like Page and not bleed into your other projects?
Well, at the moment, I don’t have any other project going on, so there is no problem with that. That is not entirely true, though, because there has been some work on new Sista Mannen På Jorden stuff. But, I guess if I was to do S.P.O.C.K-songs again, it would still be on my Moog set-up. I would just have to “force it” to sound a little more S.P.O.C.K, I suppose. At least, the way S.P.O.C.K sounded when I wrote the songs. It actually happens sometimes when making music that I suddenly go, “Whoa, this is a great S.P.O.C.K-song. It would have been perfect for them!” But then I have to reshape it a little bit to get away from that, or just delete it.
You told Zero Magazine about a method you call “murar” – building mental walls that shut out every influence except the ones you genuinely love – as a way of protecting creativity. Is that still how you approach a record, and did it apply to putting “Ett förslag” together?
Yes it is, and even more I guess. The only time I listen to music is when I want to get in a mood of doing music myself. This time, it has been lots of krautrock and some Kraftwerk (because I read some books about them, too).
The danger with this is that there is a very big risk of killing the music – killing the artist that I’m so intensely listening to. It has happened to me before. I have killed Depeche Mode and Silicon Teens many years ago. The same with Yazoo (or anything with Vince Clarke). You have to understand that I was totally “living” those albums in their time, and now I can’t stand them. I suppose I will never again voluntarily listen to a Yazoo album or song again. It’s a fact – a very sad fact.
And a very, very sad thing, too, is that I’m scared that the same thing has happened to Numan and Ultravox. I had to take a break from those records, like two years ago, and now I don’t dare to listen to them again. I’m afraid the same thing has happened to those. I hope not, but I think it has – or is going to happen, if I listen to them again.
You’ve said you miss the curiosity of today’s listeners – that people are served music now rather than discovering it, and that there are fewer promoters and venues willing to put on live shows. With a new EP out, does that concern shape how or where you choose to release and perform new material?
Well, it does. Because more and more promoters and venue-fixers are “dropping out”. Independent music has a very hard time these days. Yes, there are festivals and stuff around Europe, especially Germany. And I salute those guys for keep on keeping on.
Or maybe I’m totally wrong here. I don’t have so much of an insight when it comes to those things. Maybe the scene is flourishing and new blood is coming in to it. I don’t know. When it comes to Page and doing live shows, we don’t do that very much. One reason is time – work and family; but, also, if we are going to play somewhere, it must be something that really attracts us to do it. We want to play live for a reason – like having a new song or even an album out. To play “everywhere,” when you get a chance to play, would feel very wrong. To play the same songs, over and over, and again and again, would not be fun at all. Not for the audience and not for us. But then, again, this is precisely what many bands in the genre do.
Christer Hermodsson
There has been a relatively long gap between Biomekkanik releases. What are you hoping to share in the future?
The new album is scheduled to be released either in November this year or in January next year. I hope people will like it, since I’ve “wandered off the beaten path” a bit more this time.
Biomekkanik takes time because I let it take time. It’s my own project, where I have total creative freedom. I don’t mass produce songs, just because I can. Some songs are done in a couple of hours, and some ideas lie around for years before they are realized.
The music is easy to do. It’s the words and how it should be sung that often takes time. One exception is the lyrics for “Violently Beautiful” – that was written seven years before I finally came up with suitable music for it.
Add to the equation that I’m a father of two sons. The first one was born just after the first album. Parenting takes a lot of time, but it can also force you to make better use of time.
I had been fiddling around with the State of Perfection album for years when suddenly there was a date for when I was going to be a parent. I got my act together pretty quickly and finished everything in just two months. Nowadays, I work faster, because I know the apocalypse is coming (just kidding – or am I? Play “1999” by Prince while you read this).
A Facebook joke about “non-AI-versions” of the band stuck with fans in the comments – was that a throwaway line, or is AI-generated music and imagery something you’re actually thinking about as a threat or talking point for a band your size right now?
Confuse an AI! That’s my motto. “You is lawnmower gooblygook swimming anxiety and only on Tuesdays” – go ahead and train your AI on that!
STIM has now a checkbox for their members: “Do you accept that your music is used for AI training?” It’s great that they have addressed the problem, but I’m still not sure if I should check that box or not. My stuff still flies under the radar for AI training, so that’s not an issue yet.
But I am quite pissed off about certain aspects of AI. People use AI to make their stupid cat dance. Kids use AI for their schoolwork. There’s a huge laziness factor that has nothing to do with innovation or progress. AI needs CPU/data centres, and data centres need energy. Sure, it’s a great tool for science or coding software, etc., but I feel we waste resources on just pure bullshit.
An extreme example: Elon Musk’s massive xAI Colossus supercomputers in Memphis, for his Grok AI model stuff. He bypassed the standard power grid development by using a fleet of dozens of temporary, trailer-mounted mobile methane-gas and diesel turbines. As I write this, these diesel turbines are still running, causing environmental health problems for the people living in the area. Drive your AI with renewable energies – and I will keep my mouth shut about your dancing cat.
