Features

Battlefield biggest Swedish export hit since ABBA

Johan Nylander, The Swedish Wire — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:17:00 GMT

Battlefield, Minecraft and Just Cause are three of the world's most popular computer games. But few players know that their favorite games have been developed by a number of high-tech firms in Stockholm, all within walking distance from one another.

Screen shot from Battlefield 3 Close Quarters. Photo: EA Digital Illusions CE

Södermalm, a district in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, has become one of the world's most important hubs for computer game development, attracting talent from across the globe.

Per Strömbäck, a spokesperson for the trade organization Swedish Games Industry (Dataspelsbranschen), says that Sweden is one of maybe 10 nations in the world producing games for a global audience.

“Battlefield is the biggest Swedish export success since ABBA,” he tells The Swedish Wire.

Swedish games — big business

Swedish export of games amounted to SEK 1,500 million (USD 225 million) last year. Almost two-thirds of that derives from the gaming cluster at Södermalm, according to Swedish Games Industry.

Per Strömbäck, spokesperson for Swedish Games Industry.
Photo: Swedish Games Industry

“In total, over 100 million people have played these titles,” Strömbäck says, adding that most players are from Europe and North America, with South America and the Middle East on the rise.

Everything indicates continued success for the Swedish games industry, the organization points out.

Platform adaptation

Swedish developers have proven to be in the forefront of the gaming field when it comes to adapting their game experiences to different platforms. In addition to the successful big name titles, a new wave of games is being developed for cell phones, Facebook and download.

For two decades it has been predicted that digital distribution of games would overtake traditional boxed sales, and now it looks like that shift is happening. Online sales of Swedish games increased by 30 to 40 percent in 2011, according to Swedish Games Industry.

Three top games and developers from Stockholm:

Battlefield. Developed by EA Digital Illusions CE. Over 50 million units sold in various editions since 2003. Largest Swedish cultural export since ABBA in dollars and cents. Classic multiplayer war action.
Minecraft. Developed by Markus “Notch” Persson and his company Mojang. A global gaming phenomenon with millions of players. Revenues of SEK 500 million. Creative and innovative; a kind of virtual Lego that lets users create fantastic worlds.
Just Cause. Developed by Avalanche Studios. Comic book action. The player is an American agent making a coup in a banana republic. Exaggerated effects combined with subtle social criticism. Renowned for its huge maps, the largest in the gaming world, which the player can freely explore.

Swedish folk music — different traditions and modern influences

Sweden.se — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:48:00 GMT

Bands such as Frifot (literally Footloose) and Hedningarna (The Heathens) have certainly helped pique an international interest in Swedish folk music over the years.

Hedningarna: Höglorfen

Hedningarna blend electronics and rock into their folk tunes. Frifot, meanwhile, are something of a super-group in the genre. They rely on more traditional instruments such as fiddle, accordion and nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish string instrument.

Swedish folk music has a lot in common with other European folk music styles and is based on dance music such as the Polska. But there is also another type of Swedish folk music — that of the Sami people. Often vocal, with a yodeling style known as joik, Sami music differs quite a bit from other Swedish folk music. Mythical in its sound, it recalls the traditional life of nomadic reindeer herders, serving as an important part of an ancient oral tradition.

Alternative bands set the tone in Sweden

Sweden.se — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:38:00 GMT

Regardless of whether you prefer well-produced pop, laid-back singer-songwriters or falsetto singing over a melodious electric guitar riff, the Swedish indie scene will satisfy your hunger.

It’s hard to distinguish any regional differences when it comes to the genre's sound, perhaps with the exception of Gothenburg on the Swedish west coast. A number of bands with style-setting codes and an intellectual image originate from there: The Tough Alliance (TTA), Studio, The Embassy, Jens Lekman, and others.

Fibes, Oh Fibes!: Apex of the Sun

Swedish alternative pop seems to have a preference for constellations of two-man bands and lone women like Lykke Li, Laleh, Marit Bergman and Taken By Trees. The latter is really Victoria Bergsman, formerly a singer with The Concretes, a band that was a favorite with critics. In recent years, there has also been a clear trend toward digitalization — often with good results, but sometimes forced and feeble. Yet the biggest bands in Swedish indie music have often been around for a few years: Kent, Weeping Willows, The Cardigans and The Hives.

