The first time we talent-spotted Rein was about fifteen minutes after she put her first song on Soundcloud. The Swedish EBM artist has been a rocket ride since “There Is No Authority But Yourself” became our Track of the Day: nominations for Swedish awards keep flowing in; her songs are on mainstream radio and crushing the college circuit; and Dagens Nyheter’s Fredrik Strage thinks she’s the bomb.
He’s not wrong. There was a point when we were worried that there are only so many ways to make 16 beat step sequencing interesting, but Rein has put those concerns to rest. Freedoom (Playground), her new EP, takes a path that leads directly to the dancefloor. The opening track, “Missfit,” proves what we have been saying all along: the lady can sing! Yes, she can shout, scream and holler, but Rein has vocal chords as sweet as her lungs are steely. We were first given a glimpse in “Concrete Jungle,” but now the secret is out.
Don’t worry – Rein hasn’t gone all Tove Lo. Her instrumental compositions are blistering, as the industrial acid of “C.A.P.I.T.A.L.I.S.M.” and rolling bass of “Bruises” prove. Her vocals are solid, her politics are fierce, and Rein still packs a hell of a punch.
Halmstad is half-way between Gothenburg and Malmo on Sweden’s west coast. A perfect meeting place, therefore, for the country’s most enthusiastic poptronica fans. A small venue on the edge of the water provides the setting for an amiable evening to host a mini-festival featuring Canada’s best-loved synthpop heroes, Rational Youth, a rare appearance by Italo legend Paul Rein, a tribute to the sorely missed Krister Petersson, and more.
Proving The Electricity Club’s dictum that “the best shows are the ones curated by fans,” Beatbox Live was an ambitious but carefully-organised event, combining nostalgia and novelty in equal measure. It began with Electric City Cowboys, a part-time act from Karlshamn, who warmed up the crowd with danceable songs, and Modiga Agenter [EN: Brave Agents], who provided evidence of the talent bubbling under the surface of the Swedish scene.
A special event took place in the middle of the programme to remember the sorely-missed Krister Petterson. Pettersson was the Swedish Italo scene’s most visible booster, and he was also a key part of the legendary Vision Talk. Richard Flow from Machinista, who co-founded Vision Talk with Pettersson, led proceedings with a short set of classic Vision Talk songs before being joined by vocalist John Lindqwister for an equally too-brief set of Machinista songs.
Paul Rein is known to some as the father of Joanna Rein, our favourite EBM warrior. While Rein the Younger was waiting to go on stage at Stockholm’s Bodyfest, pere Rein was treating a crowd of nostalgic fans to a set of his hits, including “Communicate” and “Hold Back Your Love”. He’s lost some hair but none of his capacity to belt out a solid dance track.
Then it was the turn of Rational Youth. The Canadian legends were making their first Swedish appearances since releasing Future Past Tense, this year’s EP. Despite some technical problems that raised the possibility of the event going unplugged, they ploughed on with a set of classics and the newer material. Tracy and Gaenor Howe had just warmed up for Midge Ure (Ultravox, Visage, The Rich Kids) in Toronto, but were as happy as clams to be amongst the black-clad poptronica fans of Wallander country.
During “Everything Is Vapour,” Howe lost his microphone to a superfan in the crowd, but there were plenty of voices singing along to carry the chorus without amplification. None of the new material was lost in the set, and equal love was shown for classic and recent songs. The boisterous set ran late into the frigid Swedish night, keeping the darkness away for a hall filled with happy syntare.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
