Swedish House Mafia partner with IKEA for collection focused on at-home creativity for artists
There’s a new Swedish House Mafia collaboration, but it’s not the one anyone could have predicted. After the Swedes closed out their pre-show stint at the VMAs with a jaw-dropping single teaser alongside The Weeknd—currently fan-dubbed “Moth To A Flame”—they’re now joining forces with a fellow Swedish-based giant, IKEA.
Through a collection scheduled to debut in September 2022, which will include “home furnishing solutions designed to make it easier to get into a creative flow for producing, playing and listening to music at home,” Swedish House Mafia and IKEA will dive into the relationship between music and inspiring at-home creativity. For those that have been following along with the trio during the last year-plus, the announcement doesn’t entirely come as a surprise considering Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello were spotted at an IKEA prototype factory in Sweden in February 2022. IKEA’s product design leader James Futcher and the Sewdes themselves spoke on why the furniture brand and one of dance music’s most hailed names decided to partner up, stating,
“We are very excited and happy to announce the collaboration with Swedish House Mafia. With their solid expertise in music production, we hope to be able together to democratize creativity and music production so that even more people can be more creative at home. We want to explore how IKEA together with Swedish House Mafia could make the everyday life easier for the many people listening to and creating music. This collection will enable people to create the perfect home studio for an affordable price.” – James Futcher
“We both wanted to reach out of our comfort zones and create something new and fresh together: a pure collaboration between music creators and a home expert. We strongly felt a need to collaborate with someone who shared our vision of making it possible for everyone to create music at home. As artists and producers, we also understand the importance of a home studio set-up and the needs and challenges many up-and-coming artists and creatives have at home.” – Swedish House Mafia
Read Ikea’s full announcement here and watch the teaser video below, which previews what may very well be a new Swedish House Mafia track from their album, Paradise Again.
ADE moves ahead with Festival, ADE conference cancelled
The past months have been increasingly turbulent in the Netherlands with continuous uncertainties and changing regulations, leading to nationwide demonstrations by the festival and nightlife scene over the past weeks.
During its most recent press conference, the Dutch government has announced its new set of Covid regulations, including the mandate that clubs, venues and indoor events are forced to close between 00:00 and 06:00. Despite these restrictions, we are fully committed to host a solid and safe ADE Festival in accordance with the current policies.
We are touched by the positive energy and the resilience displayed by our beloved nightlife scene, willing to do everything possible including shifting their schedules to daytime in order to push forward with their events within the current measures. We want to do all we can to support our scene in its efforts to open up again.
The recent protest marches have shown once again the immense passion and devotion among the electronic music scene and we are filled with joy that we will still be able to dance and celebrate with all of you this year.
Over the coming days, the ADE team and the Amsterdam city council are examining the last details of the new regulations for each type of event within the total ADE offering.
Please read our FAQ below for more information regarding the implications of the current policy on your access to venues and events, and be sure check in with local requirements before attending events next month.
ADE Conference
Due to months of regulatory uncertainties up until four weeks before the event, paired with strict conditions surrounding international travel, the ADE Pro conference has been forced to cancel. Instead, we are pouring all of our resources available into making ADE Festival as safe and unforgettable as possible.
ADE Pro Pass buyers will be contacted with more info about their ticket within days. Please note that all ticket buyers will have the opportunity to reimburse their Pro Pass or move it to 2022.
For professionals in the city during the festival looking for a place to network, we are exploring a number of networking opportunities to be announced soon. Keep an eye on our channels over the following weeks to find out more.
MUSIC CAN HELP REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA, STUDY REVEALS
Music for Dementia and the National Academy for Social Prescribing are supporting four specialist centres for music therapy
Music can help reduce the symptoms of depression in people with dementia, according to two studies that have now spurred on the charity Music for Dementia to increase support for a number of related projects.
The organisation campaigns to make music accessible to everyone living with the degenerative condition. Now two separate studies found a notable improvement in the cognitive functions of participants engaged in music therapy compared to those that were not.
One of the projects noted 54% of those taking part in choir-based music therapy experienced a reduction in depressive symptoms. Meanwhile, the quality of life score also increased, by 57%. Another investigation saw that music therapy significantly increased speech content and fluency in 20 patients living with dementia.
John Sharpe was diagnosed with dementia six years ago, and believes the music therapy he attends at The Derbyshire Stroke & Neuro Therapy Centre is having a positive impact: “Music is my memories. It makes me remember the bands I saw long ago, such as Queen at Earls Court in 1982 and Bowie in Manchester. I really enjoy talking to my friends here about music and bands, it’s so good to remember them together.
Music for Dementia and the National Academy for Social Prescribing are now making new funding available to roll out music therapy initiatives to more people suffering from the condition.
Recipients include the nationwide Musica Music and Wellbeing CIC, The Derbyshire Stroke & Neuro Therapy Centre (also covering parts of Yorkshire), Lowestoft arts and community centre The Seagull Theatre, and Saffron Hall Trust, which works in partnership with the Cambridge Institute of Music Therapy Research at Anglia Ruskin University.
The University of Utah has previously reported similar findings in terms of music being used to help combat the effects of dementia. Meanwhile, the correlation between music and good mental health has long been understood. In July, we reported on how 57% of Britons reported music helping them to cope with lockdown.
TECHNICS ANNOUNCES NEW SL-1210G TURNTABLE
The new player will cost £3,499
Technics have released a new 1210 model of turntable, the SL-1210G. The new player is aimed at audiophiles though also maintains some of the features 1210 users will be familiar with. Described as a twin sister to the GAE model that came out in 2020, the 1210G features a new “iron-coreless direct drive motor, a hybrid encoder for rotational speed detection, using digital and analogue technology to allow for enhanced stability, a three-layer platter with high vibration-damping performance and high-damping silicone rubber insulators to minimise vibrations.”
European Technics Product Manager Frank Balzuweit said: “We learned from the huge success of the limited edition SL-1210GAE, which was launched in June 2020 and almost immediately sold out.”
He continued: “We realised there was high demand for a ‘regular’ black version of this flagship 1200 Series model. In its striking black finish, the new SL-1210G possesses genuine elegance.”
The 1210G will cost £3,499 and will be available from October 2021.
Find out more about the 1210G here.
Earlier this year, Technics also introduced a new model of 1200, the MK7, coming in at £799.
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS RELEASE NEW FREE CHARITY SOUNDPACK FEAT !LLMIND, SOFI TUKKER, MORE
The pack is the next installment in their Community Drive series
Native Instruments has released a new charity soundpack to raise funds for Girls Make Beats, featuring producer !llmind who’s worked with Drake, Ariana Grande and Kayne West, as well as sounds from UK rapper Flohio, vocalist and producer Jamie Lidell, Zola Jesus, Telefon Tel Aviv, SOFI TUKKER and more.
The pack is aimed at raising money and awareness for Girls Make Beats, a charity and initiative started in 2012 by engineer Tiffany Miranda. In a statement, NI said, “Just 2% of music producers and 3% of audio engineers on the Billboard Hot 100 charts are female, according to a study by USC Annenberg, Girls Make Beats is dedicated to creating real-world opportunities to break barriers in the music industry.”
Tiffany Miranda added: “The overall goal of Girls Make Beats is to tie their education and learning to real-world opportunities. I wanted to create an avenue for girls to have access to these fields without facing the challenges I faced, and I'm sure a lot of women in the industry have faced them. I am super passionate about the work we do and really passionate about putting girls at the forefront of music technology.”
NI themselves have also donated $30,000 to the fund. Download it and donate here.