And for those of you who want to expand your knowledge, we recommend checking out some record companies. Labrador Records offers both shoegazing bands and sunshine pop, and the label Songs I wish I had written has Gentle Touch and the sensitive operatic pop artist Moto boy.

Swedish jazz breaking borders

Sweden.se — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:01:00 GMT

Swedish jazz has a rich, venerable tradition of celebrated musicians with an international reputation. Although Swedish jazz has been accused every now and then of keeping a bit too close an eye on the United States, to most it has a clear Nordic sound with inspiration from Scandinavian folk music.

Lars Gullin is considered to be one of the greatest European jazz musicians of all time. Known for his sensitive baritone saxophone playing, combined with quirky compositions, he toured around the world in the 1950s and 1960s. His music may seem a long way from today’s contemporary jazz, but that’s simply not the case. While this new generation of jazz artists interpret their heritage and explore new sounds, they do so out of deep respect.

Some of the big bands like Blue House Jazz Orchestra or Norrbotten Big Band have a long, strong tradition in Swedish jazz. They can be dramatically electronic and play just as easily with samba rhythms as with a big brass sound. Modern jazz musicians are making organically groove-based hybrids consisting of organ riffs, bebop themes and ska. Some lean toward funk and garage rock — and some create hybrids of dub and free jazz, sometimes all-out house music. Swedish jazz has no borders.

Nils Landgren and Bohuslän Big Band: Dalodrum — live performance

Internationally, Esbjörn Svensson Trio (E.S.T.) is perhaps the best known, while many still think Jonas Kullhammar is the most exciting thing in Swedish jazz today. Kullhammar has taken part in over a hundred recordings, arranged jazz clubs and runs the record company Moserobie — called “the next Blue Note” by international journalists.

Glenn Miller Café and Fasching in Stockholm as well as Nefertiti in Gothenburg are all popular haunts for jazz lovers in Sweden.

Sweden rocks — especially in the rest of the world

Sweden.se — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:51:00 GMT

Swedish rock of the harder variety has an incredible range, with world names in a number of subgenres: In Flames (metal), HammerFall (heavy metal), Backyard Babies (hardcore rock), Entombed (death metal), Hellacopters (1970s-influenced punk rock), Candlemass (doom metal), Clawfinger (rap metal), Deathstars (gothic rock), and more.

The fact is that there are over a hundred internationally viable heavier rock bands in Sweden, and the music is starting to achieve the same status it had in the heyday of the 1980s, when Europe, Yngwie Malmsteen and Electric Boys spread their music across the world.

On their home turf, however, Swedish bands are a fairly rare sight. Their status in regions like North and South America, Central Europe and Japan means that many bands spend their time abroad rather than in Sweden. The fans in Sweden tend to be divided equally among children, teens and adults. The annual Sweden Rock Festival is more a family affair than a meeting place for drunken teenagers, and the old controversies associated with the genre have long died down.

Opeth: The Devil's Orchard

Swedish national day takes shape

Cari Simmons, freelance writer — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:30:00 GMT

On June 6, Swedes have the day off to celebrate their national day. Demonstrations of national pride don’t come naturally to Swedes, who are still deciding what to do with the holiday.

Although many people will raise the Swedish flag, June 6 is much more than a flag day. Photo: Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se

June 6 became the Swedish national day in 1983 and was previously known as Swedish flag day. It marks the coronation of Gustav Vasa in 1523 and the adoption of a new constitution in 1809. But the Swedish Riksdag (parliament) only designated June 6 a public holiday in 2005 to encourage people to celebrate being Swedish.

Apart from decorating public transport with blue and yellow flags, Swedes are still figuring out what to do with the holiday. Some people resent the Whit Monday public holiday making room for June 6 and the loss of a guaranteed long weekend at the cottage. Others worry that a national day will stir up the wrong kind of nationalism. But it is most likely that this holiday — which everyone can celebrate, regardless of culture or religion — will do more to bring the nation together than to divide it.