Not too long ago, I did the unthinkable – I used AI. With a fear and a deep breath, I turned to ChatGPT! I asked it to write lyrics for a song and gave it some instructions. I pressed go and waited nervously. It was a huge relief when the result came back: it was trite; commonplace – total and utter crap!
Art is too complex – our brains are too complex, with all their feelings and dreams and abstract things. Take a poem like “Requiem” by Anna Akhmatova, a woman in the Soviet Union writing about the Soviet Union. It’s dark, clever and beautiful, even in its English translation. To create something like that, knowing you could end up in jail, gives it that extra edge. AI can only make a copy of that. It has not lived in the USSR during the ‘40s.
The line-up of Biomekkanik has changed and we have had Wave Gotik Treffen and Subkult shows – is this the team that’s going to carry Biomekkanik through the new album cycle, and how did you put it together after such a long gap between records?
I experienced somewhat of a low period after the first two Biomekkanik albums. In 2016, I joined Spark! as the lead singer. This EBM pop we did was pure fun – maybe because I was not personally responsible for everything. Then came CoVID-19, which ruined everything just as Spark! was about to really take off. I almost quit music by that time – at least live shows. I felt, I’ve done the best gig I could ever do, so what’s the point in continuing (those high notes are a bit tricky, nowadays).
In late 2025, Mattias, the guitar player in Biomekkanik, told me to check us out on Spotify. It showed about 45,000 monthly listeners! Last time I checked, in 2017, it was barely 5,000 per month. We were surprised, since we had done nothing with the band for years – and certainly not paid for any Spotify campaigns.
Mattias told me I should stop moping and get my shit together. And so, I did. Three months later, I had ten songs, since I had not entirely stopped writing songs. By then, there were only the two of us, since Andreas, the keyboard player, had moved far away and was busy with other things. We needed to find a third person to be able to play live.
Enter Sandra Mattsson, a multi-instrumentalist who also sings in her own metal band, Lamashtu. Mattias met her during a tour with Morlocks in the US, where she played bass. So now we’ve done a couple of shows together, and it worked out just fine. Her live “workstation” is a fun mixture of both electronic and acoustic gadgets.
So yes, this is the team that is to carry Biomekkanik through the new album cycle.
Dependent Records built its reputation on acts like VNV Nation, Covenant, Mesh and Suicide Commando. Is the band’s signing to Dependent a hint at the direction of Biomekkanik’s sound, or should we expect something different?
The reason why Dependent signed/likes Biomekkanik is because we sound different than the aforementioned bands, while still being reasonably in the same ballpark. There are higher demands on us now, and there will be perhaps some changes in mixing, but the content is still Biomekkanik. I like Covenant a lot, but I could never sound like them, even if I tried.
Eddie & Christer
Eddie has said a software synth doesn’t really “exist” for him – that the aesthetics and the physical feel of hardware matter as much as the sound. Christer, do you share that view in your own productions, or are you more willing to reach for a plugin when it gets the job done faster?
Christer
Hardware is more fun, of course; but, for me, it wouldn’t make any difference if I had lots of expensive analogue synths. I have no preferences – both are great in their own way. Something I do feel strongly about is: No laptops visible on stage, please! It looks just like an office desk on a weekday! But, I admit, I have used a laptop live, myself, because it’s a problem-solver.
Both of you have written for S.P.O.C.K and shaped its sound. How do you look back at each other’s contributions?
Eddie
Oh, that is both a hard and delicate question. You know, when I quit S.P.O.C.K, I quit it all. I didn’t care so much what they were doing. But what they were doing – and especially Christer’s contribution – was something entirely different from what I was doing with S.P.O.C.K. This is my personal view; but, suddenly, S.P.O.C.K sounded very, very different. Christer came from, in a way, another background, and his song writing was a bit different than mine. Also, the sound of S.P.O.C.K changed drastically. Maybe they were trying to sound more “modern” – to that time’s standard. More euro-techno, maybe. They also made new versions of all my songs. I, personally, don’t think that was a good thing. Suddenly, they had a sound that was very similar to everything else on that scene. I never understood what they were trying to do – make a “new” S.P.O.C.K, maybe?
The original, special sound that SPOCK had was and is gone. But, again, this is all my personal view.
Christer
Eddie writes really good pop songs! I was lucky to join a band that already had a strong back catalogue. Some old backing tracks needed a bit of a renovation; but, apart from that, I have nothing but respect for the old material.
I remember there was discussion on Flashback when I joined S.P.O.C.K. Apparently, I was just totally ruining the band – and, on top of that, was a “fetish gay transvestite”. Best honest review I’ve ever gotten!
When you’re both in the room finishing a mix, whose ear tends to win: the writer who’s had a fixed idea of the song’s sound since before it was recorded, or the producer who’s hearing it fresh?
