Legendary Swedish producer/DJ Embee of Looptroop fame returns on a celebratory note as he earmarks the 20th anniversary of his Grammy Award-winning sophomore album Tellings from Solitaria. Released exactly 20 years ago, the project pushed musical boundaries with its genre-bending approach and rich soundscape that threaded modern and Nordic aesthetics. To celebrate this, Embee teamed up with some of Berlin’s top jazz musicians—Petter Eldh (Koma Saxo), Otis Sandsjö (Y-Otis), and the piano virtuoso Fabian Kallerdahl (Musicmusicmusic)—to create and record new material inspired by the mood and atmosphere of the debut album.

The first record “Barberry Byways” is a warm, soul-stirring lofi-soul track comprising sparse but crunchy drum breaks with layered jazzy piano and strings arrangement. The track also benefits from a gradual progression and use of tension and resolution to drive urgency into audiences.

The following track “Bougainvillea” follows a similar vein with a more upbeat and blissful energy. The kays are bright and energetic and the distorted textures are underpinned by a prevalent bass-driven groove, dusty pads and an airy flute pass that comes in at certain parts of the song. Overall, it evokes nostalgia with a touch of dreamy vibes.

The final track “Monsters” features vocalist Ayla who delivers a soul-stirring vocal performance ripe with spine-chilling sublime runs and heartfelt songwriting that audiences can relate to. Over the warm, melancholic soundscape, Ayla takes us deep into the dark crevices of her mind where she speaks to the monsters or the intrusive thoughts that swirl around. The track deals with self-doubt, trepidations, and the delicate topic of mental health in this modern age.

Listen to Tellings from Solitaria below

Magnus “Embee” Bergkvist, born in 1977 in Västerås, is perhaps best known as a producer and DJ in the iconic hip-hop group Looptroop (now Looptroop Rockers). Since the early 90s, alongside his bandmates Promoe, Supreme, and Cosmic, Embee has been a key figure in defining the early Swedish hip-hop scene, contributing to eleven full-length albums, a handful of mixtapes, countless singles, and tours both in Sweden and internationally. However, for the past 25 years, Embee has also been creating and releasing music under his own name.

Since 2017, Embee has been inducted into the Swedish Music Hall of Fame alongside his Looptroop Rockers bandmates.

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