The king of the sun-kissed summer anthem; the mogul behind
one of the hottest imprints on the planet; a superstar producer and DJ who’s
never lost the giddy enthusiasm of a fledgling clubber; and one of the most
successful and influential remixers of the 21st century. By anyone’s standards,
Axel ‘Axwell’ Hedfors is a giant of modern-day dance music – and he’s only
going to get bigger.Axwell’s steady ascent into
clubland aristocracy began when he struck crossover gold with 2004’s glorious
‘Feel The Vibe’. An unstoppably uplifting and instantly memorable track, the
original version of ‘Feel The Vibe’ (featuring vocalist Errol Reid) dazzled
every corner of clubland, before an overhauled version (with new vocals by Tara
McDonald) gate-crashed the UK top 20. 2005’s ‘Watch The Sunrise’ (featuring
Steve Edwards) proved to be another unstoppable anthem, as was his 2006
collaboration with fellow Swedish House Mafioso Steve Angello, Supermode’s
‘Tell Me Why’ (released via Ministry Of Sound, it reach #13 in the UK and #3 in
the Netherlands). But it was 2007’s rave-referencing ‘I Found U’ (#6 in the UK
charts) that really cemented Axwell’s status as a producer who could marry
artistic innovation with strong commercial appeal – a rare thing indeed, in any
genre of music. Most recently he was one of the forces behind Swedish House
Mafia – One (Your Name) featuring Pharell Williams, another top ten UK hit,
crashing into the summer charts at #7 and soundtracking every festival, dance
event and Ibiza club night.“I do feel pressure to maintain a certain level of
success,” says Axwell. “That’s a weight that lies on my shoulders – but all
that pressure comes from myself. I want every tune to be better than the last
one: to sound stronger, to be phatter, to work better in a club. So it’s
pressure, but it’s good pressure. It pushes me forwards, creatively.”“For me,
it’s all about asking questions of myself. Would I play this? Would I play it
during peak time? Is it the phattest thing I’ve ever heard? Is it the most
futuristic shit out there? I question the track – and myself – the whole time.
I’ve got a good expression: the goose-bumps never lie. If you get goose-bumps
during the production stage, then you’re on the right track...”Axwell’s
Midas-like touch – along with his peerless technical ability – has made him the
go-to guy for artists looking to get their latest release reworked into a
storming dancefloor juggernaut. Madonna, Nelly Furtado, Moby and Pharrell
Williams have all come a-knockin’, while productions such as his masterful
reworking of Hard-Fi’s ‘Hard To Beat’, his sublime remix of The Temper Trap’s
‘Sweet Disposition’ (along with Dirty South) and of course his unstoppable
version of TV Rock’s ‘In The Air’ have gone on to become as big as – or, in
many cases, bigger than – the original tracks.Listen song here:YouTube
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