Swedish House Mafia, composed of three titans in the big room house music scene, had mentioned that they would be breaking apart and that the group would be no more weeks ago. Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso have just recently announced their tour dates before they depart, with nearly all the shows selling out in mere minutes. As a tribute to all they have accomplished in their short time together, they have composed the album ‘Until Now’ as not only a soundtrack to their final tour, but also as a soundtrack to the past few years in which EDM has had an explosion of popularity, especially in the US. The album was released earlier this week, but for those that haven’t gotten your hands on it, or are skeptical about picking it up, I’ll be breaking the album down for you guys here. Below is the full tracklisting:
01. Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound
02. Hard Rock Sofa & Swanky Tunes – Here We Go
03. Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl ft. Georgi Kay – In My Mind (Axwell Remix)
04. Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso ft. Ryan Tedder – Calling (Lose My Mind)
05. Nari & Milani – Atom w/ Axwell, Ingrosso, Angello & Laidback Luke – Leave The World Behind
06. Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party – Antidote
07. Dirty South & Those Usual Suspects ft. Erik Hecht – Walking Alone w/ Swedish House Mafia vs. Tinie Tempah – Miami 2 Ibiza
08. Michael Calfan – Resurrection (Axwell Mix) w/ Coldplay – Paradise
09. Miike Snow – The Wave (Thomas Gold Remix)
10. Steve Aoki ft. Wynter Gordon – Ladi Dadi (Tommy Trash Remix) w/ Thomas Gold – Sing 2 Me w/ Red Carpet – Alright
11. Pendulum – The Island (Steve Angello, AN21 & Max Vangeli remix)
12. Steve Angello & Third Party – Lights
13. Alesso – Raise Your Head w/ Sandro Silva & Quintino – Epic
14. Hardwell – Three Triangles w/ Arty, Matisse & Sadko – Trio w/ Adrian Lux – Teenage Crime
15. Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash – Reload
16. Usher – Euphoria (Swedish House Mafia Extended Dub)
17. Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin – Don’t You Worry Child
18. M-3ox ft. Heidrun – Beating Of My Heart (Matisse & Sadko Remix) w/ The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
19. Coldplay vs. Swedish House Mafia – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
20. Florence & The Machine – You Got The Love (Mark Knight Remix) / Swedish House Mafia – One
21. Axwell – Heart Is King / Swedish House Mafia – Save The World (Knife Party Remix)
22. Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin – Save The World w/ Ferry Corsten – Punk (Arty Remix)
Looking at this, most people that have been following popular house music throughout the past few years will recognize nearly all these songs. It complies some of the greatest hits that have been played out and shows and festivals, from and by well known EDM acts. Not all of them are by Swedish House Mafia, but all the singles that they have produced have made their way onto this album. The only track on here that has not seen a release prior to this week is Steve’s new single with Third Party entitled ‘Lights’:
Steve Angello, Third Party – Lights (Original Mix)
The track itself is a solid house track, and definitely worth grabbing even by itself. However, the album is to be appreciated as a whole. Its a continuous mix broken down into single tracks, so you can listen to the whole CD and experience the music without shelling out a hundred or so dollars to see them live, or you can listen to the tracks individually, maybe even toss them into a DJ set. As the listing shows, some of the tracks are actually two or three tracks mixed by the members of Swedish House Mafia. There are some great combinations, which add depth to the set/album and enhances both the tracks being used, much like most mashups that are being produced are geared to do. I’ll just share some of the ones I thought were particularly great below:
Florence & The Machine vs Swedish House Mafia – You Got The Love (Mark Knight Remix) vs One
Nari & Milani vs Swedish House Mafia, Laidback Luke – Atom vs Leave The World Behind
Dirty South, Those Usual Suspects vs Swedish House Mafia – Walking Alone vs Miami 2 Ibiza
Hardwell vs Arty, Matisse & Sadko vs Adrian Lux – Three Triangles vs Trio vs Teenage Crime
These are the mixed tracks I found to be the best on the album, although all of them are definitely just as great. They may not seem as great to people that are unfamiliar with the original tracks, but for the avid fan who’s been listening to sets, going to shows, or living and breathing EDM for the past few years, these will definitely hit home. This is definitely the album worth picking up if you’re just getting into house music and are looking for some standout tracks to listen to. This has some of the best selling house singles since they formed together in 2010 (and even before, since ‘Leave The World Behind’ was released the year before when they were not known as Swedish House Mafia). If you need some good house music tunes to listen to, look no further. The group has defined how people view house music, even before their formation, and they have earned a spot in music history that is summarized by this album.
Now if you’re hooked on the album, and trying to catch them live, you’re going to have to do some hunting to find a ticket since the shows have for the most part sold out. There has been mention of additional shows being added to this final tour, but no official releases for those dates. The known dates are at the bottom of this article. Before I wrap up though, I’ve got some bonus tracks for you.
First, a great remix of SHM’s last track together, by dutch/electro DJs Promise Land
Swedish House Mafia – Don’t You Worry Child (Promise Land Remix)
Next, a great original produced by house legend Eric Prydz and the group Empire Of The Sun
Eric Prydz, Empire Of The Sun – We Are Mirage (Original Mix)
Finally, on the topic of mashups and mixed tracks, here’s one done by Kaskade
Kaskade vs Hard Rock Sofa – 4 AM Quasar (Kaskade Mashup)
Thanks for reading, and again, I strongly recommend the album for anyone just getting into EDM and needs some ‘classic’ tracks, fans that are looking to pick up songs for their music collection, or people looking to experience Swedish House Mafia in all their glory. Also make sure to give the tracks I posted here a listen, some quality picks if I do say so myself.
Swedish House Mafia Remaining Tour Dates 2013
Click here for ticket info & availability
February 13th – 17th: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (San Francisco)
February 20th: United Center (Chicago)
February 22nd – 23rd: Rogers Center (Toronto)
February 27th: Bell Centre (Montreal)
March 1st: Madison Square Garden (New York)
March 2nd – 4th: Barclays Center (New York)
March 8th & 9th: Masquerade Motel in LA State Historic Park (Los Angeles)
[More shows, including the final show, still to be announced…]