INDEX
Two Roots That Shaped Him as a Musician
Would you describe this run of house releases as a “return to your roots” for you?
Rasmus: Not exactly. I wouldn’t say it’s that simple, because I have two different roots.
One is house music, which became my foundation as an artist. The other is a more fundamental musical root — Latin, soul, and jazz. For me, the idea of an “origin” exists on these two different levels.
Your father is a jazz musician, and you yourself began your career as a pianist. What was it that drew you toward house music from there?
Rasmus: There was a certain sense of rebellion involved. I grew up going to my father’s concerts, and he was widely respected as a great musician. At the same time, the life of a jazz musician often looked difficult, full of struggle. To my younger self, the jazz world felt a bit closed off.
Rasmus: That’s exactly why I began to feel a strong desire to bring jazz to a much wider world. I thought that by combining the acid jazz and dance music I was deeply immersed in at the time with the Latin, samba, and salsa influences I loved, I could present jazz as something fresh and appealing to a broader audience. That almost mission-like feeling is what ultimately pushed me toward house music.
Which artists were influencing you during that period?
Rasmus: Around 2000 to 2001, when I started seriously working with dance music in Stockholm, the scene was largely divided into two currents: UK garage, and soulful house shaped by US influences.
I was strongly drawn to the melodic side of UK garage, represented by artists like MJ Cole and Artful Dodger. At the same time, I was equally captivated by US house through artists such as Masters at Work, Blaze, and Kenny Bobien.
Rasmus: Around the same time, I was also influenced by the Japanese artist “MONDO GROSSO.” His emotionally rich approach to dance music has stayed deeply etched in me and continues to resonate in my work to this day.
How would you describe the energy of the Swedish dance music scene at that time?
Rasmus: It was incredibly vibrant. In terms of nightlife, I honestly think it was one of the most exciting periods in Swedish history. This was before social media existed—people weren’t focused on filming everything on their phones, but on surrendering themselves to the music on the dancefloor and truly living in the moment.
There was a powerful sense of shared experience centered on music and dance, and I feel very lucky to have been part of that era.
