Sleeve Notes: Little Dragon x Swedish House

Sleeve Notes is a new series where we pick an artist and get them to make a themed mix. This week: Little Dragon, who will put out their fourth album in May, talk about their love of Swedish House.

Noisey: So what’s the meaning behind the title of your new album?

Yukimi: We just found out that Nabuma is a river in the Congo, but it’s also the name of a friend It’s a Ugandan name. We have a track on the album called "Nabuma Rubberband" and on the cover there’s a picture of a girl jumping so I liked the idea of it being her name. It seems quite awkward to have a little Chinese girl with a Ugandan name and Rubberband as a last name.

Your three previous albums were on Peacefrog and now Nabuma is on Because Music, why did you change labels?

It was definitely a natural change, we had a three-album deal with Peacefrog.

Did being on a new label give you a fresh take on making an album?

Hakan: It was good; it’s a new horizon. They gave us some different input.

Y: Also, it meant we were working on a level that we haven’t been able to do before.

How does this album differ from the previous three?

H: It’s better.

Y: We always think the latest thing is the best.

H: It’s deeper and there are more slower songs. It’s a better mix.

Y: I took a long time with the lyrics for this record and tried to not rush it. I really had time to think about what the songs should be about. In that sense, I think that having the time off really gave us that space to reflect more. I’m super excited to start playing it live.

You said that this album was inspired by a lot of Janet Jackson slow jams, so what’s your favourite Janet Jackson song?

Y: “Someday Is Tonight” and “Any Time, Any Place. A lot of the stuff she did with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. She’s one of many inspirations.

The video for "Klapp Klapp" is great. What’s the story behind it and how closely did you work with director?

Yukimi: That song has a lot of space for interpretation. It’s very personal to me but at the same time it’s not obvious – it can mean one thing for one person and another thing for another person. I think we’ve just so been so busy with the music, we just found the director that we really love and gave him free hands to interpret it. So the treatment was all his, we were filling it.

What does the song mean to you?

Y: Oh it’s a long story, I’m not going to go into it.

Haha, okay! Who are some of your favourite artists?

Y: Kate Bush. I love Marvin Gaye. There’s definitely some new stuff though. I love Frank Ocean and Jai Paul.

What’s on your own personal playlists?

Y: I’d include Lukas Nystrand von Unge, he’s a Swedish electronic producer. I’d also include some Outkast and Alice Coltrane – Journey in Satchidananda for the spaced out moments, Kraftwerk and other synthy stuff.

H: I don’t have any music on my phone yet

Y: He’s the one that listens to new music the least. He’s got a lot of music in his head!

H: Yeah, it sounds weird. I listen to my own thoughts! I should really shape up.

Sweden has had some great exports – Neneh Cherry, Robyn, Yung Lean, H&M, Volvo, and recently there was a show on channel 4 called Scandimania, which looked at why the three Scandinavian countries were voted the happiest in the world. Why is Sweden so great?!

H: It’s a very peaceful place. It used to be better but it’s still got good social security and healthcare.

Did you guys grow up in rural or city Sweden?

H: I’m from a rural area

Y: Me and the rest of the guys are from Gothenburg.

Does the contrast of city and rural life between you guys have any influence on your sound?

Y: Yeah I definitely think it has an influence, but it’s hard to know to what extent. You just assume that your life influences you but you’re not sure where in the music it comes out.

You've chosen to make a mix on Swedish house. What is it that you like about it?

Fred: I can't say that it's particularly Swedish but it has a vibe and an attitude that resonates with the Swedes, at least. There is something soft and moody, but also weird and groovy about it.

Can you tell us a bit about some of the tracks that you've picked?

The first one is called "Some kind of pop melody" by Lukas Nystrand von Unge. It's super catchy, then these out of tune strings appear which makes it surreal and feverish. The second one is by fellow Gothenburgians: Genius of Time. It's a laid back groove with some lovely congas. Minimal & trancey. It ends with an epic track from Swedish finest Axel Boman.

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