profiles: seba





Seba interviewed by Danny Ratel 5/99


Background: Starting out in Sweden, Seba recorded as Peanut Planet with fellow members Staffan Soderman ( AKA Lotek ) and MC Sandor producing early hardcore. Starting in late '92, their sound was similar to other hardcore tracks at the time, taking inspiration from almost everything that came out on labels like Reinforced and Moving Shadow.

Seba hooked up with Good Looking after playing "Sonic Winds" as his last track at the Lollipop festival in Sweden, Bukem heard the track and went mad over it. This track was released with "So Long" in 1995 on LGR. Since then Seba has had a slew of releases on GLR including classics such as "Universal Music", "Planetary Funk Alert", and "Valley of the Moomins". Seba has also done two remixes for the Swedish label, Svek. Remixing both Ralph Lundstein for "Diskophrenia", and M. Reich and J. Foufas for "Alchemy." Both blinding tracks.

As well as drum 'n' bass, Seba has worked on low bpm tracks and soul tunes as well as house tracks. Be sure to check out his tunes on the recent Lords of Svek: Galaxy compilation.

     
What's up with Secret Operations?   It won't be done with Good Looking but rather a Swedish house label known as Svek.
     
How much control does GLR have over your tunes?   I have a deal with them, but I do things on my own. I send them the tapes and they decide. Now I am trying to work on my own label, but I have a deal with them to put out three more releases. The first release is a comp. featuring : Future Engineers, Paradox and three Swedish friends who are doing tunes. One is a producer from Switzerland. I used to live there.
     
What's next for GLR?   I have "Soul 2000" coming out. Everyone seems to be into it. It will be on Progression Sessions 4. After that I don't know because of a dispute with GLR.
     
What's up with these disputes? Invisible Man, KMC, and now You?   KMC was never signed. I am starting to work with Svek more.
     
Any DJ Gig's coming up?   Not really. I did the Logical Tour last year. I did the Montreux Jazz Festival and some dates in Japan.
     
What's going within Sweden?   I was doing a club called Secret Operations its where the label's name is from, but now it is kind of dead. The drum and bass scene is messed up. It is not really popular. You have young producers talking shite about me, "Seba can't cut plates". More into hard techno there.
     
Can Drum and Bass break through in Stockholm?   Yes. I am starting a club with Svek. Tworooms, one house and one drum and bass. I have to settle things with GLR first.
     
Where's Lotek?   Well, he is more into electro now, we may do another collaboration. I am working with another guy from Sweden. I talked to Dev (Alaska) and he wants to come to Sweden. I really dig his stuff. I would love to work with him.
     
How do you describe your sound?   I am going for more of a 70's feel now. A new tune called "Unrevealed Stories" I did sounds like this. It's got eerie strings. Blame is playing it out, but it doesn't sound like me at all. Blame likes it! Sounds like a soundtrack from a 70's police show.
     
What inspires your music?   Loads of things.
     
Like Moomins?   Have you seen that show? It is this psychedelic world, I think it was a Finnish author, it's really crazy, my Granny used to read it to me.It provides a good theme for the tune. Dope always inspires me to make good music. Different things. I don't use a lot of samples. The girl's voice in Moomins is my sister. "Car Crash" I got the inspiration from Bob James. Bob James is the wickedest soundtrack producer ever! He has done so much dramatic stuff, that's what I was going for.
     
What kind of equipment do you use?   I have so much equipment. I don't use all of it. I use a lot of analog synthesizers. It gives you a 70's type of sound which I am into. Most producers don't get into them. I find you get stuck with samples and you are forced to work around them.
     
How many unreleased tunes do you have now?   18 I think. I have 12 tracks that were sent to GLR that still have not been released. Some tunes will be released through Svek. Svek is keeping a low profile though so you may not find them in the UK or US. I am finding a lot of stuff coming out on GLR now which is very boring and uninteresting. I send them things and they don't get released, but some of the tunes are embarrassing because I am trying to evolve and GLR is not letting me. I think Blame is pushing the sound, and also Blame (laughs). Blu Mar Ten is doing some good things.
     
What about yourself?   No not really, it's hard. Some people in Sweden say I can not program my beats and that I am not tight.
     
Is GLR "Progressing"?   Not really, I mean Danny has been doing this for 10 years now, and much more can evolve? It's kind of like Frankie Knuckles. The man made his contribution to music and now he is done. They should call it Logical Regression. I did a tune called "Logical Aggression" with the meanest fucking amen beats you ever heard, I was pissed off at the time.
     

Look at for future releases on Good Looking and Secret Operations.
Also check out Seba's live set in Chicago - August 1999.


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