Until Now

Movie-like love

All this looks so much like a love from movies where everything happens so suddenly, spontaneously and always ends even more unexpectedly than it began. Swedish House Mafia did not just break into, like we usually say, but break out on the electronic-dance scene, seemingly, just yesterday. The world fell in love with them madly never looking back on others, and there could be no other way. The trio of young and immensely talented men from the Scandinavian kingdom used methods and tool known only to them to turn the genre upside down and made everyone speak of them admiringly. When they started saying that after One there would be no more like that, the band made Antidote. And then there were Miami 2 Ibiza, Save The World, Greyhound, and a great many hits to top charts all over Europe. And amidst all this frenzy and bacchanalia it was announced that there soon would be an end to all of it. Having finished a gigantic tour, the Swedes will stop working together, and Swedish House Mafia will come off the stage, leaving only memories of concerts, studio works and live records. Until then, listeners will have a chance to go to their show one more time or, if it is impossible, to get a soundtrack to the farewell tour, a gorgeous 22-track collection.

A bit of everything, or a lot of good music

It may take quite a while to study the set of Until Now: each title has elaboration on whether it is a mix or remix and who it was made with. Right, the Swedes could have made a collection of their songs only, performed by them only, but they chose a different path. After all, Swedish House Mafia is not a studio project as much as it is a concert one, and, essentially, Until Now is just the second official release of the trio, who prefer to treat the audience off the stage. Basically, Until Now is a studio witness to a big party arranged by Swedish House Mafia, where either they remake somebody’s material, or somebody remakes theirs. The spacious track list of more than twenty songs includes their original hits (One, Miami 2 Ibiza), their remakes of popular songs by other famous performers, like Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall of the beautiful Coldplay, and even a couple of previously unreleased pieces, Antidote, and Don’t You Worry Child. Simultaneously, the favorites promote yet not well known musicians. This is why, for instance, Leave The World Behind performed by Axwell is combined with Atom from duo Nari & Milani.

It was necessary to make this collection

Usher, Pendulum, Florence & The Machine are just some of those who enjoyed working on Until Now and helped Swedish House Mafia record this powerful compilation. These names alone are enough for anyone to understand how big and versatile the music legacy of the Swedish project is. In the meantime, the foundation of any of the tracks here is house, known long before them, and played long before them. Minimalism, in its pure form, is the key component to this music, and the easier it gets, the better it becomes. But to be honest, upon the layer of dry beats and cool electronic, a lot of everything else is put, including familiar voices, sweet melodies and luxurious arrangements. Until Now is desperately void of romantics of Swedish House Mafia first exercises, driven by sheer enthusiasm and inspiration, those being face and soul of the genuine DJ craftsmanship and existence. Yet a collection like that was a must. Of course, all these tracks will sound better onstage, but in their studio versions they are just as valuable for all those who want to stay by Swedish House Mafia after the last show is over.