Cause for celebration

In 2006, Nordiska Museet (the Nordic Museum) conducted a survey among Swedes to find out how they perceive their national day. Results show that immigrants are especially eager to embrace the holiday. For the many immigrants who associate the day with receiving Swedish citizenship, there is a great deal of which to be proud, says ethnologist Lena Kättström Höök at Nordiska Museet.

“Some Swedes say, ‘Why do we need a national day when we have midsummer? Midsummer is our national holiday.’ But many new Swedes think it is important to celebrate living in a free and independent country. This is perhaps something us old Swedes can learn to appreciate more.”

Some Swedes argue that midsummer is their national day.
Photo: Hans Bjurling/Johnér

Kendal von Sydow, a communications consultant, grew up in the United States where July 4 is widely celebrated. She became a Swedish citizen in 2001 and says it is important for Sweden to have a national day as well. “It’s a time for people to reflect on what it means to be a citizen of the country, as well its history and position today. It seems that many Swedes aren’t comfortable with publicly expressing pride in their country.”

But Kättström Höök says people are unsure how to respond to a national day. “Most of our celebrations are rooted in tradition and everyone knows how to celebrate them, but it will take time for people to get accustomed to this new holiday.”

Sofia Polhammer, originally from Gothenburg, agrees. “I think a national day is important, but it will be a while before it takes shape. June 6 will never be as important to Swedes as May 17 is to Norwegians. In Norway, the national day is a big day, especially for children.”

Nationaldagsbakelsen, or the Swedish national cake, is the result of a pastry chef competition. Photo: Jacob Fridholm/imagebank.sweden.se

Many Stockholmers take part in the festivities at and around the Royal Palace. If you're lucky, the Nationaldagsbakelse is served. The strawberry and almond-paste pastry, which won the national day cake competition, bears the Swedish flag.

Getting into the spirit

Others join the celebrations at the Skansen open-air museum, where there is usually flag waving, folk dancing, music and speeches.

In addition to the pomp and ceremony in Stockholm, many cities and towns across Sweden will be celebrating June 6.

The Nordiska Museet survey indicates many people celebrate informally, too. “Respondents say they often have a picnic with friends or family,” Kättström Höök reveals. “Many eat herring, potatoes, strawberries and other traditional Swedish food, and most raise the flag that day.”

Walpurgis — spring celebrated with fire

Rikard Lagerberg — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Walpurgis Eve, April 30, is an important date in the Swedish calendar. The transition from the cold and dark winter to the bright and warm summer is celebrated with bonfires, songs and quite often a late-night party.

Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/imagebank.sweden.se

Walpurgis bonfires are part of a Swedish tradition dating back to the early 18th century. On April 30, farmers used to hold their annual village meetings, let out the animals to graze and light huge fires to protect the livestock from snarling predators — and perhaps also to keep the witches at bay. Bonfires are still lit on Walpurgis Eve in essentially every town and village. (On the west coast, however, they often take place during Easter instead.)

Song is another central element of Walpurgis Eve. Nowadays, it’s quite easy to find a city bonfire has replaced the traditional choir song with pop, rock or jazz music. At more traditional gatherings and in university towns, choir is still the way to go. University towns usually excel over other cities when it comes to celebrating Walpurgis, and student choirs wearing graduation caps often strike up a tone.

Photo: p2-r2 (CC BY-NC)

If you happen to be in Uppsala, where students honor spring from early morning to late night, don’t be alarmed if you observe hundreds of rickety homemade rafts careening down the river navigated by overzealous students. This tradition began in the mid-1970s and attracts roughly 30,000 spectators each year. Impressively, the race has started to attract student racers from universities abroad.

Photo: Lena Dahlström (CC BY-NC-ND)

One event that definitely stops the party from getting out of control is the public holiday that follows on the morning after Walpurgis Eve — May 1, or Labor Day, with massive demonstrations in support of workers’ rights. Somehow, a lot of younger Swedes manage to participate fully in both holidays. Perhaps the spring sun has something to do with it.