Eddie
With Page, we don’t work that way. I prepare everything at home and then I send all the files and a demo to Christer. Then, he does a marvellous job of putting together a fantastic, dynamic mix. I comment on that, and he makes changes. That’s the way: it goes back-and-forth until it’s just perfect. Christer knows me very well, and he knows how I think and what I want. There are no other “music people” in my circle of acquaintances that I respect more than Christer. He is fantastic at what he does. He would be a production asset for any Swedish artist – trust me.
With Sista Mannen på Jorden, it’s very different. With SMPJ, Christer gets the song with some standard sounds, so that he knows what it’s all about. Then, he goes into a 100% producer role and makes that song into something very new and exciting; but, still, inside the boundaries that he knows I have. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else with a thing like that. It’s good that he knows me so well.
Christer
Eddie’s ear wins! There’s seldom any disagreement about things, since I know Page and I know Eddie. It’s not restraining; it’s just another sonic universe that has enough freedom on its own. French horns do not fit into this music, so I don’t suggest French horns.
Eddie, you’ve said Cubase upgrades keep getting postponed until “after the next Page record.” Is the forthcoming Page album finally going to be the one that pushes you into new tools? Christer, if he does make the jump, is there gear or software you’d actively recommend to him versus what you use on your own Biomekkanik sessions?
Eddie
Easy question. No, not yet. And I think Christer has a lot of ideas about what he wishes from me.
Christer
This might not be a very exciting answer. Yes, I use the latest Cubase version.
I don’t have anything super special in my studio. The software and audio interfaces are so good, nowadays that, apart from the microphone, it is entirely up to me if it sounds good or bad. If the gear is tampering with your creative flow, then upgrade. The computer is the most boring but important tool in the recording studio. Updates might look like just more “bells and whistles”, but they often contain bug fixes, or they might even be sprint versions that you really need to have.
Yes, it’s an ongoing cost but it was the same in the old days when you had to service your 16 track tape machine, lift out channels of a mixing desk and send them to service.
Christer, mixing “Ett förslag” and mixing your own upcoming Biomekkanik material must call for different instincts. Do you find yourself more willing to experiment or take risks on your own tracks than you would on someone else’s?
Christer
There is a big difference, if you put it on a scale of how much I’m involved.
On the two Page albums, I have done traditional sound engineer work. I get all of the audio tracks from Eddie, and then I fix stuff that needs fixing and mix all the tracks. Experimentation is done when needed; when something is missing.
In SMPJ, Eddie’s other band, I had more of a producer role. I was involved, already, at the recording stage. We know each other well; and so, when it comes to SMPJ, there is a mutual idea of what the sound should be.
With Spark! (where I also sang), it was production work in its purest sense. Sometimes, I got a whole song, and sometimes just some analogue bassline and a drumbeat. I did all the rest; but, without those clever components, it wouldn’t have been so successful.
Biomekkanik songs get “produced” already from the start, since I do everything myself. I can’t really tell if I’m being advantageous or not. But what happens more, nowadays, is I try to adapt Mattias’ guitar-playing. I send him a song; he invents guitar parts; then I alter the drums or the bass to better match his playing, instead of the other way around.
AI tools are now at the level that they can replace a lot of incidental music – for example, in film or television, where composers have long been given simple assignments. What are the human elements that will keep it from replacing songwriters in more advanced tasks?
Eddie
I will try to answer this very briefly; because, if I don’t, I could go on almost forever. Yes, AI is going to replace (almost) all music. At least, that music that you hear on radio and on TV (and film). AI is already now doing it so much better than we humans are. The only “human element” is going to be the artist that performs the music. The music will be made by AI and the songwriters who use it (and they are all going to do, soon). I think that all of the arts are going to be replaced by AI, including writers/authors/books, lyric-writers, songwriters, musicians, painters, moviemakers, actors, and more. And the thing is, in a generation, no one will care. It’s going to be, “It’s a good song. I don’t care who made it.” It’s like that already, actually. It’s really, really scary – and very sad. You know, I tried it. I asked some AI platform to make a song. I put in some prompts, and what came out was so unbelievably good – and also with a voice that sang in a way that I never could have. I don’t lie when I say it made me cry tears of frustration and resignation.
Some people say AI music is predictable and soulless. Yeah, maybe now; but wait a year or two, and you won’t be able to tell a “real” song apart from an AI song.
I don’t know. Maybe there is going to be some counter-reaction to this. Probably, there is going to be, but pretty much “underground.” The media is going to be dominated by AI, and the artists that struggle against that won’t be making any money on their music. This is just the beginning, and it’s going very fast. I know I’m a bit dystopian in my reasoning, but it’s my spontaneous feeling and view. Let’s hope I’m wrong about this – but I’m probably not.
Christer
Humans invent new musical ideas before AI. If you want something “special”, the AI won’t be able to provide it, yet.
I see a bigger problem with media (photos, movies, and recordings) no longer being solid evidence of things. So, now we have created a need for methods to identify what’s AI.
I’m glad I was born in the 70s.