The rise of geek civilization

Anna Sandelin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:30:00 GMT

Tired of finding herself in the minority at computer conferences, Heidi Harman decided to set up a network of her own. So she co-founded Geek Girl, a social network for women who are into IT. On April 29, 2012, the first UK Geek Girl Meetup was arranged in London. Sweden.se met Harman to talk about women and the web.

Heidi Harman and Andie Nordgren. Photo: Private

Heidi Harman, why did you set up Geek Girl?

"We were going to a lot of conferences and women were always in minority. We saw the need for a network of women you could talk code with, girls who know the web and business development. We wanted to be in the majority. So I sent Andie Nordgren a Twitter message and in 2008 we arranged two events at which a few of us met up and had some beers. Then, in March 2009, we organized our first conference. It went really well, with 65 people attending even though we only had capacity for 50."

How many Geek Girls are there in Sweden?

"We don’t have any official members, as we’re not a formal organization. We’re a loosely connected group of women driven by a shared interest in the web, code and business development. Our Geek Girl Meetups differ from a lot of other events; everyone who attends can run their own session about something nerdy that only they know about."

Does Geek Girl exist in other countries?

"All over the world! There are Geek Girl dinners and Geek Girl bar camps where you can hang out in a bar and discuss technology. We wanted to stretch that concept to a conference, to customize it in a way that’s best for us."

Has the Geek Girl network developed in the way you imagined?

"It’s definitely exceeded our expectations. The fact that our meetings usually book up very quickly is awesome and proves there’s a need for this."

What do you do when you’re not busy with Geek Girl?

"I run my own start-up website, www.runalong.se. It’s for female runners and lets them find other women to run with. I received a grant of around SEK 1 million (USD 150,000), which is divided between a researcher, a technician and me."

Have you been empowered by Geek Girl?

"Absolutely! I’ve developed my female network and I’ve been able to pass along job opportunities and have received offers myself. I’ve also discovered a wide range of consultants to work with."

Swedish Geek Girls say hello to Mexican Geek Girls.

Swedish dance music better than ever

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:05:00 GMT

The bass covers the dance floor like a thick carpet. Happy faces everywhere. Dancers with record company T-shirts and colorful outfits. It’s Saturday in Sweden, and it doesn’t matter where you are. Electronic dance music can be heard in indie clubs, gay clubs and trendy bars.

Things were different back in the late 1990s, when Swedish electronic music was almost declared dead and relegated to burial. In just a few years, The Field has gone from being a musician in small artistic circles to the man behind the German record conglomerate Kompakt’s best selling release — ever.

Young Swedes are still dancing themselves sweaty to Tomas Andersson and The Knife at parties with names like Indierave; the guys at Swedish House Mafia belong to some of the most popular house artists in the world; disco duo Ultracity and their Rollerboys Recordings label are also enjoying international success; and the popularity of the eternal techno insurgent Adam Beyer never seems to fade.

Adam Beyer at a gig in Amsterdam.

A genuine drive to succeed combined with a broad technological and communicative touch are considered key factors to the success of Swedish electronic dance music. But there’s no characteristic Swedish sound to speak of. Rather, it’s extremely nuanced with strains of techno just as common as house and 1980s-influenced new disco.

Classical music traditions meet new currents

Sweden.se — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Swedish ensembles like the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir have become important ambassadors for Swedish classical music abroad. In all of Sweden, there are eight symphony orchestras, four professional chamber orchestras and four opera stages, as well as 122 chamber music societies.

In Sweden, students can choose practical training in classical music already in elementary school. Several universities and university colleges offer advanced professional programs in voice, all orchestral instruments, piano and composing. Teachers are often practicing musicians at the highest international levels, and there are chamber music and orchestra activities in the different departments. This helps preserve the tradition of classical music, but also opens up for new currents in the genre.

Ever heard of Christian Lindberg, the Swedish trombone virtuoso? Despite the fact that he only started playing the trombone at the age of 17, he moved on to become the world's first full-time, professional trombone soloist.

Ann-Sofie von Otter has cooperated with, among others, Brad Mehldau.

On the Swedish opera scene, mezzo soprano Anne Sofie von Otter is one of the brightest shining stars. Other big names are soprano Erika Sunnegårdh, alto Anna Larsson and baritone Peter Mattei.